A dim room, a pull-down screen, and a whirring overhead projector.  That's how I remember almost all of my high school classes, and I'm not the only one. It may come as a surprise to today's high school students that the most efficient way to present something to a classroom in the early 2000s required the use of technology originally created in the 1870s.

Things are different now. New systems are being introduced that are replacing the outdated learning management systems of years past. Technological advancements are changing the way we commute, communicate, and entertain ourselves—among other things. Technology is also changing the way we learn and "EdTech" is a rapidly growing sector that many new technology ventures are taking advantage of. EdTech is engaging students in new ways while creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Take SMART Technologies and their SMART Board line of hardware and software for example. Schools are doing away with traditional chalkboards in favor of these modern equivalents. The SMART Board looks like a standard whiteboard at first glance, but it is more than that – it is an interactive touch-sensitive interface. Once setup, not only can users use their fingers to draw, write, and erase anywhere on the surface (no more chalk dust!), but the board can pull and display images or video from the internet and display it over the entire surface just like a computer monitor.

Desire2Learn (or "D2L"),  a Kitchener-based technology firm, was born when a then 22-year-old John Baker realized he was not seeing the rapid pace of technological change reflected in his studies at the University of Waterloo. The company he founded would eventually go on to create the educational software now known as the Brightspace platform. Brightspace is an online space where teachers and students can upload and access course materials, administer tests and submit assignments, as well as track student performance and retrieve grades. All that is required is a device connected to the internet and a username/password.

The idea was simple, but the impact has been tremendous. Today D2L's software has 15 million users and the Brightspace platform is used internationally with clients in sectors such as education, government, and healthcare. D2L itself has grown into an organization with over 800 employees and offices across the globe. D2L also benefitted from a sizeable $80 million of outside funding from two prominent funds, including OMERS Ventures a few years ago.

The rise of e-learning software like Brightspace has also been a boon for proponents of distance education and remote learning.

Distance education isn't a new concept; universities have offered correspondence courses since the 1800s. However, information has never been more accessible and communicating across great distances has never been easier. It should be no surprise then that since the year 2000 enrollment in distance education courses has increased significantly around the world. There are now institutions offering courses almost exclusively online.

Students can now listen to lectures and communicate with classmates in real-time from home using their laptops. Indeed, this new reality should give decision-makers pause to reconsider their expansion strategies.  A 2003 study by Touro University International, published by The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL), reported distance education students outperformed students in traditional face-to-face classes 66 per cent of the time within the studied population sample.

Venture capitalists and incubators have surely taken note of the trend toward gamification, robotics, 3D printing, virtual reality and other new technologies. Today's classrooms look much different from the classroom of yesterday and the movement seems unlikely to end anytime soon.

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