edtech: market michael cairns information media overview...

Edtech: Market Overview

Michael CairnsInformation Media PartnersAdvisor: Publishers’ Forum 2017

Email: Michael.Cairns@outlook.com

Ph: 908 938 4889

Social: @personanondata

What is “EdTech”?

• The intersection of technology tools and education content

• Data analytics platforms• Content and other marketplaces• User generated tools and applications

• To provide access to information and learning to obtain skills and knowledge

• In other words – the application of technology to support learning

Big Picture Trends – 2017 Horizon Report

One Year or Less

• Bring your own device

• Learning analytics• Adaptive learning

Two – Three Years

• Augmented and virtual reality

• Makerspaces

Four to Five Years

• Affective computing

• Robotics

Investment money has accelerated in the past five years chasing start-up opportunities but may have reached saturation.

Historic Increasing Investment – Recent Slowdown

Product Segments in EdTech

• Learning management systems• Early childhood education• Broad online learning programs• Enterprise learning• Next gen schools• Tech schools• Online to offline• Testing & remediation

• Digital course materials and courseware

• Test prep• Curriculum production• Search• School administration• Next gen study tools• Language learning

Select Ed Tech Market Map Companies

Edtech/Education

Business Drivers

• The internet “network effect:” enables accessibility to vast collections of education materials

• Technology has facilitated ‘new learning models’ which had redefined how students integrate learning into work and personal development

• Expanding life-time earning ‘gap’ of those educated at higher levels supports the value of education

• Broader workflow automation is eliminating old-line employment paths causing acceleration in worker ‘re-education’ needs and requirements

• Rapid growth of non-English markets for education content ‘technology leap’ embedding technology

Thoughts on Trends

Impacting EdTech

• Traditional content• Access models• Platforms• Accreditation • New technology

End of Traditional

Content?

• Open educational course materials• Textbook form factor eroding• Battle for attention• “entrepreneur culture” forcing a rethinking of

the entire educational experience• Online vs offline – generational shift

Access Models

• Flattening of supply chain – enabling direct relationships

• But, complicated with more platforms, distributors, outlets, etc.

• Business model transition from “one off” sale to varieties of subscription models is difficult

• Publishers need to rely on direct relationships wherever they can

• Subscriptions/memberships assume higher engagement with customer

• “On the verge of learning about your consumers intimately. Need to wake up to this and learn from this”

• Institutional sales (B2B and B2B2C) more predictable

Platform Wars

• xml first workflows• Mobile: Apple vs Android• Bring your own device• Functionality• International markets• Acquisitions and roll-ups: beach heads are

valuable• Dependence on hardware and/or good

connectivity is likely to fail – lowest common denominator may be very low

Changing Accreditation and Degrees

• Work experience• Badges and certifications• Changing test and assessment requirements• On demand, in situ learning needs for career

advance• Life long learning

New Technology

• Virtual reality• Interesting for distance and/or remote users• In class headset is potentially a distraction

• Augmented reality• Significant opportunity in education and career

development• Turning 2D drawings into 3D models which can be

played with• Non-headset on the way?

• Makerspaces

Questions?

Michael CairnsInformation Media Partners

Michael.cairns@infomediapartners.comTel: 908 938 4889

Social: @personanondata