Edtech Trends to Follow this Year

Some of the trending Edtech trends to follow the current year are professional development on demand, social family communications in bite-sized chunks, SEL gamified and pulse surveys, and digital check-ins.

FREMONT, CA: Technology has become increasingly important to every level of education, and its value to social-emotional learning, or SEL, is no exception. Just as digital tools provide educators with innovative and flexible ways to reinforce learning in core academic subjects, they can be used to teach the social-emotional and life skills that students need to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

It is very much crucial for educators to understand how to leverage technology to support SEL in practical, meaningful ways. Some of the current trending SEL ed-tech trends districts and schools can use this year to support students' social-emotional well-being, enhance students' engagement with SEL content, and enhance family communication are listed below.

Professional Development

A crucial and often overlooked part of SEL for students is a professional development (PD) which strengthens educators' well-being. Investing in the mental wellness of educators should be a top priority for the school and district leaders as teacher turnover rates increase. By giving staff tools to manage stress, build trust, and increase resilience, SEL-based professional learning can help.

Students benefit from higher levels of educator well-being as well. Teachers with strong social-emotional skills have better relationships with students, improved instructional quality, and refined classroom climate.

Across the country, districts are providing ongoing staff education with an increased focus on skill development and flexible learning. By offering on-demand professional development, teachers can take away takeaways they can immediately use while continuing to practice and grow throughout the year. To support students' development, they can integrate SEL throughout the school day and across disciplines.

Social family communications

It has always been important for schools and districts to communicate with families, but in recent years, there has been a growing demand for bite-sized, highly focused messages. There's no time for three-page newsletters anymore. Schools, their own work, and everything in between bombard families with communications.

Video and audio-based communications have been found to be effective ways to share information by educators. Whether they are TikTok-style videos, texts, or app-based messages, to-the-point digital communications keep families engaged in their children's social-emotional development.

SEL gamification

Video and online games are a huge part of many children's lives. Maintaining students' motivation and engagement in the classroom with digital games enhances their social-emotional development. Through gamified social-emotional learning, students practice and strengthen social-emotional skills in a fun, interactive, low-stakes environment.

Pulse surveys and digital check-ins

Feedback about the social-emotional climate in schools and classrooms is valuable for educators. It's easy to take a "pulse check" on students and educators with simple tech tools like digital word clouds, polls, and gamified quizzes. This data may reveal trends in moods, behaviors, and performance over time. Feedback may reveal that students are less engaged on the first day following a long break, more enthusiastic on Thursdays, or sleepier during daylight savings time. By using these insights, teachers can set students up for success and adapt their approach.