As educators and administrators, we often find ourselves in a place of keeping up with the edtech Joneses “down the block” or in neighboring districts. It’s always illuminating to discover what the landscape of tech in the classrooms looks like outside our usual circles in other parts of the world, and what the current international edtech trends are. 

Experts in the edtech industry share their insights and thoughts about the state of tech in the international classroom, both where it is now and where it is heading.

International Edtech Trends: Edtech in Asia 

“Since the pandemic, many countries have invested heavily in enhancing digital infrastructure and integrating technology into classrooms,” says Michael Campbell, founder and president of Advancing Global EDU. “They have implemented initiatives such as hybrid and online learning platforms, smart classrooms, and integration of virtual and augmented reality.”

China, South Korea, and Singapore have all boosted comprehensive technology infrastructure in schools and universities, with a focus on digital learning platforms, personalized learning, and STEM education. India has witnessed a significant rise in the adoption of edtech, with initiatives to reach remote and underserved areas.

“Look for AI lesson planning that is aligned with local and state standards and individualized to the teacher’s classroom and students,” says Campbell. “We are already seeing tutoring that is individualized using AI. We can see that becoming even more commonplace using hardware and software such as robots and deepfake video.”

Edtech in Europe and the UK 

We can expect to see similarities between North American and European and UK program aims.

“Nordic countries, particularly Finland and Sweden, have been leaders in education technology integration,” says Campbell.  “They have implemented blended learning models, interactive digital resources, and focused on developing digital literacy skills among students.”

Popular aims of many American districts can be seen going “next level” across the pond.

“In England there is the complete paperless classroom,” says Campbell.  “At the Essa Academy in Bolton, all students are given an iPad and the classrooms are smart classrooms. Students design their own courses.”

3 Areas of Rapid Growth and Development in International Edtech  

1. Online learning platforms: The demand for online learning platforms continues to increase, driven by the convenience and accessibility they offer. 
2. Adaptive learning technologies: Adaptive learning technologies, including personalized learning algorithms, are gaining traction. These technologies use machine learning and data analytics to tailor educational content and experiences to individual learners, optimizing learning outcomes. 
3. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) applications: The integration of VR and AR into education is expanding rapidly. These immersive technologies offer interactive and engaging learning experiences, enabling students to explore simulations, conduct virtual experiments, and enhance their understanding of complex subject matters. 

Edtech in Latin America

With more than 180 million students, 300 million workers and job seekers, and a surge in edtech investment in recent years, Latin America has become the fourth largest edtech market in the world, according to a recent report from Edtech Digest.

“In many cases, entrepreneurs in Latin America have had to navigate complex regulatory environments, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to capital, and conservative cultures—all of which can be significant barriers to innovation,” writes Fernando Valenzuela Migoya, longtime educator. “This experience has made them adept at finding creative solutions to complex problems, which can translate into a significant competitive advantage in the global marketplace.”

Migoya adds that much of the most successful market capitalization enterprises within education has been in the workforce and postsecondary space, and that there continues to be an increase in the number of deals in education and strong interest in investing in the sector at the venture and early-stage levels.

Edtech in the Middle East 

Clearly, it is challenging to hone in on just one portion of such a large and diverse region as there are more than 2,000 international schools in the Middle East, over 800 in the EAU, and 1,593 International Private Schools in the GCC alone. However common themes abound in how edtech is being used now and developments for the future. 

“We are seeing strong interest in  online programs expanding to schools. Schools are looking for ways to consolidate solutions which provide data for administrators,” says George DeBakey, president of DeBakey International. “Gaming and esports are becoming key markets throughout the Middle East, while AI remains a key priority in UAE and Saudi Arabia. The GEMS Dubai Academy school has a Center for Robotics and AI. The GEMS organization has five centers and owns 45 schools in the UAE.”

DeBakey notes four areas of rapid growth in edtech he sees in the future: professional development, STEM, AI, and social emotional learning and wellbeing.

AI is a hot topic anywhere in the world, but some unique things are happening in this region.

“AI is a technology that is changing weekly. But in places like the Middle East, the education business is forecast to grow to $7.6 billion by 2027 around these technologies (according to ReportLinker),” says Campbell. “In fact, KITMEK is the Middle East’s first interactive digital school taught by an AI teacher.”

KITMEK offers the core curriculum and optional classes in phonics, life skills, communication skills, and financial literacy. The school operates exclusively in the metaverse and offers students a global curriculum from kindergarten to grade 5 for just $1 per month. 

Increasing accessibility and affordability are key factors leaning on tech, in the Middle East and beyond.

Edtech Making the World a Small Place After All 

One of the biggest benefits of edtech becoming commonplace and even more widely used is the access it offers students in remote areas. Much as Khan Academy opened the world of education and knowledge to the masses, regardless of location or socioeconomic situation, these new developments can open doors to learners who were otherwise at great disadvantage.

“By combining AI and blockchain technology, many private tutoring and tutoring companies are using these technologies to help students succeed,” says Campbell. “You are seeing the implementation of 5G phones in areas around the world taking advantage of this bandwidth to deliver new technologies to schools where they have not been available before. Access to learning is now available to kids and educators in remote regions, and areas that are economically challenged.”

Campbell and Debakey are scheduled to be presenters at Tech & Learning's upcoming EdExec Summit, a new event that brings together senior executives from companies serving the K-12 industry for a three-day networking conference dedicated to the business of education. 

• EdExec Summit
• 5 Mistakes That New Edtech Companies Make

The San Diego Diplomacy Council’s Fall Signature Event – Global Game On: How Video Games Promote World Peace & Diplomacy – on Friday, Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. PST will focus on how digital diplomacy and video games help close divisive gaps around the world.

In the Zoom event, co-hosted with San Diego chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), attendees will be transported from war to peace: Panelists include Lual Mayen, who fled war-torn South-Sudan and spent 22 years in a refugee camp. As founder of Junub games, Mayen now creates video games that build peace. He will be joined by Kate Edwards, a specialist in content culturalization and 27-year veteran of the gaming industry who currently serves as executive director of the Global Game Jam, the world’s largest annual game creation event; and Dr. Constance Steinkuehler, an American professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, who currently researches the cognitive and social aspects of video games and gaming, and previously advised on policy matters about video games and learning in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House Executive Office. The event will also feature two representatives from the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, with welcome remarks from Assistant Secretary of State Marie Royce and moderation by Joshua Shen, strategic designer for interactive media and games.

Then, in partnership with the North America Scholastic Esports Federation, attendees can witness the concept in action, as high school students in San Diego and Mexico participate in the empathy video game “Among Us,” to promote global dialogue and collaboration.

The North America Scholastic Esports Federation will also be partnering with Tech & Learning for the new Leveling Up: The Esports Expo & Conference on December 4th. This event is free for school staff. Learn more here. 

The National Center for International Schools (NCIS) houses both the Chinese American International School and French American International School in San Francisco. Both of these pre-K-12 schools pride themselves on rigorous academic training, combined with cultural awareness and investigation. 

The Chinese American International School, founded in 1981, and the French American International School, founded in 1962, joined in an educational and bond-generating venture known as the National Center for International Schools in 1994 and purchased the former Caltrans building located in the middle of San Francisco at 150 Oak Street. 

After considerable remodeling and upgrades to the building, the two schools now share a campus.

With security concerns in and around the perimeter of the school becoming evident, the NCIS launched a project to update and improve visual monitoring of the overall campus. NCIS’s overall video surveillance now includes a variety of VIVOTEK solutions including FD8361, FD8362, FD8363, FD8377-HTV, FD8372, FD836BA-HTV, FD9381-HTV, FD816CA- HF2, MA9321-EHTV, MA8391-ETV, MS9390-HV and MS9321- EHV. 

For special circumstances and requirements for the exterior of the campus, NCIS’s new video surveillance system features five VIVOTEK network cameras, including two multiple sensor adjustable cameras, the MA9321-EHTV for the exterior corners of the main building, a FD9381-HTV for the main building rooftop, and two multiple sensor cameras, MS9390-HV for the exterior low-height on property lines. NCIS chose the MA9321-EHTV for the camera’s desired high resolution and 360 degree coverage of property, street frontages, and street intersections/crosswalks. By having each sensor independent of each other, the MA9321-EHTV views four different regions simultaneously, therefore reducing the total number of cameras needed for surveillance. 

NCIS chose the 5-megapixel H.265 fixed dome, the FD9381-HTV for the desired high resolution coverage of a 13,000-square-foot playground across the street from one of the installed cameras. 

VIVOTEK's FD9381-HTV professional H.265 high-efficiency outdoor dome network camera offers NCIS with 30 fps at 5MP, or 60 fps at 1080p. By employing H.265 technology, the camera is able to provide higher and more efficient image compression rates than previous H.264 systems. In addition, the FD9381-HTV employs VIVOTEK's Smart Stream III technology and H.265 compression codec, reducing bandwidth more than 90 percent while still maintaining image quality compared to traditional H.264 without Smart Streaming technology. 

Lastly, NCIS chose the multiple sensor camera, the MS9390-HV, for the camera’s 180 degree coverage of building frontages and sidewalks in a constrained-space location, without requiring twice the number of cameras. The 8-megapixel 180 degree MS9390-HV uses two wide angle lenses, electronic image stitching, and high resolution sensors. With its dual-sensor design, the MS9390-HV can maintain a higher vertical field of view (FOV), allowing NCIS to capture more evidence below the point of camera installation. The MS9390-HV goes even further with WDR Pro technology for high contrast environments, 30fps at full resolution, and 180 degree IR illuminators up to 20 meters, ensuring NCIS with 24/7 comprehensive panoramic video surveillance.

“Clear video from VIVOTEK’s cameras have been of great assistance to NCIS and the San Francisco Police Department in the course of investigating a wide variety of security and safety incidents, including some criminal activity,” said Daniel Klingebiel, NCIS Executive Director. "We have worked with various brands of IP cameras. Ultimately, we have standardized on and now only use VIVOTEK cameras due to their superior quality, standardized configuration, and ease-of-installation.”

We all get smarter when we all get smarter.

Pretty simple concept. It’s the whole idea behind PLCs, #sschat, and, well . . . school in general. Learning together makes a lot of sense.

I recently ran across an article highlighting how the entire country of Finland is working together to combat fake news. I got smarter. And when I followed the article with a quick conversation with some SHEG folks about their Civic Online Reasoning Assessments, it was like I took a genius pill.

Way back in 2014, before we knew Russia was messing around in American elections, Finland began noticing intentional misinformation campaigns focused around issues like immigration, the European Union, or whether Finland should become a full member of NATO. These campaigns ramped up in 2015 and a year later, the Finnish government rolled out a multi-pronged, cross-sector approach designed to give its citizens the tools they needed to be effective digital info users.

As the US continues to experience intentional attempts by both international and internal groups to manipulate the digital world we live in, can Finland’s experience help us we get smarter? Yup. I think it can.

It’s a whole society thing

The Finnish government seems to be incredibly proactive around the idea that this is a direct attack on democracy. Jussi Toivanen, chief communications specialist for the prime minister’s office, explained it pretty well:

It’s not just a government problem, the whole society has been targeted. We are doing our part, but it’s everyone’s task to protect Finnish democracy.

When facts are intentionally warped and twisted, then spread because of ignorance and a lack of civic literacy, bad things are going to happen. As social studies teachers, we need to be proactive in providing our students with strong online civic reasoning skills.

It’s a K-12 thing

I know we’re all busy. And that we have a specific scope and sequence. But this is 2019. And we need to realize that this set of skills is not an elective course. It’s “everyone’s task to protect . . . democracy.”

This means it’s not just a government teacher’s job. It’s not just a middle school civic teacher’s job. It’s all of our jobs. Toivanen says that:

the first line of defense is the kindergarten teacher.

Yes! I love that. Teaching kids to ask questions and think critically can never start soon enough.

It’s a critical thinking thing

Finland’s critical thinking curriculum was revised in 2016 to prioritize the skills students need to spot the sort of disinformation that plagued recent (and will surely attack future) election campaigns in the US and across Europe. The director of Helsinki’s French-Finnish School, Kari Kivinen, sounds as if he’s preaching from Sam Wineburg’s SHEG’s Historical Thinking Chart:

What we want our students to do before they like or share in the social media is to think twice – who has written this? Where has it been published? Can I find the same information from another source?

Many state and local standards documents here in the US have been revised to do the same thing. Our Kansas state standards have focused on process and historical thinking skills since 2013. But we need to be so much more intentional about actually following these standards so that our students leave our buildings able to distinguish between accurate and factual information from stuff that’s intentionally or otherwise incorrect and manipulated.

So where can you find tools and strategies to help you do that?

I spent part of yesterday having a conversation about the super useful and incredibly easy to use and oh so free Stanford History Education Group’s Civic Online Reasoning assessments.

You probably already know about and use SHEG’s amazing history lessons and assessments. But you also need to be using their Civic Online Reasoning stuff. Posted about a year ago, these newest tools give you resources ready to use with kids.

You get 21 lessons / assessments that focus on making sense of information from a variety of digital tools. Half of the lessons download as Google Forms you can copy and use, the other half as PDFs. All of them have detailed rubrics and examples that help you and students make sense of the results. You’ll need the free account to access the lessons but totally worth it.

SHEG is the gold standard but there are other tools out there:

• Factitious. An accessible, easy-to-play game that helps kids sort fake news from real developed by  the American University Game Lab/JOLT.
• Newsfeed Defenders. A challenging online game from iCivics that engages players with the standards of journalism, showing them how to spot a variety of methods behind the viral deception we all face today. Join a fictional social media site focused on news and information, and meet the challenge to level up from guest user to site admin. This can only be achieved by spotting dubious posts that try to sneak in through hidden ads, viral deception, and false reporting.
• Library of Congress Civic interactive projects intended to provide engaging and meaningful opportunities to learn civic participation using primary sources.

Thanks Finland. And SHEG, Facticious, iCivics, and the Library of Congress.

When we all get smarter, it’s always a good day.

(Have a few minutes to get even smarter? Check out this Wakelet of fake news / historical thinkings resources.)

cross posted at glennwiebe.org

Glenn Wiebe is an education and technology consultant with 15 years' experience teaching history and social studies. He is a curriculum consultant for ESSDACK, an educational service center in Hutchinson, Kansas, blogs frequently at History Tech and maintains Social Studies Central, a repository of resources targeted at K-12 educators. Visit glennwiebe.org to learn more about his speaking and presentation on education technology, innovative instruction and social studies.

A couple of years ago I compiled a list of ed tech-related qualifications available to schools and other institutions in the UK. I've now updated the list, and it's available in the form of a spreadsheet for subscribers to my newsletter, Digital Education.

[Teachers? We Don't Need No Teachers!]

The spreadsheet is a macro-enabled Excel workbook, but works on other platforms and without macros allowed, it just loses a bit of functionality. But it's still very usable.

Read more.

Terry Freedman is an independent edtech consultant and freelance writer based in London, England. He publishes the ICT & Computing in Education website.