Educational technology has become very big business,
according to a market study from Futuresource Consulting. The firm reported that classroom tech spending reached $13 billion in the United States last
year, up 11% since 2012, and predicted it will continue growing over the next
three years.
“Despite a lull in some technology markets, education
technology continues to perform, even with pressure being applied to education
budgets across the world,” said Colin Messenger, senior market analyst for
Futuresource. “Our annual strategic report also shows that there’s growth
aplenty to come, with the total value expected to reach $19 billion by 2018.”
All that spending is an opportunity for ed-tech
developers. Optimized distribution tools and video streaming for flipped
classrooms, device-agnostic services, more mobile learning applications, and
better personalized blended-learning experiences are just a few, according to Harman
Singh, CEO of the education platform WizIQ, in a column for InformationWeek.
“Different approaches to learning, such as
project-based learning, maker education, game-based learning, and more will
continue to be explored as part of personalized blended-learning models,” Singh
wrote. “Accordingly, such innovations will push ed-tech vendors to deliver more
than technology or content, but will require them to demonstrate how their
product or service improves learning outcomes.”
