Technology has impacted every aspect of our lives today, and education is no exception. The fact that today’s students will enter a workforce which is digitised is prompting many schools to change what and how children should be learning. The traditional approach where the teacher is lecturing the students cannot be carried on as new technologies impart information to students in ways that are often more interactive and easier for them to understand.
New technologies such as digital smart boards, digital labs, and digital libraries are driving learning in classrooms making it easier for students to learn and teachers to teach. With high speed internet and digital technology, teachers can project diagrams, documents, and videos onto boards to aid their explanations. Many subjects, such as the sciences, require such methods, as for example, how an engine works is much easier to understand when students can see the theory come to life.
Digitisation means having an endless supply of knowledge at your fingertips. It means no topic has to be restricted to students- if they wish to write about an exotic plant for biology, they can simply search up the information on the internet and so expand their knowledge of the world.
Technology also enables a more interactive experience. With large classrooms of more than forty students, it’s impossible for the teacher to gauge how much each student understands. The quiet ones are unlikely to put their hands up to answer questions or ask for help when they need it.
However, through online quizzes, assessments and polls, teachers can privately check to see that each student is on track, without the effort of having to separately mark each student’s worksheet. With applications such as Google Classrooms and Edmodo, collaboration between students is also easily possible in real-time. Students can edit the same documents, create presentations together, and see the teacher’s learning plans and resources so that they are on the same page. Teachers can efficiently monitor the student’s participation through technology as they can see who wrote something and who didn’t.
Technology goes beyond the classroom, aiding students in their homes as well. Teachers can record their lessons on podcasting applications such as synth as share the files with students to view whenever they need to brush up on the topic. This ensures students have access to resources while completing their homework, and don’t feel lost or behind.
A technologically advanced classroom will greatly benefit both students and teachers. In order to harness the power of online learning, schools must ensure that their classrooms are equipped with the latest technology and high speed broadband connections. Broadband providers like Hathway Broadband provide high speed broadband for homes and schools. Check out broadband plans here:
