One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men.

No machine can do
the work of one extraordinary man.
Elbert Hubbard

Trends in Education
Issue Date: October 15, 2015 by Karen Ragan
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

AUTHENTIC LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: ways schools can improve student involvement, engage
learners and drive innovation.
Retrieved from NMC Horizon Report Project Creative Authentic Learning Opportunities

uthentic Learning Opportunities

One trend in Education is the shift in

thinking with regard to how schools can
improve student involvement, engaging
learners and drive innovation. These short term
goals can best be accomplished by creating
authentic learning opportunities for students,
which unfortunately is still not common in all
schools. Authentic learning takes place when
real life experiences are carried into the
classroom and students make connections
between their prior experiences in their
personal life outside of school with experiences
inside of the classroom. This can occur by
allowing students to share what they know
about situations similar to the content or
whether they have used this material in real life
opportunities. If not, they can brainstorm with
peers about how it might be useful. Technology
can help students make

real life connections using smart phones or

tablets which allow students to be involved in
the learning process engaging and keeping their
attention more than the traditional lecture
approach. With this trend of technology in
schools, surveys show 8 of 10 students own a
smartphone and almost 82% used them for
learning in 2015. Schools are updating policy to
adjust to student use of mobile learning by
allowing devices into the classroom according
to Alfred Binford, Pearsons Managing Director.
He has acknowledged that with the growth of
mobile device use in schools, few have changed
their Wi-Fi accessibility so the support is not
provided to students that is needed for this tool
to be fully successful. The goal is that students
will connect what they are learning with their
own lives (prior knowledge), become excited
about learning (engage) and as a result, want to
know more (learn).

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: finding ways to incorporate technology into content based instruction
Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/12/19/how-to-promote-literacy-skills-in-the-digital-age/

sing Digital Technology to Promote Instructional Content

Laura Devaney,
Managing Editor of
eschoolsnews shares ways to
incorporate technology into
content based instruction.
Research is showing students
are struggling in the
classroom with basic
concepts. Educators are
finding ways to incorporate
technology into content

based instruction, especially

literacy. Without essential
reading and writing skills,
students lose their
motivation and confidence to
continue learning. Teachers
can use digital technology to
help promote literacy,
especially iPads and laptops.
Ironically, kids can use
phones to tweet and

communicate with peers but

lack basic digital literacy
skills. When researching
information, they also overrely on search engines and
the material they provide.
The U.S. Senate is attempting
to rewrite NCLB with ECAA or
Every Child Achieves Act.

Image courtesy of
http://www.eschoolnews.com/
2012/12/19/how-to-promoteliteracy-skills-in-thedigital-age/

Trends in Education by Karen Ragan, created October 15, 2015

All material retrieved from:
http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2015-nmc-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf or
http://www.eschoolnews.com
Google Images

ADAPTIVE LEARNING TECHNOLOGY: improve learning, support or extend teaching and

promote creative inquiry. Retrieved from NMC Horizon Project Using Technology to Teach
Complex Thinking

daptive technologies that improve learning, support or extend teaching and promote
creative inquiry, are trending across the globe. Adaptive learning technology is already used
in many assessments such as STAR Reading and Math Assessments. These are helpful to
determine placement of students in appropriate learning groups for intervention.
With adaptive learning, the technology is designed to interpret data about the way a student is
learning and then adapts or changes based on the student responses. A study commissioned by
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was published as stating sophisticated, data-driven, and in
some cases, non-linear approach to instruction and remediation, adjusting to a learners
interactions and demonstrated performance levels and subsequently anticipating what types of
content resources learner need at a specific point in time to make progress.
This is personalized learning at its best as these adaptive educational tools adapt to each students
progress and adjust content In real time and therefore provide appropriately leveled material as
needed. Learners do not distinguish between how they learn, whether traditional or digital
methods as long as it is engaging. Students will typically use every resource available to learn the
necessary material and gain the best education.

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING APPROACH: from Increasing Use of Collaborative Learning Approaches

Mid-Term Impact Trend: Driving Ed Tech adoption in K-12 education for three to five years

ollaborative learning
among Teachers and
Students is a growing
priority. Research shows
that teamwork and
cooperative learning
improves involvement and
performance. It is no
longer an option but now
is a requirement. Deep

learning approaches, as
defined by Alliance for
Excellent Education, which
includes Project and
Challenge Based Learning,
promotes learners working
toward a collective goal.
Middle School teams often
co-teach themed units
relating the material in all

disciplines so student
learning becomes more
fluid. A Science based
study on the Universe
would be woven into all
disciplines with each
subject focusing on one
area of information in an
effort to saturate students
in the subject matter.