AS13 ECE 12 (Technology for Teaching & Learning 2 Utilization)

Topic D: Best Education Software/ Applications

What is Education Software?
Education software is a massive, all-encompassing term used to refer to any and all
software designed for use in the education industry. The term includes everything
from student information systems and classroom management software to reference
management software and language learning software.
All of it, however, is used with the goal of making some aspect of the education industry
more efficient or more effective. Schools have a reputation of being one of the last
places to adopt technology, but as the digital transformation has led to the
reconstruction and rearrangement of industries in every sector, they too have begun to
embrace the inevitable. Some kind of education software is used by nearly every
educational institution and will become ubiquitous as the number of solutions and the
range of capabilities of those solutions increase.
The scope of tools in the education industry is widening, particularly with the influx
of artificial intelligence software and the private sector’s recognition of the massive
potential attached to developing education-specific software.

Why Use Education Software?

Education software is hugely beneficial for teachers, administrators, students, and
parents alike. Solutions in these categories provide users with a host of benefits, from
improved visibility and content distribution to analytics and better communication
channels. Smart content, enhanced communication, consolidation of data and
information, and improved efficacy and efficiency are all benefits that accompany the
implementation of education software.
Smarter Content – Education software has the potential to revolutionize the way in
which content is created and presented to students. Digital content embedded with
artificial intelligence capabilities can offer material that adapts to students’ knowledge
levels. This "smart" content is easily changed, distributed, and reused by different
generations of students. Digital content contains the added bonus of teacher oversight
and often includes built-in assessments that teachers can use to test and track student
results.

— Clear communication between teachers, parents, and students is vital to the learning
process. There needs to be a strong level of respect and trust that exists to properly
educate students. Education software and apps help develop strong bonds between all
parties through forums, portals, and other interactive elements. Parents and students
have tools that promote easy communication between themselves, teachers, and
administrators.
Clear and efficient communication channels facilitate understanding between disparate
parties that may otherwise be siloed. Students can ask teachers questions to clear up
ambiguities regarding course material and grading methods, and parents can have a
clear window into their children’s performance.
Information Consolidation – Many types of education software are designed to combine
related information in a centralized repository. Consolidating all related data within a
single program allows for better oversight and the extraction of more accurate insights
from that data. Administrators and education professionals can utilize those insights to
guide both teaching strategy at a lower level and administrative policy at a higher level.
Improved Efficiency and Efficacy — The goal of any institution is to become more
efficient and effective, and education software helps organizations achieve these goals.
Teachers can utilize resources such as classroom management software to limit
distractions and improve concentration on course material. Administrators can leverage
the insights afforded by information systems to shape policy and administrative
decisions. Education software also saves administrators and teachers a ton of time on
administrative tasks, like grading, and gives them the opportunity to find more creative
ways to improve their respective outputs.
Better Learning Environment – Education professionals are tasked with ensuring
student understanding of class material. The amount of available education
applications, and the breadth of functionality they cover in concert, provides educators
with the tools necessary to create the best possible learning environment for their
students. That may take the form of digital materials supplemented with AR/VR
software in the classroom, the use of a learning management system, classroom
management tools designed to keep students on task, or something else entirely.
Teachers adapt their classrooms and alter their teaching styles according to each group
of students’ needs. Education software helps teachers change their learning
environments by providing tools that can cater to every learning style.

Who Uses Education Software?

The main groups of education software users are teachers, students, parents, and
school administrators. Each group utilizes education software to improve their
educational experience, reduce inefficiencies, and facilitate communication. The
majority of education software is designed for administrators and teachers to create
content, share lessons, manage classrooms, and house school- and student-related
data. Students use solutions in a few categories to consume curated content and lesson
plans, take exams, and study. Parents leverage the connection to both administrators
and teachers that these tools provide them, to ensure that their child is getting the help
they need and to stay on top of their student’s performance.

Trends Related to Education Software

AR/VR for Classroom Use — Augmented reality and virtual reality technology is
improving constantly. As it becomes more affordable and its adoption is more
widespread, vendors have been developing applications specifically for the education
industry. Teachers can use virtual reality headsets to provide extra reinforcement for
difficult concepts, supplement regular teaching materials, or to simply introduce a cool
piece of technology that students will find fascinating. AR/VR has the potential to
revolutionize the classroom, providing teachers with a tool that they can use to drive
home deep understanding and retention of subject material.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Classroom — Artificial intelligence has numerous
potential applications within the classroom. Artificially intelligent teaching assistants
(AITAs) are used in certain classrooms to alleviate some of the workload for teachers
and regular teaching assistants. These digital teaching assistants handle student
questions that typically take educators hours to sort through. As these AITAs are
machine learning applications, the more questions they handle and the wider the scope
of topics they cover, the more accurate they become. Teachers can then use the extra
hours freed up by these applications to focus on real value-adding tasks.
Digital Materials — The digital transformation has enveloped the classroom, as schools
look to embrace digital teaching materials. Digital versions of materials are much more
easily modified and distributed and can be embedded with additional features to aid
students during their learning. These materials include assessments, which can be
graded and analyzed by AI graders, saving teachers valuable time.

Potential Issues with Education Software

Privacy — One of the largest issues facing the education software industry is privacy.
The increased use of software throughout the education sector means more information
is gathered and housed by educational institutions. Particularly in K–12 institutions,
there are privacy concerns raised by parents and communities who don’t want every
little piece of information about their students collected, combed through, and analyzed.
As artificial intelligence makes its way into the classroom and the internet of things
(IoT) collects and transmits information about every single thing that happens within the
classroom, the question becomes how much data does a school have the right to
gather. Just because something is possible, does that mean it should be done? When it
comes to minors, do they have any privacy rights, or do those belong to the parents?
Should students have to opt in to data sharing or opt out? These are all questions that
will be answered in the coming years as education software and technology continues
to grow and affect the industry.
Security — The more data and information an organization has on file, the more
attractive the prospect of stealing that information becomes for bad actors. While
schools may not be holding the most valuable information in the world, payment details
and identity related information, as well as sensitive personal student information, may
be on file. For this reason, security is paramount in education software. Education
software tends not to tout security as one of its hallmarks, but that may change as more
sensitive information is held in educational institutions’ applications.
Distraction – As technology in the classroom becomes ubiquitous, one of the major
issues becomes the potential for distraction. Students armed with tablets and other
internet-connected devices are easily distracted from focusing on subject material
during class. The solution to this problem? Implementing classroom management
software, which allows teachers to monitor and block students from using certain
websites. Classroom management has become an integral tool allowing teachers to
ensure that their students are on task.
Improper Implementation – While this is an issue in every sector, one of the most
glaring potential issues for education software is improper software selection and
implementation. Included in implementation is proper training for employees that will
use the software, which is often overlooked by educational institutions who do not have
enough dedicated IT staff. If the wrong software is selected or it is implemented
incorrectly, and the institution and its employees have no idea how to take proper
advantage of the features the application provides, then there will likely be issues down
the road. The way to avoid these issues is by ensuring a rigorous vetting and selection
process, proper implementation, and high-quality training available for employees that
will be using the software
Popular Education Software Categories

Learning Management Systems

Learning Management Systems (LMS) serve as a central hub where teachers and
professors can upload and organize course material for student access. Schools and
universities use learning management systems to reduce the use of paper, as well as
make documents available out of the classroom. Learn more about Learning
Management Systems (LMS).
Popular Learning Management System (LMS) products used by Education
professionals
 Canvas
Canvas LMS is an open and reliable web-based
software that allows institutions to manage digital
learning, educators to create and present online
learning materials and assess student learning, and
students to engage in courses and receive feedback
about skill development and learning achievement.

 Google Classroom
Google Classroom is a tool in Google Apps for
education that helps teachers create and organize
assignments quickly, provide feedback efficiently, and
easily communicate with their classes.

 Blackboard Learn
A new virtual learning environment. A web based
environment to support aspects of learning, allow
students to access course materials.
  TalentLMS
Talent lms highly configurable cloud-hosted learning
management system created to help users simplify
how they facilitate online seminars, courses, and
other training programs.

 Schoology
A web-based learning management (LMS).
Teacher's can create and assign a slew of creative
task, which students can access through the website
as well as through IOS, Android, ang Google chrome
app.

 Microsoft Teams

Is a proprietary business communication platform

developed by Microsoft, as part of the Microsoft 365 family
of products. Teams primarily competes with the similar
service Slack, offering workspace chat and
videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration.
Student Information Systems (SIS)
Student Information Systems (SIS) store and track all student information, including
grades, attendance records, and more. SIS products are used by teachers, students,
and parents to communicate all relevant information pertaining to a student’s schooling.

Popular Student Information Systems (SIS) products used by Education professionals

 Ellucian Banner Student
Ellucian Banner Student
Banner is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software
product of Sungard Higher Education, now known as Ellucian.
Banner is an integrated student information system which will
eventually include online admissions, financial aid, records,
student accounts, advising, housing, disability services, and
more. Banner will become the principle database for the
college.

 Workday Student
Workday Student is an end-to-end student and faculty
lifecycle information system that is designed to work
seamlessly with Workday Financial Management, Workday
Human Capital Management, Workday Payroll, and Workday
Grants Management. It unites an entire campus under a single
configurable, easy-to-use application that is delivered in the
cloud.

 PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions (CS) is a separate package
developed as a student information system for colleges and
universities.

 Ellucian Colleague Student

Ellucian Colleague Student- mange the student lifecycle from
admissions to graduation. Support success with personalized
experiences and centralized student information.
  Jenzabar One
Jenzabar One gives institutions the freedom to choose a
solution that meets their needs today and tomorrow.
Jenzabar One gives you the ability to adapt as your
institution changes and technology evolves. Built to be
highly adaptable, the Jenzabar One platform easily
integrates to other software systems - those you currently
use and others you might use in the future.
Classroom Management Software
Classroom Management software is used by teachers to add another dimension to
lessons. These tools typically add an interactive element to lesson plans that better
engage students.
Popular Classroom Management products used by Education professionals.
 DyKnow
DyKnow is a cloud-based classroom management software that
monitors students’ devices including PCs, Chromebooks, iPads,
and Macbooks to generate insights on their classroom behavior. 
 ClassDojo
ClassDojo is digital sharing platform that allows teachers to
document the day in class and share that with families via a web
browser so that nearly any device can access the content – from a
simple smartphone to a laptop computer.

 McGraw-Hill Connect
McGraw-Hill Connect is a digital learning and teaching system that
is developed for both students and educators in higher education
institutions.

 Lanschool
LanSchool is a classroom management software designed to help
educational institutions create online tests, monitor student
devices, and engage, collaborate, and communicate with them on
a centralized platform.

 Socrative
Socrative is a cloud-based assessment management solution
designed to help businesses and educational organizations
monitor learning, track student progress, and improve classroom
engagement. The software is suitable for K-12, higher education,
and corporate classes.

 PowerSchool Unified Classroom

PowerSchool Unified Classroom is a learning management
software designed to help K-12 educational institutions manage
teaching sessions, assessments, and collaboration.
Assessment Software

Assessment software provides students with a portal to take computerized tests and
quizzes.
Popular Assessment products used by Education professionals

 Canvas
Enables easy integration of the content, tools and services that
teachers need and students want.

 Blackboard Learn
Virtual learning that will keep learners engaged anywhere, at
any time.

 Kahoot!
Anyone can create and deliver engaging learning
experience.

 Schoology
Continues to ensure that all students have access to the
same quality of teaching and learning, regardless of their
socio-economic status, special education needs, or any other
circumstances

 GoReact
Learners use to record or stream
presentations, performances, and
demonstrations.
 McGraw-Hill Connect
Connect provides opportunities for both formative and summative assessment.

Reference:
https://www.g2.com/categories/education?fbclid=IwAR3Lce1a1uI9hEWGSagm-
79zjeUOosZi80LjkPoAIlGPsRfgH6sWNU9Ne70
https://www.techlearning.com/features
https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/what-is-classdojo
https://www.getapp.com/
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2020/09/the-future-of-vr-ar-in-education/#:~:text=The
%20VR%20and%20AR%20technology,seizing%20students'%20focus%20and
%20attention.&text=Statistics%20confirm%20that%20students%20remember,it%20is
%20learned%20through%20experience.
https://universitybusiness.com/how-ai-is-changing-americas-classrooms/
https://.m.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki
%2FMicrosoft_Teams&h=AT08QUUdpwbBrBdHv2972KRlRcJ_2QVvpLw5ULFUwIruIcj
7LGpvMsuCwUBnRP1qaUeyuuxslId59PnoVhvHAMvoX6IRZ5kx5VCkXOmij_1kdxV4-
4EDggxmqnovNLx8V3g3lDTL6S7iFYM66ChS2A

Group Members:
Mariano, Lizel
Mujaal, Darwina
Ruiz, Maria Khrizia Kae
Santos, Julie Anne
Unang, Heidriel Gail