Conference Presentation, Panel
Can Technology Revamp the Learning Process?
- Annual funding for the sector has doubled nearly every year from 2009 to the present, with dollar investments into education technology projected to reach five times the 2002 level in 2012.
- Market infrastructure is supported by 90,000 available education apps, with specific platforms anticipating rapid user growth including 240 million courses for Khan Academy over 24 months, over 3 million students for Coursera within 18 months, nearly 20 million students for Edmodo, and 5 million students for Newton.
- Industry growth is indicated by a unique and unprecedented inflow of talent into the education market, which is expected to drive business models from concept to tens of millions of users rapidly.
- Fundamental structural changes are predicted within three years of a major industry shift, involving the removal of age-based grading, the adoption of mastery-based learning, and the implementation of one-to-one tutoring which is forecast to achieve a 98th percentile of traditional learning outcomes.
- Educational equity plans focus on mitigating poverty disparities caused by early schooling environments through improved kindergarten access, expanding choice via public virtual schools for low-income populations, and utilizing technology to deliver individualized learning experiences with auto-leveling capabilities.
- Reported case studies project significant improvements in student outcomes, including a Mississippi school moving from 10% to 70% proficiency in two years without changing union agreements, and a Chicago hybrid school graduating over 90% of students with 60% entering post-secondary education.
- New school models plan to offer high course variety and flexibility, including up to 53 different courses in a single room and the ability to amalgamate data to provide niche subjects like Chinese 5 to individual students working independently.