Students use cellphones to solve math problems.

In a recent piece in THE Journal, Bridget McCrea spoke with a group of technology experts in order to compile a short list of technology trends educators should look for in 2010. Here’s McCrea’s list:

1. eBooks will gain traction in the K-12 market during 2010. According to J. Gerry Purdy, chief analyst for the business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in Atlanta,

“The eBook phenomenon is gaining ground in the consumer space, where people are using them to read both fiction and non-fiction,” said Purdy. “The way the stars are aligned, it won’t be long before someone adapts eBooks out of the consumer space and makes textbooks available on these portable devices.”

2. Netbook functionality will improve enabling many districts to move closer to the goal of one-to-one student access. According to McCrea,

“One-to-one computer initiatives are proliferating throughout United States schools and are expected to become even more popular in 2010 as netbooks become even more affordable. Priced at $200 to $300, these small, inexpensive computers are helping to bridge the technology divide that exists at those schools where individual students don’t have access to their own laptops.”

3. More teachers will use interactive whiteboards. With the huge infusion of federal stimulus funds into public education, experts perdict more and more teachers will use these funds to outfit classrooms with interactive display systems. According to Sheryl Abshire, chief technology officer for Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, LA.,

“Large, interactive display systems that allow teachers and students to work together in ways that traditional blackboards could not are gaining ground in the K-12 environment. Expect the trend to continue this year.”

4. Personal devices will infiltrate the traditional classroom.

“Sometimes barred from the classroom owing to perceptions of security risks and student “distractions,” smart phones and iPods are now making their way into the K-12 space, and with teachers’ and administrators’ blessings,” says McCrea.

5. New technology will enable educators to specifically tailor curriculum and more effectively differentiate instruction.

“On educators’ and administrators’ wish lists right now is an easier, tech-based way to assess, record and track individual student performance in the classroom. David Stienes, principal with private equity fund LLR Partners in Philadelphia, said those wishes could come true this year, courtesy of several emerging companies that are working on new student assessment tools.”

2010 looks to be another very exciting year for educational technology.