My eight-year-old is just starting third grade, and he is coping with the increased demands of a more rigorous school year.  Today's educators are looking for new ways to improve education in earlier years, and there are some new options I believe should be taken into consideration. My son and his friends learn differently than I did; they use Google, YouTube, Siri, and Alexa as sources of information. More and more children use videos as an engaging way to understand new ideas and concepts. This new generation lives in a digital world and educators can use new technologies to accelerate the creation of better student experiences that improve learning and comprehension.

Most teachers know that the kids entering primary schools will work in jobs that don't exist yet! So, what do we teach? Digital literacy (computer and data skills) will be the new norm, but that is just the beginning. With Artificial Intelligence and robots around the corner, educators will need to help our kids cultivate the most human of skills: the ability to learn and adapt. Complex thinking, creativity, curiosity, teamwork, and empathy will be the core foundations of human value in the modern economy.

But how do you do this with kids learning differently? That's where Cisco and our partners can help. Around the world, the use of video in the classroom is opening new horizons for kids to learn and explore like never before. Video capacity is breaking down walls and opening the classroom to the universe. Schools, independent of location or economic status, can bring experts from around the world into their classrooms with minimal cost. Educators can take virtual trips to the Great Wall of China, the Louvre Museum in Paris or the Statue of Liberty with just a click. Video is equalizing education and increasing opportunities for children around the world.  Video also helps kids delight in learning, raising their curiosity and their innate ability to explore.

Cisco is expanding connected learning through our Webex Meetings and Teams applications, which promote teamwork skills and make it easier for teachers to keep kids engaged in their educational journeys. Cisco video and collaboration solutions are a foundation for our schools in their digital transformation and in their quest to teach our kids not only knowledge, but how to keep learning and adapting.

If you are attending the Educause Annual Conference 2018 in Denver from October 30th to November 2nd, come by our booth (#731) and talk with our experts about how together we can change the way the world learns. Explore all you can offer to your education customers by visiting our SalesConnect Education Hub and our Industry Transformation Partner Guide, and remember, educating the next generation is not only a responsibility for schools, but for each of us, as well.