63 The Future of E-Ducation: the Impact of Technology and Analytics on the Education Industry
The virtual world is also largely barrier free; it is universally accessible. It isn’t concerned with your gender, race, religion or socio-economic status and it can be accessed at any time. Innovative educational scenarios like the ‘flipped classroom’ would also be impossible without the Internet. More importantly, these Internet technologies will be pivotal in making education universal as they allow education to be delivered cheaply beyond the classroom and via great distances. If, by 2013, these technologies and mobile learning devices have already become globally ubiquitous, there is a high potential of them becoming universal in the next decade. As the physical world increasingly merges with the virtual world, it will be increasingly imperative that students have secure and constant access to both the Internet and a mobile learning device. However, this will simultaneously ensure that education cannot be anything but individualised, customised and accessible for every student. The major consequence of moving online and towards a virtual society is the data trail this leaves behind. This data trail will allow education to be interactive, individualised and adaptable, as it will record students’ preferences, strengths and areas of improvement. This amount of data on students is a frightening concept that has the potential to be misused. However, it will also allow teachers to help their students on an The technologies in this report will both unprecedented level. Class time will be revolutionised reinvent and revolutionise education; by game-based learning, Web 2.0 platforms, the ‘flipped classroom’ and learning analytics as teachers will be they will make the UNMDG for able to guide, monitor and support students on an universal primary education achievable individual basis. Students will also be able to utilise by 2015, if correctly implemented, and this data to reflect on their learning styles, progress will also help us to deliver the globally and set achievable short term and long term goals. The innovative, engaging, customisable and virtual online world can offer students the ability to acquire and implement knowledge, experiment and accessible education that our students receive feedback in a safe environment that lacks the and future generations deserve. consequences of the real world such as failed tests and broken science equipment. This report has focused on how technology is impacting the future of education. The impact of technology on education, however, is not reserved for the future; technology is currently innovating the ideas and methods of education. It seems to be a very exciting time to be a student, but the best thing about the technology discussed in this report is that it allows all of us to be a student, anywhere, at any age and at any time. The global population is educated to an unprecedented level and, yet, many are still unable to receive primary education. The technologies in this report will both reinvent and revolutionise education; they will make the UNMDG for universal primary education achievable by 2015, if correctly implemented, and will also help us to deliver the globally innovative, engaging, customisable and accessible education that our students and future generations deserve.