So many of the adult students I work with share the same lack of digital skills that is pervasive throughout the country. So many American adults are seeking jobs and want to advance but lack basic digital skills necessary to train in and obtain those jobs. The article “Millions of US workers have ‘limited or no digital skills‘” highlights how serious of an issue this has become. Low level jobs such as food prep workers at KFC are using virtual reality googles to train workers on food safety. Imagine how difficult this is for adults who lack basic digital skills and struggle using devices such as smart phones. Although a student may be able to text or send pics using a phone, it doesn’t mean they can access or execute more complicated tasks with the phone. I even saw this with young adults aged 16-17 who are digital “natives” who could use various social media platforms but struggled with sending an email or attachment. The article looked at two major employment sectors, manufacturing and the health industry and the statistics are alarming. One-third of each industry lacked key digital skills to do their jobs (manufacturing–5.6 million and health–6.7 million workers). Many of those lacking key digital skills are in management or supervisory roles. How can they keep pace with technological advancements when lacking core skills themselves? Its more than just a low-leveled worker problem and is something that major employers are trying to address. However, its something that needs more traction and solutions beyond federal support.

My educational nonprofit was able to get the chance to use the WorkReady Mobile app developed by AdvancedNet labs. Students have the ability to join classes for communication with their instructors, access school calendars, search job boards, access resources, and set educational and/or career goals. The app allows students to utilize technology and improve soft-skills that will serve them well in college or career. Students will soon have the ability to check-in/check-out to track their attendance and track their assessments. The app is downloaded by students in orientation and reviewed by instructors in-class to make sure students are using the app’s many features. Students report they enjoy the ability to keep up-to-date on resources and events that we offer that they may have otherwise missed. Recently, we have used the app to advertise and sign up our current adult education students who were interested in getting their BLS CPR credential. We also used the app to advertise about a job fair offered through the local American Job Center. I find that the developers have been receptive to our ideas and enhancements and look forward to seeing how the app will continue to improve.

Forbes’ Bernard Marr, made some interesting assertions about the direction of 5 tech trends that could disrupt education in 2020 in his article, “The Top 5 Tech Trends That Will Disrupt Education In 2020 – The EdTech Innovations Everyone Should Watch”. I think his term “disruption” meaning more of a dynamic shift from the traditional classroom to the digital-friendly spaces many classrooms are moving toward. In adult education, we see how accessibility to e-books versus traditional textbooks has opened access to many students who may pursue digital learning through online courses. Electronic textbooks can be formatted to address a variety of accessibility issues and with the use of various digital readers and translators, can further bridge the gap left behind with hardbacks. For those programs using online LMS and assessments, we can already see the benefit of data-driven insights into a learner’s performance. Those insights are also accessible to the learner and can help to empower a learner in their educational journey and give a focus to areas needing mastery.

Customization of education is appealing to adult learners and I’m sure will be to learners of all age groups. To focus on those areas specific to your individual needs, means less time wasted on subjects a learner has mastered. I find that this trend follows naturally from the workforce driven direction that adult education and k-12 has gravitated to. Streamlining your education aligns to many practices we see in the workplace with reduction of wasted time and resources. I would hazard to say that this trend is already evident in adult education. As adults, we pay for classes or take ones that meet our needs at the time we need them. Marr also mentions the rise of immersive education which would encompass such things as virtual reality in a classroom, using voice assistant technologies (Alexa, Siri, Bixby, Google) to aide in homework or chatbots to gain information. Many of these are used for knowledge gathering and sharing in both adults and young learners. I most look forward to see how this could help to shape materials or lessons in a classroom.

Overall, pretty interesting insights. I would argue that the future he describes is already present in some areas. However, access to funds for such technology can be big issues both for k-12 and adults. How does a school with limited funds best utilize their technologies to stay abreast of these trends? Many LMS systems offer an array of assessments and tracking capabilities but at such rates that many small or non-profit programs would be hard pressed to afford. It should be interesting to look back in five years to see if these trends become more prevalent in both the public and private school setting.

Educational technology has been seen for many years as a necessary part of upgrading education with the potential to create greater access to learners and empower educators in the classroom. But has EdTech lived up to its promises of access, ease and equity? What challenges does it still face? Tony Wan from Technology Trends suggests in his article, “What Problems Has Edtech Solved, and What New Ones Did It Create?” that technology has largely benefited classrooms everywhere.

The issue of accessibility and affordability have improved as the costs for technology have decreased. Chromebooks are easily found in many P-12 classrooms and its low cost and maintenance make it learner- and teacher-friendly. Most teachers are more comfortable with technology and curate the vehicles by which information is presented and engage their students. However, ever increasing stimulation to young minds presents a challenge to educators in how to steer young learners through the constant connectivity that social platforms demand and recognize how to establish healthy boundaries.

Surprisingly, video conferencing has been the “dark horse” in education that had the ability to empower educators and learners in new inspiring ways. Zoom and online collaboration allows students and teachers to share ideas and present information in new ways that also embed career related soft skills. Online collaboration can address 1:1 format of those students needing extra help to small and large group work.

The author presents personalized learning as the next big trend in education. I would hazard to say that personalized learning is already here and thriving especially in higher education. There are a plethora of online venues, colleges and universities that have evolved from just offering online classes to offering a complete program and credentialing online. I would think the rating of these multitude of options will be the next big thing in personalized learning. How does the consumer know that this credential or degree would have more weight and/or credibility than another? With so many choices and options, programs must stand out and offer something the consumer sees as necessary to their educational path.