Three years from now, 15-year-old high school sophomores are going to be college freshmen. And their expectations about the tech that surrounds them in 2022 will have been shaped by both what they experienced in school as K-12 students and outside of school as teenaged consumers.
At CAMEX 2019 in San Antonio, held by the National Association of College Stores, I explored what that combined expectation of edtech and consumer tech exposure might mean. While the slides of my thought leadership session by themselves aren’t that useful without narration or detailed notes (I favor lots of images with any vivid words coming from me, not crowded bullet points), I did summarize my trends take in a series of a dozen tweets. Of course.
I gave an hour-long original talk at #CAMEXshow on what 15-yr-old high school students today are going to expect of tech as incoming college freshmen in 2022, based on their teen #edtech & consumer tech experience. I’m going to try and summarize in a tweetstorm with images. 1/12 pic.twitter.com/xXhWcqPZuO
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
First, teen tech landscape. It’s a cloudscape. Since iPads & Chromebooks and more pervasive campus broadband, the decade-long lag from consumer tech to #edtech adoption has compressed to 2-3 years. That means a more seamless tech life, but also more danger of schools buying fads. pic.twitter.com/AuGPxPmW3z
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Teens also are more savvy of how tech is affecting their behavior this decade. @CommonSense found 89% of teens have a smartphone. But @PewResearch found 54% of teens also think they spend too much time on smartphones. And nearly a third say it distracts them in class. pic.twitter.com/qX1LhUiAYE
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
So what K12 tech trends now will persist in 3 years, to 2022, setting teen expectations? Early school experiences with AR/MR/VR (extended reality), mostly in computer labs. Coding leading to a fascination with robots. Dominance of cheap Chromebooks and Windows devices in school. pic.twitter.com/fAmnhVm96e
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Also the expectation, being set by @GoogleForEdu and @MicrosoftEDU, that software they use should be free. That leads to key takeaways for how today’s teen thinks about in-school #edtech. pic.twitter.com/nNhFWZ2jVP
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Now to teen consumer tech expectations. Big story here (or hear) is #smartspeakers. Adoption is huge, rapidly leading to virtual assistants with screens. Some hotels and higher ed dorms are already making smart speakers standard. This is a key 3-year teen expectation trend. pic.twitter.com/YdWWXN0nGx
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Other key consumer tech trends teens will internalize: Smart homes. Internet of things devices (standalone). More advanced wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers, and wireless headphones (Apple shines in both, and revenue is increasing faster than unit sales). pic.twitter.com/nnXWSBJeMV
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Final top teen consumer tech trend is being social through deeply engaging tech. Extended reality through group AR/VR experiences and arcades, and eSports as competitors or audience. Both are together-yet-isolated teen tech trends that will see strong growth by 2022. pic.twitter.com/R1oXom7KEH
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Teens, as consumers coming into college, will expect tech everywhere in 2022, but will want it to integrate well with physical life and (my take, based on some of the behavioral research) not simply a case of losing themselves in screens. pic.twitter.com/VHDDTVbATx
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Combining K-12 #edtech trends with consumer tech trends affecting today’s 15-yr-old,: In 2022 smart speakers will turn out to be transitional, XR will be common for group/social interaction until hurdles are overcome, and Apple may be hurt by the lack of edu exposure it once had. pic.twitter.com/WTjSk28lAO
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
Key issues for teens over the next three years in tech products? Expectations of “free” software, potential for a major privacy breach and attendant backlash, and increasing concerns by teens themselves of having too much screen time. pic.twitter.com/qweeXpD6qk
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
I’ve done my best to summarize an hour of @CAMEXshow detail. But it may give you something to think about as you consider how today’s in-school K-12 #edtech trends and out-of-school consumer tech trends are shaping the expectations of a 15-year-old between now and 2022.
— Frank Catalano (@FrankCatalano) February 25, 2019
You can read more about three of these trends in a think piece I wrote for EdSurge afterwards, “Analysis: Is higher ed ready for the tech expectations of the teens of 2022?”
In the talk itself, there were five K-12 tech trends and seven consumer tech trends with teen takeaways. Across 57 slides. And yes, I did cover it in one energetic hour, with time left for Q&A.