How Technology Has Transformed Teaching and Learning
Oh how the times have changed! If we take a look at the classrooms of today, to the ones from 10 or 20 years ago, it’s like we’re living in a completely different world now.
There was once a time when students were only allowed online access at computer labs and now we have the Internet of Things (IoT). This means we have laptops, smartphones and tablets seamlessly connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, making it easier for students and teachers of any class to have access to and pull up online content anywhere at any time.
From a bird’s eye view, it seems apparent that technology has simplified teaching and learning all together. For better clarity, let’s get a closer look on how much impact the internet has over the classroom in the last decade and how it is virtually infallible:
Helps in the Preparation of Assignments
Technology provides schools with a plethora of means to help teachers to plan and design flexible assessment criteria for their students so that it compliments their skills.
The ClassFlow platform allows teachers to collect real-time feedback on students and share it with their parents to determine how well a class is performing. ClassFlow also caters to individual students who unlike the rest have trouble keeping up with lessons.
This evidently leads to an overall improvement in class performance, assessment and eventually grades.
Increases Accessibility
It might as well just go without saying that technology has made education more accessible than it has a couple of decades ago. Now students can access to well-designed formal online educational courses either at home, or anywhere else on earth. In fact, nearly every top-ranked institution around the world offers online courses.
Now students can easily choose and potentially complete their preferred educational course online and work a flexible schedule at that too. Ultimately, technology has laid waste to the geographical barriers that hindered education all those years ago.
Lesson Preparations are Simplified
Technology has made it easier for teachers to plan and prepare lessons for any semester. ClassFlow applies to this point because it did win the award for Best Lesson Plan Delivery Website. The reason behind that is because ClassFlow allows teachers to present fun pen or touch-based lessons that are highly engaging to students and encourages active collaboration either in or outside of class.
What’s more is that teachers are able to send assignments, quizzes and other forms of data directly to students using either a laptop, tablet, a smartphone or a learner response clicker.
Costs are Reduced
Other than broadening up study options online, technology has also had a hand in reducing a number of educational costs. For instance, printing costs are decreased because students no longer have to go get printouts from stationary stores or pay a larger fee to acquire physical textbooks from bookshops.
It is also worth noting that online material can be updated right there and then distributed. This allows both teachers and students to save up costs on acquiring new editions of any subject being taught.
These days, many on-campus or accredited online universities are charging less credit per hour for online degrees due to saving up on costs of providing room for students as well as board for services. DeVry University offers students lower credits per hour for taking six credit hours per term in a way to help them finish their courses relatively quicker.
Mobile Learning has Accelerated
Accessing learning content from your mobile device is pretty much the greatest convenience of online education. Chromebooks, smartphones and tablets are practically a necessity for institutions at this point.
CEO of Project Tomorrow, Julie Evans had this to say; “We’re starting to see more strategic thinking about what it means to go mobile.” She goes on to say that it’s no longer 1:1 and every student in class is equipped with a smart or mobile device.
Tech giant Google also emphasized the importance of mobile and how people are increasingly relying on mobile devices to access the internet. So ultimately, major and future institutions must rely on optimizing online content for the dominant mobile audience. Now developers and content producers are focused on developing mobile-educational apps and content.
Establishing New Boundaries
What is truly special about technology is that it no longer restricts learning for classrooms. This means that teaching and learning can resume back at home. In fact, schools are openly encouraging teachers and students to acquire a firmer grasp of their learning and tap into newer learning possibilities. The schools also want learning to take place at other locations such as museums and libraries.
Technology enables students to collaborate, meet and create content on the fly. Not only that, but students can use technology to conduct extensive research on their subjects for their exams, learn specific skills during summer internships and share ideas with their peers and teachers.