8 trends in educational technology: Empowering schools to put education first

Educational technology – or edtech – is technology used to support teachers and teaching staff, enhance learning, run schools and prioritise wellbeing. The purpose of educational technology is to drive efficiencies and improve standards across the school. This can help maximise budgets, reduce workloads, save time, deliver quality education and improve pupil outcomes. 

Educational technology is becoming more widely used to support the aims of schools and teachers. According to an educational technology sector review by the Department for Education (DfE), edtech is primarily used for:

1. School management: This includes administration, pupil data management, communications, resource sharing and training.
2. Teaching and learning support: Educational technology resources and virtual learning environments fall into this category, as well as tech to reduce teachers’ workloads, or support learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
3. Pastoral support: Educational technology is often used to help manage safeguarding and any necessary liaison, as well as the distribution of wellbeing resources. 

1. Integrated platforms are making school management more unified

Schools often maintain contracts with the same suppliers year over year, missing out on opportunities to consolidate and innovate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools raced to onboard remote teaching technologies but without the time to strategise, they may still be feeling the frustrations of disparate systems, numerous contracts to manage and higher bills. Different systems are unlikely to integrate well – issues that can arise include higher workloads for staff, increased chance of human error, the need to complete duplicative tasks and differences in reporting. What’s more, it can be complicated for parents if they need to navigate multiple systems.

This is why integration is our number one trend, as we see more schools opting for a single provider that can do it all. The benefits are tangible – the assistant head of The Catholic High School in Chester saves between two and three days every month after moving to an integrated system for management tasks and budgeting. Other benefits can include reduced pressure on staff, lower software prices, better reporting, an enhance people experience and more reliable operations.

To find out more about Access Education’s integrated software, visit our software suite page or watch the video below:

2. With automation, it’s simpler to run a school

Automation can make tasks more efficient, reducing the time and input needed to complete them accurately. Educational technology can deliver many automations across the school, including:

• Pupil and teacher attendance tracking: Attendance records can be managed easily, helping schools monitor and reduce absences.
• Reporting: Chosen reports can be produced and distributed automatically, plus a whole host of additional reporting becomes available without manual effort.
• Data backups: These can be set to run on an automated schedule to protect valuable data.
• Document distribution: Payslips, resources and other important documents can be automatically distributed via self-service platforms.
• Streamlined HR processes:

Appraisal and performance management. Meeting management can be automated, conversation outcomes can be recorded and goals can be set and tracked.

Learning and continuing professional development. Courses and digital learning content can be delivered to teachers as needed to comply with policies and enhance training, in a flexible format.

Onboarding. Digitised options can streamline processes, reduce paperwork and increase satisfaction with the overall process.

Recruitment. Important parts of the process – such as sending out interview invitations and providing feedback – can easily be automated with recruitment software.

Finance and budgeting. Many tasks can be simplified and streamlined, and sharing information with the DfE can become a fully automated task.

AI is likely to become a major driver of automation as it grows in popularity and potential. Teachers will use it to plan lessons and assist with marking, plus operations functions can use it to cut out repetitive and manual tasks. 

3. Generative AI will be every teacher’s personal assistant

In addition to automation, AI has the potential to overhaul processes in schools and revitalise the learning experience while helping to reduce teachers’ workloads. With many use cases emerging, the UK government is investing in AI, recently putting £3 million into an AI “content store” to help train models reliably for the education sector.

What might AI in schools look like? As in many other sectors, the rise of generative AI will open up new possibilities, making tasks faster to complete and providing new, innovative ideas. Chatbots and personal assistants could become more commonplace, helping teachers to personalise learning experiences, plan lessons creatively, mark work faster and communicate efficiently with parents.

AI can also assist with school administration – simple prompts could help staff do everything from managing supply teachers and lesson plans, to writing emails and letters. When these tasks are managed efficiently, schools can spend less time on admin and more time on education.  

4. Analytics allow for data-driven decision making

As schools move towards unified systems, there will be new possibilities to use more data, more effectively. This can drive vital decision making in the organisation – everything from choosing the most cost-effective catering partners, to providing early support when a pupil’s grades drop.

Learning analytics in particular can help pinpoint trends to better understand how pupils learn, and how their time in school can be better optimised. Data will be collected and analysed to reveal deeper insights about students within their learning environments. Ultimately, this can help schools tailor learning experiences and provide the support pupils actually need, prioritising the education of individuals.

The best way to address learning analytics is via unified education software that covers the whole school, which ensures there is one single, reliable data source. Software providers will be able to help you build reports and get the most out of your data.

5. Cloud-based solutions are enhancing collaboration and distance learning

Moving to the cloud releases schools from restrictive on-site solutions that require manual management and stifle flexibility. Cloud-based systems can be accessed from anywhere, supporting distance learning and remote working as well as making collaboration simple.

While pupils generally spend much of their time in on-site classrooms, you never know when distance learning might be needed – site issues (such as the presence of RAAC roofing), teacher absences, snow days and more can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently given the ability to teach remotely. According to the subject association for computing education in the UK, hybrid teaching is essential for a sizeable minority of students who have struggled to return to school following the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, teachers can offer after-school learning, revision classes and drop-in sessions for more students, with significantly less impact on their workloads.

The cloud is also streamlining communications and workflows across schools, for staff as well as pupils. The cloud can securely support remote working, file sharing, homework setting, messaging and much more. If office space is a challenge, or teachers want to distribute resources to large groups of students, the cloud has the necessary solutions. 

6. Communications platforms are revolutionising parent-teacher relationships

With the growth of sophisticated parent engagement platforms, teachers and parents can stay connected via one simple dashboard. Common features for parents and guardians include:

• Receipt of emails and school updates in platform
• Forms to collect pupil information when needed, without the paperwork
• The ability to make cashless payments and manage information for school trips, concerts and more
• School lunch payment and management
• Online parents’ evening booking systems
• Digital meeting facilities
• Access to a child’s daily calendar

For teachers, optimising communication tasks can save hours of time – 35% of teachers say they spend too long on communication with parents and guardians. Technology can enable more streamlined communication and improve the quality of information, while giving teachers more time to focus on education.  

7. Digital learning tools are boosting student results

97% of secondary teachers and 98% of primary teachers said in a survey that they used technology for planning lessons and curriculum content. However, “technology” could be as simple as access to a school laptop. As educational technology becomes more commonplace in the classroom, new and innovative options will lead to improved ways of learning. 

Digital learning tools might include:

• Videos
• Digital assessments, reducing marking for teachers
• Quizzes
• Interactive content
• Ready-made assignments
• Multiple choice questions
• Exam-style assignments
• Instant feedback

As well as being an excellent resource for teachers, digital learning can help level the playing field and make lessons more accessible for students. It provides options for students to approach learning from a range of angles and access resources in the most suitable ways for them, as well as helping teachers better understand individuals’ needs. 

8. Career platforms are preparing pupils for the future

Educational technology can deliver career guidance that students actually want to engage with, offering interactive tools to help them explore options for the future. In a typical software suite, students can find out about:

• Different career paths and what they require
• Writing a CV
• The job application process
• Interviews
• Aptitude tests

The right career platform can also help teachers design engaging lessons and provide tailored guidance for pupils that goes beyond their own experience of the world of work – it’s an excellent example of educational technology that helps teachers enrich the student experience. 

Conclusion

Educational technology can drive positive change in schools and help teachers find the time and resources to put education first. The most fundamental tool is a simple yet powerful software system that makes running a school easier, paving the way to better pupil performance. Choosing the right provider is key.