TRENDS IN THE TECH INDUSTRY
Finding Trends in the Trends Tech Industry: Utilization of Augmented Reality in the Education Sector
Rickey Nichols
University Of Maryland Global Campus
PRO 600 9042: Communicating, Problem Solving, and Leading in Professional Fields
Dr. Theo Stone
October 27, 2020
Finding Trends in the Tech Industry
Introduction
To a large extent, one of the advances in tech that has had the greatest impact on multiple fronts is augmented reality. The education industry has not been left behind. Education institutions from across the world are deploying augmented reality with an intention to improve the education experience. Thanks to augmented reality, educators can further promote learning outcomes. This is more so the case given that virtual reality makes it possible for educators to mimic real-world settings without incurring any cost. This text concerns itself with the deployment of virtual reality (VR) in education and what it means for the sector as a whole.
Findings
From the onset, it is important to note that as Deutsch (2020) points out, the tech industry happens to be one of the five industries driving the U.S. economy with the other four being: healthcare, construction, retail, and non-durable manufacturing.
Following the initial search, some of the most relevant search terms identified were inclusive of, but they are not limited to alternate reality, augmented realty, virtual reality, machine learning, as well as artificial intelligence. To a large extent, these are the search terms that were utilized in attempts to identify the tech industrys top trends. The three top trends were inclusive of artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and blockchain.
Top Trends of the Tech Industry
a) Artificial Intelligence: Increased Utilization of AI in the Monitoring and Refinement of Business Processes
Essentially, artificial intelligence relates to the programing of computerized systems to mimic human actions via human intelligence simulation. According to Uzialko (2019), there is no doubt whatsoever that artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the way business is conducted. This, according to the author, is despite the fact that most people still associate AI with the work of fiction, i.e. sci-fi movies. In the words of the author, the modern field of artificial intelligence came into existence in 1956, but it took decades of work to make significant progress toward developing an artificial intelligence system and making it atechnological reality. Today, AI has become a standard in process automation. For instance, more human-machine interactions are driven by AI. A good example would be Siri, Apples personal assistant, which most persons with Apple devices are familiar with. Siri offers assistance in an interactive manner from adding events to calendars to giving directions and much more. There have been various predictions over where exactly we are headed in as far as the continued deployment of AI in business is concerned. As per a 2018 predictive report by the Harvard Business Review, AI stands to make the greatest impact in marketing services, supply chain management, and manufacturing (Harvard Professional Development, 2019).
b) Augmented Reality: Utilization of Augmented Reality in the Education Sector
Augmented reality could be perceived as the merging of real-world environments with digital elements to create an interactive interface. Porter and Happelmann (2017) point out that augmented reality (AR) happens to be one of the advances in tech whose impact is being felt in multiple industries from education to...
…to transform the future of learning. Indeed, as Frehlich (2020) points out, students must not be allowed to become passive observers in the learning process. Instead, they must be fully immersed in the process of learning so as to gather as much hand-on skills as possible. This is particularly the case for students in technical faculties.
Conclusion
In the final analysis, it would be prudent to note that there are multiple trends that continue to shape the tech industry. While some of the said trends have minimal impact, others have far reaching consequences. The trends identified in this text are amongst the most important trends worth keeping an eye on going forward. The utilization of augmented reality in the education sector is a particularly unique trend. This is more so the case give that this particular technology has created quite a buzz despite being in its infancy. To a large extent, the continued utilization of AI in the education realm will be of great benefit to the industry in multiple ways. In essence, it will be a vote of confidence in the ability of technology to offer solutions in multiple aspects of life. It will open the door for even greater opportunities for stakeholders to deploy their innovations.
References
Cohen, R.S. (2019, Oct. 2). Is Augmented Reality the Next Frontier in Flight Training? Air Force Magazine. https://www.airforcemag.com/is-augmented-reality-the-next-frontier-in-flight-training/
Deutsch, A.L. (2020, Oct. 6). The 5 Industries Driving the U.S. Economy. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/042915/5-industries-driving-us-economy.asp
Frehlich, C. (2020). Immersive Learning: A Practical Guide to Virtual Reality's Superpowers in Education. Rowman & Littlefield.
Harvard Professional Development (2019, March 18). Business Applications for Artificial Intelligence: An Update for 2020. Harvard Extension School. https://blog.dce.harvard.edu/professional-development/business-applications-artificial-intelligence-what-know-2019
Meijer, C.…
