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!

In an age of heavy STEM influence, the liberal arts, art appreciation and cultural studies are seen as somewhat of a rarefied and career-unwise privilege. However, it is also true that students who study the arts tend to have higher SAT scores than those who don’t. That’s why STEM has turned into STEAM. We therefore gathered a short list of ed-tech tools that focus on teaching art and culture.

Last week we began an in-depth exploration of why video-based learning works from a cognitive, psychological and learning theory point of view. Today we will look at specific pitfalls of creating multimedia and video-based learning content based on principles extracted by Prof. Mayer from his many, many experiments in his cognitive psychology lab. So read on to find out more!

In my previous blog post, I discussed some of the initial steps teachers need to take in order to flip their classrooms. One of those steps is getting comfortable with video. Today I’m going to explore not so much the “what” and “how” of this powerful e-learning tool, but the “why”.