Technology and its Influence on Education
Technological advancements have been instrumental in making our lives convenient and easy by simplifying a lot of tasks. None can shy away from the fact that the way technology has advanced in the fields of science, medicine and education, our lives have become significantly better and easier. Education is one field where effective use of technology has revolutionized the way education is being received and imparted and has created more educational opportunities. The integration of educational technologies has benefited both students and teachers by removing educational boundaries and allowing them to collaborate in real time.
From the many advantages of using technology in education, some are listed hereunder:
- Makes learning fun and promotes student engagement – Teaching tools are no longer limited to only books, blackboard or whiteboard, and chalk or markers. With the integration of technology into education, lessons are delivered with the help of images, videos and other graphics which create an exciting learning environment and promotes students’ interest in education.
- Technology makes teaching easy – With limited teaching aids and resources, teaching used to get quite monotonous and sometimes even boring. However, technological advancements have come to the aid of teachers helping them to enhance traditional ways of teaching and keeping students more engaged. Rather than lecturing the students for hours and giving theoretical examples, teachers can now present tough concepts with the help of audio-visual aids which makes them very interesting and easy to understand. This also helps in longer and more effective retention of knowledge gained in class.
- Encourages independent learning – The Internet is one place where you can find vast amount of knowledge about anything and everything. Anything that the students need to know can practically be found on the Internet thus promoting independent learning without the assistance of teachers or parents. There are many apps and websites that provide the latest and updated information on any topic, helping students to acquire knowledge at their own pace, review difficult concepts or skip ahead if they need to.
- Technology is shattering educational boundaries – Virtual or Online Classrooms are a benevolence for the students who are unable to attend regular classes. Today distance learning is a highly trending method to acquire educational skills at one’s own convenience without the hassle of being physically present in the classroom and virtual lessons are slowly taking the place of traditional lectures. Students are able to organize their time in a way that is convenient to them, and easily acquire the knowledge they are interested in.
- Reduced dependability on text books – Technology provides access to open educational resources like electronic books (e-books), pod-casts, digital libraries, educational games, educational videos and instructions, tutorials and much more. And as these resources are more accessible and are in abundance, it might very well reduce the cost of textbooks. Converting textbooks into a digital format also means that students may no longer need to buy a textbook. And though, at this point, it might seem to be a thing of the future, introducing digital textbooks can significantly reduce the use of paper to environmental benefits.
The impact that technology has had on education, is quite significant and technology in the classroom is becoming more and more predominant. This widespread adoption of technology has completely changed how teachers teach while students are using advanced technology to shape how they learn. Thus we can say that by embracing and integrating technology, we are preparing our students up for a successful life outside of school.