‘Smart Schools’ of the Future will Gamify Lessons, as Classrooms join the Internet of Things

A wave of new technology has been introduced into schools up and down the country changing the way teachers deliver lessons and how students learn.

Research by Randstad Education into “how technology in teaching will shape future classrooms“, found schools and colleges have adopted the latest tech to improve teaching and make lessons more interactive and engaging. 

Some of the innovations already in use include “gamifying” lessons by incorporating game-like rules and tasks to increase motivation. For example, Shireland Academy in the West Midlands included Minecraft on its curriculum.

Education, Randstad found, will become more project-based and include more interactive content to keep up with students’ changing attitudes towards traditional media.

Classrooms, it is predicted, will join the Internet of Things – a network of devices like smartwatches that connect and share data with other items and systems – and create “smart schools” where the teachers, students and devices become more connected.

Pressure on teachers – 75% find their workload unmanageable – as well as rising student numbers means technology will play a larger role performing tasks to save time.

News that teacher training applications have fallen by a third – from 19,330 in December 2016 to 12,820 for the same time in 2017 – has highlighted the importance of new techniques that help teachers do their jobs.

However, while tech will become more commonplace in the classroom it is expected to compliment teachers and not replace them.

Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad Public Services, said: “Teaching tools have come a long way since the days teachers used to write on chalkboards and present using an overhead projector.

“As our review shows, students today benefit from some of the most exciting technology available to schools but it’s not just the pupils who benefit from these innovations through invigorating lessons and virtual learning.

“Teachers are also reaping the rewards as lessons and assessments move out of the classroom and onto platforms that make it easier for them to chart progress and achieve a better work-life balance.

“Technology has arrived and the teachers and classrooms of tomorrow are here today.”

The full campaign can be visited here.