Everyone has one eye on the future because, in any given moment, we eagerly imagine what magical possibilities lay ahead, what unthinkable brilliance is on the precipice of leaving the lab and entering into the so-called real world.

Educators are no different and just as curious about the future of their profession as others, keen to see what technology can do to revolutionise the way schools are run, the way teachers continue to reflect on their trade and the way pupils are taught.

Needless to say, how we realise the image of a flourishing education sector that delivers high standards of teaching and empowers youngsters to take control of their destiny with the utmost confidence and enthusiasm irrespective of their background is up for debate.

Perhaps it always will be. It's no bad thing because, after all, serious, intellectual debate is conducive to learning. Through your disagreements you can emerge with better, more effective solutions to whatever problem it is you're trying to solve. Change can happen in the most unlikely of scenarios.

One thing for sure is that there are factors outside of the control of school leaders that are forcing, as Gartner noted recently, senior educators to "rethink business models". New technologies are proving to be at the forefront of how the sector responds to the challenges and brings the future into the present day.

We take a look at some of the "strategic technologies" that the information technology research and advisory company believes educators should at least be looking into this year.

Adaptive learning

This is an approach that is all about delivering a bespoke learning experience through computer programmes, which, through big data, "adapts" the content that a pupil is engaging with.

Gartner says: "It is extremely valuable in designing the pedagogy of the future."

Adaptive e-textbooks

Textbooks are highly valuable but no sooner then is it published it is already – even modestly – out of date. E-textbooks are the solution to that, allowing books to be constantly refreshed with the latest developments.

Gartner says: "E-textbooks are the first key step of going from analogue to digital education."

CRM (customer relationship management)

From the outset this seems like a peculiar inclusion but when you consider the core of CRM – tracking and managing relationships with constituents – it begins to make sense. It can deliver excellent insight

Gartner says: "Institutions are grappling with the difficulties of standardising and integrating the institutional data to achieve success with these solutions."

Big data

One of the most transformative areas in tech, big data is, in the words of McKinsey & Company, "The next frontier for innovation, competition and productivity". Education has long engaged with it, but not in a very coherent way. That is changing.

Gartner says:  "It is a very promising technology-based strategic capability that has the possibility to improve the whole education ecosystem."

Digital assessment

Assessment is, of course, one of the most important aspects of education, vital for ensuring that pupils are able to demonstrate knowledge and skills. However, it is one of the most contentious areas too. Digital assessment is designed to make it more objective.

Gartner says: "Good digital assessment is a necessity for trustworthy and scalable online or hybrid (digitalised) education and will remain a strategic technology until it is solved."

The future is bright

All of the above is just a glimpse into the future of education and even then you can begin to see how much potential each of the strategies has in terms of revolutionising the education sector.

It's still early in the year, but what is certain is that change is already underway. The more leaders embrace new concepts; pilot them within their respective schools and institutes, the more we're going to learn about how applicable they are now. What's certain is the come 2016; we'll look back on 2015 as a potentially transformative 12 months.