According to Fortune Business Insights, the market size of global ed-tech and classrooms was valued at USD 88.82 billion in 2021 and is expected to increase to USD 319.65 billion by 2029. This growth forecast is exceptional.

Throughout the world, States and institutions are investing heavily in educational infrastructure to leverage the holistic potential of the sector. Technology advancement has eased education delivery, curriculum development, and assignment/homework management.

Distance learning has improved with technology integration and has helped students in remote areas to access course knowledge. Ed-tech is helping learners and educators consummate the real purpose of education.

Today, with the inundation of ideas due to the increased usage of artificial intelligence in education, the ed-tech space will only advance. It will look forward to an improved learning experience where customized learning will break the gaps of teacher-student interaction, curriculum management will be an easy task and whatnot. 

Education is one of the spaces where technology is vastly and amicably accepted and implemented. 

With investors brewing their thoughts to invest in education, this industry is brimming to expand in a blink of an eye. 

The post Why Ed-Tech Industry appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

Providing college education to their children is still a utopia for many American families. College affordability is the most important yet scariest factor faced by these families when their child completes their high school graduation. 

When making a decision about which college to attend, there are numerous factors to take into account, such as tuition fee, available courses, extracurricular activities, and more. However, many students find themselves stuck on the cost and perceive it as the primary determinant of their access to education.

Now, what can be done to eliminate the financial barrier to the path of acquiring an education? It appears that there may be a shortage of available resources to obtain accurate information regarding the diversity of universities, their tuition fee, and the process of applying for scholarships and grants at these universities.

Reasons for Hike in Education Expenses

According to the 2017 research report of College Board, tuition fee in colleges at four-year private and public colleges have increased by 36%.

Here are a few factors responsible for this problem of rising education costs, which are taking away the rights of students and making education a luxury. 

1. Rising Demand 

The cost of education and students enrolling into universities are two sides of the same coin. 

According to the Education Data Initiative, enrollment peaked in the year 2010 at 21.02 million students. Since then, education has gotten more expensive, with tuition fee increasing every year. 

 Rise in Education Expenses are Associated with the Cycle of Demand and Supply

In the above graph, we can see a slight decrease in enrollment numbers in the year 2022. This is because of the shift in thinking of students, who are losing trust in college education. 

Is a College Degree Worth It?

Our society is divided into two parts. One believes in the education system, and the other believes that it is a waste of money and effort. We have some really great examples of billionaires and geniuses who do not have a college degree. 

Bill Gates dropped out of college at the age of 20 and made a revolutionizing company, “Microsoft”. Walt Disney ended his schooling in the 8th grade and moved on to open the world’s eyes to see animation at its best.  

Today’s generation is inclining more toward becoming social media influencers, stock market traders, etc. They are finding it fun and a way to make money with minimal effort. 

People Losing Trust in College Degrees

According to the data collected by Morning Consult, Gen Z has the lowest trust in the education system of public colleges or universities. They also revealed that in October 2020, 62% of adults supported the public education system, and now, as of May 2023, the numbers have decreased to 52.5%.

2. Lower State Funding 

Another reason for increased tuition fee is the decreasing financial support from the states. According to the data from the College Board, there is a correlation between the state’s funding and education costs. In the academic year 2015-16, the state’s funding was reduced by 11% as compared to the last 10 years, which is the result of a hike in education expenses. 

Lack of State Funding Means the Burden of High Education Expenses Is Shifted to Students and Their Parents

At the same time, state funding is only related to public universities, as these colleges and universities are affiliated with the government. So, a reduction in state funding would have little impact on private universities but more on public universities and scholarships for college students. 

3. Operational Cost

Gone are the days when the things required to impart education were just different subject books, a professor, a blackboard, chalk, desks, and students. Now, the time has changed. Universities and colleges are no longer just institutions of learning and teaching. A classroom has become an e-classroom, with tablets on each and every desk. 

Online learning is now the primary focus, with learning resources readily accessible on the internet, surpassing the significance of traditional learning methods. 

High-Quality Education Comes With High Education Costs

Many institutions now have full facilities and services like healthcare, technological devices, counseling, research, dormitories, and institutional support. These facilities and services take a major chunk of money from the university’s budget, which in turn leads to skyrocketing tuition fee. Moreover, universities provide quality education, so they have to hire highly educated people, which means high salaries. 

You may also like to read: Challenges in the Current US Education System

Student Loan Statistics 2023

The ballooning education costs and student loans go hand in hand. According to Forbes Advisor, there is around $1.75 trillion student loan debt as of now, including federal and private loans. On average, one borrower owes $28,950. Moreover, 55% of public university students have educational debt, whereas 57% of private non-profit institution students take loans.

If we look at the statistics, student loan borrowers aged between 24 and 35 years owe around $500 billion to federal banks. Unfortunately, for some people, these loans do not leave the borrower’s side even after middle age. Not only this, people feel the pressure of repaying loans even after retirement. 

Taking out a student loan is inevitable unless you have a scholarship or come from a financially strong family.  

“Borrowing to pay for college used to be an exception; now it’s the rule.” – Arne Duncan, Formal United States Secretary of Education.

The Burden of Student Loan Remains With Individuals Even Beyond Their Retirement.

Federal Aid for Student Loan

In the year 2007, the Federal Government introduced the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) under the act of College Cost and Reduction. Under the PSLF program, people who make 120 loan repayments while working for a non-profit organization or public service institution can get a portion of their student loans excused or forgiven. 

According to the U.S. Department of Education, as of May 2023, more than 6,15,000 borrowers had successfully had their loans forgiven. PSLF has approved a total of $42 billion since October 2021. 

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is one of the most brilliant programs established by the government. It supports public employees, including professors, doctors, and policemen, as well as members of nonprofit organizations, by giving them relief from the headache of the installments of student loans. 

How to Make Education Affordable?

In our January’s Industry Discussion, “How to Make Education Equitable and Affordable”, we got an amazing opportunity to invite and interact with brilliant speakers, Dr. Danny Barnes, Dr. Audrey Peek, and Lucas Kavlie. 

Dr. Danny Barnes is a renowned Data Scientist and Cybersecurity Professor from Augusta University. Dr. Audrey Peek is a Senior Government Policy and Data Analyst from ACE University. Last but not least, Lucas Kavlie is a Vice President of Western Governors University. 

All of these speakers made some really interesting points about how to make education affordable. 

Dr. Danny Barnes. Dr. Audrey Peek, and Mr. Lucas Kavlie during an industry discussion co-hosted by Evelyn Learning’s CEO and Founder Praveen Tyagi and Content Analyst Tavleen Kour

Dr. Danny Barnes gave a great idea about opening a corporate education construct in a college where students can go to work as well as to classes. So, when they graduate, they’ll have a degree as well as work experience.

 “A lot of problems are going around related to social-economic aspects, historical aspects, digital divide, etc. These problems are impacting the cost of education. There are two ways to overcome this situation. Schools should focus on e-books more which will help to cut down the cost of books from the cost of tuition. We can also guide students to take their early courses or generic courses at community colleges”.

On the other hand, Dr. Audrey Peek pointed out that there is an affordable college that’s right for every student. There are colleges that put students first and make sure they have minimal debt. 

She advised everyone to use The Federal Government College Scorecard, which helps students to make their choice among the many options that fit their budget best. 

“We have to help future students to avoid taking debt and struggling to repay it and that’s where we have to be innovative as well. The Federal Student Loan Program is broken and we need to fix it. There are some areas where a lot of improvement is needed like lowering student rate and improving student loan services. On the other hand, we want our states to increase funding to colleges or universities so that the education expense is reduced”.

Lucas Kavlie addressed that the problem of public relations is more than the problem with people being able to go to college, and there is always an ability to pursue tertiary or post-secondary education.

“When it comes to financial reasons, it should never be finance that eliminates somebody’s access to post secondary education. Individuals, who want money to attend colleges, there is money available but we’ve not done a good job of helping to guide them. We’ve figured out a way to reduce the tuition fee many decades ago in the United States by subsidizing primary and secondary education. But, tertiary and post secondary education are subsidized to a certain extent”. 

Can We Afford Universities With Skyrocketing Education Costs?   

How to Deal With the Problem of Cost of Education?

The increasing tuition costs and fees cannot be attributed to a single reason. There are a lot of factors that are responsible for this spiraling problem. Technological advancements, increasing inflation, reducing state funds, and certain economical challenges are causing this inevitable problem of the rising cost of education. 

Now that we have somewhat understood the problem, it is important to find some backup plans and other options. 

As said by Audrey Peek, students have to make their research game strong and find some colleges or universities providing scholarships, grants, or cheaper tuition fee. There is always an affordable college available for every student that fits right into their budget. Try finding resources online and gain as much information as you can.

According to Lucas Kavlie, there is always the ability to pursue education in a way that is either minimal or at no cost. 

Also, if someone is ready enough to take a student loan, there are many schemes and programs started by the U.S. government to reduce the burden of repayment of loans. The information is out there, and you just have to grab it and seize the opportunity.

Lastly, a college degree is not the only criterion for judging whether a person will be successful in their career or not. If you’re interested in acting, singing, painting, designing, etc., you can make a career out of these fields too. You just need to be passionate about the career path that you’re choosing. 

The post Why the Education Expenses are Rising and How to Deal with it? appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

This is how Brad Waid is encouraging everyone to utilize digital technology to its best advantage. 

In recent years, virtual and augmented reality have gained popularity in education. Students have shown interest in learning because of AR/VR. 

A report conducted by ResearchGate and drafted by E. Demirtas, “Reality Technologies and Use in Education” mentioned some exciting facts about virtual reality. 

According to this report, the market for VR reached $5.5 billion in the year 2019. However, it is expected that, by the end of 2026, the VR market will reach approximately $18.6 billion.

Students and teachers are inclining more towards online learning than traditional ones, as tech-based learning provides students with an opportunity to understand difficult concepts in a fun and interactive way. 

Since the pandemic, there has been an immense increase in the usage of technology in education. This fact has been highlighted by another research report published by Research Gate in the year 2022.

The report features a graph representing the AR/VR users in the United States. There were nearly 60 million users of AR and 35 million users of VR in the year 2018. But, during and after the pandemic hit the entire world, there was a drastic increase in the number of AR/VR users. By the end of the year 2022, AR users had crossed the mark of 95 million, while virtual reality users were more than 60 million. 

Graph Representation of AR/VR Users in the United States 2018-2022

We had the pleasure of speaking with Brad Waid in our series “Ed-Insights by Evelyn.” He discussed the changes in student learning that have occurred in recent years due to the inclusion of technology in education. 

Brad is an award-winning emerging technology leader, international keynote speaker, educator, and author. He is a visionary who specializes in AR/VR/XR, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Brad is recognized as one of the top 20 global futurists and keynote speakers by TAFFD. Furthermore, he is also recognized as the #14 influencer in augmented reality (AR) by Onalytica worldwide.

Brad Waid appeared on our 4th episode of Ed-Insights By Evelyn. Watch the Full Interview here.

The blend of technology and education has increased in recent years. Can you give us some examples of the fundamental changes in student learning due to the inclusion of AR/VR in education?

I’ve seen two radical changes in student learning. One of the changes came around 2011-12 when the iPad was introduced. The introduction of the iPad threw a wrinkle in education. We got access to tools, which have now completely changed what we are doing. The second and most important change is the expectation that students will use technology in education. They are using online learning platforms such as phones, tablets, and laptops as part of their online learning sessions. Nowadays, students don’t know a world without devices. They don’t know a world without technology. 

The inclusion of AR and VR in education has made students more engaged in their learning. Traditionally, teachers used to lecture to share all the information about a particular topic. Eventually, students had to memorize that information and respond.

You may like to read about: Influencing the Future of Education with AR/VR

Now, we have a lot more integration of technology in education. The method of teaching has also changed. Teachers share an idea and then students have to research and investigate it. The change that we are seeing is a jump from simple memorization to an active approach to research and coming up with unique ideas.

Do you think it is a concern that we might replace actual books sometime in the future?

I don’t believe that AR/VR is going to replace all books because nothing can replace a classic book. But at the same time, what an ordinary book is used for might change. Reading something motivational, informative, fiction, etc., would still be done with a traditional book.

What augmented reality in education can do is add a digital representation. Imagine you’re reading about a museum in a textbook. Now, with the help of AR, instead of just reading about that museum, you can look at the artifacts in the museum, check its size for scale, and also read a little history about it. augmented reality is not going to replace a book, but it can enhance the classic books we use in education. 

What is your idea about what lies beyond 2022? Are we looking forward to some exciting newer trends or better technology in 2023? 

AR/VR is starting to take a foothold and it’s being used all over the world. The two big things that are coming shortly are artificial intelligence and metaverse. Both AI and metaverse will come under a blanket of Industry 4.0. 

Industry 4.0 will defeat the traditional way of learning and teaching. This change would inculcate curiosity among students by shifting the responsibility of learning from teachers to them. 

Inclusion of Technology in Education is Inevitable and the Key to Moving Forward

AI and metaverse are starting to cause some more wrinkles in modern education, but I’m always going to look at their benefits. Students would use AI as a tutorial that will help and assist them. Moreover, metaverse is going to have an impact on students’ learning. However, it’s not going to give them an environment where they can explore. Still, it’s also going to be a new place for students where they can meet people from all over the world. 

AI and metaverse are the two big things that we will see in the future. They are already here but will be further developed for better use in education.

Would you like to give a message to our audience?

I want to encourage everyone to use technology in a way that will benefit humanity. Automobiles, airplanes, computers, etc. are built for the welfare of humankind. Teachers should be open to new technology and try to understand it more with the help of their students. 

Students can play a big role in helping us understand emerging technology and also assist us in moving forward. They are the ones who took us into this new world. We are living in a great time where modern technologies like AR/VR can help all humankind.

The post Emerging Technology is an Intersection of Humanity and Technology: Brad Waid on AR/VR appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

An accomplished educator and motivational speaker, PJ has written around eight books, and his work has been featured in several notable spaces, including Washington Post, NPR, CBS This Morning, ASCD, Edutopia, the Huffington Post, etc.

It was enlightening and an honor speaking with PJ Caposey about the challenges in education. PJ gave us a glimpse of the ways how we can change the education system for the good of the students.

You have often talked about teachers reaching out to children for effective learning; how do recent teaching restrictions and salary concerns affect teacher morale?

The issue with teacher morale is both overstated and understated. We are in a time with a dramatic teacher shortage, particularly in the United States.

You may like to read: Things That We Should Know About the Teacher Shortage in America

Many people point to teacher morale as both a result of that and a precursor to that, and both can be true. The issue is that this is not a new or pandemic-related issue. 

The teacher shortage is a decades-old problem and not a new concern

Multiple studies show that a cliff like that happened in 2008 when teacher responses to questions like, ‘Hey, I like my job’, or ‘I’m very likely to recommend’; all of that kind of fell off a cliff in 2008. So, it’s been on this downward spiral for a while. When I say this is not a new problem, I mean, this is literally a decades-old problem.

Morale, to me, is almost always like a climate issue that’s dictated by culture. So, when someone says hey, the morale is low, my question is, so let’s define the culture. Are we recognizing, appreciating, honoring, Valuing, or collaborating with?

If you’re doing those things, even if morale is low, it’s most likely to bounce back, if you’re not doing those things, and the morale is low, then we’ve got a serious problem that we need to address.

Your book ‘Students Voice-from Invisible to Invaluable.’ discusses the importance of students’ voices in learning. Do you think post-covid, the student approach to learning has changed?

I think that people are changing. Students are reflective of society. And I think, in some ways, they are demanding a greater voice in their learning, and there are positives and negatives to that. 

I believe, every school wants to create community contributors that can communicate and able to think critically. I think that’s pretty universal, whether in Country A, Country B, or whatever.

If we want to create people that will make society better and be able to think critically, there is such a thing as experts, and I believe most of our teachers and leaders have expertise. 

Students’ voices in learning is important for effective learning

So, for lack of a better term, even though I don’t know if one exists like a democratic model of education, it might not be what’s best.

That doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t have some choice in how they demonstrate their knowledge or the things they may study to practice the skills we say they need to master.

 One of my all-time best examples of this is- we had a foreign exchange student early in my career that came from Bosnia.

And we were discussing the antecedents and causes of war, and the teacher wanted the class to focus on the United States Civil War. This person, a foreign exchange student, came from a war-torn country that had just experienced war and wanted to practice and master all the same skills but with a different prompt.

 In my view, if we don’t listen to student voices in a case like that, that’s almost educational malpractice. But, that said, those types of examples are only sometimes there, which means that if we want students to research a classic novel and they want to do it on our recent publication in a magazine, those are two different things.

So, there’s this ray spectrum between trying to maximize and emphasize students’ voices. And then also saying there’s a right and wrong way to do things.

What do you think is the biggest gap in classroom teaching today: access technology, teacher shortage, classroom environment, or any other?

The most significant gap still exists between what is being measured in terms of how schools are reported. Some countries are considered successful in terms of education and what is likely to put kids in the best position to succeed tomorrow. So, for instance, in our district, we are very fortunate to have a lot of students that go to Ivy League schools and go to the most prestigious schools.

We also have many students in our area that enter directly into the workforce, the military, or whatever. Our desire to remediate any possible gap so that our test scores would look great sometimes run counterintuitive to what we could best provide for kids.

The second gap for me is geography. To explain, we are a small rural school, which means that my students live 60 miles to the East. They would have a much, much larger variety of offerings to take both on this-the advanced academic side and the excellent education side, simply because the schools are bigger and the volume of money that flows through, and the number of classes that can be offered are dramatically different. 

Correspondingly, if you go 20 miles north, we have an urban center where education is much further because the school environment is different, where, you know, we might have a fight or two a year, they might have a fight or two an hour.

These students are having these vastly different experiences, So, when I look at education holistically, the biggest concern is that there’s just inequity by geography.

Would you like to give a message to our readers?

It’s to make sure that we’re doing meaningful work. If you ever find yourself in the throes of the day, the week, or the month and you’re wondering ‘why’, don’t ever lose that question of’ why’. If we lose that question, then the status quo is just going to be pervasive.

If we keep asking ‘why’, finding better solutions, and trying to make meaningful use of every hour of every day. We can do really good work on behalf of kids and our communities.

Watch the Full Interview:

The post Challenges in Education System: PJ Caposey interview appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

A recent survey by Morning Consult showed that only 60% of baby boomers held their trust in the public education system, and only 43% of Gen Zs parked trust in it. Now the Gen Zs are asking ‘Should I Go to College?’

Is this report trying to convey something to us? Should we not do anything about this trend of falling trust in the education system?

It looks as if the people feel let down by the US education system. The pandemic had its toll, but there are also manufactured issues that plague the American public education system.

This year 2022, saw a quake in the education world. It broke some things while it created opportunities for other things like education technology to facilitate newer instructional styles. We learned during the pandemic that education is inequitable due to geographic differences and resourcefulness. 

At the beginning of 2022, it was a school and educators’ priority to recover from the loss of time and curriculum gaps that occurred during the pandemic. 

We saw a rising distrust among parents for the school curriculum and educators’ teaching styles. This year, there was also a significant hue and cry about teachers’ shortage in schools and teachers leaving the profession. In addition, there were cases of gun violence in schools. Phew! 2022 was not easy!

Experts’ view on the Challenges to Education System

We asked some exceptional industry experts to give us a penny for their thoughts on what is scuttling the current US education system.

Erin Dowd, a curriculum development consultant and global education specialist, was on point when she discussed the issues with the education system:

I think there are two main challenges to education, and these are mostly global. The first one is ‘access’. Access encapsulates getting kids to schools, quality teachers, training teachers. It also includes having a quality curriculum, funding, and resources.

The second challenge is policies and government. As a former educator, this issue was always in my way. It was bothersome when people made decisions about education who are not educators. These decision-makers have no idea about what is going on in schools, rather, have an agenda to pursue.

It was bothersome when people made decisions about education who are not educators. These decision-makers have no idea about what is going on in schools, rather, have an agenda to pursue.

-Erin Dowd

I believe that the education policies of a country reflect a lot about the country. So before any decision is made, everyone should take a step back and ask themselves, ‘what is the purpose of education?’ The answer to this question can show the right behavior and reflect through our policies.

Erin’s concern about access is not just an American problem but a global issue. Access to schools, quality teachers, quality curriculum, and technology is a privilege and a fundamental right of every child on this planet.

But students also need parental involvement and guidance when it comes to making decisions about learning and education. This concern was highlighted by Brian South, Educational coach and author of ‘Demystifying College Admission.’

There is a lack of strong guidance and mentorship for students to help them flourish. If students do not get this support from their parents, they often turn to their peers who are only as good as them. This phenomenon can lead them to fall victim to a life of drugs or crime. Students need mentorship and appropriate teacher or parental guidance to help them do good in their lives.

Students need mentorship and appropriate teacher or parental guidance to help them do good in their lives.

-Brian South

Questioning the System’s efficiency?

There have been education specialists talking about various ways in which our schools sabotage a student’s creativity.

One of those education experts was Sir Ken Robinson, whose idea of manufacturing of learning process was echoed by Lucas Kavlie, VP of academic engagement and compliance accreditation at Western Governors University.

Sir Robinson was right to say that our school system is manufacturing students into a particular type of individuals, and our American education system is following that. It has coded this idea in the form of laws and regulations.

It has become so ingrained into our society that it has become difficult to go away from it. As a society, we ought to understand that every student has different learning needs, and one standard teaching method will not work for all students. Personalization of learning is essential, as we realize that even twins might need to be educated in different ways.

Personalization of learning is essential, as we realize that even twins might need to be educated in different ways.

-Lucas Kavlie

Working on Solutions is the only Solution

Discovering an issue is the first step in working on a solution.

Student counselors can help and guide school students on treading the path that is right for them. In addition, appropriate guidance from parents, teachers, and professional counselors can help prevent students from falling prey to the world of drugs and crime.

Governments, parents, and schools can work together to decide what curriculum is best for students. Curriculum designers are experts and should be able to justify to parents why teaching students a particular subject is essential.

With technology, students can now learn in newer and better ways. In addition, technology has increased student engagement and helps students learn in ways that best serve their cognitive understanding.

The sooner we listen to experts and make better decisions to improve the education system, the better our society will be.

The post Challenges in the Current US Education System appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

Jaime is an educational consultant and technology enthusiast. She started her professional journey as a Math teacher and soon moved to instructional consulting.

Jaime is the founder of ARVRinEdu and Global Maker Day. She is also a persuasive author who has written extensively about immersive technologies in her books: ‘The Immersive Classroom: Create Customized Learning Experiences with AR/VR’ and ‘Learning Transported’.

I had the honor of speaking with Jaime Donally in our series of ‘Ed-Insights by Evelyn’.

In this series, we have a brief interaction with leaders and experts from the Education industry to help us get a wide and assorted perspective on various themes.

Jaime Donally joined us to talk about AR/VR in Education.

Also read about Influencing the Future of Education with AR/VR

She enlightened us on how AR/VR can be evolutionary for education and how important and easy it is to incorporate immersive learning into our learning methods. Here is the brief of what she had to say:

How can we include AR/VR technology in education given the resourcefulness of the schools?

It depends on how you’re using it. I am an advocate of using the technology we already have in schools first and then identifying if there’s a need later to expand that. I think oftentimes people think they have to go out and have a big budget and buy these high-end devices when that’s not the best place to start. It would typically not give you the biggest bang for your buck.

In addition to that, I do agree with its equitable access. Many of our students struggle to have the latest and greatest device on a personal side, and certainly, our classrooms are even behind that.

A lot of the tools that I share are available on older devices, and on devices that are mobile. The problem that we run into in education is the school district having an access to those devices, their owning them, and protecting them.

But we can maximize the idea by using the tools that our students are already bringing into the classroom, and tools they are already familiar with. We can leverage the tools that students (some of them if not all of them) do have access to, like Chrome books, computers, or iPads. So there’s a way to be resourceful about it.

Who, according to you (teachers, parents, or students) are more inclined or reluctant to include AR/VR in learning styles and why?

Well, the older you are, the higher probability that you’re not going to be as gung-ho ready to jump in. I am in my forties and I can understand how it feels to learn something new.

I think some of the problems that our teachers or administrators face is understanding what they are accountable for. So, are they accountable for bringing AR/VR into their district? Unlikely! They need to really have a vision for bringing that and understand the value of it. They can analyze how it meets students’ needs, and what students are building or capable of building with technology tools and then have some win over it, believe in it and buy into it, and that is only where the conflict mostly arises.

You may also like Technology in Education: An overview

On the other hand, students are really drawn to immersive experiences. That’s just naturally part of what they’re experiencing right now, including their social media and how they’re using technology. We have to give students an opportunity to deeply engage with technology and keep their enthusiasm spot-on with the learning outcomes.

The parents’ reactions are mixed. Some are excited about how technology affects every aspect of our lifestyles. Others express concerns related to privacy and data usage and I completely agree with that. Parents and students should be mindful of what information we are giving, who owns that information, and how it would be used. But we are slowly heading in that direction, which protects our data and privacy for students.

Students are excited for technology but some parents carry concern for privacy as well

How do you evaluate if the use of technology (AR/VR) has actually helped in achieving learning outcomes for students?

When it comes to what tool is valuable and what isn’t, I really think it depends on what our goal is. So for example, my husband who is a science teacher told me about a student with autism. The student comes with a person to support him in the classroom.

One day, that person could not accompany the child, so the child was all over the place that day. My husband gave him the incentive to use merge cubes if he finished writing and then let him understand the science concepts through the use of merge experience on iPad and the student was blown away. He was completely involved.

What we can learn from this is that we need to have sustainable technology around that can transform how students are learning.

Watch the Full Interview

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Similar situations may crop up soon if certain proposed bills become laws in multiple states in the USA. Recent stories talk about how the State governments want to ban certain words, topics, and books from being taught in schools. Some people in America are also terming this exercise to be anti-public education.

But is it an act of prudence to dictate what the children will learn in schools, or should the education department become an independent body without bias?

Censorship in Schools

Many state governments have seen a rise in the number of proposed bills restricting what can be taught in classrooms to children. Political interference is causing discomfort to many teachers. It is becoming one of the main reasons why teachers want to exit the profession.

PEN America, a non-profit organization, observed that in 2022, 36 States introduced around 137 bills that put restrictions on teaching themes, like sexuality, race, gender, or the history of the United States. Additionally, many books face bans and are out-shelved by the school and other libraries.

Texas, for instance, has banned more than 700 books from the libraries of public schools. Teachers and superintendents have been tasked with reviewing all the books to check if their content is censorship-worthy.

According to the report, many of these bills have the potential to become laws before the end of this year. In all, such statements, termed ‘censorship in education,’ have increased to 250% in the last year. 

39% of the bills introduced in 2022, the report mentions, are focused on higher education and many of them also include punishments for violations. The similarity between these laws is that they come from Republican legislators. 

Data: PEN America, Chart: K-12 Dive

Understanding the intent on the other end of the stick

In a diverse society like America, some people support moves like book bans and curriculum restrictions. In their view, discussing ideas like sexuality, and slavery in American history, can unpleasantly influence students. 

This partially comes from parents’ concerns about school lessons as a part of SEL. It is one of the reasons why many parents are also switching to homeschooling.

Parents are concerned that teachers might be trying to influence their children and teaching them to follow the so-called ‘Un-American’ culture. In addition, parents worry when their children are encouraged to come out of the closet and accept their natural sexual orientations at a young age.

So, what can be done to counter this?

This negative perception can be avoided if parents are invited to understand what the curriculum is all about. Parents can be encouraged become active in learning their child’s syllabus and then choose if this is right for them or not. Schools should communicate healthily with parents and explain the curriculum’s intent and content. If something is found outrageous by a majority, it should be excluded.

Reactions from Americans

Since these censorship in education have come into the picture in the last year, surveys have been conducted to understand the citizen perspective. 

A majority of parents supported the following topics to be taught in schools. For instance, 87 percent of parents support teaching the Civil Rights movement, 74 percent of parents support teaching the history of Slavery, and 59 percent of parents agree to teaching the concept of Systemic Racism in American institutions and society.

Student Mental Health

The students have suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disrupted regular school life. Following this, the narrative around the teaching shortage emerged, which spoke of this phenomenon affecting the quality of education in schools. And now, we see public schools coming under the radar for teaching specific topics while omitting others. These educational hiccups can affect students’ learning interests and make them emotionally vulnerable.

Students need stability and discipline to learn. If teachers are constantly in fear that them saying something might turn into legal action against them, no actual teaching would be taking place.

Partial or Uneven Learning

Learning can be partial if students learn about one part of history and not the other part of it.

CAP Data: PEN America

It would be a rather peculiar scenario if parents have learned certain things about history and their children have learned completely different things about the past. Learning should be even and truthful. Suppose the government opposes the idea of teaching concepts like critical race theory to younger children. In that case, they should be allowed to learn this in higher classes when they start understanding the credos of a prosperous society.

Conclusion

It is never really possible to ban information, because even though books can be banned and teachers’ behavior can be controlled, there is a technology where only some things are filtered. Students can still learn from the internet, which by large, contains only some authentic and accurate information. Legitimate books can portray ideas in a more sophisticated and acceptable manner.

The post Censorship in Schools: Will They Hurt the Core Purpose of Learning? appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

Likewise, teachers try hard to make their teaching lessons interactive, exciting, and engaging. The teachers do that so that they are well-received by their students. 

Generation Y was easier. They have grown up seeing technology transitions. But, on the other hand, Generation Z has taken birth in the lap of technology, while generation alpha has been talking about technology since infancy!

This is the age of augmented reality and virtual reality. We are all over the notion of building a super Ed-Tech system that breaks the ordinary. Our parents learned from books, we learned from e-books, pdfs, and now kids learn from an environment that blends the virtual world with the real world.

What is Augmented Reality Vs. Virtual Reality

It is a phenomenon where the imagination or elements pop out to the real world and give a real-life experience to an individual.

Source: Google

Like a fish can be seen in a person’s garden through digital technology by overlaying the fish(digital world) onto the person’s garden(real world). Likewise, virtual reality can be experienced by putting a VR device on the eyes.

Virtual reality is the concept of incorporating oneself into a digital world. It is a virtual world far away from reality. Augmented reality is reality going one step further, while virtual reality is a step into a different world.

How AR/VR can affect Education

Research shows that the Ed-tech industry is growing annually by approximately 18%.

This means that people are thinking about education in ways that could only have been expected almost a decade ago. 

Learning about the human body through an augmented human body structure that can be seen from all sides is way more interesting than learning from a 2-D image in a book. Every body part can be extracted, magnified, and understood precisely.

Students in a design class can see which decor piece can look good in a particular corner by superimposing different digital decor pieces in a real corner on a digital device.

Bringing computer-generated graphics into reality can give students a real yet highly immersive experience. In fact, it can break their effort to imagine how something would look.

Virtual reality can take learning to another level. It can prevent the effort to go anywhere and learn simply through an eye-wear device.

Virtual reality does not bring a fish out of the ocean into our garden like augmented reality. Instead, it takes the person into the sea to see all the fish.

You may also like Virtual Reality Widening the Scope of Education

The extent of technology can go so far; we could only imagine it as kids. AR/VR can help students in a small town see the world virtually without going anywhere.

Why AR/VR is the answer to teaching the Next-Gen

Attention span is already compromised. Students can focus less on the text and carry shorter spans on visuals. AR/VR makes learning more colorful and closer to reality. Students like to learn through experiences rather than memorization. 

Also Read How to Make Content for Students with Short Attention Spans

They would love to see how a man used to walk in the early days and write perfect answers on tests. On the other hand, they would detest learning how an early man looked and then describing it in detail. 

Visual memory is considered better and longer than verbal memory. So, for the students, especially the Gen alpha, AR/VR is one of the best ways to teach.

Tools for students to incorporate AR/VR in their learning

Students can choose from various tools from the digital libraries that can help them get an immersive experience in education. 

Apps like Quiver help students color objects and see object animation. Tools like Arloon Chemistry help to arrange and rearrange the molecules to understand chemical reactions and formulae.

Certain apps can induce an augmented reality experience for students, like the Blippar app. This app allows students to bring an object in a picture alive digitally. 

Medical students can benefit from HoloAnatomy, the application that helps to learn medical circumstances through AR simulation. It allows the students to understand the human body in depth with the visual experience.

Investment in AR/VR

There are specific free tools that students can conveniently use in their classes. However, some devices come with costs, and every student might be unable to afford these apps. However, a school might be able to invest in some of these AR applications, which enhance the learning and teaching experience. Schools can think of this as an investment. A teacher’s job would become less complicated as it would become more accessible for teachers to explain concepts to students and have all their attention.

It would only come to reason when the school districts and the administration care to unleash the power of technology and make it accessible to students to improve teaching methods.

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The concern is less about how this teacher shortage will be met and how we want to deal with it and more about- does it even exist, or is it an inflated matter?

There are two stories. On the one hand, teacher shortage is seeing soaring attention, and on the other hand, there are talks about throwing off these claims. Whom do we believe? The data or the teachers?

Long story short, the teachers feel dejected, drained, and disrespected.

Data tells that pandemic has given them a hard time to teachers and they feel burned out. This feeling is exacerbated by lesser salaries. And to top it all, these came with the politicization of the profession. Teachers feel powerless over what and how they can teach. They cannot exercise self-discretion on teaching topics around sex education or SEL.

What is Happening?

A survey tells us that the job satisfaction of teachers in 2022 is 16 percentage points less than what it was in 2021. It also speaks about how more than 70 percent of educators are unhappy with their current working conditions.

Source:2022, Educator Shortage Research, by Emma White Research for MEA

Many educators are not willing to continue to work in the same job since schools have reopened. The pandemic has given big jolts to many of them, such as having to work harder through online classes, lesser pay, sickness, mental health concerns, and so on.

Governments in different states are taking measures to manage this shortage. For example, in Florida, the Education Department allowed military veterans and their spouses to teach in schools even if they lack a degree.

The Arizona Government has asked college students to fill in as teachers in schools in response to dealing with teacher shortages in their schools.

Is There a Real Shortage?

Although there is a large hue and cry about teacher shortage, there is no definite national data that says so. There are reports by independent research organizations or state data but nothing in national entirety.

RAND Corporation’s report tells a different story. They say that there is no shortage. In fact, more than half of the districts have expanded their teaching and non-teaching positions to numbers that are higher than the pre-pandemic ones. The demand for substitute teachers is high, and on average, districts have increased the daily pay of a substitute teacher by 6 percent. All this comes in light of the federal stimulus to the schools.

Source: 2022, Educator Shortage Research, by Emma White Research for MEA

The US Education Department discovered national data from 800 schools and concluded that on average, one school had 3 unfilled teachers’ positions. They believe that the shortage is not because of teachers leaving or planning to leave. It seems exacerbated because hiring is a little slow. Some researchers say that the word ‘shortage’ is also a misnomer as the quitting rate is not higher than what it was in previous years.

Addressing Teachers’ Issues

The shortage is not uniform in its sense. There is a shortage but it is in specific areas, such as teachers of special education. Teachers are burned-out and it is real. It is true that doctors were encouraged and applauded during the pandemic for their long hours and dog-tiring service at the hospitals, but we certainly cannot say that our teachers haven’t done enough.

The research results by Gallup Panel Workforce Study, 2022 tell that workers in K-12 feel more burned-out compared to workers in other professions. In the K-12 workforce, the teachers were found to be the most fatigued.

Tell that workers in K-12 feel more burned-out compared to workers in other professions

There are mental health challenges for teachers in schools as well. They have to finish the curriculum in time, cannot teach certain subjects, and lack the power to introduce changes to curriculums.

The above illustration shows that 44% of K-12 workers feel burned out, in far contrast to 30% of workers in other jobs.

All this burnout and then the profession is also low paid. It is affecting their lifestyles. Educators who teach for the love of education and because they have a passion for teaching are leaving or at least planning to leave because of the disrespectful conditions around their work environment and less pay which does not correspond to their hard work and living expenses.

Parents are taking their kids out of school and planning to homeschool them. This came into the picture due to the concerns raised over the school curriculum. Parents see the curriculum as political and going against their cultural basics and history.

The White House

Recently, the US government held a meeting to discuss the challenges faced by the K-12 workers. The first lady is an educator and was a part of the panel that was discussing the issues around teachers. Well, it is a good start.

The Biden administration has encouraged schools to use funds from the American Rescue Plan to give higher compensation to the teachers and welcomed platforms that can help in hiring school staff, including nurses and social workers. The government has given more stimulus to hiring and increasing the pay of the teachers.

The government is seeking support from private recruiting platforms like Handshake and Indeed to fill these positions for the schools’ staff.

We hope this works and brings some positivity to the school education system and the teachers. The education system is still dealing with the challenges thrown by the pandemic, and just like all times, this too shall pass. The government, the schools, and district leaders can work in tandem to mend what is broken in the best interests of the children and society as a whole.

The post Things That We Should Know About the Teacher Shortage in America appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

The user swiped up and nothing mattered. 

Everyone is vying for the attention of that consumer, whose attention span is considered to be less than that of even a goldfish. We are all in this together. But the concern of lack of attention is more bothersome for kids than for adults in the workforce. Children are in their learning stage and focus, undistracted attention ought to be their thing! Isn’t it?

If we let parents answer this question, they would say, yes, students need to increase their attention spans, because that would help them learn and memorize. 

But if we let technology answer this question, it would say, let’s make content that suits the attention span of the child. And we couldn’t agree more.

Why the Attention Span is Decreasing

The latest knowledge tells that the attention span of people has come down to 8 seconds. We live in an era where the trends are fads and news is brief. So how do we expect the younger generation, those who are born in the lap of technology, to learn from long, video-based, mundane educational content?

Ways of entertainment and engagement have changed. The short videos of Tik Tok, the reels of Instagram, and the stories on Facebook have raised different expectations from the current generation. They prefer everything in brevity. I believe we all do too!

Social media content has undergone incredible evolution and has changed the way the consumers absorb content. This Deloitte study found out how millennials and Gen Z are more involved in online content and may even be influencing the way the content is delivered. 

It is basically not just because of these videos or apps. People have developed a certain tech-lifestyle where people tend to focus less on information which hardly holds any relevance for them. 

Online Content and Education

Ed-tech companies have tried to bring in newer and better ways of keeping the student engaged with their websites or apps. Myriad Ed-tech companies saw a colossal rise during the pandemic and many others were born since then. But we also know that e-Learning companies have faced losses since the reopening of the schools in 2022 and the pandemic withdrawal. 

During the pandemic, students were compelled to go online. Now they have grown tired of the online learning content, most of which owes to the bad quality of the content or poor app/website services and features.

How to Create Content for Students with Short Attention Span

Students are required to study and they have plenty of choices online. They would want to choose a service that gives them not only a good learning experience but also one that is interesting. 

So, what can these Ed-tech companies do to make students more interested in learning?

How can these companies cater to their brief attention? Here are some ways:

Create Short Learning Videos

There are many platforms that create short videos for the purpose of learning. EdTech companies can take a cue from such videos and include them in their educational content. Websites like Socratica or The kids should see this, make excellent content to inspire a curious young mind on various topics.

Short videos are trendy, engaging and easy to consume information from. This is why the short videos on various social media platforms became a viral trend and are running to date.

Go for Educational Podcasts

If screen fatigue is an issue, one can switch to listening tools. A study by the American Psychological Association tells how technology contributes to stress, blood pressure, and other physical problems. 

Students use their screens for most of their work and entertainment and multitask all the time. This can also be one of the causes of decreasing attention spans. So, one can go the way to the podcast.

Educational podcasts are good as they help students focus on listening sense and not on seeing. It is well known that while an individual might read an article for 2 to 3 minutes, they may listen to an interesting podcast for half an hour. It can be the most beneficial for students who find reading a tedious exercise.

Immersive Technology Applications

Source credit

The illustrations in a book might not interest a student as much as moving illustrations!

Educators can opt for applications that use immersive technology or augmented reality features. These can make the students more engaged in the content and help them learn in a better way too. A blend of educators, students and technology can make learning interesting and interactive. 

Multiple applications like the Halo AR, timelooper.com can help students to get immersive experience and learn effectively. 

The Responsibility of Learning

As much as we are moving towards the idea of creating engaging and consumable content for the students, we should ponder as to why we are doing all of this. We want children to learn, but don’t they want to learn? Should it not be their responsibility to try to focus on gaining knowledge?

Another school of thought is that if they want to learn, students should make efforts to increase their attention spans and ditch certain habits. Parents can be mindful to develop a reading habit among the children before teaching them how to browse. The responsibility of learning is on students, teachers, and parents equally.

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