Welcome to Part 2 of our EdTech terminology post, where we hope to give you a relatively simple roadmap to help navigate the thickets of education technology buzzwords and phrases that tend to appear in discussions and debates. This time I will zero in on a few education-based phrases that are often conflated or interchanged leading to a lack of clarity.

Not only are the wide variety of acronyms found in the world of EdTech confusing, but there is quite a bit of overlap — as well as misuse — of terms that can make navigating the literature (in particular online literature) on the subject of EdTech confusing and unhelpful. So check out these EdTech definitions every teacher should know!

Chances are, one in three (if not even one in two) students is introverted. This means they don’t particularly enjoy being surrounded by people at all times, they are not very vocal about neither their struggles nor their successes in their learning process, need a little extra time to participate in any kind of discussion and prefer to engage in independent activities rather than group ones.

M-learning isn’t just transforming online teaching – it’s disrupting it in the most positive sense of the term. Every day brings some new advancement that ultimately furthers the most important goal of all: making it easier than ever for every student to learn what they need, how they need, where they need, no exceptions. It’s truly exciting to think about what the next five (and beyond) may have in store for us all.

As the year draws to a close I thought we could take a look at how EdTech has transformed schools, students and education this year – in countries across the world. It is most pleasing to see the strides made improving educational standards in developing countries using appropriate, well-designed educational technology. Visionary organizations and individuals are creating life changing impact.

E-learning trends come and go. Some current trends that shape up the e-learning industry at the moment are rather new, others are currently under the spotlight, while others are proven tactics that will continue to lead to great results. Which one to follow? While this decision should be tailored to your specific classroom learning needs, here are a few trends that you might want to keep an eye on:

Even though students in a classroom may look alike, they each have a unique combination of background, strengths, needs and interests that affect their learning outcomes. Since classrooms are so diverse, curricula need to meet this diversity. However, most often than not, teachers need to meet the same curriculum goals for all their students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is thought to be the solution for this.

AR is one of those EdTech products that has received a lot of hype. But great teachers know that students learn by doing. So the key question must be: how does AR enhance the critical learning component of examination, exploration and trial? With that in mind, I’ve unearthed a few sober-minded studies that dig slightly below the promotional AR surface to find out what the real state of AR is in education today.

Podcasts are underutilized in the blended learning environment, especially in light of some stratospheric successes the medium can have. In today’s teaching environment, all but fizzing with new and innovative technologies, podcasts offer a form of digitally-enhanced quiet time, where students can find some downtime to listen and absorb content in a way that is less frenetic, goal-oriented or intrusive.

While face-to-face instruction allows teachers to inject their personality and tone into their lessons, it nonetheless demands that teachers be organised and creative. Online instruction in a K-12 e-learning environment also benefits when teachers are creative, but effective e-learning and e-teaching methods require different and more focused approach. Read on to discover three habits of highly effective online teachers!