technology in education 2023

• News: IITE and partners in action

Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education

There are often bitter divisions in how the role of technology is viewed, however. These divisions are widening as the technology is evolving at breakneck speed. The 2023 GEM Report on technology and education explores these debates, examining education challenges to which appropriate use of technology can offer solutions (access, equity and inclusion; quality; technology advancement; system management), while recognizing that many solutions proposed may also be detrimental.

The report also explores three system-wide conditions (access to technology, governance regulation, and teacher preparation) that need to be met for any technology in education to reach its full potential.

The 2023 GEM Report and 200 PEER country profiles on technology and education were launched on 26 July. A recording of the global launch event can be watched  here  and a south-south dialogue between Ministers of education in Latin America and Africa  here .

UNESCO IITE contributed to the preparation of the Report, particularly to the preparation of the background papers on open educational resources and media and information literacy , and GEM Report’s  PEER country profiles on technology for 11 Member States.

More information

Download 2023 GEM Report

Global Education Monitoring Report

• 2023 GEM REPORT
• Technology in education
• Recommendations

2023 Webpage

Press Release

• RELATED PUBLICATIONS
• Background papers
• 2021/2 GEM Report
• 2020 Report
• 2019 Report
• 2017/8 Report
• 2016 Report

2023 Global Education Monitoring Report

Technology in education: A tool on whose terms?

Animation: Housatonic Design Network. Cover Image: Ismael Martínez Sánchez/ProFuturo

• FULL REPORT
• SUMMARY REPORT
• 2023 WEBPAGE

KEY MESSAGES

Good, impartial evidence on the impact of education technology is in short supply..

• There is little robust evidence on digital technology’s added value in education. Technology evolves faster than it is possible to evaluate it: Education technology products change every 36 months, on average. Most evidence comes from the richest countries. In the United Kingdom, 7% of education technology companies had conducted randomized controlled trials, and 12% had used third-party certification. A survey of teachers and administrators in 17 US states showed that only 11% requested peer-reviewed evidence prior to adoption.
• A lot of the evidence comes from those trying to sell it. Pearson funded its own studies, contesting independent analysis that showed its products had no impact.

Technology offers an education lifeline for millions but excludes many more.

• Accessible technology and universal design have opened up opportunities for learners with disabilities. About 87% of visually impaired adults indicated that accessible technology devices were replacing traditional assistive tools. „
• Radio, television and mobile phones fill in for traditional education among hard-to-reach populations. Almost 40 countries use radio instruction. In Mexico, a programme of televised lessons combined with in-class support increased secondary school enrolment by 21%. „
• Online learning stopped education from melting down during COVID-19 school closures. Distance learning had a potential reach of over 1 billion students; but it also failed to reach at least half a billion, or 31% of students worldwide – and 72% of the poorest. „
• The right to education is increasingly synonymous with the right to meaningful connectivity, yet access is unequal. Globally, only 40% of primary, 50% of lower secondary and 65% of upper secondary schools are connected to the internet; 85% of countries have policies to improve school or learner connectivity.

Some education technology can improve some types of learning in some contexts.

• Digital technology has dramatically increased access to teaching and learning resources. Examples include the National Academic Digital Library of Ethiopia and National Digital Library of India. The Teachers Portal in Bangladesh has over 600,000 users.
• It has brought small to medium-sized positive effects to some types of learning. A review of 23 mathematics applications used at the primary level showed that they focused on drill and practice rather than advanced skills.
• But it should focus on learning outcomes, not on digital inputs. In Peru, when over 1 million laptops were distributed without being incorporated into pedagogy, learning did not improve. In the United States, analysis of over 2 million students found that learning gaps widened when instruction was exclusively remote.
• And it need not be advanced to be effective. In China, high-quality lesson recordings delivered to 100 million rural students improved student outcomes by 32% and reduced urban–rural earning gaps by 38%.
• Finally, it can have detrimental impact if inappropriate or excessive. Large-scale international assessment data, such as that provided by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), suggest a negative link between excessive ICT use and student performance. Mere proximity to a mobile device was found to distract students and to have a negative impact on learning in 14 countries, yet less than one in four have banned smartphone use in schools.

The fast pace of change in technology is putting strain on education systems to adapt.

• Countries are starting to define the digital skills they want to prioritize in curricula and assessment standards. Globally, 54% of countries have digital skill standards but often these have been defined by non-state, mostly commercial, actors.
• Many students do not have much chance to practise with digital technology in schools. Even in the world’s richest countries, only about 10% of 15-year-old students used digital devices for more than an hour per week in mathematics and science.
• Teachers often feel unprepared and lack confidence teaching with technology. Only half of countries have standards for developing teacher ICT skills. While 5% of ransomware attacks target education, few teacher training programmes cover cybersecurity.
• Various issues impede the potential of digital data in education management. Many countries lack capacity: Just over half of countries use student identification numbers. Countries that do invest in data struggle: A recent survey among UK universities found that 43% had trouble linking data systems.

Online content has grown without enough regulation of quality control or diversity.

• Online content is produced by dominant groups, affecting access to it. Nearly 90% of content in higher education repositories with open education resource collections was created in Europe and Northern America; 92% of content in the OER Commons global library is in English. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) mainly benefit educated learners and those from richer countries.
• Higher education is adopting digital technology the fastest and being transformed by it the most. There were over 220 million students attending MOOCs in 2021. But digital platforms challenge universities’ role and pose regulatory and ethical challenges, for instance related to exclusive subscription deals and to student and personnel data.

Technology is often bou ght to plug a gap, with no view to the long-term costs…

• …for national budgets. The cost of moving to basic digital learning in low-income countries and connecting all schools to the internet in lower-middle-income countries would add 50% to their current financing gap for achieving national SDG 4 targets. Money is not always well spent: Around two-thirds of education software licences were unused in the United States.
• …for children’s well-being. Almost one sixth of countries have banned smartphones in schools. Children’s data are being exposed, yet only 16% of countries explicitly guarantee data privacy in education by law. One analysis found that 89% of 163 education technology products recommended during the pandemic could survey children. Further, 39 of 42 governments providing online education during the pandemic fostered uses that risked or infringed on children’s rights.
• …for the planet. One estimate of the CO2 emissions that could be saved by extending the lifespan of all laptops in the European Union by a year found it would be equivalent to taking almost 1 million cars off the road.

INSIDE THE REPORT

Recommendations.

Social media

GEM REPORT ONLINE PRODUCTS

Profiles enhancing education reviews, scoping progress in education, world inequaity database on education.

Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education

The 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), assesses global progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal on education (SDG 4) and its ten targets. The 2023 report focuses explicitly on the role of technology in education, discussing the challenges and opportunities technology poses toward achieving global education targets. As technology continues to evolve, the report analyzes the various perspectives on technology and its use in education, exploring solutions—such as increased access to education, equity, and quality—while also noting challenges. The report also highlights three areas needed for technology in education to achieve its full potential: access to technology, governance regulation, and teacher preparation. 

Along with an online version of the report, the report is accompanied by an executive summary , downloadable statistical tables , and PEER country profiles on technology in education. Additional supplementary resources include a concept note , slide deck , and a set of background papers covering a broad range of general educational topics related to technology in education.

Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in Education. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 2023. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/technology .

Learn more with these Related Resources

This report published by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) describes and explains relationships among contraceptive …

This report published by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) describes and explains relationships among contraceptive use and demographic outcomes. In addition to a deeper understanding of the population dynamics surrounding this issue, the short report helps readers understand why programs that extend contraception to populations may succeed or fail. The report summarizes the ways in which changes in fertility relate to changes in mortality, as well as the implications that a low birth rate has…

This report published by the International Labor Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and the International Organization …

This report published by the International Labor Organization (ILO), Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presents global and regional estimates of modern slavery. Modern slavery includes people forced to work or marry against their will. In 2021, an estimated 50 million people were in situations of modern slavery—or 27.6 million people in forced labor and 22 million in forced marriages worldwide. Since the previous global estimates of modern slavery were published in…

This report published by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (Everytown) presents a comprehensive plan …

This report published by Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (Everytown) presents a comprehensive plan combining gun safety policies with school-based intervention strategies. The largest education unions in the United States partnered with Everytown to assess the status of gun violence in schools and draw from data, research, and recommendations to create an intervention plan to prevent mass shooting incidents and end gun violence. The report includes four main sections: an overview of gun violence…

Browse Subjects

• EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
• EDUCATIONAL POLICY

Technology in Education: Background Paper for 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report

• October 2021
• Affiliation: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

• Escola Superior de Educacao de Paula Frassinetti

Abstract and Figures

Discover the world's research

• 25+ million members
• 160+ million publication pages
• 2.3+ billion citations

• Ms Esti Shcwartz

• C Edward Watson
• Hyojin Park

• Christoph Kühnhanss
• Aymo Brunetti
• J ADOLESCENCE

• Jonathan Haidt
• Andrew B. Blake
• Astrid Le Roy

• David Peter Rwehikiza
• David K. Evans
• Recruit researchers
• Join for free
• Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up

Content Search

Global education monitoring report 2023: technology in education: a tool on whose terms [en/ar/pt/ru/sw/zh], attachments.

UNESCO issues urgent call for appropriate use of technology in education

Paris, 27 July 2023 - A new global UNESCO report on technology in education highlights the lack of appropriate governance and regulation. Countries are urged to set their own terms for the way technology is designed and used in education so that it never replaces in-person, teacher-led instruction, and supports the shared objective of quality education for all.

"The digital revolution holds immeasurable potential but, just as warnings have been voiced for how it should be regulated in society, similar attention must be paid to the way it is used in education. Its use must be for enhanced learning experiences and for the well-being of students and teachers, not to their detriment. Keep the needs of the learner first and support teachers. Online connections are no substitute for human interaction." -Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General

Entitled “ Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? ” , the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report is being launched today at an event in Montevideo, Uruguay, hosted by UNESCO, the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay and Ceibal Foundation with 15 ministers of education from around the world. It proposes four questions that policy makers and educational stakeholders should reflect upon as technology is being deployed in education:

1. Is it appropriate?

Using technology can improve some types of learning in some contexts. The report cites evidence showing that learning benefits disappear if technology is used in excess or in the absence of a qualified teacher. For example, distributing computers to students does not improve learning if teachers are not involved in the pedagogical experience. Smartphones in schools have also proven to be a distraction to learning, yet fewer than a quarter of countries ban their use in schools.

"We need to learn about our past mistakes when using technology in education so that we do not repeat them in the future. We need to teach children to live both with and without technology; to take what they need from the abundance of information, but to ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support, but never supplant human interactions in teaching and learning." -Manos Antoninis, Director

Learning inequities between students widen when instruction is exclusively remote and online content is not always context appropriate. A study of open educational resource collections found that nearly 90% of higher education online repositories were created either in Europe or in North America; 92% of the material in the Open Educational Resources Commons global library is in English.

2. Is it equitable?

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid shift to online learning left out at least half a billion students worldwide, mostly affecting the poorest and those in rural areas. The report underlines that the right to education is increasingly synonymous with the right to meaningful connectivity, yet one in four primary schools do not have electricity. It calls for all countries to set benchmarks for connecting schools to the internet between now and 2030 and for the focus to remain on the most marginalized.

3. Is it scalable?

Sound, rigorous and impartial evidence of technology’s added value in learning is needed more than ever, but is lacking. Most evidence comes from the United States, where the What Works Clearinghouse pointed out that less than 2% of education interventions assessed had ‘strong or moderate evidence of effectiveness’. When the evidence only comes from the technology companies themselves, there is a risk it may be biased.

Many countries ignore the long-term costs of technology purchases and the EdTech market is expanding while basic education needs remain unmet. The cost of moving to basic digital learning in low-income countries and connecting all schools to the internet in lower-middle-income countries would add 50% to their current financing gap for achieving national SDG 4 targets. A full digital transformation of education with internet connectivity in schools and homes would cost over a billion per day just to operate.

4. Is it sustainable?

The fast pace of change in technology is putting strain on education systems to adapt. Digital literacy and critical thinking are increasingly important, particularly with the growth of generative AI. Additional data attached to the report show that this adaptation movement has begun: 54% of surveyed countries have defined the skills they want to develop for the future. But only 11 out of 51 governments surveyed have curricula for AI.

In addition to these skills, basic literacy should not be overlooked, as it is critical for digital application too: students with better reading skills are far less likely to be duped by phishing emails.

Moreover, teachers also need appropriate training yet only half of countries currently have standards for developing their ICT skills. Few teacher training programmes cover cybersecurity even though 5% of ransomware attacks target education.

Sustainability also requires better guaranteeing the rights of technology users. Today, only 16% of countries guarantee data privacy in education by law. One analysis found that 89% of 163 education technology products could survey children. Further, 39 of 42 governments providing online education during the pandemic fostered uses that ‘risked or infringed’ on children’s rights.

Media contacts:

Clare O’Hagan: [email protected] +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 29

Elsa Weill: [email protected] +33 630 62 18 75

Notes to editors:

The Global Education Monitoring Report: Established in 2002, the GEM Report is an editorially independent report, hosted and published by UNESCO. At the 2015 World Education Forum, it received a mandate from 160 governments to monitor and report on progress on education in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to the SDG 4 monitoring framework, and the implementation of national and international strategies to help hold all relevant partners to account for their commitments.

Related Content

Con menos de una quinta parte de los objetivos cumplidos, el mundo no está cumpliendo la promesa de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible, advierte un nuevo informe de la onu, avec moins d'un cinquième des objectifs en bonne voie, le monde ne parvient pas à tenir les promesses des objectifs de développement durable, avertit un nouveau rapport de l'onu, the sustainable development goals report 2024 [en/ar/ru/zh], adolescents in a changing world: the case for urgent investment.

More From Forbes

The Top 5 Education Trends In 2023

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

The world is changing, which means that the way we study and learn in order to thrive in the world has to change, too. For a long time, education has involved us spending a good chunk of our early years sitting in a classroom absorbing information before heading out to put it to use. But the pace of change today means that what we learned one day might be redundant the next.

This means that the way we learn has to change – embracing technology and concepts such as life-long learning to ensure that we are better equipped for the fast-changing world of today. So, here’s my rundown of the most important trends that will drive this change over the next 12 months and beyond.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI), described as the most transformative technology of the 21 st century, is reshaping every industry and field of human activity, including education. In the classroom, it is found in the form of virtual assistants that can help both students and teachers to manage their time and complete their assignments; tutoring systems that can provide personalized learning experiences for students of all ages and abilities; powering remote and online learning systems where it can adapt the pace of teaching to match students’ needs; language translation in educational settings where pupils speak a wide variety of languages, and many other applications. It’s even been reported that some schools in China have implemented facial recognition technology using computer vision systems to monitor whether or not students are paying attention in class!

According to UNESCO , AI has the potential to help tackle some of the toughest challenges in education today, including addressing inequalities in the way schooling is provided around the world and improving access to knowledge globally. However, it also creates challenges of its own – with effort required to ensure that the rollout of this highly disruptive technology is done in a way that is fair and doesn't itself contribute to those inequalities.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

Remote, Online, and Hybrid Learning

The global Covid-19 pandemic forced schools, universities, and course providers to develop the capabilities to deliver education at a distance. But even before this, a revolution was taking place in the domain of online learning, with massive online open courses (MOOCs) exploding in popularity. In schools, remote and online learning means that educators can reach students no matter how isolated their communities are. This could mark a huge step forward in providing equality of access to education in a world where nearly 270 million children do not go to school due to living in remote or rural locations.

Even for those living in cities, the rise of online and remote learning facilities provides an opportunity for us to continue with education even when our busy adult lives mean it would be difficult for us to regularly attend classes in person. This is driven by the emergence of online education technology (ed-tech) platforms such as Udacity, Coursera, Udemy, and EdX. These platforms are designed to enable the "lifelong learning" approach, which is likely to become prevalent thanks to the accelerating pace of technological advancement, which will require skills to be frequently updated and “topped up” through new models such as micro-learning or nano-learning. One trend that has recently emerged within the field of online learning is courses taught by celebrities and renowned practitioners. The Masterclass and Maestro platforms (the latter created by the BBC) offer opportunities such as learning children’s writing from Julia Donaldson, filmmaking from Martin Scorsese, or business from Bob Iger.

Not Just College

In 2023, high schools will increase resources dedicated to preparing students for future paths that lead to places other than traditional college courses. Vocational and technical courses teaching a diverse range of skill sets are likely to become more popular as schools work with employers to develop new solutions to problems caused by the skills gap . In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that 43 percent of high school graduates go on to study at college. Nevertheless, a disproportionate amount of school resources are focused on preparing this minority group, while less teaching focuses on students who plan to continue their education in less traditional ways, such as apprenticeships or on-the-job training. As the demands of the new labor market shift away from seeking purely college-educated graduates and towards developing a workforce with the necessary skills, we can expect to see this change in the future. In Europe, 2023 has been designated the European Year of Skills. This recognizes that a focus on vocational education and training alongside traditional academic, subject-based training may be the key to developing new drivers of economic growth in the face of global slowdown or recession.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two forms of extended reality (XR) that are becoming increasingly important within education systems. VR allows users to step into a virtual world, and there are a vast and growing number of "experiences" that let us do everything from step back in time and experiencing history through our own eyes to training for difficult and dangerous tasks such as conducting repairs in hazardous environments. Other use cases which will grow in popularity during 2023 include virtual classrooms , which allow remote learning and class activities to be delivered in a more immersive and experiential setting. In healthcare training, VR is already being used for everything from enabling nursing students to experience delivering emergency care to training doctors to perform surgery .

Augmented reality still requires a device (e.g., a phone, tabled, or a headset) but is different from VR, as it involves superimposing computer-generated images onto what the user is actually seeing. The advantage here is that it can provide real-time information – for example, warning a trainee in a manufacturing environment that a piece of machinery may be dangerous. This is possible thanks to computer vision algorithms that analyze the images captured by cameras in the headset. In schools, AR textbooks are becoming available that contain images, and models that "come alive" when looked at through a smartphone camera, enabling students to get a closer, more in-depth look at anything from ancient Roman architecture to the inner workings of the human body. Museums and sites of historical or scientific interest are also increasingly adding AR to their environment and exhibits to create more immersive education opportunities.

Soft Skills and STEM

Soft skills include communication skills, teamworking, creative thinking, interpersonal problem-solving, relationship management, and conflict resolution. In other words, they are human skills that are unlikely to be replicated by machines anytime soon. They will become increasingly important in a world where AI takes on many of our routine and mundane technical responsibilities. This means that these skills will increasingly be taught as part of technical education as they become more highly valued by employers and industry. According to HR experts , soft skills are increasingly important to company success but far harder to measure and assess than "hard skills" such as mathematics, engineering, and computer programming.

In 2023 we will see STEM education placing a growing emphasis on these vital skills, as well as increased efforts when it comes to measuring and assessing organizational capabilities in this area.

To stay on top of the latest on new and emerging business and tech trends, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter , follow me on Twitter , LinkedIn , and YouTube , and check out my books ‘ Future Skills: The 20 Skills And Competencies Everyone Needs To Succeed In A Digital World ’ and ‘ Business Trends in Practice , which won the 2022 Business Book of the Year award.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Along with Stanford news and stories, show me:

• Student information
• Faculty/Staff information

We want to provide announcements, events, leadership messages and resources that are relevant to you. Your selection is stored in a browser cookie which you can remove at any time using “Clear all personalization” below.

Listen to the essay, as read by Antero Garcia, associate professor in the Graduate School of Education.

As a professor of education and a former public school teacher, I’ve seen digital tools change lives in schools.

I’ve documented the ways mobile technology like phones can transform student engagement in my own classroom.

I’ve explored how digital tools might network powerful civic learning and dialogue for classrooms across the country – elements of education that are crucial for sustaining our democracy today.

And, like everyone, I’ve witnessed digital technologies make schooling safer in the midst of a global pandemic. Zoom and Google Classroom, for instance, allowed many students to attend classrooms virtually during a period when it was not feasible to meet in person.

So I want to tell you that I think technologies are changing education for the better and that we need to invest more in them – but I just can’t.

Given the substantial amount of scholarly time I’ve invested in documenting the life-changing possibilities of digital technologies, it gives me no pleasure to suggest that these tools might be slowly poisoning us. Despite their purported and transformational value, I’ve been wondering if our investment in educational technology might in fact be making our schools worse.

Let me explain.

When I was a classroom teacher, I loved relying on the latest tools to create impressive and immersive experiences for my students. We would utilize technology to create class films, produce social media profiles for the Janie Crawfords, the Holden Caulfields, and other literary characters we studied, and find playful ways to digitally share our understanding of the ideas we studied in our classrooms.

As a teacher, technology was a way to build on students’ interests in pop culture and the world around them. This was exciting to me.

But I’ve continued to understand that the aspects of technology I loved weren’t actually about technology at all – they were about creating authentic learning experiences with young people. At the heart of these digital explorations were my relationships with students and the trust we built together.

“Part of why I’ve grown so skeptical about this current digital revolution is because of how these tools reshape students’ bodies and their relation to the world around them.”

I do see promise in the suite of digital tools that are available in classrooms today. But my research focus on platforms – digital spaces like Amazon, Netflix, and Google that reshape how users interact in online environments – suggests that when we focus on the trees of individual tools, we ignore the larger forest of social and cognitive challenges.

Most people encounter platforms every day in their online social lives. From the few online retail stores where we buy groceries to the small handful of sites that stream our favorite shows and media content, platforms have narrowed how we use the internet today to a small collection of Silicon Valley behemoths. Our social media activities, too, are limited to one or two sites where we check on the updates, photos, and looped videos of friends and loved ones.

These platforms restrict our online and offline lives to a relatively small number of companies and spaces – we communicate with a finite set of tools and consume a set of media that is often algorithmically suggested. This centralization of internet – a trend decades in the making – makes me very uneasy.

From willfully hiding the negative effects of social media use for vulnerable populations to creating tools that reinforce racial bias, today’s platforms are causing harm and sowing disinformation for young people and adults alike. The deluge of difficult ethical and pedagogical questions around these tools are not being broached in any meaningful way in schools – even adults aren’t sure how to manage their online lives.

You might ask, “What does this have to do with education?” Platforms are also a large part of how modern schools operate. From classroom management software to attendance tracking to the online tools that allowed students to meet safely during the pandemic, platforms guide nearly every student interaction in schools today. But districts are utilizing these tools without considering the wider spectrum of changes that they have incurred alongside them.

Antero Garcia, associate professor of education (Image credit: Courtesy Antero Garcia)

For example, it might seem helpful for a school to use a management tool like Classroom Dojo (a digital platform that can offer parents ways to interact with and receive updates from their family’s teacher) or software that tracks student reading and development like Accelerated Reader for day-to-day needs. However, these tools limit what assessment looks like and penalize students based on flawed interpretations of learning.

Another problem with platforms is that they, by necessity, amass large swaths of data. Myriad forms of educational technology exist – from virtual reality headsets to e-readers to the small sensors on student ID cards that can track when students enter schools. And all of this student data is being funneled out of schools and into the virtual black boxes of company databases.

Part of why I’ve grown so skeptical about this current digital revolution is because of how these tools reshape students’ bodies and their relation to the world around them. Young people are not viewed as complete human beings but as boxes checked for attendance, for meeting academic progress metrics, or for confirming their location within a school building. Nearly every action that students perform in schools – whether it’s logging onto devices, accessing buildings, or sharing content through their private online lives – is noticed and recorded. Children in schools have become disembodied from their minds and their hearts. Thus, one of the greatest and implicit lessons that kids learn in schools today is that they must sacrifice their privacy in order to participate in conventional, civic society.

The pandemic has only made the situation worse. At its beginnings, some schools relied on software to track students’ eye movements, ostensibly ensuring that kids were paying attention to the tasks at hand. Similarly, many schools required students to keep their cameras on during class time for similar purposes. These might be seen as in the best interests of students and their academic growth, but such practices are part of a larger (and usually more invisible) process of normalizing surveillance in the lives of youth today.

I am not suggesting that we completely reject all of the tools at our disposal – but I am urging for more caution. Even the seemingly benign resources we might use in our classrooms today come with tradeoffs. Every Wi-Fi-connected, “smart” device utilized in schools is an investment in time, money, and expertise in technology over teachers and the teaching profession.

Our focus on fixing or saving schools via digital tools assumes that the benefits and convenience that these invisible platforms offer are worth it.

But my ongoing exploration of how platforms reduce students to quantifiable data suggests that we are removing the innovation and imagination of students and teachers in the process.

Antero Garcia is associate professor of education in the Graduate School of Education .

In Their Own Words is a collaboration between the Stanford Public Humanities Initiative  and Stanford University Communications.

If you’re a Stanford faculty member (in any discipline or school) who is interested in writing an essay for this series, please reach out to Natalie Jabbar at [email protected] .

• Become a Member
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computational Thinking
• Digital Citizenship
• Edtech Selection
• Global Collaborations
• STEAM in Education
• Teacher Preparation
• ISTE Certification
• School Partners
• Career Development
• 2024 ASCD Leadership Summit
• ISTELive 25
• 2025 ASCD Annual Conference
• Leadership Exchange
• Solutions Summit
• EdTech Index
• Solutions Network
• Sponsorship & Advertising
• Sponsorship & Advertising
• Learning Library

Edtech’s Hottest Topics for 2023

• Professional Development & Well-Being

What’s new in education? What’s happening in classrooms around the world? What exciting ideas are making waves among educators?

We learn a lot each year from the educators who submit proposals to present at the annual ISTE conference . The topics they choose to focus on reveal volumes about what’s at the top of teachers’ minds as they continue to explore and experiment with technology in their classrooms.

As you might expect, the COVID-19 pandemic played a big role in shaping the hottest trends in edtech over the past few years. But now that online school is largely in the rearview mirror for many educators, things are starting to shift again. Topics such as social-emotional learning and distance learning, which surged in prominence during the most intense years of the pandemic, are now taking a backseat (although their importance hasn’t diminished) as other areas of interest rise to the forefront.

You’ll find these eight hottest topics well-represented in the ISTELive 23 program :

8. Equity and inclusion

Not only did the pandemic expose the inequities that continue to exist within public education, but it also created new ones as some students struggled more than others with remote learning. School districts responded with a variety of innovative solutions — to varying degrees of success.

Although the sudden shift to online learning prompted a surge in effort and awareness around equity and inclusion, the problems are still far from being solved. That’s why equity and inclusion will be an important topic at ISTElive 23 as passionate educators continue to advocate for disadvantaged and underserved student populations who are still being left behind.

“I think we’re just still struggling with making sure that our education is equitable and inclusive and diverse,” says Camilla Gagliolo, a longtime educator and ISTE’s senior director of event content.

7. Games for learning

Both the rising popularity of esports in schools and the use of games and gamification in the classroom have brought this topic back to the forefront as more educators discover the power of gaming to propel learning.

Instead of drawing a hard line between going to school and having fun, game-based learning works with students’ natural inclinations to engage them in classroom activities. From Minecraft to Dungeons & Dragons, the practice of using games to motivate student learning is becoming increasingly integrated across subject areas and within different parts of the curriculum, Gagliolo says.

“If you can embed skill development within a genuinely motivating social set of rewards, learning is deeper and more enduring,” cultural anthropologist and learning scientist Mimi Ito told EdSurge . “Because, as humans, we're ultimately rewarded by finding our place in the world, getting recognized by people we care about, making an authentic contribution.”

6. Project-based learning

Using technology to enhance traditional classroom instruction may serve as an entry point for many teachers, but it takes a more transformational pedagogical approach to unlock the true potential of edtech.

Call it what you like — project-based, problem-based or challenge-based learning — but the deeper educators dive into technology, the more it makes sense to shift toward a PBL-based model.

Using technology tools to empower students as creators and self-directed learners , while helping them explore their passions by tackling real-world projects, represents the next level of teaching with technology. When teachers bring PBL into their classrooms, learning often becomes deeper and more engaging — and students as well as educators are eager to share their experiences in poster sessions at ISTElive 23.

“People want to show what it looks like when kids are deeply engaged in learning around a project that’s cross-cultural and cross-curricular,” Gagliolo says.

5. Computer science and computational thinking

Edtech afficionados have long been urging schools to make computer science as important and ubiquitous a subject as reading or math. As the computer-science-for all-movement continues to make headway across the globe, this topic remains a perennial favorite.

Both computer science and computational thinking are becoming more deeply embedded into different areas of curriculum as teachers realize they aren’t just about teaching students how to code. They’re about learning the language of technology and developing a problem-solving skillset that applies in all areas of students’ lives.

Computational thinking is knowing what steps to take to solve a problem and to apply that skill across disciplines,” says Carolyn Sykora, senior director of ISTE Standards Programs. “Another expectation is that students will become not just tool users, but tool creators, a skill useful in their personal lives as well.”

4. Creativity and innovative learning

Some topics at the ISTE conference are broader than others, and one of the biggest is the global conversation around innovative learning. This is an expansive umbrella that covers a vast array of ideas, practices and strategies aimed at exploring what the future of learning will look like.

“What impact will new emerging technologies have on teaching and learning?” Gagliolo says. “I think across what we do there are a lot of different strategies around bringing innovative practices and innovative thinking into the learning environment.”

Both student and teacher creativity — and how technology can empower it — fall under this umbrella.

“Creativity is a mindset that bleeds into all sorts of things,” Gagliolo says. “This is where we see a lot of that peer sharing: Here’s how I’ve taken this concept and brought these new immersive technologies or strategies into the classroom. It’s about ongoing innovation for the betterment of learning.”

3. Technology coaching and professional learning

Techology coaches have long been a source of puzzlement in many districts. What exactly do they do? How do they fit into the educational landscape? What’s the best way to use them?

When the pandemic hit and schools had to move online overnight, one thing became clear: Edtech coaches played a critical role in the transition to digital-based learning.

“The pandemic highlighted the importance of the coaching role,” Gagliolo says. “Coaches became important in that process of translating over to working with students and teachers online.”

Although there’s still no standard approach to edtech coaching, and the position still varies wildly from district to district, the versatility of the role represents a shift in how districts are approaching professional learning in general. Rather than relying on the traditional one-size-fits-all “sit and get” training model, many districts are now combining multiple modalities to create more robust and supportive professional learning experiences .

“A coach does more than just deliver one professional learning session,” Gagliolo says. “They work in small groups, they’re modeling technology use in the classroom and they’re supporting teachers’ lessons in the classroom. That whole strategy of having differentiated models and strategies for professional learning is what coaches do really well.”

Districts interested in making the shift toward technology-empowered learning quickly discover that true transformation hinges on quality professional learning. Across all edtech topics, the ISTE conference strives to model the best practices and innovative strategies that are making professional learning more effective and engaging.

2. Artificial intelligence

Interest in artificial intelligence tends to cycle upward and downward over the years as exciting new developments emerge and then become invisibly blended into the fabric of our lives. The recent introduction of OpenAI’s text-generating chatbot ChatGPT has reignited interest in how AI continues to impact the classroom — and what the future of AI-powered learning might look like.

As the new chatbot joins the landscape of creative AI tools, such as the visual art generator Dall-E , it has sparked a new round of conversations about the ethics of using AI to create, the potential applications for AI as a teaching and learning aid, and how homework and assessments will need to evolve in response to these powerful tools.

Although the topic of artificial intelligence hasn’t generated as many ISTE conference proposals as some other subject areas, it’s contextually important due to the volume and scope of the conversations around AI in education, Gagliolo says.

1. Augmented, virtual and mixed reality

More than a year after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s vision of a virtual reality universe, educators are still buzzing about the potential of augmented and virtual reality. Although the Metaverse has yet to fully materialize, there’s been a flurry of development around AR/VR-based educational resources, Gagliolo says.

“I think there’s a lot of new interest in what augmented, virtual and mixed reality might bring to education,” she says. “We have the opportunity to use these resources to bring to the classroom student learning that might otherwise be impossible or too dangerous or too far away.”

While AR/VR technologies offer transformational learning opportunities within every academic subject — from building empathy through storytelling to allowing students to interact with history — there’s a particular interest in its potential applications within STEM subjects and career technical education. Students training for nursing careers, for example, can practice handling medical equipment without working on an actual human. Virtual science labs could help ease the load on physical lab spaces within schools.

“It can be really impactful,” Gagliolo says. “From traveling through the human body to flying to the space station, students can have learning experiences almost none of us will ever be able to do in real life.”

In response to the rising tide of augmented and virtual reality applications for education, ISTElive 23 will offer ISTEverse, an interactive environment where educators can immerse themselves in all things AR/VR, try out new apps and explore the technology’s educational potential across a variety of subjects.

Nicole Krueger is a freelance writer and journalist with a passion for finding out what makes learners tick.

• artificial intelligence

• Discovery Platform
• Innovation Scouting
• Startup Scouting
• Technology Scouting
• Tech Supplier Scouting
• Venture Clienting
• Startup Program
• Trend Intelligence
• Business Intelligence
• All Industries
• Industry 4.0
• Manufacturing
• Case Studies
• Research & Development
• Corporate Strategy
• Corporate Innovation
• Open Innovation
• New Business Development
• Product Development
• Venture Capital
• Investment Promotion Agencies

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Top 10 Education Technology Trends & Innovations in 2023

Are you curious about which education technology trends & startups will soon impact your business? Explore our in-depth industry research on 2 866 education technology startups & scaleups and get data-driven insights into technology-based solutions in our Education Technology Innovation Map!

The educational sector uses advances in technologies to make learning more accessible and affordable. At the same time, the pandemic greatly impacted the pace of technology integration in the educational sector. That is why we give you a comprehensive view of global education technology (edtech) trends for 2023 and beyond in this article. Most edtech startups aid the transition to remote and hybrid learning through immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). E-learning platforms tailored for schools and colleges are also on the rise. On the administration front, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, analytics, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) simplify manual tasks for teachers and school admins.

Innovation Map outlines the Top 10 Education Technology Trends & 20 Promising Startups

For this in-depth research on the Top Education Technology Trends & Startups, we analyzed a sample of 2 866 global startups and scaleups. The result of this research is data-driven innovation intelligence that improves strategic decision-making by giving you an overview of emerging technologies & startups in the education industry. These insights are derived by working with our Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform , covering 2 500 000+ startups & scaleups globally. As the world’s largest resource for data on emerging companies, the SaaS platform enables you to identify relevant startups, emerging technologies & future industry trends quickly & exhaustively.

In the Innovation Map below, you get an overview of the Top 10 Education Technology Trends & Innovations that impact 2 500+ companies worldwide. Moreover, the Education Technology Innovation Map reveals 20 hand-picked startups, all working on emerging technologies that advance their field.

Top 10 Education Technology Trends

• Immersive Learning
• Gamified Learning
• Big Data & Analytics
• Personalized Learning
• Cloud Computing
• Video-assisted Learning

Click to download

Tree Map reveals the Impact of the Top 10 Education Technology Trends

Based on the Education Technology Innovation Map, the Tree Map below illustrates the impact of the Top Education Technology Industry Trends in 2023. The major edtech trends belong to online learning-based solutions such as immersive, gamified, personalized, and video-assisted learning. The COVID-19 pandemic and the flexibility of online classes are both reasons for this shift. Additionally, AI and big data analytics solutions utilize student and administration data to streamline learning and school management. Cloud computing furthers this with infrastructure-free scalable platforms, improving flexibility and operational efficiency. Lastly, education technology startups use blockchain to validate academic certificates and other documents as well as leverage IoT to monitor various classroom and school activities.

Global Startup Heat Map covers 2 866 Education Technology Startups & Scaleups

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the global distribution of the 2 866 exemplary startups & scaleups that we analyzed for this research. Created through the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, the Heat Map reveals that India sees the most activity, followed by the US and Europe.

Below, you get to meet 20 out of these 2 866 promising startups & scaleups as well as the solutions they develop. These 20 startups are hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.

Book a platform demo!

Top 10 Education Technology Trends for 2023

1. immersive learning.

Immersive technologies augment traditional classroom-based and online learning. Educators utilize extended reality (XR) devices and applications to leverage immersive learning content. Since most immersive learning solutions support e-learning, it further improves the accessibility and flexibility of education. Bidirectional and interactive solutions make learning more enjoyable and improve the pedagogical experience. Immersive learning also enables non-linear activities wherein the learners’ actions reveal numerous possibilities, unlike traditional learning processes. Moreover, the artificially generated content and environments allow students to improve information processing and retention. This, in turn, offers a risk-free space for learners as well as increases their engagement and performance.

HiDs Technologies simplifies Immersive Content Creation

Indian startup HiDs Technologies provides an immersive content creation platform for schools and colleges. It allows users to make books and lectures more interactive, boosting curiosity and creativity. The startup’s AR-enabled books provide students with 3D presentations and interactive learning experiences. The startup, thus, enables trainer-less and visual training as well as offers individual student skill tracking. This allows educational institutions to increase student engagement and improve their academic and soft skill performance.

XPerience provides Educational AR Content

Brazilian startup XPerience develops XPLabo , an educational AR content creation platform. It allows teachers to edit and publish AR content as well as offers a 3D and 2D content library to accelerate pedagogical content development. Students use the platform’s companion app to explore the interactive content. This allows educators to improve student participation and enables students to explore various topics based on their interests.

The improved accessibility to education and increased adoption of remote learning due to the pandemic significantly increases the workload for teachers and school admins. AI and machine learning-based solutions in the educational sector replace numerous manual tasks like attendance tracking and activity monitoring, among others. This reduces the administrative burden on the teachers and allows them to concentrate more on interacting with students. Education technology startups also offer chatbots for schools and universities to resolve student queries and enable 24×7 communication. Other edtech startups leverage natural language processing (NLP) and AI to enable personalized content curation, adaptive learning, and smart invigilators.

Smart Invigilator offers AI-driven Exam Monitoring

US-based startup Smart Invigilator makes AI-driven exam monitoring software. It leverages deep learning to enable audio, face, and video recognition as well as features a scoring algorithm. This allows universities and schools to replace manual invigilators and offer at-home examinations. Consequently, it improves student and staff safety during the pandemic while mitigating malicious practices during online examinations.

Clevai provides AI-based Adaptive Learning

Singaporean startup Clevai offers adaptive learning for online math courses. The startup uses AI to analyze each student’s learning history and detect if students lose focus in class. It then provides suitable learning resources, personalized routes, and timely feedback. This allows both parents and teachers to tackle knowledge gaps and ensure math progress in students.

3. E-Learning

The pandemic forced schools and other educational institutions to shut down for long periods, accelerating the adoption of distance learning. To facilitate this transition, education technology startups and other big companies, like Zoom and Google, develop customized online platforms. This eliminates the need for long-term, high-cost infrastructure development for educational institutions. Besides, e-learning enables students to access education through the internet, reducing knowledge gaps. Recorded lesson videos also offer flexibility for students to learn in their own time. Integrating immersive solutions and game-based learning into online platforms furthers the effectiveness of virtual learning.

Prisma provides an Online School

Prisma is a US-based startup that offers an online school. The startup’s live learning platform onboards kids from grades 4 to 8 and provides customized learning routines along with interactive content. It allows educators to create synchronous workshops as well as automate lesson logistics such as attendance taking, content management, and time tracking. The platform also facilitates collaboration between teachers and learners, nurturing spontaneous interactions and improving learning.

Taut facilitates Hybrid Learning

US-based startup Taut develops a communication platform to aid remote and hybrid learning. It combines communication, whiteboard, assignments, and school radio, among others, to make classroom communication easier. The platform also allows school admins to structure classroom talks, start audio conferencing with parents or colleagues, and provide tools like random student selectors. These features improve classroom collaboration and, in turn, create engaging classroom experiences.

4. Gamified Learning

Gamification blends traditional learning practices with game mechanics. This allows educators to make the curriculum more interactive and fun. On the other hand, serious games follow a typical game structure to make the learner align with specific objects and goals. To achieve this, edtech startups provide games through AR or VR and smartphones. Game-based learning positively impacts the competitiveness of learners and improves their motivation. Some startups also offer social games that provide a collaborative ecosystem for teachers and students, improving their social skills.

ScholeAR provides AR-based Gamified Content

ScholeAR is a Turkish startup that offers an AR-based virtual platform. It offers interactive STEM content through gamified learning experiences. The platform also provides an extensive AR library along with various experiment-based games. This allows educators to make learning more engaging for the students and provide them with opportunities for competition, which improves motivation.

CoLearn VR enables Cooperative Game-Based Learning

US-based startup CoLearn VR develops a VR platform that allows educational institutions to replace physical classrooms. It leverages game-based learning, simulations, and interactive field trips to offer engaging content. Additionally, the platform allows schools to share their teaching resources and blend classes across districts, reducing learning disparities. This social VR environment improves inter-school collaboration and allows schools to expand their course offerings.

5. Big Data & Analytics

Integration of online learning platforms provides schools, colleges, and universities with critical student data. This allows educational institutions to closely monitor individual students and deliver better education based on their needs. Big data and analytics startups utilize the students’ data, such as their examination scores and performance in co-curricular activities, to generate personalized insights. Such solutions also track and analyze the overall performance of the school to identify opportunities for improvement. For instance, learning analytics solutions allow educators to track individual student strengths and weaknesses to provide more personalized care.

eduTinker offers School Analytics

eduTinker is a Singaporean startup that provides school analytics. The startup’s cloud-based school management software tracks staff performance to provide insights into their activities. It also analyzes the class interactions and assignment reviews to keep track of overall student performance as well as monitors fee collections. These insights allow teachers to automate attendance and share study materials while enabling school admins to improve curriculum management and visitor management.

AiKwarium Technologies provides Academic Data Intelligence

Indian startup AiKwarium Technologies offers data intelligence for schools and academics. The startup’s software, AMIGO , collects marks, achievements, participation, and interests. It then utilizes data analytics and AI to generate student profiles and provide insights into their performance. This allows students to understand their aptitude and better plan for higher studies. Moreover, the startup’s data intelligence enables school admins to monitor the individual academic and non-academic activities of students.

Schedule a call now!

6. Personalized Learning

Personalized learning customizes the course to the pace and preferences of the learners. The transition to e-learning at educational institutions empowers teachers with student-specific insights, allowing them to make courses more engaging. This provides better control for students over their education and streamlines learning based on previous experience. Consequently, it improves knowledge retention and increases motivation. Edtech startups leverage AI to analyze student data and recognize patterns to provide customized content for individual students. This enables schools to ensure opportunities similar to one-on-one tutoring for students even in fully online and hybrid learning environments.

Mathquizily offers Personalized Math Tests

Swedish startup Mathquizily develops personalized math tests for schools. The startup’s online learning platform maps the math skills of individual students to create tests. It also visualizes the students’ learning and development, offering learning analytics. Further, the platform allows teachers to convert the math tests into documents to make them available during offline classroom sessions. This enables educators to provide routes favorable to individual students, thereby increasing student performance.

UNI 2ALL facilitates Personalized Content Curation

Portuguese startup UNI 2ALL creates E.D.I.S , an integrated software solution for optimized learning. It leverages AI and advanced analytics to personalize classes according to student needs. E.D.I.S also offers analytical tools for schools and teachers to track and record student performance. This allows educators to avoid education gaps as well as enables student evaluation and curriculum personalization.

7. Blockchain

Fraud academic certificates are a challenge for the education sector, particularly for organizations operating online. Blockchain tackles this by increasing the security of paperless administration tasks of educational institutions. This allows course providers and learners to verify the authenticity of their certificates and, in turn, increase employment opportunities. Besides, a blockchain ecosystem enables peer-to-peer learning, offering better access to education at lesser costs. Blockchain-based data storage also provides a secure means for schools and colleges to store sensitive student information. These capabilities significantly reduce the time required for academic data verification and document re-issuance.

TruScholar creates Blockchain-Powered Digital Certificates

Indian startup TruScholar offers blockchain-powered digital certificates for educational institutions, universities, and online learning. The startup’s platform allows educational institutions to design custom certificates and badges. This enables learners to ensure the security of their certificates as well as share them across platforms. Since they are verifiable, TruScholar boosts social recognition and secures institutes’ brand image.

Blocklogy offers Blockchain-Authentified Certification

Indian startup Blocklogy develops an e-learning platform. When students complete a course on its e-learning platform, the startup publishes course completion certificates on Ethereum blockchain. It also provides an online portal to verify the certificate data using unique certificate IDs. This allows students and organizations to verify the authenticity of the certificates, improving transparency.

8. Cloud Computing

Integrating private e-learning systems into schools and universities requires upfront development costs and high-maintenance IT infrastructure. Startups develop cloud computing solutions tailored for educational institutions while companies expand their online collaboration tools to include solutions helpful for learning. For example, some edtech startups provide cloud-based e-learning platforms that digitize all tasks in a traditional classroom. Other platforms offer recorded classes over the cloud for easy accessibility. Additionally, cloud-based school management software solutions allow administrators to continuously monitor various school operations and overall performance. The added flexibility further improves management efficiency for educational institutions.

School-MS simplifies School Management

School-MS is a Nigerian startup that makes a cloud-based school management system. It automates various school activities from student admission to certificate offerings. The system combines hostel management, e-learning, class routine schedule, and library management. Additionally, it allows educational institutions to improve student communication, offer an online fee payment channel, and enhance employee engagement.

Octobell aids Academic Institute Management

Indian startup Octobell develops an academic institute management system for schools, colleges, and universities. The startup’s cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution facilitates information flow throughout the institution. It allows admins to manage websites, generate identity cards, create certificates, record online classes, and streamline communication. These features enable educational institutions to optimize course, fee, and hostel management.

9. Video-assisted Learning

While the COVID restrictions are lowering and students are returning to schools, they expect the same level of engagement as online classes. To ensure this, startups develop video-assisted learning solutions. They allow educators to augment curriculum-based content with publicly available videos or their own videos. This approach improves students’ comprehension and cognitive abilities. Video-based educational supplements also reinforce the ideas taught in classrooms. Additionally, video-assisted learning allows educators to improve the inclusivity of classrooms by sharing content on different cultures, enhancing awareness and understanding. The videos also become extra study materials, allowing students to quickly recall topics later.

Bamboo Labs facilitates Video-based Learning

US-based startup Bamboo Labs develops a video-based learning platform. It allows teachers to annotate PDFs and textbooks with interactive videos through the platform’s AI-powered menu or from YouTube. Additionally, it offers game-based learning for students. This enables educators to reduce learner cognitive overload and increases their participation.

LAF School provides Video Lessons

LAF School is an Italian startup that builds a digital learning platform. It features various modules to manage different aspects of schools, including video lessons. The platform’s video lesson module allows teachers to integrate video recordings and automatically detects learner presence to provide the videos. It also automates attendance taking and simplifies parent collaboration during video classes. Consequently, the platform enables teachers to ensure lesson delivery even if they are absent and improve time management.

Integration of digitally native infrastructure accelerates the adoption of IoT devices in educational institutions. Smartphones are an integral part of the education sector and play a significant role in the easy accessibility of online learning. Other IoT solutions in the edtech spectrum include smart boards for interactive classrooms and wearables for attendance tracking and student monitoring. Schools and colleges also use air monitoring sensors and imaging sensors to improve safety and enable activity monitoring inside campuses. Moreover, IoT-based location tracking ensures the safety of students, and, in turn, increases the school brand value.

iryx Corporation enables Classroom Activity Monitoring

iryx Corporation is a US-based startup that offers classroom activity monitoring. The startup combines IoT and sensor fusion to monitor classroom conditions like particulate counts, temperature, and humidity, among others. To achieve this, iryx Corporation leverages thermal imaging and air quality sensors. This enables educational institutions to monitor sensitive locations like locker rooms and increase safety at campuses while preserving privacy.

Mastory enables Connected Math Learning

Mastory is a German startup that offers connected math learning for schools. The startup’s IoT app, vPhone , allows students to access gamified math lessons. Moreover, teachers and parents are able to customize the games to specific students’ needs. The startup also offers a dashboard for teachers that provides student activities with achievement-oriented feedback. This improves learners’ mathematical skills as well as increases their social skills and confidence.

Discover all Education Technology Trends, Technologies & Startups

Innovations in education technology improve student performance and school efficiency. Metaverse, voice assistants, and adaptive learning will transform the sector in the coming years. However, the current edtech trends focus on making these technologies easily adaptable and affordable. Supporting the learning ecosystem through AI, blockchain, data analytics, and IoT offers the right path to make learning more engaging and effective. Additionally, these technologies have a great impact on school and college administration and streamline various operations like fee management and performance tracking.

The Education Technology Trends & Startups outlined in this report only scratch the surface of trends that we identified during our data-driven innovation and startup scouting process. Among others, immersive technologies, AI, and advanced analytics will transform the sector as we know it today. Identifying new opportunities and emerging technologies to implement into your business goes a long way in gaining a competitive advantage. Get in touch to easily and exhaustively scout startups, technologies & trends that matter to you!

Discover our Free Waste Management Report 20 pages

Get free updates on Global Startups, Technologies & Trends!

Join 25k subscribers.

Business Email

Get our  free newsletter  on technology and startups.

Protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Your Name Business Email Company

Book a call with us!

Artificial Intelligence

First & Last Name Business Email Company

Advanced Analytics

Internet of things.

Leverage our unparalleled data advantage to quickly and easily find hidden gems among 4.7M+ startups, scaleups. Access the world's most comprehensive innovation intelligence and stay ahead with AI-powered precision.

Get in touch

Your Name Business Email Company How can we support you?   (optional)

Not so fast!

Don’t leave & miss out on your free industry report!

Protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google  Privacy Policy  and  Terms of Service  apply.

• Blended Learning & Technology

Four Emerging Trends in Educational Technology in 2023

After moving to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant upswing in students’ and educators’ reliance on educational technology. As we transition out of strictly at-home learning, here are some emerging trends in educational technology for this year.

This survey by Education Weekly highlights the potential benefits and pitfalls of using technology in the classroom. Ultimately—if used correctly—educational technology makes learning more accessible, can increase student engagement, and can also potentially reduce costs. Not to mention, strategically implementing educational technology in classrooms can help teachers more efficiently balance their workloads and focus their efforts on time spent in the classroom.

What is EdTech and why is it so important?

EdTech is short for educational technology, and many believe it is the future of education. With the rapid advancement of technology, more resources are introduced that can be potentially life-changing for the education system as we know it.

There are new studies being done on the effectiveness of edtech in the classroom, and many have shown promising potential. At its best, educational technology makes learning accessible and engaging for everyone; it can also help with creating individualized curricula for students who might need more support in certain subject areas.

As technology continues to develop along with awareness of the need to increase edtech accessibility and training, an entirely new landscape for teaching and learning unfolds. Here are four emerging trends in educational technology expected to change the frontier of learning this year.

1. Microlearning

While it is a common belief that due to social media platforms like TikTok, our attention spans are getting shorter. This isn’t necessarily true—technology is just changing in a way that takes advantage of the way human attention spans work. Instead of fighting it, microlearning is a technique that delivers lessons to students in bite-sized chunks, while allowing them to control the pace at which they learn.

Microlearning consists of a few key characteristics:

• It’s short. Lessons usually take 5-15 minutes or less.
• Lessons are focused. They only cover one topic at a time.
• They’re interactive. Each lesson includes interactive components to keep students engaged.
• Flexibility is key. Microlearning lessons are able to be used alone or within a larger classroom environment, and students can choose what pace they want to take each lesson.

Microlearning is likely to become more popular this year as educators adapt to the changing attention spans of their students. But microlearning isn’t only beneficial for students—it can also help teachers. Grading and going over material becomes easier when students are able to explore learning independently.

2. AI Programs Like ChatGPT

ChatGPT has been a hot-button topic lately, with most of the conversations revolving around the concern of students using AI for assignments. While there are valid concerns surrounding the growing accessibility of AI programs, educators are also able to use these technologies to their advantage.

One survey shows that principals work an average of 62 hours per week, while teachers work an average of 55 hours per week. Through AI technology like ChatGPT, educators can prioritize time with students, or take much-needed time for themselves by having the chatbot help them with tasks like:

• Building lesson plans
• Writing emails
• Tests and grading
• Creating rubrics
• Providing students with feedback

While many teachers have been hesitant to use AI to help them with these sorts of tasks, those who try it find it can save hours of time. With the current teacher shortage, burnout and retention rates are some of the most pressing issues; implementing AI technology could help educators avoid burnout and allow them to prioritize time spent with students in the classroom.

3. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR)

AR and VR technologies have been on the rise during the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic only sped up the process of implementing these technologies in our education systems.

Augmented Reality (AR) overlays computer-generated 3D content on top of the real world, so users are able to interact with both the real and digital worlds at the same time.

Virtual Reality (VR) is completely computer-generated, and users can only interact with the digital world.

According to the Information Technology & Innovative Foundation (ITIF) , “AR/VR can provide K–12 educators with interactive and engaging tools for classroom learning. These include libraries of immersive content, experiences for specific subjects or learning objectives, and tools for students with learning disabilities.”

AR and VR technologies allow students to immerse themselves in whatever subject they’re learning about. Imagine being able to see ancient Egypt right before your eyes, instead of just reading about it in a history book. This advanced technology has the potential to get students excited and engaged with all sorts of subjects, some of which they might not normally be as interested in.

4. Gamification

Similar to AR/VR and microlearning, gamification is a method of introducing technology into the classroom in a way that keeps students engaged. More programs are being introduced that bring fun into learning, and we predict this will become an even more necessary part of education following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programs like Kahoot!, Quizlet, and Duolingo have been rising in popularity in the last few years, but now even more websites are implementing educational gamification. Games like Minecraft and Roblox have come out with educational versions of their programs that allow students to participate in fun, exciting, and hands-on activities in games they’re already familiar with.

While gamification can be an incredibly useful tool within the classroom, it has to be implemented correctly. This study concludes that educators must take into account their students and their classroom environment to determine if gamification is the right route to take when teaching certain subjects. With so many gaming programs developing programs that can be introduced into the classroom, we’re sure gamification will become increasingly popular.

As new technology and additional uses for previously integrated edtech emerge, schools in today's cybersociety should be more diligent than ever in creating a safe and productive digital environment for students. By harnessing the power of VR/AR and AI, teachers can open the doors to learning in a whole new manner, and schools are likely to see an increase in both engagement and understanding of critical skills. When tied into successful learning practices such as blended learning and research-backed, computer-based education programs, the learning of the future looks promising to say the least.

To learn more about the benefits of edtech in the classroom, take a look at this blog post , where we discuss how it can help parents, students, and administrators alike. 

You Might Also Like

Beyond ‘Yet:’ 5 Activities to Supercharge a Growth Mindset for Emergent Bilinguals

Discover 5 supercharged activities to build a lasting growth mindset for Emergent Bilingual students, including a look at growth mindset myths that get in the way.

A Cambium Learning® Group Brand

• Future Students
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff

News and Media

• News & Media Home
• Research Stories
• School’s In
• In the Media

You are here

How technology is reinventing education.

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of  Stanford Graduate School of Education  (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the  Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately  worried  that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or  coach  students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the  AI + Education initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of  CRAFT  (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the  Digital Learning initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of  virtual field trips  to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

More Stories

⟵ Go to all Research Stories

Get the Educator

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

• Contact Admissions
• GSE Leadership
• Site Feedback
• Web Accessibility
• Career Resources
• Faculty Open Positions
• Explore Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Office of the Registrar
• Cubberley Library
• StanfordWho
• StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

Google Spends $25M on AI Training for Teachers

• Share article

Google.org, the tech company’s philanthropy arm, plans to invest over $25 million to support five education nonprofits in helping educators and students learn more about how to use artificial intelligence.

The initiative plans to reach over half a million K-12 and college students, as well as educators, giving them the skills they need to use AI responsibly in the classroom and the workplace.

Teens are more likely to use AI tools responsibly if their teachers discuss the technology’s potential benefits and pitfalls, according to a survey released Sept. 18 by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that examines the interaction between youth and technology.

But most educators aren’t getting the training they need in AI.

More than 7 in 10 teachers said they haven’t received any professional development on using AI in the classroom , according to a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey of 953 educators, including 553 teachers, conducted Jan. 31 to March 4.

The survey data show that teachers who are in urban districts, those in districts where at least 75 percent of students receive free or reduced-price meals, and those who teach elementary grades are more likely than other educators to say they haven’t received any AI training.

“As AI skills are increasingly seen as foundational digital skills, it’s crucial that teachers are prepared to guide students in understanding and responsibly using the technology,” Maggie Johnson, the vice president of Google.org, said in an emailed response to questions from Education Week.

A big focus of Google’s grants will be developing and delivering culturally relevant curriculum for AI, and ensuring AI literacy lessons reach students from a range of demographic groups.

AI tools tend to reflect long-standing societal biases . One way to mitigate that problem, experts say, is to include people from many backgrounds in developing the technology.

In fact, districts already doing deep work on AI literacy, such as Georgia’s Gwinnett County schools , say part of their mission is to ensure students from groups historically underrepresented in tech fields—such as girls and students of color—can access AI coursework.

“Bringing a broader group of people with varied life experiences into using these tools actually does help identify and help improve bias,” said Richard Culatta, the CEO of ISTE+ASCD, in an interview. Culatta’s organization—which provides professional development to educators for a variety of skills—will be one of the beneficiaries of the Google investment.

Culatta emphasized that teachers need to understand how to talk to students about AI’s bias problems.

“I think that’s one of the biggest challenges, is that there’s bias in all these tools and in lots of technology,” Culatta said. “But when it just sort of sits there and we don’t call it to our attention, that’s really where the danger is.”

ISTE+ASCD will receive $10 million of the $25 million over three years to reach about 200,000 educators. The organization will collaborate on its AI-related initiatives with six other organizations that focus at least in part on teacher and/or leader training: the National Education Association , Computer Science Teachers Association , Center for Black Educator Development , Latinos for Education , Indigitize , and PlayLab .

The work will include “deep dive professional learnings” aimed at helping educators understand AI better, including online courses and webinars. Culatta said the sessions will explore questions such as: what is AI and how does it work?

“AI is not magic. We have to be really clear about that,” Culatta said.

The goal of the Google investment is to build ‘enduring AI skills’

ISTE+ASCD plans to also create communities that allow educators to share best practices on using AI, and conduct research to make sure that their efforts are having the desired impact.

The work won’t focus on specific AI tools but on the technology more broadly, Culatta said.

“In order to help kids be successful, what we really need is to help them have enduring AI skills, because the tools will change,” Culatta said. “The tools that we’re using today are the least capable AI tools that we’re ever going to see, because they’re just going to keep getting better.”

Other grantees include:

• 4-H, a nonprofit that offers students the chance to complete projects in agriculture, health, science, and other fields. It will provide training on AI to rural students and educators.
• aiEDU, a nonprofit focused on equitable AI literacy. It will help deliver AI curriculum to rural and Indigenous communities.
• STEM From Dance, a nonprofit that uses dance to engage girls in science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum. It will help girls use AI to enhance dance choreography through sound, animation, and technology.
• The 5th grantee, CodePath , will create industry-reviewed AI coursework for Black, Latino, and Indigenous college students who are studying computing.

Sign Up for EdWeek Tech Leader

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

2020 BLENDED GRADUATION CEREMONY LIVE STREAM Learn More

Food Technology and Design (BEd)

REGULATIONS FOR THE BACHELOR OF EDUCATION HONOURS DEGREE IN FOOD TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN (EDU71)

Duration:                         2 years 

Actual Credit Load             300

Minimum Credit Load:  240

Maximum Credit Load:      300

Total MBKS Credit Load:  300

ZNQF Level:                       8

1.0   PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME

To prepare in-service teachers to teach Food Technology up to ‘A’ Level and produce highly qualified personnel for educational institutions, government departments and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

2.0   ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Normal Entry :

Diploma/Certificate in Education or equivalent in which Food Technology is a major subject from an accredited and recognised institution.

3.0   PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS

Areas of Study: Food Technology

Specialist Focus: Training teachers in Food Technology and Design.

Orientation: Research and innovation-oriented. Teaching and learning are professionally oriented and focused on practical aspects

Career Opportunities

  CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION

Employability: Graduates employed as teachers, lecturers, Education Inspectors, Training Officers, and laboratory technicians in related food industries.

Further Studies: Master’s and Doctoral studies in Food Technology and Design.

  PROGRAMME DELIVERY

Teaching and Learning Methods: Lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, seminars, group work, industrial visits, micro-teaching, teaching practice, research project, and individual independent study

Programme Structure

Food Technology Modules

Level 1 Semester 1

Level 1 Semester 2

Level 2 Semester 1

Level 2 Semester 2

Module Synopses

MODULE SYNOPSES

BED133: Information Communication Technology in Education

This module employs a hands-on approach to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the innovative use of information communication technology to enhance classroom teaching and learning. Topics covered include the role of ICT in education, software application in education, multimedia learning, the internet of things and emerging technologies and their application in classroom teaching.

BED144: Schools Curriculum Competencies and Innovation                                                                                                                                        

The module introduces students to the schools’ curriculum and basic theories of curriculum development. It explores the philosophy of the Zimbabwean competence-based curriculum and its implications for teaching. The specific competencies in the curriculum are analysed in relation to how they empower students with life-long competencies that prepare students for sustainable livelihoods inside and outside formal employment. Such competencies include but are not limited to creativity, innovation, industrialisation, and entrepreneurship.

BCHS131: Cultural and Heritage Studies

The module examines the concepts of culture and heritage as they relate to unhuism/ubuntuism, innovation and industrialisation. Emphasis is placed on the values of social, historical, architectural, scientific and cultural heritage that can be capitalised on for socio-economic development. Exploration of landscapes that contain cultural heritage associated with knowledge, songs, stories, art objects and human remains.

SEFT101: Introduction to Food Creativity and Development

The module shall focus on the application of food preparation, principles and techniques in the preparation of standard food products as well as the principles of food laboratory management and their application in the planning and preparation of food. The module shall review the global food situation with an emphasis on Zimbabwe. Foods of plant and animal origin and their micro flora. The proximate composition and some natural chemical constituents of foods, the nutritional status of different foods, and basic physical, chemical and biological principles of food processing and preservation shall be looked into by use of WHO Anthroplus, Stata, SPSS NutriSurvey and ENA for SMART software.

SEFT102: Organic Chemistry

The module introduces students to basic organic chemistry concepts. The module shall deal with the composition and properties carbon carbon-related food and the chemical changes it undergoes as a result of processing and exposure to artificial environments. The focus is on the study of carbon compounds, their structure, bonding and nomenclature. It also explores the chemistry of aromatic compounds, free radicals, macromolecules, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, peptides, proteins, synthesis of natural and complex synthetic polymers through the use of Stata and SPSS software.

SEFT103: Food Microbiology and Preservation Technology

The module focuses on the role and significance of microorganisms in foods with particular reference to food production technology, spoilage, preservation technology, sanitation and poisoning and the use of microorganisms in bioprocesses of textured food products, yoghurt, cheese and fermented foods, and their public health significance. The study of safety technology related to food production, the beneficial utilisation of microorganisms in food applications and consumption are part of the module.

SEFT104: Food Chemistry

The module emphasises how food products change under certain food processing techniques and chemistry of changes occurring during processing, storage and utilisation. It also explores the chemistry of aromatic compounds, free radicals, macromolecules, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, peptides, proteins, synthesis of natural and complex synthetic polymers. The effect of food processing innovations on texture, colour, flavour, stability and nutritional value shall also be covered.

BED131: Research Methods and Statistics

The module introduces students to the basic principles of research. It develops the students’ knowledge and skills in the following areas: identification of research problems in education; selection of appropriate research designs and data collection tools; data analysis techniques; research findings and conclusions; and research report writing. The module also introduces students to educational research that is aligned with sustainable development issues such as environmental conservation and poverty eradication.

BED231: Assessment and Evaluation Techniques

The module covers assessment and evaluation issues in education across all subject areas. The content of the module includes an analysis of the concepts of evaluation, assessment and measurement in education; contemporary ideas on how to improve assessment and evaluation in schools; test designing; analysis of test results; national examinations and grading.

SEFT107: Product Design Technology and Ingredient Functionality

The module focuses on biochemical and microbiological technology analysis of food quality and the technological methods of analysis. The module shall also focus on developing and evaluating interventions to achieve and maintain healthful eating patterns among populations and examine the relation and synergy between nutrition and physical activities. Students shall carryout various experiments and design various products using various ingredients and justify the effects of those ingredients in products. Software of NutriSurvey and ENA for SMART would be applied.

SEFT108: Food Service Management Technology

The module focuses on technology in the management of commercial and non-commercial food service systems through food production and preparation. The focus shall be on food service technology and delivery systems, menu writing, recipe standardisation, inventory control, purchasing, and storage, food production, budget management and financial controls of the food service systems. Emphasis shall be on microbial, chemical and physical hazards associated with foods and food processing environments.

SEFT109: Innovative Technology in Food Preparation and Management

The module focuses on the application of food preparation principles and techniques in the preparation of standard food products. The students are equipped with skills to be innovative and creative in designing techniques of new food products. They shall also be exposed to techniques in nutrient analysis using NutriSurvey. The module also focuses on nutritional changes in food during preparation considering texture, colour, flavour, stability and nutritional value. The role of preservation and management of micronutrients and macronutrients during food preparation is emphasised. 

EDGS231: Gender Studies for Educators

The module exposes students to the concept of gender and its significance to education. It also exposes students to how education spaces construct gender differences and the implications of these differences on learners and staff, and how schools can close the gender gap by studying theoretical perspectives on gender, cultural dimensions, and their implications on education. It also exposes students to different empowerment frameworks and legislation.

BEIE501: Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation in Food Technology and Design

The module equips the students with entrepreneurial skills on how to set up and successfully operate business/production units within and outside educational environments. Students are expected to develop a conceptual framework for entrepreneurship and distinguish between wage employment, self-employment, and entrepreneurship. Familiarisation with the incubation hub and the transformation of education into an industry are considered.

BEM231: School Administration and Financial Management in Education

The module introduces students to sound administration and financial management practices followed in schools and other educational institutions. It tackles the basic tenets of the nature and purpose of administration and familiarises students with skills in budgeting and budgetary control. Students are further introduced to the accounting systems in schools and the interpretation of policies and statutes that govern financial and asset management in educational institutions.

EFS131 & EFPS131 & EFPH131: Applied Educational Foundations

This module enhances students with basic philosophical, psychological and sociological theories that are central to the learning and development of children from diverse backgrounds. The module also interrogates the interconnection between educational foundations and innovation, thereby further equipping students with vibrant critical thinking skills to awaken the creative capabilities inherent in them.

SEFT201: Human Physiology

The module integrates, synthesises and describes human anatomy and physiology to develop a working knowledge of human physiology in relation to nutritional sciences. The module focuses on identifying the main systems of the human body and describes how each of them works and contributes to the maintenance of normal body functioning. The students shall explore the role of nutrition in the maintenance of body homeostasis.

SEFT202: Nutrition and Metabolism

The module focuses on advances in bimolecular science and how it has increased the focus of nutrition on the metabolic pathways that transform nutrients. The module shall focus on metabolic cycles that include the glycolysis cycle and citric acid cycle. Concepts related to nutrition in the aetiology of diseases to monitor and reduce the risk for chronic diseases and birth defects are highlighted.

BED135: Contemporary Issues in Education

The module exposes students to the most current global trends like Globalisation, Millennium development goals, Gender, Human rights, and Health pandemics how they feed into Agenda 2030 and also how they affect the Zimbabwean Education system.  The thrust is to leverage current trends in promoting innovation, industrialisation and modernisation through Education 5.0.

BED136: Educational Management

The module introduces students to the basics of education management that speak to issues of sustainable development, innovation and industrialisation through effective and efficient management of school organisations.  Students are familiarised to basic theories of educational management and the foundational building blocks of educational management namely, planning, organising, controlling, commanding and coordinating.

SEFT203: Food Product Development Technology and Marketing

This module focuses on the new product development process using available resources and the strategic features of new product development, developing strategic thinking, planning, and managing abilities throughout the entire new product. The emphasis shall be on idea generation, formulation, processing, market positioning, packaging, product cost, pricing, safety, experimentation and legal issues. 

SEFT204: Methods of Teaching Food Technology and Design.

This module emphasises professional development which is diverse and involves a complex range of activities calling on the exercise of new and appropriate hands-on teaching methods, skills and organisational settings as well as the use of appropriate Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment and tools. It also develops knowledge and skills in the designing of reliable and valid tests.

BED232: Research Project in Food Technology and Design

In this final year, two-semester module each student carries out a research project in an area of his/her choice in Food Technology and Design under the guidance of a supervisor. Students are encouraged to conduct research that shows creativity and innovation which has the potential to contribute to knowledge on food technology and environmental sustainability. Through the study, students are expected to apply their knowledge and skills in research in the resolution of an identified research problem, as well as showing their appreciation of research as a viable process of addressing contemporary challenges and issues in Food Technology and Design education and their local environments.

2020 BLENDED GRADUATION CEREMONY LIVE STREAM

Privacy overview.

Texas education commissioner calls for student cellphone ban in schools

Mike Morath made the recommendation as concerns rise that phones are harmful to students’ mental health and distract them from learning.

Sign up for The Brief , The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on Wednesday said next year lawmakers should ban the use of cellphones in public schools across the state.

Morath’s endorsement of a statewide ban came during his testimony at a Senate Education Committee hearing , where he called the use of cellular devices “extremely harmful” to student progress.

“If it were in my power, I would have already banned them in all schools in the state,” Morath said. “So I would encourage you to consider that as a matter of public policy going forward for our students and our teachers.”

Morath’s comments fall directly in line with a debate taking place in school systems across the country, a contentious subject that doesn’t divide neatly along party lines. The commissioner brought up the topic of cellphones while testifying about student outcomes on national and state exams. On the most recent state exam, only 41% of Texas students demonstrated an adequate understanding of math, a significant cause for concern among lawmakers Wednesday.

People supporting universal cellphone bans note that the devices distract students from learning and are harmful to children’s mental health.

Others worry that banning cellphones prevents young people from exercising personal responsibility and communicating with their parents during emergencies — a growing concern as mass shootings have become more common throughout the United States. During the Uvalde school shooting , where a gunman massacred 19 students and two teachers, children trapped inside the school used phones to call police for help.

Still, some committee lawmakers on Wednesday responded to Morath’s testimony with an openness to the idea.

“Mental health is becoming a bigger and bigger issue,” said Sen. José Menéndez , D-San Antonio. “I like what you said about if we could get rid of the cellphones, you know. I mean, it would help all of us if we could do that. But we can't. I mean … how would it look?”

Morath pointed out that many Texas school districts already ban cellphones in schools, some outright and others only allowing limited use during times like lunch or traveling in between classes.

“Administratively, this is a very doable thing,” he said.

Sen. Donna Campbell , a New Braunfels Republican, said that “while we will make an attempt” to ban cellphones from class during the next legislative session, it is ultimately the responsibility of school districts to take action.

“Everything doesn't take legislation,” said Campbell, who proposed a bill during the last legislative session that sought to prohibit smartphone use during instructional time. “It takes leadership.”

Seventy-two percent of high school teachers across the country say that cellphone distractions are a major problem in their classroom, compared with 33% of middle school teachers and 6% of elementary school teachers, according to Pew Research . Seven states thus far have passed laws that ban or restrict cellphone use in schools, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation .

Legislators in California, which has the most students enrolled in public schools in the country, recently approved a bill requiring school districts to develop a policy restricting the use of cellphones by 2026. But it is unclear whether Texas, where more than 5.5 million children go to school, will soon follow suit.

During The Texas Tribune Festival earlier this month, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa , a Democratic member of the Public Education Committee from Austin, said she doesn’t like the use of cellphones in the classroom, “but it may be that we should leave it to school districts to decide that on their own.”

“I don't know,” Hinojosa said. “We’ll have to hear the debate.”

Rep. Ken King , R-Canadian, who also serves on the Public Education Committee, said most of the schools he represents have already restricted cellphones.

“I don't think we need law for everything,” he said.

Texans need truth. Help us report it.

Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?

Support independent Texas news

Become a member. Join today.

Choose an amount or learn more about membership .

Information about the authors

Jaden Edison

Public education reporter.

[email protected]

@edisonjaden

Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies , including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Explore related story topics

Public education Texas Education Agency

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Telehealth accreditation

Educational and training standards.

Telehealth accreditation often requires processes to train, educate, and support staff and patients on how to use telehealth.

On this page:

Training for telehealth providers and patients, processes for technology proficiency training.

It is important for telehealth programs to educate providers, staff, and patients on the virtual care process. This includes:

• Training and competency. Training programs should ensure providers and staff are comfortable using telehealth. Training may include ability to conduct video visits, share screens or documents, and collect and review information from remote patient monitoring devices. Training should be ongoing with periodic competency assessments and regular updates to the educational materials.
• Communication with patients. Designated time and resources for providers and staff to discuss with patients how to effectively and confidently use telehealth technologies . These discussions can also promote patients’ engagement, self-management, and trust with using telehealth .
• Digital literacy training . Some patients may benefit from basic digital skills education that cover navigating a patient portal and the internet.

Telehealth accreditation may require providers and staff to undergo technology proficiency training. This type of training supports effective use and best practices with telehealth tools. Below are examples of technology proficiency training areas:

• Digital examination techniques . Incorporate best practices for conducting virtual physical examinations , such as guiding patients to properly position cameras, use lighting, and have clear audio.
• Technology troubleshooting . Know how to troubleshoot common technical issues that may arise during telehealth visits, such as connectivity problems, audio/video issues, or device malfunctions.
• Cybersecurity training : All providers and staff need to be aware of cybersecurity best practices, network security, and data protection.

Telehealth accreditation may recognize ongoing technology proficiency training as essential to help telehealth programs deliver reliable, safe, efficient, and secure virtual care services.

More information

Legal considerations — Health Resources and Services Administration

Preparing patients for telehealth — Health Resources and Services Administration

Telehealth training and workforce development — Health Resources and Services Administration

How do Maryland schools stop guns from getting inside?

A parent sat down in front of the Baltimore County school board last week, prepared to talk about how her daughter was stabbed in a Baltimore County high school in January 2023.

The board chair cut her off when she started naming students and describing violence, a violation of board policy. But the parent persisted, instead citing concerns about how many school shootings, like in Georgia , Nebraska and Harford County , have already occurred this school year.

“School safety needs to change,” she said before she stormed out of the meeting. “My daughter almost died. You can understand why I’m upset.”

Parents across Maryland have been calling for more safety measures, especially in Harford County after 15-year-old Warren Curtis Grant was fatally shot Sept. 6 at Joppatowne High School. Although shootings inside schools are a rare occurrence in Maryland, weapons, even guns, still find their way onto school grounds.

The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.

It’s not something school systems take lightly. They’ve been beefing up security and investing in mental health resources. A couple have taken it a step further by purchasing technology to detect weapons.

Here’s a look at how school districts in Central Maryland are addressing school safety:

After fatal shooting, Joppatowne High bans backpacks until new lockers are available

16-year-old fatally shot fellow student after fight at harford county high school, authorities say, how many guns have been found in schools.

Most Central Maryland school districts report that guns found on school grounds were in the single digits last year. Baltimore City reported the most last year, 20. Both the city and Baltimore County have found two guns already this school year.

Having a firearm at school can get a student expelled for at least one calendar year, according to school handbooks.

The consequences for students found with other weapons can range from suspensions to expulsions, giving discretion to school leaders.

There were hundreds of instances in which students were suspended or expelled for bringing weapons to campus during the 2022-2023 school year, the latest time state data are available.

What are the latest tools to detect guns in schools?

Baltimore County recently installed Omnilert in all schools. It’s an artificial intelligence software used on existing school cameras that searches image frames for people and the objects surrounding them. If a gun is detected, an alert is sent to the appropriate personnel, including police.

The district is also enhancing security at athletic events with a program called Open Gate . Like Omnilert, it uses technology to screen everyone who enters the school facility for weapons.

“This system allows for a smoother and faster entry process while maintaining the highest standards of safety,” a Sept. 5 news release stated.

Baltimore City also recently installed a weapons detection system. It’s called Evolv, and the district said in a statement that it’s “working as intended.”

Evolv was met with skepticism when it was discussed at a city school board meeting in 2022, but the AI system, set up like metal detectors that students must walk through, was in six high schools in May, reported WYPR . Now it’s in every high school.

Trial runs showed that of 17,000 alerts sent by Evolv, only 10 resulted in actual weapons, the station reported.

The school system’s website states that the tech uses “low frequency radio waves” to identify possible weapons on students, and it received strong support from schools that tested them. In a statement, the districts said Evolv helped identify some of the guns found last school year.

What other security measures are schools using?

School safety is fresh on the minds of the Harford County community, though decisions like installing metal detectors haven’t been made yet. It’s something community members have called for in the form of a petition that over 4,000 people have signed. Superintendent Sean Bulson said they’ve received many suggestions and offers of help, including from state leaders. Right now, the school system is still figuring out how to utilize that support to “heighten security.”

They did decide, however, to install lockers at Joppatowne High School where Warren Curtis Grant was shot and killed. Not everyone had a locker, and students could carry their book bags around the school. That will no longer be the case. Lockers are supposed to be installed by this week, and students must carry their books until then.

Some Baltimore schools have metal detectors, and the school district has its own police department. Howard County does not want to publicize its safety plans, a spokesperson said, but its website layouts protocols like locking exterior doors during the school day.

What kind of mental health support are students getting?

Good mental health is not the sole cure to gun violence, the National Alliance on Mental Illness reports. But the American School Counselor Association says a school with responsive counseling services is the “most positive protection” for students.

In the last five years, Anne Arundel County has added 92 positions focusing on social emotional wellness: 36 school counselors, 22.5 school psychologists, 27.5 social workers and six pupil personnel workers, said Bob Mosier, spokesperson for the school system.

Its student-to-counselor ratio now stands at 350 to 1, still much higher than the school counselor association recommends.

Schools can’t tackle that issue alone, Mosier said; the community must step up and help.

“While not dodging the responsibility of schools at all, the proliferation of guns in schools is a society issue that has landed itself on the doorsteps of schools,” he said. “Schools very clearly play a part ... but the single biggest factor on campus is to stop them from coming in the schools in the first place.”

Superintendent Mark Bedell found a way to get the community involved through the #BePresent initiative, launched in January 2023. It calls on parents, community members, business leaders and alumni to be inside school buildings to establish relationships with students and be another set of eyes for administrators.

There’s also the mentorship program Bedell launched in July 2023, a method the National Institutes of Health say can prevent youth violence. Anne Arundel provides students with an adult who can support them through academic achievement and social emotional learning. Family members, school staff, civic and faith groups and other members of the community can apply to participate. According to Mosier, 550 volunteers participate, and it’s continuing to grow.

Baltimore County Public Schools also invested in mental health programs with Talkspace . It’s a free teletherapy service high schoolers in the district have access to.

Baltimore Banner reporter Jess Nocera contributed to this article.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more .

Kristen Griffith

[email protected]

Kristen Griffith is a reporter covering Maryland’s education workforce for The Baltimore Banner.

More from Kristen Griffith

Baltimore county students are being moved around again. here’s what to know., former severna park teacher accused of sexual abuse will stay in jail, more from the banner.

A 13,000-year-old quarry is about to be unearthed in Reisterstown

Long lines, no water: Ravens fans unhappy with concessions at home opener

What to do this weekend, from Charm City Live to a pet adoption happy hour

Education hub.

• Early childhood
• K-12 schools
• Higher education
• Meet the team

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or [email protected] .

Global Education Monitoring Report

Presentation of the 2023 Regional report on technology in education in Southeast Asia during APMED 6

• Download event
• Add to google
• Add to Outlook
• Add to Office365

UNESCO, in collaboration with UNICEF, will host the 6th Asia-Pacific Meeting on Education 2030 (APMED 6) in Bangkok, Thailand, from 10 to 13 September 2024. 

As the lead for SDG 4 coordination in Asia-Pacific, the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok will organize APMED 6, in collaboration with the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (UNICEF EAPRO), and the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (UNICEF ROSA). The collaboration is carried out under the umbrella of the  Asia-Pacific Learning and Education 2030+ (LE2030+) Networking Group , for which UNESCO Bangkok serves as Secretariat. Further supported for APMED 6 is provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), of the Government of Japan. 

Over the course of four days, APMED 6 will examine actions taken since the 2022 Bangkok Statement, and the National Statements of Commitment to Transform Education, as well as review new initiatives to transform education towards becoming more relevant, inclusive, resilient, and environmentally sustainable. The meeting will advance the central principle of Sustainable Goal 4, which is to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.’ R epresentatives from countries in the region, youth, and invited experts will explore innovative practices and ideas to address the regional learning crisis to transform the ‘what’ and ‘how’ we learn, and to accelerate actions to realize learning – including early learning – for all children, adolescents and youth in Asia-Pacific. 

The GEM Report will present the latest findings of the 2023 GEM Regional Report on technology in education in Southeast Asia prepared in partnership with the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) during the event. 

At APMED, the latest SDG 4 Scorecard Progress Report on national benchmarks in Asia and the Pacific prepared in partnership with UIS will also be released. 

Related items

• Topics: 2023 report events
• Region: Asia and the Pacific

More on this subject

Other recent events