Naman Mukund, co-founder, Tekie

A recent report by KPMG pegs the number of edtech users at 9.6 million and the market share of the edtech sector in India at 1.96 billion dollars by 2021. These whopping figures convey the story of transformation this sector has undergone in recent years, not to mention the acceleration caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The future which was envisaged a couple of years later is right here. Education, as we know it, has undergone a sea of changes and its dynamics are changing every single day. With coding being mandated in the  curriculum, here are a few trends we should watch out for in 2021?

Gamifying Education –  Educational content needs to be engaging enough to capture the interest of young learners as they attempt to grasp complex concepts. Once the entire content is gamified, it becomes fun to learn and concepts become easier to retain. The idea of winning prizes and moving into the next stage of the game can be exhilarating for young kids. Complex STEM concepts become relatively easy to understand through a game format, encouraging active peer competition as well.

Artificial Intelligence – A surge in artificial intelligence to create more personalised content is on the horizon. As an AI system reads and evaluates an individual’s behavior, it will tailor content accordingly adjusting the complexity of the content based on the responses of the child and enables him/her to learn at their own pace. This will aid in curating content to meet individual learning needs and abilities.

VR/AR – Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are set to become the emerging technologies to dominate classrooms. This will provide students with opportunities to use wearable technology to simulate experiences via a computer interface and might surely become the next big trend to look forward to, in 2021.

Digital Master Classes – With digital technology; it has become very convenient to enroll oneself into classes from field experts, allowing individuals to learn from the best, through their smartphone screens or handheld devices. This offers a generous deal of flexibility and generates a commendable amount of interest in improving learners’ skill sets in their areas of interest.

Robotics – Robotics might also become an integral part of the edtech scene in 2021. STEM concepts might be understood better through the designing and coding of robots. This can help kids develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. 

Text-Based Coding – We will observe older kids drift away from Block-based coding into more of the real thing. Text-based coding is based on real programming languages and trains children on the basics of real coding. When the content is engaging and uses animated storytelling, inbuilt simulators, bite sized workbooks and projects; explaining coding concepts become simple. If provided in a 1:1 format with personal mentoring, learning tough concepts in languages used in real programming would become a breeze.

The edtech landscape in India is extremely dynamic and is constantly evolving to adapt to the changing needs of the consumer. While selecting online coding classes for kids, it is advisable for parents to bear mind the desired learning outcomes. It is prudent to check out all the available courses for a particular age group and pick the one that compliments their child’s personality and educational needs. One size doesn’t fit all so it’s advisable to pick one which could be customised to meet individual requirements. 

Indian education is headed towards an exciting epoch as new emerging technologies will make learning more interactive and engaging.

Also read:

From alternate to mainstream – EdTech is fast changing the face of education