i3 - September/October 2016 - 13

By Susan Schreiner

Collectively these competencies are
referred to as the 4Cs - critical thinking,
creativity, communication and collaboration - distinctly human proficiencies
that computers lack. Developing character includes qualities such as curiosity,
persistence, adaptability and leadership.
It's about helping students become active
creators of their own lives, and enabling

them to find what is meaningful to them.
EdTech holds the key to unlocking
the future for 65 percent of grade school
kids that will end up doing work that has
yet to be invented, according to Cathy
N. Davidson, co-director of the annual
MacArthur Foundation Digital Media
and Learning Competitions and author
of the book Now You See It.

The Big Names
The brands that are part of our daily vocabulary are also into EdTech.
In July, Amazon Inspire launched as a free tool for educators to access
valuable resources for the classroom, in one easily searchable place,
similar to Amazon's e-commerce site.
Apple pledged $100 million of teaching/learning solutions to 114
underserved U.S. schools and donated an iPad to every student, a
Mac and iPad to every teacher, and an Apple TV to every classroom.
In July, Apple introduced Swift Playgrounds - an intuitive and visual
free iPad app that makes learning to code easy. Students write code
to guide onscreen characters through an immersive graphical world,
solving puzzles as they learn core coding concepts.

and Oculus

VR for Good connects students with professional VR filmmakers to create
360° films about their communities. The pilot is partnering with nine
San Francisco Bay area schools with underrepresented STEM programs.
Chromebooks account for more than half of all devices in U.S. classrooms, says FutureSource Consulting. Google's app allows students
and teachers to share content with individuals, the classroom, or the
entire school with a single click.
Microsoft Edu, Microsoft's education group includes devices,
management tools and media apps to engage classrooms.
Microsoft's products like Surface tablets equipped with Office 365
are aimed at the K-20 market. Its acquisition of LinkedIn along with
Lynda.com, part of LinkedIn's "Learning Path," will help adults learn
new skills. In addition, Microsoft and edX will offer professional
MOOC learning courses for teachers. ISTE is joining Microsoft in the
development of Microsoft Showcase Schools, "a global community
of more than 60 schools engaged in digital transformation to improve
learning and teaching."
Hopscotch's mobile app allows users to peek under the hood once
they've grasped coding basics that uses a visual approach.
l Sphero combines basic coding lessons with its robotic units in the
Lightening Lab.
l Pluralsight and Codecademy are two online tools that teach
programming and IT skills.
l

Other EdTech
Coding Startups

C TA . t e c h / i 3

A Better Future
EdTech uses technology including the
internet, tablets, PCs, new platforms
and apps to encourage schools to deliver
a higher-quality education and to meet
the demands of a changing labor market
that requires better-skilled workers
with proficiencies like critical thinking
and creativity. It's also about enabling
students to be independent learners as
well as facilitating greater transparency
by schools about their performance.
While news headlines in the U.S.
and elsewhere underscore high levels of
unemployment - the World Economic
Forum is projecting a stunning reversal,
with 470 million new jobs needing to
be filled by 2030. In fact, employers are
reporting difficulties finding talent and
many positions remain open, indicating
a growing disparity between available
and required skills.

Investment Spotlight
Today, U.S. education is a $1.5 trillion
industry and is growing at five percent
annually, according to McKinsey. A
constellation of companies, universities, disruptors and educators are
investing in the EdTech ecosystem as an
economic engine of the future. EdTech
is expected to see around 450 deals in
2016, according to CB Insights. While
accelerators like LearnLaunch in Boston
are seeding young dreamers - there is
also an opportunity for nimble entrepreneurs to potentially make strategic
deals with companies in EdTech such
as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google
and Microsoft.
As virtual reality, artificial intelligence and gamification evolve, and
new ways of learning and student
engagement emerge, EdTech is essential
to developing human capital - talent,
knowledge, skill-sets and capabilities
vital for the 21st Century. Unlike other
industries solely ROI driven - many of
the EdTech companies are inspired by a
unique opportunity to make a real difference in the world.
n
Reach Susan: susan@c4trends.com
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

http://www.Lynda.com http://cta.tech/i3

i3 - September/October 2016

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