The Advancement of Technology in Schools and Universities

In an age of continual change and growth, PreK–12 school settings and college campuses have the opportunity to expose students to the advancements being made in technology through engagement with new tools, platforms, and informational websites. Additionally, educators are now required to prepare students for success in fields that will come to rely on technology. Primarily, teachers are preparing students today for fields that do not even yet exist. For example, while the integration of social media into everyday life continues to develop, so will the career fields and job training that support this growth. Further, robots are being integrated into education to teach students social-emotional skills and academic content. Additionally, drone technology is being used for search-and-rescue missions and to provide humanitarian aid in crisis situations. Skills and accessibility to this level of technology are needed to prepare students for the shifting demands of various career fields and community-service engagement. Machine technology is also in the forefront of educational advancement, allowing students the opportunity to utilize robotics and artificial intelligence in ways previously not imagined even 10 years ago. Augmented and virtual realities are also being used to support language education and experiential learning. Digital storytelling is contributing to curriculum designed to enhance student language, creativity, and technology use. Schools aspiring to provide students with cutting-edge experiences must begin to utilize these tools to lead educational progress and expansion.

Further, STEM disciplines are continuing to advance and be more inclusive of various individuals who were previously not heavily exposed to these fields. Leading technology schools are now providing elementary age students the skills for coding as well as the actual building of technology. Additionally, females and students of color are now more encouraged, accepted, and celebrated in the STEM specialties, opening doors that previously felt closed or only left ajar. Students with disabilities, exceptionalities, and accommodations are being better served in classroom and virtual-learning environments, allowing educators to level the playing field for students of varying skills and abilities and, thus, providing accessibility for learning and engagement. This issue of the Peabody Journal of Education looks to consider current trends in technology impacting students and modern educational environments.

Moreover, technology is now being used to educate, unify, and mobilize students fighting for a cause or supporting social justice movements. Through the use of social media sites, students can engage with others who share their passion for activism or their desire to inspire change. Additionally, we are now seeing politicians using social media to speak directly to their constituents and voters, creating a climate of truth seeking, exposure, and relatability. Educators can capitalize on the engagement social media creates with culture by bringing connectivism, information, and awareness of important social issues into the classroom. Moreover, educators can utilize social media in their lessons to globalize their classrooms, connect with their students’ families and communities, provide students access to additional resources, and encourage students to critically reflect on course content outside the classroom setting.

For the first time ever, educators are in the process of teaching to digital natives, which creates fear and anxiety in many veteran teachers. These students, often as early as preschool, have been exposed to technology and social media since birth. Further, more than any past generation, students have come to rely on technology for entertainment, relationships, job seeking, and also learning. This reliance and what seems like almost a natural ability regarding technology affords learners both promise and challenge. For example, students can now connect with others across the globe to learn more about culture, diversity, language, and history. Still, technology in education continues to include challenges, concerns, and risks. Students are now more exposed to their classmates through technology and the world around them. Students also have access to one another outside of the classroom doors and on a 24-hour basis. Teachers no longer can simply focus on bullying in the hallways, but now must be vigilant of the impacts of cyber-bullying to their student bodies. Yet on a positive note, parents can now be more engaged than ever with their child’s teachers and classroom performance. Working parents who may struggle to come into school to meet with their child’s teachers are now afforded the opportunity to have ongoing communication with their child’s school officials.

To address changes, this issue will cover a range of topics centered around technology in schools, including grades K–12, the college and university levels, and online learning. We intend with this issue to take a closer look at how technology is affecting teaching, learning, and professional development in modern society. Our authors explore educational tools, such as apps for behavior management and communication, that can be used in learning and adaptive learning in online settings. Further, in this issue, we examine global issues and learning settings, including research that is conducted throughout the United States, in both rural and urban settings, and populations across the world, like school settings in South Africa. We will also evaluate how educators can use technology to enhance student problem-solving skills and how digital technologies and, specifically, mobile devices impact student learning and instructional strategies for teachers. The issue will conclude with a discussion of the need for the development of professional learning communities to develop methods of collaboration and expertise sharing.

In this issue, we consider current trends in technology impacting students and modern educational environments. As editors of this journal issue, it is our intent to leave readers feeling informed on current progress with technology in schools and to leave readers with questions on where technology will take us next. We hope our readership will feel both encouraged by the change that is taking place and challenged to play an active role in these advancements. Lastly, it is our aim to inspire educational leaders to take initiative in implementing new strategies, tools, and ideas through technology use in schools and institutions of higher education worldwide.