EdTech News Roundup: Gamification Platforms Fighting Enrollment Crisis Across U.S.

Flip Livingstone 21 June 2023

In this latest iteration of our EdTech news roundup, we’re serving up a number of interesting articles covering a wide array of trending topics in the educational technology sector that could soon have major implications on how you teach, how your students learn, and how your school board interacts with both learners and educators

From end-of-year IT decisions impacting K-12 decision makers, to the impact gamification of studies at the college level, and even certain schools implementing “cellphone jails”, stay ahead of the curve and up-to-date on all the latest EdTech trends.

K-12 Leaders Face Important End-of-Year Device Decisions for Students’ Tech

Graphic image of person holding phone in hands with images of apps appearing in mid air.

The end of the school year is already a hectic time for both teachers and administrators.

However, as we continue to utilize and rely on technology as an important teaching tool, plans have to be built and decisions made on the best practices for protecting both students and schools’ IT departments.

Aside from the physical storing, tracking, and cleaning of shared tablets, laptops, and other school-loaned devices, there is also the major factor of device security, ensuring that students aren’t able to expose schools’ networks to unneeded risk by taking devices home over the summer break and using them maliciously – whether on purpose or not.

Make sure you and your administration are protected by checking out this article on some of the decisions K-12 leaders face when it comes to end-of-year device management.

“Cell phone Jails” – What are They & Do They Work in Schools?

Banning the use of students’ personal cell phones and devices inside the classroom is nothing new.

Actually a lot of schools across the U.S. and Canada have been banning the use of phones in class since the mid 2010s. Although, with the impact of the pandemic pushing so many students to learn in nontraditional settings, reliance on personal devices obviously increased. This posed a whole new challenge for educators once students returned to the classroom – the ban was put back in place but with major push back from learners across North America.

American Universities Fighting Enrollment Issues with New Gamification Platforms

At this point in time, there really is no turning a blind eye to the enrollment crisis facing universities and colleges across North America. South of the border, things seem to be especially tough, as the pandemic and exacerbated economic strain has led to enrollment decreasing in the U.S. by eight percent between 2019 and 2022 – that’s the steepest drop on record. Graphically enhanced photo of man wearing VR goggles with digitally done graphics enhancing his image.

However, things aren’t all doom and gloom. Just like any tough task to overcome, sometimes creativity and innovation are all you need. This is where the gamification of studies for students in post-secondary education comes in.

Aside from the added post-pandemic pressure of attending college or university, students have never faced more challenges in attaining their degrees or diplomas. This makes creating a learning environment they actually want to show up to everyday even more important. By introducing gamification tools into learning opportunities both students and educators feel an increased sense of connectivity and creativity, which goes a long way to engaging learners in their studies.

Discover more about this important growing trend and how we can combat declining enrollment through gamification in this awesome article.