Recent developments in technology have changed our lives in so many ways. There is a lot of debate about whether that’s a good thing or not. One of the main concerns that people have is the amount of time that our children are spending looking at screens. Some people would argue that all of this new technology is bad for our children, but the truth is a little more complex. Technology can actually be good for them if you introduce them to it properly. Perhaps it is bad for them to be spending so much time on computers and phones, but technology is also revolutionizing education and giving us new tools to help the next generation learn the skills that they’ll need in later life. These are the ways that technology has helped to improve education in the last few years.
The Textbook Is Obsolete
When I was at school, I remember struggling with old textbooks that were falling apart and full of outdated information. Schools that can’t afford to keep getting new books will struggle to give their kids the resources that they need, but that’s becoming a thing of the past. There are so many online resources available and they can be constantly updated. They also have the capacity to be interactive which makes learning more effective. Younger children will get easily distracted when they’re trying to follow a textbook but if it’s interactive, they’ll be more likely to stay interested for longer.
Learning From Home
Learning used to be confined to the classroom so kids were limited in the amount that they could expand their minds. Now we can access files and information remotely, we can learn from home anytime we like. Kids will have access to far more resources when they’re trying to do homework, and they can read beyond the materials that the school gives them. This is a huge step forward because some children learn a lot quicker than others and it used to be the case that once they had finished all of the work that they were assigned, they couldn’t carry on progressing. Now that they can, more children can realize their full potential.
And it doesn’t stop there. Educational potential and access is being revolutionized at every level, as technological leaps forward enable quality learning to be delivered from a distance, whether that’s working your way up the ladder while completing an online mba or attending college for physical therapy to retrain part time around your other job. You no longer have to be bound by restrictive hours and learning arrangements – education can work around you, your life and your commitments. That makes it a lot more feasible to retrain for a different career or to gain a level of education you couldn’t previously complete.
Educational Apps
The easiest way to engage children in education is to make sure that you present the information in a fun and interesting way, or perhaps even as a game. There are a huge amount of educational apps on the market that can help your children with basic skills, and they won’t even notice that they’re learning. To learn how to better use these new resources, you can take an online Master in Education Technology. It will teach you the basics of these new technologies and the fundamental concepts that drive technology in the classroom.
Teacher’s And Students Have Swapped Roles
Traditionally, the roles of students and teachers have been clear cut. The teacher talks and the students listen and absorb the information. However, the introduction of new technologies in the classroom has uprooted that classic formula and started to put the children in charge. Part of the reason for that is the teachers are often less adept at using technology than their own students are. That means the students often take the lead in lessons that make use of lots of tech. More interactive learning also means that the role of the teacher has changed. Instead of forcing information on the students, it’s the teacher’s job to make the resources available to them so that they can learn for themselves. This is a brilliant development because kids are more engaged when they have more of a say over the things that they’re learning.
Personalized Learning
Standardized testing is an incredibly controversial issue in education at the moment. Opponents of it say that it doesn’t work because every child has their own specific way of learning and the best way to teach them is to help them shape their own personal learning experience. Most kids have their own mobile devices in class these days which allow them to direct their own learning. Being able to work at their own pace is also incredibly important. When you’re using interactive programs that they’re learning with on their mobile devices, it doesn’t matter if they are a little behind everybody else. As long as they are monitored and are making progress, that flexibility to work a bit slower or faster than average improves the learning experience.
These new concepts in education are changing the way that kids learn for the better. Although some kids might spend too much time looking at screens, you have to take the good with the bad.
