Easy to Set Up and Use

Airtame products are designed for ease of use. You can have an Airtame device up and running in minutes, and the intuitive interface means that educators and students can start sharing their screen in no time. IT admins save time with an intuitive interface for users, and simplified management, such as remote updates.

Wireless Sharing at Its Finest

With Airtame, educators and students can screen share wirelessly, eliminating the need for cables and making content sharing easier. Educators can easily switch between presentations and videos, and students can show off their work to the class with ease. Fewer cables mean less equipment needs replacing – helping to slim your IT budget.

Compatible with Everything

Airtame is compatible with commonly used classroom devices, from Windows, macOS and Chromebook, to iOS and Android. Users can cast their screen with the Airtame app, through a web browser or via the standard native protocols Google Cast, AirPlay or Miracast (Powered by ). This means that no matter what tech your educators and students are using, they can share their screen with ease, making communication simpler than ever.

Digital Signage to Transform Spaces

Want to display schedules, news updates, or an emergency alert on screens around the school? Enable instant communication of important information to students, staff, and visitors with highly customizable digital signage that’s easy to create and deploy. No need to print new materials or manually distribute them around campus.

Centralized Management

Control each Airtame device from a single dashboard with Airtame Cloud – it’s easy to update software, adjust settings, and keep an eye on usage and performance. Organize Airtame devices into groups according to their location (e.g. specific building on campus) or function (e.g. classroom vs. meeting room). The Cloud account owner can invite multiple members of staff to join, assign certain user roles with different permissions and access levels. This means, you can assign someone else to manage your digital signage, without risking them tampering with any networking settings.

Secure

Security is likely a top priority for your school, and Airtame products are designed with this in mind. We use the highest level of wireless security available, WPA2 Enterprise encryption, and can be configured to meet your school’s security policies.

Reduce Support Tickets

Minimizes stress, as device performance can be monitored regularly from the Cloud. This reduces the number of support tickets, which means IT admins can focus on other important tasks.

Budget-Friendly

Airtame products are affordable, making them a cost-effective solution for every school. You can purchase multiple devices and use them throughout the school, creating a comprehensive wireless screen sharing and digital signage solution without breaking your budget.

To sum it up, Airtame products are an excellent choice for IT administrators in educational institutions for wireless screen sharing, digital signage, and more. They’re easy to set up and use, compatible with all devices, centrally manageable, secure, and affordable. By incorporating Airtame into your school’s technology infrastructure, you can simplify your workload – and your faculty, staff, and student body will love it too!

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1. Wireless Screen Sharing

All Airtame solutions allow you to share your screen wirelessly, eliminating the need for cables and adapters, making it easier for you to present information to your class. No longer tethered to a desk or podium, you are empowered to roam around the classroom and check-in with students in a more natural way. As Instructional Technology Coordinator of Warren Country Public Schools, Matt Kresslein, can attest, “We have transitioned to TVs with the Airtame platform, which has freed our teachers to move around the room as they lead digital lessons delivered wirelessly from mobile devices. This has proven to be far more impactful than standing in the front of the room while students use their Chromebooks.” It provides students with the opportunity to ask questions and receive tailored 1:1 support, without needing to pause a lesson midway through. You can wirelessly share your screen through a web browser, through native protocols such GoogleCast, Airplay, and Miracast, or through the Airtame application (which brings added functionality, such as the ability to share wirelessly to multiple displays at the same time).

2. Improved Student Engagement

With Airtame, you can bring your lessons to life and engage your students in new and exciting ways. You can share videos, images, and presentations to your display, making it easier for students to follow along and understand the material. Wireless screen sharing allows students to share their work to a central classroom screen, making group presentations easy, and fostering feedback from their fellow peers.

3. Encourage Active Learning

Active learning involves students learning by either enacting or explaining the subject matter to their peers. With Airtame’s bring-your-own-device policy, students can connect to Airtame from almost any device, including Chromebooks, Macs, Windows, and Linux computers, as well as iOS and Android devices. This cross-platform compatibility facilitates active learning, allowing more students to present in front of their class or larger groups and makes Airtame perfect for both 1-to-1 and BYOD environments. Moderator mode lets educators and other staff members disconnect anyone from Airtame, giving you the power to allow screen sharing and disconnect students when needed.

4. Promote Educational Messaging

In addition to providing wireless teaching and presenting, Airtame also provides digital signage options for your classroom display. Airtame Cloud enables the setup of a single image or website, a welcome message, and screen sharing instructions across all Airtame-enabled displays. You can also showcase various multimedia as digital signage, such as student projects or artwork, class schedules, upcoming sporting events, daily cafeteria menus, and more. Leverage your digital displays to promote health and safety guidelines throughout your classroom and common areas. Here’s what Warren County Public Schools had to say about Airtame’s digital signage: “Airtame has empowered us to share district-wide signage and videos, such as the student-created projects we displayed during Digital Citizenship Week to celebrate students’ digital agility and safety.”

5. Aid Punctuality

Use the Room Overview feature in the Airtame App to synchronize with your school’s Microsoft or Google Calendar and create a timetable, which can be displayed in hallways, break rooms, cafeterias, libraries, and other areas. You’ll also save time with Airtime’s wireless capabilities, eliminating the need to search for cables.

In conclusion, Airtame products are an excellent solution for educators who want to simplify the use of technology in the classroom while creating the perfect learning environment for student engagement. With features such as easy wireless screen sharing and digital signage, Airtame can enhance your teaching experience, save you time and effort, and improve your students’ learning outcomes. As Rob Cover, Assistant Manager – School Technology Operations for York Region District School Board states, “These devices are all about providing a classroom environment that is more engaging, and richer for learning. Does the product enhance or ease the classroom environment? In both cases, it does just by virtue of its connectivity and agnosticism. It simplifies display technology for the teacher, which enhances the curriculum and the teaching”. By leveraging Airtame’s capabilities, you can create a more interactive and dynamic classroom environment that will benefit both you and your students. So why not give Airtame a try and see how it can make your life easier as a teacher?
 

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The annual ISTE conference (International Society for Technology in Education) is an epicenter for edtech enthusiasts, especially within K12, and this year in Philadelphia was no different. Naturally, the Airtame team was present too.

The Airtame booth was on fire

Following the recent success at InfoComm in Orlando where we won a ‘Best of Show’ award, the Airtame team was ready to take on a new conference – and slay it! And that’s exactly what happened.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by our booth, from all of our fantastic Airtame ambassadors to distributors and curious souls. Our sales team and tech specialists literally lost their voices at the end of the conference because of the number of conversations and pitches. 

The ultimate stamp of approval

When it comes to ease-of-use, Airtame is definitely a top player. We spoke to several of the Airtame IT admins and end users who have been directly involved with deploying Airtame, and all of them highlighted how simple it is to manage and use. 

Parkland School District in Philadelphia are also avid Airtame users and made a small announcement during the conference about their experience. This is the best praise we could ever wish for and we’re humbled by the kind words. 

Here’s Tracy Smith, Assistant to the Superintendent for Operations at Parkland School District:

Edtech trendspotting at ISE

While many booths were displaying incredibly innovative solutions, some seemed stuck in the past. To me, at least, some booths had a faded idea of what a modern classroom looks like and who benefits from smart technologies. 

Specifically, I’m talking inclusivity. Edtech needs to be for everyone, and that’s something most of the ISTE exhibitors took a stand on. Whether students come from a background with or without technology in their lives, the classroom needs to include both – and everything in between. 

That’s why I want to highlight ease-of-use as the main trend at ISTE. Whether it was robotics, spell-checking or, obviously, screen sharing, there’s a need for technologies that work for everyone in the classroom, students and teachers alike and no matter their background. 

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What is ISTE 2019?

Simply put, ISTE (meaning the International Society for Technology in Education) is the most significant date on the edtech calendar this year. It all kicks off June 23-26th.

Hosted in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in always sunny Philadelphia, the conference and expo give technology producers, like ourselves, the chance to meet with the world’s pioneering CIOs, network administrators and educators across K12 and higher ed institutions.

For us, this direct connection with tech-purchasers and end users is invaluable. We get to showcase Airtame, and get immediate, honest feedback on how well it works in the classroom, and how we can improve.

Reasons to drop by booth #707

As expected, our team will be on the trade-show floor highlighting the key benefits and core features of the Airtame solution. But, beyond that, we have a few tricks up our sleeves.

New hardware

First up is the Airtame PoE Adapter. Yes, we have already announced this game-changing accessory, but ISTE will be one of the first times we get to publically exhibit the device and highlight in-person how it is the best way to power your Airtame 2s and drive a stable network connection for the best possible performance.

Free donuts!

Last, but definitely not least, is the swag. We’ll be offering lots of amazing merchandise to pre-existing Airtame customers and newbies alike throughout the week.

We’re also partnering with Federal Donuts, a Philly based bakery, to deliver hundreds of free donuts straight to the Airtame booth on day two of the tradeshow. Just follow the potent whiff of fresh doughy goodness that wafts throughout the tradeshow floor and you are sure to land at booth #707.

See you there!

If you’re already headed to ISTE this year, we’d love to chat with you – whether you are an Airtame power-user, or simply curious about the future of wireless screen sharing and active learning environments. Feel free to drop by booth #707 to talk to our expert team of sales, support and product specialists.

Haven’t bagged your ticket? There’s still time! Head to the ISTE website to register today.

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The edtech market is expected to hit around $129 billion in 2020, so naturally, startups and innovators all over the globe are showing increasing interest in the matter.

Edtech companies have the potential to completely transform traditional education structures either by incorporation new skills that are applicable in the digital age or by simplifying or revolutionizing previous methods of teaching.

Airtame was once a small company too. Our wireless screen sharing solution has come on leaps and bounds since our initial launch. We weren’t even going for the education sector to begin with, but have seen how our technology advances the classroom for the better.

With that in mind, we want to shine a light on those innovators in the industry that are also making a difference. Here are some of our favorite, smaller edtech companies and the great work they’re doing for the advancement of modern learning.

Photomath (Croatia)

Mathematical equations can be a tough nut to crack. That’s why Photomath decided to built a “camera calculator” app that provides instant help to every math problem from simple addition to complex calculus challenges.

Photomath uses a mobile phone’s camera to recognize mathematical equations, present a possible solution, and the steps it takes to get there. The camera scans the math problem, even if it’s handwritten, and utilizes text recognition and augmented reality to figure out a way to understand the challenge.

It’s not just a beneficial tool for students; teachers and parents can take advantage of the extra help Photomath presents as well, and sharpen their problem solving skills.

Book Creator (UK)

Book Creator from the United Kingdom is, like many of the best edtech companies, driven by a wonderful and simple idea that fosters creativity in the classroom. They have built a simple app for making ebooks on an iPad (they’re working on cross-platform integrations).

Book Creator is a perfect resource for teachers that want to structure their own material or students that would like to explore their creative side.

It’s easy to update which makes editing a breeze even when a new year is around the corner. It’s an ideal tool for collaboration as it allows several students to create a shared, interactive project – even with students from a completely different school or country.

Book Creator lets the creator incorporate everything from audio, video, text and images.

Kahoot! (Norway)

Kahoot! from Norway focuses on creating playful moments via fun questionnaires. Instead of dreary tests, Kahoot! takes a different approach to those dull moments by offering a game-based learning platform that makes it easy to create, find, and play a lot of fun learning games – no matter the subject, language or device.

We actually mentioned Kahoot! in an earlier article about the best business meeting apps, because it’s suitable for many ages and a fun way to keep students and meeting attendants alike engaged.

Teachers can use it to create small learning games based on multiple choice questions. Students then sign in from whatever device they’re using and use a unique code to access the game and compete against their peers.

Educators could even display the questions on the big screen to encourage social moments and productive discussions. It can be used as an exciting way to start a class or as a more structured teaching tool – it still stays fun and education at the same time.

Ruangguru (Indonesia)

Founded in 2014, Ruangguru’s mission is to provide a complete learning solution for grades six to 12. It’s a subscription-learning, private-tutoring marketplace that offers learning videos founded on a standardized syllabus, course summaries, and practice tests.

It’s a mobile application that really packs a punch with all these different modules bundled in one app, and it also helps students find long-term, private tutors. There’s a chat function with tutoring services from teachers and other qualified people.

Cubetto (UK)

Teaching computer programming to toddlers might not be the first choice for a parent or kindergarten teacher, but it’s nevertheless a great skill that proves valuable in other contexts later in life. Understanding coding will teach kids to know how their digital world and its roadmap is laid out as well as the logic behind it.

That’s what Primo Toys thought, at least. They make educational toys for younger children that teach them valuable lessons while having fun. They’ve designed a real-life game to help with this challenge.

Their game is called Cubetto, which features a robot, maps, blocks, board, and a storybook. Completely without a screen, the robot will navigate the board with some basic programming commands that keep children engaged through stories and maps.

It’s suitable both for home and class use and recommended for children aged 3-6.

3DBear (Finland)

The Finnish edtech company 3DBear is totally futuristic and totally awesome. Through their design tool, students learn how to work with augmented reality in a fun and easy way. 3DBear helps students learn about problem-solving and creative thinking with the help of augmented reality. Models created in AR can also be 3D printed.

While augmented reality isn’t on every school’s curriculum, it’s probably something we will see addressed more and more because it allows students to visualize their creative thinking and learn 21st-century skills.

Nearpod (US)

The US-based edtech company Nearpod want to take the pain and time away from student assessment. Their edtech tool helps teachers create interactive lessons cross-platform, assess students’ work in real-time and get instant feedback.

But more specifically, we would like to highlight Nearpod VR, which allows teachers to create virtual field trips or immersive teaching experiences – all without leaving the classroom.

The Nearpod VR headset works with iPads, Chromebooks, Macs and PCs – so most of the devices that a school is likely to use.

Nearpod offers a variety of virtual reality sessions, or even the ability for the teacher to create their own, and it’s the perfect tool for easy and truly immersive learning. And if a school would like to save costs, Nearpod’s VR services also work with cheaper VR headsets such as Google Cardboard.

Peergrade (Denmark)

The name almost says it all: Peergrade is a Danish startup that encourages peer grading. Peergrade’s founder thought that a single teacher grading an abundance of papers is neither as effective as it could be, nor will it deliver the most satisfactory results.

So he created Peergrade, an electronic platform where uploaded assignments can be reviewed by other students before a teacher gives their final feedback. It makes the task of grading and giving feedback a lot less time-consuming for the teacher, and it also helps give a comprehensive evaluation.

TORSH (USA)

Edtech company TORSH’s founder was born in Jamaica and raised in Brooklyn, where he experienced firsthand how many students fall behind without the proper support. When he founded TORSH, it was with the ambition to give teachers the training they need to make their learning environments safe and supportive.

TORSH is a data platform tool that provides teachers with video-based online communities that can help them improve. More experienced teachers can help mentor teachers with less experience or teachers from regions that are more challenged in the education area.

TORSH facilitates observation, coaching, and feedback. Through video-based observation tools, other educators can take a look at how fellow teachers are doing, they can set up mentor programs or measure the effectiveness of the teaching.

Lexplore (Sweden)

This Swedish edtech company is taking a humane approach to edtech. Lexplore offers a screening method to identify children with dyslexia early on so the right measures can be taken as soon as possible. It’s a simple digital reading ability test that utilizes AI to analyze the results and identify whether or not a child has reading and writing difficulties.

The earlier a reading difficulty is detected, the better the educators (or parents) can tailor their teachings to match the level of the child and make sure they’re not left behind. Lexplore is a prime example of how edtech can not only improve a learning environment but help the individual students too.

Since the test is scored based on AI and eye-tracking, the end results are very accurate and delivered a lot faster than going through educators or physicians.

Edtech companies push education forward

These startups are turning education into collaborative activities that students of all ages and levels can understand and participate in. They’re disrupting traditional learning, and it’s a good thing.

With many bright minds considering how to optimize educating, schools can benefit from more affordable and efficient tools – and better teaching principles for students and teachers all over the world.

Any eye-opening edtech tools or companies we missed on our radar? We’d love to hear from you! Plus, check out the edtech trends we predict you’ll soon see coming to the classroom

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Edtech tools and technology in the classroom is generating new learning opportunities through personalized teaching, engaging learning strategies and a lot more collaboration than before.

What do we mean by technology in the classroom, or “edtech”?

Edtech – or education technology – is about applying digital technology to support better, more personalized learning. It’s everything from the use of computers to teach math and reading to online testing, immersive experiences, screen sharing, AI-fuelled feedback, and so much more.

Furthermore, and despite popularly held opinion, technology in the classroom can be cost-efficient. IT administrators and CIOs at schools or universities need to stretch tight budgets to accommodate the best, most regularly usable tech. Read more about such budgeting dilemmas in our $1k classroom upgrade interview with Minnesota’s Lake Superior College.

Why do we need technology in the classroom?

Students today are immersed in their digital personas and personal tech outside of school.  Therefore, the education sector can piggyback on that mindset and use it to drive engagement.

Early learners, as well as older students, can benefit from the implementation of edtech. By incorporation play, creativity, and familiar digital tools, students are much likely to stay interested.

Edtech doesn’t have to be futuristic and costly, it can be something as simple as using current technology in a new and fun way. That way, no one gets left behind and the whole learning environment becomes – and stays – collaborative.

BYOD, or truly inclusive environments

The BYOD or Bring Your Own Device educational approach is becoming increasingly popular in the classroom. In a BYOD environment, students can bring in their own equipment.

As most students already have their own smartphone or tablet they use for leisure activities, incorporating them can cut costs significantly for a school. And since they’re already using their devices in their private lives, why not embrace it in the classroom too?

In a school environment, students are likely to have a myriad of different devices and operating systems that somehow need to work together. Some prefer Apple for their intuitive design and variety of easy-to-use products, while others would rather go for the straightforward and more widely accessible Microsoft suite.

But the number of Chromebooks in the classroom is rising. Using Chromebooks for teaching purposes is quickly becoming teachers’ favorite because it comes with Google’s education tools and because it’s a much cheaper choice than Microsoft and Apple’s products.

Smartphones in the classroom isn’t an alien thought either. Because so many different types of devices and operating systems are in place in a BYOD environment, the other digital tools implemented in the classroom also need to meet the requirement of several different platforms.

Ditch the paper versions for digital resources

One way to go digital that isn’t just sustainable but also more interactive is to switch to digital textbooks. Digital textbooks are not just online versions of their paper counterparts. Nowadays, they’re much more than that, with incorporations of intelligent software, databases, and individualized training. They can be easily updated and won’t get worn out in time as a regular textbook will.

Aside from saving a lot of money and paper on physical resources such as textbooks, digital learning tools like digital textbooks and online learning academies have the advantage of customization, meaning that every student can get a version of the course that best suits their needs.

Schools can make a tremendous contribution to a healthy and sustainable learning environment by significantly reducing paper waste. Going digital will help curb deforestation and develop awareness around a ‘green mindset’. Learn more about a ‘green mindset’ in schools in our edtech trend piece here.

But besides digital textbooks, we want to highlight Khan Academy, which is a set of online tools mainly based on their YouTube videoes. The YouTube videos serve as a basic understanding of a specific topic, for example, geometry.

Khan Academy’s website provides a set of practice lessons and progress tracking that can be used as a supplement to the videos. And while Khan Academy’s teaching tools aren’t a replacement for regular teaching, they certainly offer great support for more personalized learning in the classroom.

Khan Academy is available in many different languages, including English, French, Spanish, Turkish – and plenty other partial translations. It’s non-profit and can be used by anyone, and there’s even a mobile application for easier access.

Chalkboards, whiteboards, and now smartboards

Smartboards are interactive whiteboards, and they’re increasingly popular examples of technology in the classroom because they allow students and teachers to interact in a whole new way that’s more collaborative. Where whiteboards only allow writing, smartboards often use digital markers to record what is written. It’s an incredible visual aid that can support both teachers and students.

The Promethean ActivBoard Touch is a great example. An electronic touch board that allows students and teachers to create great content and manipulate it afterward using digital markers.

It allows multi-touch functionality, dry-erase writing and drawing, and compatibility with both MacOS, Windows and Linux.

Promethean even offers more than 60,000 free teaching resources for the smartboard that truly make learning come alive and interactivity an incorporated part of the classroom.

Another smartboard display we can recommend is the Samsung Flip. More on that – and its integration with Airtame – here.

Wireless presentation

Presenting to a TV or projector n the classroom is an absolute must for a teacher in the modern classroom. But wireless screen sharing can go way beyond just teacher presentations.

Airtame is a wireless screen sharing solution that works in a BYOD environment – all devices and platforms included. It not only lets teachers present to the screen or projector in the room with ease, but the students can.  

Wireless presentation also has the benefit of getting rid of messy cables and adding some freedom to the classroom. The cables might not be the biggest concern for most people, but in a classroom with young adults roaming the room, cutting the cables could cause fewer accidents.

Add to that, wireless presentation tools such as Airtame grant teachers the freedom to walk around the room and give their support to individual students, all without losing sight of what’s on the screen.

Having an inclusive screen sharing tool like that will significantly increase collaboration and engagement in the classroom. If you’re curious to learn more about Airtame, just watch this quick video:

Nothing without great teaching

Edtech does not create better education of its own accord but can help facilitate teachers to become the best educators they can be. What we’re saying is that edtech should be used as a tool, not necessarily as a complete replacement.

The main idea of implementing technology in the classroom is to create a more dynamic and flexible learning environment.

Using technology in the classrooms allows teachers to give immediate feedback and experiment with their teaching, it can automate otherwise tedious tasks, provide fun and engaging learning environments for students, and help shape the online identities of the modern, digital citizens that the students will become.

Are you a fan of edtech? Perhaps you’ve already implemented classroom technology? Let us know what you like the most about edtech – and perhaps what you find challenging as well

The post The essential technology in the classroom appeared first on Airtame.

We are firm believers that technology has a place in the classroom and can be an empowering tool for educators.

What are the rising edtech trends and their use in classrooms? We’ve dug deep and researched the movements on the rise, and here’s how we predict classrooms changing in 2019 and beyond.

Curious for more trends? Check out our predictions of how the contemporary workspace will change in 2019.

Edtech trends

BYOD brings people together

From laptops to tablets, to smartphones and Chromebooks, schools and universities everywhere are embracing a dynamic learning environment, where students bring and use a computational device of their choice.

It’s called BYOD or Bring Your Own Device, and when schools acknowledge that the technological companions are a part of our everyday lives, it becomes easier to implement and use them to the educators’ advantage. Sourcing the best devices would come at an immense cost for schools, so a BYOD environment is a good idea to overcome that hurdle.

We believe more learning environments will increasingly embrace the BYOD trend along with exploratory BYOD-driven projects that let students participate more actively. Our wireless screen sharing solution is platform-agnostic, which means it’s well-suited for these BYOD environments too.

Freedom to roam

A more mobile environment is a more dynamic environment, and going wireless is one step educators can take towards a more dynamic learning space. Educators can operate their laptop or tablet from anywhere in the room with wireless AV gear, like Airtame.

In a more dynamic environment, educators become more flexible, allowing them to instruct to the class and help individual students at the same time. It’s an area we’re definitely going to see more schools exploring in the coming year.

Safety through signage

Ensuring a safe and secure campus is no easy task, but digital signage may be the answer. Digital signage will enable instructors to update emergency alerts in real-time. Emergency messages could include wayfinding, information updates, and procedures.

Good thing is that many schools might not even have to invest in a lot of new gear to reap the benefits. If the school is already outfitted with displays in critical areas, it’s only a matter of acquiring the right software.

Smart classrooms become smarter

Previously, chalkboards were an integral part of the traditional classroom. Today, interactive whiteboards are the new standard along with a list of other smart solutions. These smart solutions give educators a lot more freedom – and probably also time.

We’re at a point now where teachers can do automated attendance, share content instantly with students, and not have to stay tethered to the front of the classroom. It brings about more interaction, not only student to teacher but student to student as well.

Luckily, many of these smart solutions are becoming more affordable and easy to access even for schools on a tighter budget. Besides that, the evolution of smart technologies for the classrooms is still on the rise, so we will definitely see more of them implemented in 2019.

Teaching trends

The benefits of gamification

A smart classroom puts students at the center and connects them to the space itself via their laptops, smartphones, and tablets. It’s called “active-learning classrooms” (ALC), and more schools are implementing these smart learning spaces.

In an ALC, students are more actively engaged, they participate through discussions and reflections rather than being only passive listeners. ALCs are on the rise, and we think more schools will put an emphasis on that.  

Another way to make the learning environment more active is to introduce gamification. Gamification ensures a certain level of interaction from students and in some cases heightens comprehension rates because the games can be tailored to the individual class or student. Read about more benefits here.

More classrooms are going “green”

The modern classroom not only focuses on edtech and active learning solutions; it’s also sustainable and eco-friendly. Of course, not every classroom will immediately be able to adopt a sustainability program, but there are several things instructors can do to make simple and efficient changes.

It’s called “The three Rs”: reduce, reuse, and recycle. With so many technological advances, reducing waste shouldn’t be so challenging, seeing as we’re already connected to cloud platforms and sharing a lot of content online. A lot of the work that has previously been done on paper can easily be transferred to computers.

The key to implementing a more “green” structure is a supportive administration in the school, and a city-wide infrastructure. Recycling at school becomes easier if students are already recycling at home and ditto for their parents at work.

Robotics and coding are not as alien as they sound

Coding shouldn’t be limited to a special type of learner. Today, everyone can benefit from learning how technology works and how it works with the wider world.

Teaching coding and robotics in the classroom is a brilliant idea that helps stimulate computational thinking.

With our online presence being so dominant in the Digital Age, we believe teaching coding activities, programming, and robotics will help prepare students for the modern, technological world. Coding could soon become a new mandatory ‘language’ in school.

Recognizing the individual

Each student is different, and so is their style of learning and interest in various subjects. Advanced, technology-assisted instructions allow for more personalized learning. Educators already have a good idea what each student’s preferences are like, and with the right tools, they’ll be able to tailor the learning experience to exactly fit the needs and interests of the individual, making learning more fun – and a lot more effective.  

Personalized learning is especially beneficial for special needs students with impairments that would cause them issues in a traditional setting. With adaptive and personalized learning, kids with hearing or visual disabilities, dyslexia or anxiety can have tools to express themselves in a way that’s suitable for them.

Drive learning analytics with AI

AI isn’t a replacement of human intelligence, it’s more a support tool that can be very helpful for instructors. For example, the data collected in classrooms can be used to tailor the learning experience going forward – and what works best with the set of students in front of the instructor.

AI could mean automated grading, which in turn means more time for other things. AI could also mean better and more immediate feedback for students, better research, and a better understanding of each student’s individual need.

Classroom culture trends

Focus on ethics, data, and privacy

Data protection needs to be top of mind in 2019 if it isn’t already. Just as we share data involuntarily all the time, so do students.

It’s not just important for the younger kids in school, older pupils and instructors need to be mindful of how they use their data – and when they’re protected.

The same goes for the online presence we inevitably all have. We think schools will play a more active role in addressing responsible technology use and online behavior.

Collaborative learning

In an ALC, collaborative learning is very much encouraged. It means an environment where students are encouraged to work together to solve problems and reflect on the topics presented.

Through project-based learning, gamification, and sharing content, students can participate more freely. Students can more easily find their own voice in the classroom in a collaborative environment and thereby figure out how they learn best and what they still need some support with.

Learning is for teachers too

It’s no use trying to implement fancy new technologies if the instructors don’t feel comfortable using them, so the right training can make all the difference.

AV gear should support the instructor’s teaching efforts by making their presentations effective and easy to understand. Instructors need to be educated enough that AV tools can be put to good effect.

The right training will strengthen the instructors’ skills in making their teaching process effective, attention-grabbing, and interesting. And if done right, it will foster more collaboration because students will be able to weigh in on the content shown. That’s why, even before looking into AV gear, schools should have a plan for how to prepare their educators.

Smarter classrooms are more inclusive

Each student is unique but most curriculums are not. It’s extremely challenging for an educator to come up with personalized learning tools for each and every student. That’s where the right technology can be of help.

Not only will smart technologies free up time that the teachers can then spend on supporting their students, they also help support students in finding out what their strengths are and how best to apply them throughout their education.

Airtame is such a tool, and it can help encourage many of these trends as it brings both students and teachers together in presenting when and where they want. For the uninitiated, take a look at the opportunities of Airtame in this quick video (or watch the longer Airtame for education demo here).

Did we miss anything? What do you think is in store for edtech trends in the coming year? We speak to hundreds of educational institutions every year, and we’d love to hear from you too.

The post The top classroom and edtech trends in 2019 appeared first on Airtame.

We recently attended Bett 2016, the largest education technology convention in Europe where the latest innovations in education technology are displayed every year.

We noticed a few trends in technology made for the classroom, as well as learned a thing or two about maneuvering in an event of this size as a creator of technology.

Highlights

• Interactive screens are a trend, but maybe not so interactive.
• New initiatives are on the rise to get kids and teachers to learn to programme.
• Game-based learning could have great results reaching students.
• An easy-to-use interface is the way to go for education technology
• Products that prove they are unique and useful within the first few seconds will grab eyes.

Interactivity is the new black

Around every corner of the conference, it was clear that interactive screens and projectors are becoming a big part of the educational environment. In particular, interactive touch screens seemed to be the ever-present gadget at all the major booths, such as Promethean, Smart, Sony, and Samsung.

However, it became clear that giving a persuasive presentation of these devices is no easy feat. Since the presenter is usually facing the screen, instead of the crowd, connecting with your audience becomes a hard nut to crack. One could fear that this scenario will play out similarly in the classrooms as well.

Get kids coding!

Another all-encompassing trend were initiatives formed to get both primary school- and high school-aged students—and even teachers—to learn to programme. These projects came in various forms, from Pi-top, a laptop shell for the Raspberry Pi mini-computer, to robotics equipment and coding challenges.

These trends were most impressively represented by BBC and Microsoft’s cooperation to equip every student in the UK attending 7th grade with their palm-sized micro:bits computers.

Gamification

Another frequently seen trend was a range of attempts to use game-based learning. Loads of booths presented their unique way of getting kids to learn math or help them with reading disabilities through a gamified user interface. This way of using digital technology seems to be a tool that could have impressive results.

This is especially true for students who might not be suited for traditional teaching formats, because let’s face it, even adults find it boring to sit and listen to someone talk for hours on end.

Airtame’s key learnings:

From the perspective of technology creators looking to succeed at Bett, we discovered a couple key lessons everyone creating technology for the classroom should know.

Keep it simple, stupid

A general requirement for all things in education is simplicity. A long list of features is compelling on paper, but when a range of different people from very young students to mature teachers need to use the devices in the classroom, the user interface and simplicity become the driving factors.

Solving issues in a simple way seems to be the way forward if these products are to actually be used in the educational setting, whether the forum is the primary school classroom or the university lecture hall.

We’ve grown more confident that Airtame could help both students and teachers connect to screens easily and will continue to develop uncomplicated software interfaces, as well as avoid extra unnecessary features.

Stand out from the crowd

It’s easy to blend in with the vast number of impressive booths at a conference like Bett. To stand out, one must have a truly unique product and make sure to demonstrate this in an eye-catching way.

Again, simplicity is key.

You need to give the crowd a sense of how your product can empower students and teachers within the first few seconds of your demonstration. This way you can also gain the attention of by-passers looking to trawl through the conference quickly and give them the full knowledge of how your product can help them get a better learning environment.

Did you attend Bett 2016 or have an idea where technology is going within the education sector? Let us know in the comments.

The post Trends in educational technology at Bett 2016 appeared first on Airtame.