THE FUTURE OF

TECHNOLOGY IN THE
CLASSROOM
Stephanie Robb

In the next five years,

technology in the classroom is
going to be the rule rather than
the supplemental exception.
From 3D printing to Robotics, an
educator is going to see a
drastic amounts of technology
introduced into the classroom in
5 years or less. Even with all of
the exceptional benefits,
educators need to prepare
themselves for the projected
challenges that lie ahead.
On the forefront of
technology in the classroom is
the expectation of
Makerspacers and BYOD or
bring your own device. The
NMC Horizon Report: K-12
edition expresses that the BYOD
technology reflects the on the
go mentality of our society
currently. It also states that
BYOD is changing the nature of
work and learning activities so
that they can happen
anywhere, anytime.
Makerspacers, as defined by
The NMC, are communityoriented workshops where
technology enthusiasts meet
regularly to share and explore

WHAT DO
MAKERSPACERS MEAN
FOR THE CLASSROOM?
In the classroom,
makerspacers are spaces
designed for students to
promote creative expression
through design and
construction. These spaces
and incorporating this
technology in the classroom
will allow students to create
things start to finish that could
actually be useful in todays
world. A kind of science labmeets trade school- with
technology kind of scenario
where students can become
the engineers and mechanics,
thanks to innovative
technology.
Not far behind BYOD
and Makerspacers is 3D
printing. Its implementation
means that students will be
able to construct physical
objects from 3 dimensional
digital content using special
software and technology. 3D
printing is an especially
appealing technology as
applied to active and project
based learning in k-12

An even
more advanced
technology on the
horizon is adaptive
learning. One
considers that
knowing how a
student learns best
is the way in which
to teach that
student, be it
though lesson
design or delivery
of project
assignments.
Luckily, this day
and age there are
technologies and
software present
that can adjust to
the learners
preferred learning
style. This could

mean a great
deal of positive
things for
education! Data
will be collected,
analyzed and
distributed.
Students whose
grades are in
question are
identified and

Digital
badges are also a
future technology,
although still in the
infancy stage, that
schools could be
implementing
according to the
NMC. Students
would be given a
digital badge upon
their achievement
or completion of a
learning goal.
These
achievements
would be digitally
tracked to show a
students progress.
Some schools have
even utilized this
as a system to
determine
readiness for
college. Upon
earning 12 badges,
a student is
eligible to apply
for college. These

Wearable
technology is also
heading toward the
class room. Rather
than just being
available to the
teachers, more
technology is
moving to the hands
of students to
prepare them for the
world ahead.
Students will be able
to wear technology
to create a
smartboard, track
their health
conditions, or even
get information
about their
surroundings.
Having this
technology available
to students could

 BYOD
MAKERSPACERS

1 YEAR
or less

3D PRINTING
ADAPTIVE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

2-3
YEARS
4-5
YEARS

According to the NMC,

educators can expect these
innovative technologies to
storm the schools in less time
than one would think. In only a
matter of months to less than a
year, teachers will be seeing, if
they are not already, BYOD and
Makerspacers being
implemented into their
classrooms. Kinesthetic
learners unite, in as few as 2-3
short years, 3D printing and
Adaptive Learning Technologies
will be sweeping through,
creating a hands-on,
constructive based classroom.
Students will be beaming with
pride from their digital badges
earned in 4-5 years, as well as
sporting the latest wearable
technology. The future has

arrived and educators and

students alike should open their
eyes to prepare for the

DIGITAL BADGES
WEARABLE TECHNOLOGIES

ARRIVING IN

So youre saying
these technologies
will be here soon??

While the idea of these technologies arriving and improving our

classrooms and teaching styles is appealing, one must remember that
all with these benefits come a challenge. Any kind of new technology
is going to be expensive for a district to afford. In order to keep up
with the trends and remain on the cutting edge of technological
learning, schools will have to find room in their budgets for these
gadgets and additions to the classrooms. Along with the cost of the
equipment, one must consider the amount of training teachers will
require in order to use the technologies that are coming. A certain
amount of time and money will have to be set aside for teacher
training and then teacher to student training. Cost could prove to be a
huge burden among lower income cities, who may see a longer
timeline than listed on the previous page, simply due to lack of
resource funding.
Specific challenges that each of the listed technologies bring
are uniquely different. BYOD will challenge students to be responsible
for an expensive device that will have internet access. The student
will have to choose to avoid distractions and stay focused on work
rather than social media or gaming. There is concern with trusting a
student to be honorable with their device, but with numerous IT
security plans in tack within the districts, a student should be safe and
protected if they chose to try to be irresponsible. 3D printing in the
classroom will be uniquely challenging as it will require the teachers
to be extremely knowledgeable of the software as well as finding time
to teach the students how to use it. Also, equipment availability could
be an issue within a district or in a particular building. The challenges
of adaptive learning technologies, as the NMC article states, is not
letting the computer or software replace the teacher.
The Technology Outlook article for STEM education reiterates a
very real challenge that parallels these technologies entering the
classrooms. Teachers are not adequately trained on the readily
available technology. Like owning a car with no clue how to drive it, a
teacher who doesnt know how to use the technology is missing out
on the opportunity to take her students to places they could only
dream of seeing. This article also touches on the fact that the
demand for personalized learning is not supported by our current
technology. This could raise the question of whether or not our

An eSchool News article

titled, One to One Goes
Wrong further articulates
the concern with technology in
the classroom and the
challenges these innovations
will bring. It states that not
only are districts and schools
faced with the cost of
providing devices, but they
are also presented the
challenge of getting the
teachers to train and use the
technology. According to
Bridget McCrea in her article,
teachers who try and are
discouraged by the technology
or device are more likely to
revert back to old teaching
styles. Keeping the teacher
trained will keep the
classroom up and to date and
in turn educate the children.
Connecting that many people
across a district or even just a
school is naturally going to
cause hiccups. The

important part is how you

address these issues, make
the necessary adjustments
and move on.
McCreas attitude is a
positive, realistic one. It is
recognized that these
technologies are coming to
classrooms all over the world.

RESOURCES
TEXT RESOURCES
NMC Horizon Report 2015 K-12 Edition. (2015). Retrieved October 21,
2015, from http://www.nmc.org/publication/nmc-horizon-report-2015-k12-edition/

2013 Technology Outlook for STEM Education. (2013). Retrieved

October 21, 2015, from http://www.nmc.org/publication/technologyoutlook-stem-education-2013-2018/

McCrea, B. (2015, October 21). When one-to-one goes wrong | eSchool

News | eSchool News. Retrieved October 22, 2015, from
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/10/21/one-to-one-wrong-474/

IMAGE RESOURCES
Apple: http://www.freestockphotos.biz/stockphoto/11436
Education Sign: http://www.genderandeducation.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/08/education-future.jpg
Horizon: https://pixabay.com/p-158102/?no_redirect
Man Thinking Head: https://pixabay.com/p-765406/?
no_redirect
Ruler: https://pixabay.com/p-145940/?no_redirect