Instructional Technology Trends in Education

Kago Desmond Monare

Assignment 1 – HMID 6303

Instructional Technology Trends in Education

It is more than just having technology skills. It is learning core subjects with learning skills and communication tools.

What are trends?

Trends to my understanding are changes that happen over time as new things come up and new developments happen there will be a change in how this were done or how thing were.

Trends can also be defined as a general direction in which something is developing or changing, this changes can be changes in how thing are done.

Instructional technology

As this instructional technology trends develop institutions of education are embarrassing them to offer a diversified platform of taking education to the learners.

Tools are developed and continue to be upgraded and get sophisticated as they come. Computer-based programs have revolutionized the way instructions are developed and implemented.

Instructional technology trends

Openness: open content, open data, open resources, easy access to data, transparency

MOOCs as alternatives to traditional university courses

Workforce demands for more informal learning experiences

New sources of data for personalizing learning and for meaningful performance measurements

Changing role of educators due to vast resources available via the Internet

Changing education paradigms (online/hybrid/collaborative)

Technology trends

Smaller, more portable, more flexible

devices

Larger, more powerful information

repositories

Richer educational environments

More holistic approaches

My Institution Trends

The trends that my institution have embraced in the past Four years;

Social media (facebook)

SMS services

Smart board technology

E-learning (online learning).

Social Media

Source:http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2012/11/6-hot-trends-educational-technology-infographic

Social media

The use of platforms such as Facebook is used for general information dissemination to the college community and as a marketing tool for the College. Learner are able to comment and discuss on the post.

The College has yet to explore, the use of other social media, like twitter, google +, delicious, Pinterest etc. This are the trends that will come in the future.

Opportunities for learning through social media technologies abound and should grow ever stronger in the coming years.

SMS Service

The purpose of the service was to assess the feasibility of using this mode of communication with the learners with the aim of expanding service delivery to the learner and also for marketing.

Information to learners with this service became very easy and effective, as a result this in turn motivated learners to do their part without too many follow ups. The learners felt that the college was ‘in-touch’ all the time

SMS Service

Source: http://www.edudemic.com/2013/02/4-education-technology-trends-coming-to-your-classroom/

Smartboard technology

Smartboard technology

The use of this technology was a strategic instructional technology initiative that lies at the centre of long-term strategy for harnessing and leveraging technology in order to enhance access to distance education programmes and improve the quality of distance learning.

My institution have centres around Botswana, with this technology the centres are able to have lessons which are straight from the head quarters in realtime and they are able to participate in the lessons.

E-learning (online learning)

This was to try to make online learning technologies available to tutors and learners as way to enable access to internet resources for more information to enhance the teaching and learning experience.

e-learning technologies is cost effective because there is no need for printing of books as all learning material can be accessed online and learners will have access to lessons anywhere anytime.

Moodle was choosen as the best LMS that will offer the online classes for the institution.

E-learning (online learning)

Source: http://blog.prodigyfinance.com

Future trends

Instructional systems of the future will be able to perform a number of high-level activities involved in monitoring and regulating the instructional environment at individual and group levels

Current trends do not determine the future, but they can provide a basis for present action and an understanding of possible futures.

Future trends for my Institution

Open Resources like the use of the open education resources (OERs).

The adoption of the use of E-textbooks as way of cutting costs in the printing of books.

Joining the revolution of the MOOC will come in play as a way to empwer communities with knownlege.

Future trends for my Institution

Source: http://blog.inomics.com

Future trends for my Institution

SMS service is developing and will be substituted by mobile computing. This will be explored in education as more and more students access online lectures and other learning resources with their smartphones or tablets.

Cloud computing or technologies will be something to go into as a way to cut cost on buying expensive IT infrastruture.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn” Alvin Toffler