Technology in Education

July 23, 2020

Technology is playing a very important role in the field of education whether we take the consideration of smart boards, animated or video lectures by projectors, e-books etc.

Smart gadgets have replaced a lot of older tools. Like tablets have taken place of notebooks, smart boards have taken place of blackboards, e-books have replaced textbooks, even the exams are conducting online nowadays which gives us the evidence that technology has taken a significant place in educational world.

Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity. Used to support both teaching and learning, technology infuses classrooms with digital learning tools, such as computers and hand held devices; expands course offerings, experiences, and learning materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; builds 21st century skills; increases student engagement and motivation; and accelerates learning. Technology also has the power to transform teaching by ushering in a new model of connected teaching. This model links teachers to their students and to professional content, resources, and systems to help them improve their own instruction and personalize learning.

Virtual or online learning: 48 states and the District of Columbia currently support online learning opportunities that range from supplementing classroom instruction on an occasional basis to enrolling students in full-time programs. These opportunities include dual enrollment, credit recovery, and summer school programs, and can make courses such as Advanced Placement and honors, or remediation classes available to students. Both core subjects and electives can be taken online, many supported by online learning materials. While some online schools or programs are homegrown, many others contract with private providers or other states to provide online learning opportunities.

Blended learning: Blended learning opportunities incorporate both face-to-face and online learning opportunities. The degree to which online learning takes place, and the way it is integrated into the curriculum, can vary across schools. The strategy of blending online learning with school-based instruction is often utilized to accommodate students’ diverse learning styles and to enable them to work before or after school in ways that are not possible with full-time conventional classroom instruction. Online learning has the potential to improve educational productivity by accelerating the rate of learning, taking advantage of learning time outside of school hours, reducing the cost of instructional materials, and better utilizing teacher time. These strategies can be particularly useful in rural areas where blended or online learning can help teachers and students in remote areas overcome distance.

Open educational resources: Open educational resources are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain and are freely available to anyone over the Web. They are an important element of an infrastructure for learning and range from podcasts to digital libraries to textbooks and games. It is critical to ensure that open educational resources meet standards of quality, integrity, and accuracy—as with any other educational resource—and that they are accessible to students with disabilities.

Use digital resources well: Schools can use digital resources in a variety of ways to support teaching and learning. Electronic grade books, digital portfolios, learning games, and real-time feedback on teacher and student performance, are a few ways that technology can be utilized to power learning.

Pros and Cons of technology in education

1.Using technology in the classroom allows you to experiment more in pedagogy and get instant feedback.

2. Technology in the classroom helps ensure full participation.

3. There are countless resources for enhancing education and making learning more fun and effective.

4. Technology can automate a lot of your tedious tasks.

5. With technology in the classroom, your students have instant access to fresh information that can supplement their learning experience.

6. We live in a digital world, and technology is a life skill.

The Cons:

1. Technology in the classroom can be a distraction.

2. Technology can disconnect students from social interactions.

3. Technology can foster cheating in class and on assignments.

4. Students don’t have equal access to technological resources.

5. The quality of research and sources they find may not be top-notch.

6. Lesson planning might become more labor-intensive with technology.

Technology in the classroom: The final verdict

It’s clear that the benefits outweigh the cons. But the key to technology in the classroom is always going to be the teacher-student relationship, because that’s where the education happens. Technology can be a highly effective tool, but that’s all it is — a tool. In today’s hyper-connected world, sensible use of technology can enhance education.

The uses of technology are widespread. Technology is not meant to replace the teacher. Rather, the idea is to create a flexible learning environment that breeds innovation. It shifts the classroom experience from the ‘sage-on-a-stage’ approach to a more collaborative learning environment. The success of such endeavors will ultimately depend upon how technology is applied to keep students engaged.

It can be frustrating and time-consuming, but in the end, technology in education can open doors to new experiences, new discoveries, and new ways of learning and collaborating.