Let’s finish up our look at the EdTech Trends of 2017. In previous posts, I’ve looked rising trends and the waning trends. Now, let’s review the “just emerging” trends. As previously noted, I

took note of:

  • “Seamlessness” in digital instruction
  • Moving beyond teacher skill development

Seamlessness

This is where we’ve been heading for a while. This is actually very good news. Digital tools and resources are becoming just tools and resources. We have finally hit a point where technology is starting, just starting, to become just part of the process.

We certainly aren’t there yet, but we are heading toward a time when using technology will be nothing special. Technology will just be a “thing” that you pick up and put down as needed.

Teacher Skill Development

I’m not so sure about this one quite yet. Teachers certainly need to develop skills (heck, we all do). From what I’m reading around the web, teachers are not quite at the “moving beyond teacher skill development”. If the teachers don’t have the appropriate skill, they will not implement new things in the classroom. We’ve seen continued growth in using technology, but we still have a long way to go. Look around at the headlines:

  • 1001 Tech tools that you need to implement in your classroom
  • 101 Tech tools that you should master
  • 67 Tech tools for writing

OK, I made these up, but you’ve probably seen many just like them.

So, I think we’ve got quite a ways to go on this one yet. I hope that I’m wrong and that we will see the need to develop teacher skill be unnecessary soon.