Both in the U.S. and around the world, a host of new technologies, both cloud-based and hands-on, are bridging curriculum gaps and even establishing new educational pathways. They are helping to supplement teachers’ lessons in the classroom, creating new educational infrastructure, and engaging students with hands-on experimentation, all with a mission to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s reality.

M.O.O.C.S: More and more teachers are adding breadth and depth to their instruction with Massive Open Online Courses offered by MITx, the Khan Academy and other web-based providers. Through self-paced videos, online assigments and feedback on homework, students can start at their own level and progress at their own speed.

VIRTUAL SCHOOLS: Virtual school districts like the one in Florida replace traditional classrooms for students who need an alternative learning environment. Students who can’t access a physical classroom can now learn independently while being paired with teachers and virtually connected to classmates.

EXPERIMENT KITS: Hands-on learning now reaches far beyond the baking soda volcanos of old. Amino Labs— a start-up company bringing hands-on bioengineering to elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms— is inspiring scientific thinking through hands on experimentation with genetic materials.

CLOUD ACCESS: The VMware Foundation recently partnered with the LEAP Science and Maths School in Diepsloot, a township outside Johannesburg, South Africa. A team of nine VMware employees traveled on this “Good Gig” to inspire teachers and students with the possibilities technology brings to the classroom.

A 21st CENTURY WORKFORCE: New learning paradigms are critical as the accelerated pace of change disrupts traditional business models and creates new 21st century jobs that demand different skill sets. Preparing a 21st century workforce takes 21st century learning techniques and modern-day, cloud-based technology infrastructure.