OTAN News
A Look Back and a Look Ahead
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
As 2019 comes to a close, and 2020 and the 2020s begin, we take a look at edtech trends for the coming year by also looking back at some of the news we’ve shared with the field over the past 12 months.
In the article Top e-learning trends to keep an eye on in 2020, five trends are detailed for the coming year:
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Video Learning – The use of video in education is not a new development, but we see increasing use of video not only by teachers, but students as well as a way to present and assess learning. Previous OTAN news items on video include Making Your Own Instructional Videos and Using Video Effectively in Your Instruction. Video is also one of the Different Ways that Students Can Demonstrate Learning, and a 2018 news item describes Student-Created Videos in the Classroom. We also encourage everyone to subscribe to the OTAN YouTube Channel!
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Game-Based Learning – Gamification may be a new term for some, although game-based learning has also been around for some time. Previous news items on game-based learning include Gamifying Your Instruction and Gamifying Professional Development, which provides some ideas on how to modify teacher training to make it more engaging for your colleagues. We also profiled Using An Escape Room to Engage Learners, bringing a fun activity from the real world into the classroom.
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Social and Emotional Learning – Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a term that received a lot of buzz in 2019, and expect to see more about SEL in 2020. A good starting point is the CASEL website. (CASEL is the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, a leading agency on SEL.) In adult education, helping students develop soft skills and especially communication skills would be part of SEL. Previous news items on SEL-related topics include Using Technology to Build Relationships, Soft and Hard Skills That Are in Demand, and How to Improve Online Communication.
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Immersive Learning – VR, AR, MR, and XR (virtual, augmented, mixed, and extended realities) are weaving their way into education, so now is a great time to begin understanding what these are and their applications for student learning. Previous news items include A Framework for Understanding Extended Reality and some how-to articles: Using Virtual Reality to Explore the World (and Beyond), Using Augmented Reality in the Classroom, and Virtual Field Trips Bring the World to Your Classroom.
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AI (Artificial Intelligence) in E-Learning – The future is here! The stuff of science fiction for many years, we are starting to see the application of AI not only in education, but other aspects of our lives. To begin to understand the uses of AI in education, this article about the USDOE chatbot Aidan is helpful. Some news items that touch on AI include How Technology is Changing Work, The New Internet, Coming Soon, and Disability and the Promise of Artificial Intelligence.
All of us at OTAN are looking forward to new and exciting developments in the coming year and decade with these and upcoming trends. Who knows where we will be on December 31, 2029?
Article: Top e-learning trends to keep an eye on in 2020 from the NEO Blog
Article: Meet Aidan, the U.S. Education Department’s Financial Aid Chatbot from EdSurge