The spooky season might have left us all feeling a little frightened, but when it comes to preparing students for the future workforce, we can’t be scared to embrace the future of learning. The future of learning is not going to be anything like our current schools. The future of learning is exciting, innovative, active, and continually evolving. Here’s what we’re excited about:

More Individualized Learning

Right now, a student must be on an IEP or a 504 to be guaranteed individualized learning. Educational accommodations are often too labor-intensive, and if they are not required, they are typically not provided. However, technology is making it easier for educators to deliver the basic curriculum using digital content, edtech solutions, and automated grading and testing. This leaves time for teachers to engage more personally with each individual student, fostering their interests and allowing a more individualized experience across the board for all students.

Smarter Classrooms, Smarter Tech

We need to move away from education that is based on 100-year-old ideas. As we learn more about how technology can be used to enhance education and prepare students for the future workforce, we’ll see refinements in the way it is incorporated in the classroom. There will be more hands-on education – think robotics, programming, AI and VR – as well as better means of understanding and assessing which tools are actually impacting overall student achievement. Data will be the key to understanding what’s next, but technology will give us the information we need in a clear and easy-to-understand dashboard.

A New Generation of Digital-Savvy Educators

New graduates entering the teaching profession are digital natives who have spent their entire lives using technology. They will bring unique perspectives about how to teach the students of the future and provide insights on what those students will need to become more engaged. These digital-savvy educators will help revolutionize the classroom – if they are given the opportunity and freedom to lead us all into the future we need. Experienced teachers who are given the opportunity to improve their tech skills will bring the best of both worlds – in-depth pedagogical experience and modern tech savviness.

Buy-In from the Top

Administrators will begin to see the numbers and make connections between the programs they provide in the K-12 setting and the increased graduation rates, increased college attendance rates, and higher wages. It will create enthusiasm and excitement for the potential that every student has and how the K-12 school’s role will become integral in their lifetime success.

The future of education is bright, and Lumen™ Touch is excited to be a part of the education evolution with you. To learn more about how Lumen Touch empowers the future of learning, get in touch. Email us at sales@lumentouch.com, call us at 816.880.0066, or visit www.lumentouch.com.

As we approach the end of another year, the top challenges for school administrators remain largely unchanged. While challenges related to the pandemic are subsiding, other challenges as a result of the pandemic, namely extreme teacher shortages, continue to be a growing problem. Protecting student data and enacting the right policies and procedures to address student data privacy are also a huge challenge for school administrators, as well as IT leaders. And finding ways to evolve school curriculums to reflect the changing demands of the workforce requires innovative and creative approaches.

Addressing Teacher Shortages

Addressing teacher shortages is one of the top challenges administrators will face in the next few years. The two-pronged approach required to address this issue – increasing retention and attracting new teachers – is only partially in the control of the administration. Right now, there are fewer students choosing to go into the teaching profession, so there are systemic issues that can only be addressed through community and congressional action that ensure higher teacher pay and improved teacher support systems. At the district level, however, administrators can retain and attract educators by offering four things:

1. A seat at the table when decisions are being made about curriculum
2. A pathway to career development
3. Support in and out of the classroom
4. Tools that make managing education easier

Protecting Student Data

Data security in schools will be an ongoing discussion. Cyber criminals continue to find new ways to attack critical infrastructures; schools and other organizations must continue to find ways to thwart them. But there are specific actions schools can take to better protect their data:

1. Enact policies that require every person who works in or with your school to complete regular and ongoing cybersecurity training.
2. Insist on multi-factor authentication to access your network.
3. Employ the use of an all-in-one school system.

Evolving School Curriculums

CTE programs can be a great way to instill the technical knowledge K-12 students will need. But the future of education is not just about technology; it’s also about teaching the soft skills that students will need to navigate the future workforce. There are several edtech solutions that can help in that regard.

Being a school administrator demands a lot of responsibility, and these upcoming and ongoing challenges for administrators will require the partnership of vendors, the community, the government, parents, and students. Lumen Touch is here to help. Our goal is to connect every student to opportunity.

To learn more about how Lumen™ Touch empowers the future of learning, get in touch. Email us at sales@lumentouch.com, call us at 816.880.0066, or visit www.lumentouch.com.