In this article, the coordinators of the special issue “Advanced technologies to face the challenge of educational innovation,” Mª Paz Prendes Espinosa and Fernando Cerdán Cartagena, provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of advanced technologies in the educational domain.
Since the advent of the Internet in Spain during the 1990s, digital technologies have profoundly transformed the teaching–learning processes, spurring new methodologies and pedagogical approaches. This introductory paper establishes the conceptual framework necessary to understand the various contributions featured in this special issue of the Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia (RIED).
The authors undertake an exhaustive survey of the principal emerging technologies that are redefining contemporary education: computing (robotics, computational thinking, and artificial intelligence), extended reality (augmented reality and virtual reality), games (video games and serious games), and education-specific tools (virtual learning environments, apps).
For each of these categories, significant educational experiences are presented that demonstrate their transformative potential across diverse learning contexts—from early childhood education to higher education, as well as in non-formal and informal settings.
The special issue introduced by this article brings together thirteen valuable contributions that exemplify the practical application of these advanced technologies across different educational levels and fields of knowledge. The papers range from the use of robotics in early childhood education to the application of BCI devices for teacher evaluation, including experiences with virtual reality in language and physics instruction and the development of serious games for logical–mathematical reasoning.
Collectively, these studies underscore the enormous potential of advanced technologies to drive educational innovation, while the authors remind us that the primary educational agents—students and teachers—must always remain at the centre of these experiences.
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How to cite: Prendes Espinosa, M. P., & Cerdán Cartagena, F. (2021). Advanced technologies to face the challenge of educational innovation. RIED. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 24(1), 35–53. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.24.1.28415
