There is a global wave of technological advancement and digital transformation, and the education sector has not been left behind. The careers of the coming years, which will all be wrapped around technology, are being formed in schools today.
While the world was still moving towards a high-tech era, the Covid-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst and hastened the process. Stay-at-home order was issued, and almost everything had to go digital, including education. There is a low to zero likelihood that things will ever go back to where they were since people have already learned a new way of life which is not that bad after all.
When used well, technology is a significant boost in the education sector. Besides preparing learners for the future, they are more engaged in learning. The lessons are livelier, and teachers can gauge the learner’s capabilities in real-time.
Technology is being introduced to regular schools, but it has been the primary learning mode in special schools since its inception. Braille, for example, has been used in schools for the visually impaired to deliver lessons.
As the world is trying to recover from the effects of the pandemic, no wishes to reverse the facets that new technology introduced to education. Who would have thought that learning would take place on online platforms? Most schools invested in infrastructure that allowed them to teach and assess the students online. They are now expected to demolish everything and return to the pre-covid-19 learning methods. They have to find ways of incorporating both learning techniques to get better results.
Learners have also benefitted from the shift in technology. First, they no longer need to handle all their essays since companies such as Peachy Essay take care of their assignments, dissertations, and research projects. Their involvement in the learning process has also improved tremendously. Educational technology has made it possible for students to assess their learning progress and work on areas left behind.
How has Modern technology impacted education?
As mentioned before, modern technology has played a significant role in education. Some of the most potent effects include:
Improved illustrations and visualization
Modern technology in education has made it possible for learners to use visual aids during classroom learning. Visuals are a better teaching tool compared to verbal instruction. Students tend to understand and internalize better.
Most institutions now have projectors in all their classrooms, enabling teachers to use PowerPoint presentations in place of writing on the board. This keeps the students more alert and eager to learn. Besides appealing to the eye, visual learning aids make it easier for the students to remember the course content. They can interact and relate with the content way better than written notes.
The level of concentration is high and consequently the performance levels. It is easier to remember something you saw than what you hear.
Teachers also have a more comprehensive range of approaches to take. If they feel the learners are not attentive, they can switch to videos and presentations. It is easier to gauge the level of understanding of each student after or during the lesson by asking them to answer a few questions from the presentation. Teachers also do less talking when technology is applied in classroom learning.
Improved research capacity
Numerous scholarly articles have been published online and which learners can access when doing their research proposals and projects. With the technological advancements that are at our disposal, the internet is a basic need and available, even for free in some places.
Therefore, students can do their research without going through a bunch of books in the library. The internet is full of information from all corners of the world and any topic you can think of. Some institutions have gone a notch to provide their students with free access to journal libraries.
However, when searching for information on the internet, you should be careful because most content is not audited or verified. Online journals and eBooks are the most reliable sources of information, and most require some subscription.
If your learning institution does not provide you with access to credible online libraries, you can sacrifice a dime or two and buy your subscription. It will be worthwhile because you will get most of the materials you need for your course work, research project, or even just for knowledge’s sake.
Introduction of online learning platforms
Before introducing modern technology in education, most people had to travel long distances every day to get to school and back home. Worst case scenario is when you have to work more than one job at times to earn a living, and you still need to get those academic qualifications.
Modern technology in the education sector brought online learning our way, and it ended up being the best invention ever. Good quality higher education is accessible, and you do not need to relocate to access it. You can attend any college of your choice from the comfort of your home or office.
Besides contemporary education, people can also enroll in skill-based programs. Many online platforms offer short courses in IT, digital marketing, graphic design, among other necessary skills in the automated world that we are slowly shifting to.
With all that at your disposal, you do not have any reason not to learn a new skill and grow your career.
Globalization of Education
The globalization of education has shown that a person in the furthest corner of the world can learn and graduate from a top-ranked university without traveling to the location. This means that information is now widely available and accessible to the masses.
Globalization of education means that the quality of education is the same across the globe, and so is the quality of the graduates. A student of Economics in Asia’s learning is similar to what a student of Economics in Europe is learning. The two students can also compete for the same opportunities in any other country that is not their country of origin.
The introduction of modern technology in education still presents its fair share of challenges. The most common one is how to filter the information that students can access, considering the internet does not filter. With no proper supervision, young learners can access sites either too obscene or too graphics for their age.