Abstract
This article presents a structured narrative review of three technologies that are increasingly integrated into STEM education at the lower-secondary level: virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), open-source microcontroller platforms of the Arduino type, and personalisation supported by artificial intelligence (AI). The review is guided by three questions, concerning the available evidence, the reported risks, and the pedagogical conditions for responsible implementation. It draws on peer-reviewed studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, as well as on reports of international and national organisations (UNESCO, the European Commission, the OECD and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science). The evidence on motivation, engagement and learning outcomes is summarised together with its limitations – health and age constraints, cognitive overload and the novelty effect, data protection, the digital divide, and a thin evidence base. The review proposes an integrative, pedagogy-centred model and draws conclusions for the design of a future empirical study. For the Bulgarian context, the review further identifies national-level priorities for teacher readiness, including needs assessment, practice-based continuing professional development, mentoring, curriculum-aligned resources and sustained technical and methodological support.