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- Educational digitalization is evolving towards a more balanced model, where technological innovation coexists with active methodologies and traditional resources. Representatives of technology companies, educational platforms, and innovation specialists analyze for Equipamiento para Centros Educativos the main trends that are shaping the present and future of the classroom: STEAM learning, artificial intelligence, connectivity, devices, sustainability, and new pedagogical approaches.
Published by Interempresas
Education is experiencing a moment of profound redefinition. After years of accelerated digitalization, educational centers now face the challenge of consolidating models that combine technological innovation, pedagogical efficacy, and sustainability. The goal is no longer to incorporate technology for its own sake, but to turn it into a true catalyst for learning, capable of improving the educational experience and preparing students for an increasingly digitized professional environment. In this scenario, voices from the technology and education sectors agree that the transformation of the classroom involves integrating active methodologies, connected infrastructures, applied artificial intelligence, and more efficient equipment management.
Based on the contributions of various experts, this report analyzes how the educational ecosystem is evolving and what the main challenges facing schools are. Through an integrative vision, it examines how technology has ceased to be a peripheral resource to become the core of pedagogical renewal, operational efficiency, and school equity.
STEAM, robotics, and active learning: from content to project
STEAM learning has established itself as one of the great drivers of change in education. The combination of robotics, programming, maker spaces, and 3D printing is driving a model where students learn by doing, experimenting, and solving real problems.
From Microsoft Spain, Pedro Moreno, the company’s Director of Pre-university Education, highlights that these tools allow students to move from memorizing content to creating and experimenting, fostering computational thinking and problem-solving through environments such as MakeCode or Minecraft Education. Along the same lines, Marcos Manzano, Field Product Manager, Client Solutions at Dell Technologies, emphasizes that these resources turn abstract concepts into tangible projects, reinforcing the scientific method and creativity through design and constant iteration.
The practical vision is also reflected in the example of real projects in the classroom, such as smart plant care systems, where students investigate variables, connect sensors, program, and manufacture prototypes, developing both scientific and social skills.
However, not all experts consider the integration to be homogeneous. Borja Garzón, co-founder of EDTEK.io, warns that in many public and publicly-funded private schools, these initiatives are still residual or linked to extracurricular activities, which generates inequalities in access. Even so, he insists that the positive impact is evident: it improves attention, increases student engagement, and promotes meaningful learning.
For his part, Raúl Sanahuja, Head of Communication at Epson Ibérica, introduces the concept of a ‘fab-lab’ to promote human skills. “It is not about teaching how to use the tools or technology of the moment, but about fostering exclusively human skills such as adaptability, analytical thinking, and problem-solving,” he points out.
Ainhoa Marcos, VP Education & Public Sector at ODILO, remarks that the key is not the technology itself, but how it activates new ways of thinking: “When a student programs or designs in 3D, they are learning to solve complex problems and develop adaptability.”
Ultimately, the consensus is clear: robotics and the STEAM approach represent an effective way to develop scientific, creative, and digital skills, provided their implementation is cross-cutting and accompanied by teacher training.
The view from the classroom: educational robotics for learning by doing
Carmela Salguero López, training manager at ALLKNOW Education and specialist in educational robotics, provides a perspective focused on daily practice in the classroom. As she explains, the use of robotics kits, programming, and maker environments forces students to stop and think, collaborate, look for solutions, and face frustration as a natural part of the learning process. Furthermore, these tools allow a better understanding of the everyday technological environment, since robotics is present in multiple daily situations, and understanding how it works helps to interpret how we interact with technology.
For Salguero, the incorporation of these resources is transforming teaching-learning processes by promoting active methodologies and a more competence-based approach. Students learn by doing and experimenting, connecting theory with real situations.
A common example is the development of smart plant care systems. In these projects, students investigate which variables influence their growth—such as light, humidity, or temperature—formulate hypotheses, collect data, and analyze results. Subsequently, they design solutions using sensors and actuators, program the system, and create prototypes, sometimes using 3D printing to manufacture specific parts.
During the process, technical errors and constant adjustments appear, which fosters perseverance and tolerance to frustration. At the same time, teamwork boosts communicative and social skills, as students must organize tasks, distribute roles, plan times, and assume shared responsibilities. Overall, educational robotics is consolidating itself as an effective tool for developing scientific, creative, and human skills in an integrated manner.
Connected classrooms: the invisible infrastructure that sustains innovation
Connectivity and cloud environments have become the structural foundation of modern learning. Robust WiFi, cloud-based educational platforms, and secure networks allow the application of collaborative methodologies, hybrid learning, and continuous access to content.
At this point, Pedro Moreno, Microsoft, highlights that the classroom is no longer an isolated space, but a connected environment where learning flows inside and outside the school thanks to platforms like Microsoft 365 Education or Teams for Education. Marcos Manzano, from Dell, agrees that connectivity is the enabler of 1:1 models, project-based work, and immediate access to digital resources.
For Ainhoa Marcos, VP Education & Public Sector at ODILO, “the infrastructure must be ‘invisible’ to the teacher: the important thing is that it allows the creation of continuous and secure learning ecosystems.”
However, structural challenges persist. Borja Garzón Casado, CLO & Cofounder of EDTEK.io warns that, despite connectivity and the educational digital ecosystem being the essential foundation, there are still schools with insufficient connectivity and calls for a coordinated strategy that includes the figure of the ICT coordinator as a key element to lead the digital transformation. “It is key to provide them with the training, the dedicated time, and the recognition necessary to lead the digital transformation, ensure coherence in the use of platforms, and act as a bridge between the educational administration and teaching practice.”
José Carlos Santos, commercial manager of Relution at Softpi Iberia, underlines on his part that security and centralized device management are essential to reduce the technological burden on teachers and ensure regulatory compliance.
For her part, María Beunza, CEO of Human AI, introduces a data-centric perspective: cloud platforms not only connect classrooms, but also allow educational decisions to be made based on objective information and personalized student tracking.
The result is a paradigm shift where connectivity ceases to be a technical goal and becomes a pedagogical facilitator.
Artificial intelligence and augmented reality: personalization and immersive learning
Artificial intelligence is positioned as one of the technologies with the greatest transformative potential in education, although its adoption is still in a stage of unequal maturity.
From Microsoft, Pedro Moreno defends an AI understood as an ethical and safe pedagogical assistant, capable of personalizing learning, generating adapted resources, and freeing up teachers’ time through task automation.
Ainhoa Marcos, ODILO, shares this vision and highlights hyper-personalization “as one of the great advances: adapting content to the individual interests of students increases motivation and facilitates understanding.”
In the field of competency analysis, María Beunza, from Human AI, provides an innovative approach by evaluating socio-emotional competencies based on natural language, allowing the design of personalized itineraries based on objective data.
“This is helping schools to move from a subjective perception of students, teachers, and managers to a rigorous understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating more informed pedagogical decisions, personalized itineraries, and better academic and professional guidance.”
However, Borja Garzón, from EDTEK.io, warns that the sector is still experiencing a stage of caution, marked by concerns related to academic integrity, privacy, and the lack of clear institutional strategies.
Augmented reality, for its part, is gaining ground as an immersive learning tool. Raúl Sanahuja, Epson, supports in this sense collaborative projection environments over individual solutions, as they encourage group participation and class debate.
José Carlos Santos, from Relution, adds that “the combination of AI and AR can generate adaptive experiences where the content evolves according to the student’s level of understanding, although he insists on the need for responsible management of devices and data.”
The common message from all experts is that AI does not replace the teacher, but rather amplifies their pedagogical capacity.
Screens and devices: from technological excess to purposeful use
After years of massive incorporation of screens and devices, the debate now focuses on the balanced use of this equipment, and it is being seen how teachers demand a more rational integration that combines technology and traditional methods.
Thus, according to studies cited by Epson, 93% of teachers demand a balance between digital technology and paper, defending that screens should promote interaction and inclusion.
From Microsoft, it is also insisted that the value does not lie in the hardware, but in how it is pedagogically integrated to drive collaboration and active learning.
At this point, Ainhoa Marcos, ODILO, underlines the importance of “digital well-being,” differentiating educational use from recreational use and combining digital with handwriting and human interaction. Ainhoa supports this need by citing scientific evidence from Mueller & Oppenheimer, which shows that handwriting favors conceptual learning and idea generation compared to general digital transcription.
For his part, Marcos Manzano from Dell insists on the need to define clear pedagogical objectives, establish rules of use, and train teachers to avoid the superficial use of technology.
José Carlos Santos, Relution, adds an important point: the centralized management of devices with MDM systems is essential to avoid chaos in the classroom and facilitate teaching work, also ensuring security and GDPR compliance.
As concluded from the opinion of all the experts, the trend points towards classrooms where screens become collaborative hubs, rather than simple passive projection tools. Likewise, it is necessary to establish healthy boundaries and combine analog dynamics with learning in safe digital environments.
Sustainability and efficiency: the new variable in educational equipment
Sustainability has become an increasingly relevant criterion in decision-making about educational equipment. Schools are not only looking for energy efficiency, but also responsible management models.
In this regard, Marcos Manzano, Dell, highlights the use of recycled materials and device recovery programs, as well as flexible procurement models that optimize resources and reduce electronic waste.
For his part, Raúl Sanahuja, Epson, points out that sustainability must be practiced by example from the classroom infrastructure itself, prioritizing more efficient technologies when they offer equivalent performance.
Ainhoa Marcos, ODILO, adds that digitalization reduces paper consumption and allows content to be updated without the need for massive reprinting, contributing to more responsible management.
From Relution, José Carlos Santos adds a practical vision focused on extending the useful life of devices through technical management policies, hardware rotation so that all equipment has a similar level of use, battery protection, and preventive maintenance.
Sustainability, therefore, is no longer an accessory element, but a strategic criterion within educational digitalization.
Ainhoa Marcos, VP Education & Public Sector at ODILO.
Balance between innovation and pedagogy
As we have seen throughout the report, the immediate future points towards a more personalized, data-driven, collaborative, and sustainable education, where technology acts as an enabler and not as an end. The key will be to find the balance between innovation and pedagogy, between digital and analog, and between technological efficiency and human development.
The classroom of the future, the experts conclude, will not be the most technological one, but the one that best uses technology to enhance student learning, creativity, and critical thinking.
The success of digital transformation by 2026 depends on three strategic pillars. On the one hand, teacher training. It is the main bottleneck in the opinion of the experts. Training must be continuous so that AI is perceived as a ‘Copilot’ and not as a threat. Secondly, experts raise the urgency of regulatory frameworks that ensure academic integrity and authorship of work in the era of generative AI. Finally, equity and sovereignty. In the opinion of the voices consulted, it is unacceptable that in 2026 there are still schools without a high-speed connection. Connectivity must be a legal imperative to guarantee that no student is left behind for geographical or economic reasons.
Ultimately, technology allows the teacher to stop being the only source of knowledge to become an emotional and pedagogical guide, delegating repetitive tasks to intelligent systems that work for the human, and not the other way around.