How Technology Changed Learning in 12 Ways

Education  

Students used to be inspired by colorful textbooks, fun notebooks and flashy pens. Today, they are interested in the lectures only when they are provided through slides, videos, and other visual presentations. What does all of this technology mean for the classroom?

With the great contributions technology has made to the educational process, even the most traditional teachers agree that it has changed the face of learning in a very positive way. Students approach education with much more enthusiasm when they know they can use their favorite devices in class. The times have changed. Students used to be inspired by colorful textbooks, fun notebooks and flashy pens. Today, they are interested in the lectures only when they are provided through slides, videos, and other visual presentations.

Have you ever thought about the specific ways how technology has changed the way students learn? We present 12 of them in the continuation.

1. Plain Poster Boards Evolved into Multimedia Posters

Older generations remember the science or history presentation boards they used to create. They were considered fun, but they cannot be compared to today’s multimedia posters. Advanced tools, such as Glogster, changed the way these projects are being created. Students can now create personalized and interactive multimedia posters that add another level of enthusiasm to homework assignments.

2. Evolved Communication

Teachers can now assign homework through online tools and monitor their students’ progress as they are working on papers and assignments. When a student has to take some time off school due to any reason, the teacher can stay connected with him, so the gap in knowledge won’t be that great when he returns into the classroom.

3. Evolved Essay Writing Process

Essays, research papers, lab reports, and all other projects used to be the most torturous assignments for the students before the technology era. They had to spend days in the library to locate sources for a simple essay. Today, all information is available online, so the research process can be handled much more smoothly. Students can even rely on an essay writing service when they don’t have the needed skills to write a particular paper. They can collaborate with trained and experienced writers who guide them through the essay writing process.

4. Contemporary Education Meets the Needs of Individual Learners

The class is no longer perceived as a group; educators look at it as a collection of multiple intelligences. Technology enables a teacher to monitor the progress of individual learners, so they can adapt the teaching approach and assignments in a way that doesn’t make some students feel inferior to others.

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5. Learning Is No Longer Limited to the Classroom

Edmodo and other online platforms make learning possible at any time, from any place. The classroom is extended into the online community, so teachers and students can use these platforms to post and discuss assignments. In addition, students can collaborate with each other throughout the creation of a project without being limited by space and time.

6. Children With Special Needs Have Access to Appropriate Content

Speech-recognition programs are a big trend at the moment. Students with special needs, as well as those with below-average English proficiency can communicate effectively in language-based contexts.

7. Chalk Boards Are History!

Students are encouraged to engage in the learning process through much more powerful platforms like Smart Boards. New online tools and programs are being developed by the day. Teachers can explain the lectures much more effectively through videos and online presentations, so the chalk boards went to history.

8. eBooks Are Taking the Place of Textbooks

Let’s be realistic: textbooks are expensive, and it’s not easy for the student to store them once the course is over. He would surely need to refresh his memory at one point or another, but it would be hard for him to locate the right book in the pile, and discover the needed information in the text. Everything is easier with eBooks. The future of education is bright: students will no longer carry heavy backpacks around, and they will easily store all learning materials in a single device.

Now, most textbooks are paired with websites that provide additional educational materials, videos, animations, and interactive assessments that support the traditional content

9. No Need for Disorganized Notebooks

There is nothing messier than a student’s notebook. A laptop, tablet, or even a smartphone can serve as a note-taking device. The student can keep everything neat in folders with clean, searchable text.

10. More Learning Resources

Students of previous generations relied on the teacher and textbook as the main sources of knowledge. Today, the world is the source of knowledge. They can access any information they need with a single Google search.

11. iPad Educational Apps

The iPad is a real game-changer. There are tons of educational games that are taking place in the classroom. Stack the States, Math Ninja and iWriteWords are only three of the many successful examples. Students of all ages love learning through games, so the iPad has made education more appealing than ever before.

12. Interactive Learning

Today’s textbooks are not limited to the combination of text and images. Most of the contemporary textbooks are paired with websites that provide additional educational materials, videos, animations, and interactive assessments that support the traditional content.

The Advantages of Technology Outweigh the Drawbacks

Yes, students can get distracted when their teachers allow the usage of iPads and smartphones in the classroom. However, when the learning environment is under control and the teacher chooses the right EdTech resources, the students gain immense benefits and the educational process becomes more appealing.                     

By Melody Cleo

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