Cultus
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The new disruptions from online learning platforms, got the universities “taken by surprise” thanks to Coursera and edX. The problem of the students’ debt and increasing costs are no longer a big issue, trending to become a thing of the past (years will pass until this issues is really no longer an issue, but things are moving in this direction).
Some of the signs showing the movements in the education sphere are :University of Texas and Columbia University chose new partners or University of Virginia is temporary ousting and reinstating President Teresa Sullivan. This year put a spotlight on a number of terms that educators should be familiar with by now and should be working on improving further.
These are the top 7 ed technologies that played significant role in 2012 and will be even more important in 2013:
1. MOOCs
Massive open online course (MOOC) have been increasing in 2012 and they will face big questions in 2013. MOOC might “give birth” to a new breed of classroom, as they have established grounds that will follow the fate higher education and perhaps K-12.
2. HYBRID PROGRAMS
The opinions on the fact whether MOOCs will be able to replace face-to-face education in classrooms or not are still very much popular, but the fact is that they do not actually need to. Hybrid programs which combine online instruction, with traditional strategies, may be able to solve a number of problems. The educators are getting smarter about how they implement flipped classrooms and blended learning plans, improving their implementation.
3. M-LEARNING
Mobile education apps have reshaped the way students study and learn. Handheld touch screens mean more IT demands, as well as more education resources accessible for learners on the go and in a variety of environments. Companies will continue to work in this filed, by expanding the fields of m-learning ( Udemy and Grockit might lead).
4. ONLINE VIDEO
Online video learning providers keep on appearing all over the Internet. Khan Academy, Learnist, MIT and iTunesU are just some of the innovating ones showing how instructional video gets experienced and accessed. For distance learners, video is a vital medium, when in-person class sessions is not available. Numerous companies want to own this space in education, and investments in the companies of this type are continuously growing.More about Khan Academy
5. EDUCATION SOCIAL NETWORKS
Education Dive selected a wide range of social networks that cater to educators, LinkedIn introduced more ways for the users to define and promote their profiles, ResearchGate announced a new reputation score for academics, and Epernicus is competing to become a number one resource for researchers.
6. FOR-PROFIT vs ONLINE REGULATION
For-profit education companies, with increased US government scrutiny were not rising in 2012. Coursera’s temporary ban in Minnesota .will not be the last time that state or federal government takes an interest in MOOCs. Conflicts of interest will rise, as the free education spreads.
7. TABLETS
New instruction models with new hardware from the departments at the college and K-12 levels introduced more iPads and other tablets in the classrooms , in 2012. Institutions are trying to understand exactly how different teaching styles combine with iPad instruction, but as best practices come in practice, expect to read more about tablets in 2013.
You can check this useful infograph why using technology in education at:
Why technology in education?