Technology is assisting teachers to expand past linear, text-based education and engage learners who study best in other ways. The role of technology education in schools has changed from contained computer classes into versatile learning tools that could change how concepts are demonstrated, projects are assigned and progress is assessed. However, despite these openings, technology adoption by schools is still everything but ubiquitous. Here is a look at 8 ways through which technology is improving education.
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1. Global Learning
Students are now able to set up lessons in which they learn language with the help of a native speaker living in another country. They attend the lessons through videoconferencing. Learning through social interaction, learning from native speakers and getting exposed to the perspective of another culture are all educational benefits of technology in education.
2. Better Simulations and Models
Digital models and simulations can help teachers clarify concepts that are too small or too big, or processes that occur too slowly or too quickly to be demonstrated in physical classrooms. Concord Consortium, a non-profitable organization that builds technologies for science, math and engineering education, is a leader in developing a free of charge, open source software that can be used by teachers to model concepts.
3. Virtual Manipulatives
If you are learning concerning the relationship between percents, fractions and decimals, it is better to have your teacher provide you with a virtual manipulative instead of have you draw graphs or even do a sequence of problems which changes just a single variable in a similar equation.
4. Probes and Sensors
Approximately 15 years ago, founders of Concord Consortium got the auto focus sensor from a Polaroid camera and linked it up to a computerized graph program, thus creating the capacity to graph motion concurrently. Today, there are classrooms everywhere in the world using ultrasonic motion detectors in demonstrating concepts. Collecting real-time information via probes and sensors has many educational implications. Learners can test pH using a pH probe, compute dew point using a temperature sensor among other things.
5. More Efficient Assessment
Simulations and models, beyond being a powerful concept teaching tool, can also offer teachers a much richer image of how learners understand them. The teacher can also ask learners questions, as well as multiple choice questions, which do a great job at evaluating how well learners pick up vocabulary.
6. Storytelling and Multimedia
Asking kids to learn via multimedia projects is an excellent type of project based learning which teaches teamwork. It is also a great way of motivating learners who are excited to produce something that will be seen by their peers. Additionally, it makes sense to include a technology component that has become so important to the world out of the classroom.
7. E-books
Despite students’ obvious preference for paper textbooks, promoters are ready to change to digital. Electronic textbook vendors such as CourseSmart are launching to assist them. E-books have an unimaginable prospective for innovating education, although as it has already been discovered by some schools, not all of that prospective has been realized yet.
8. Epistemic Games
These games put learners in roles like journalist, engineer or city planner and request them to work out real-world issues. Numerous examples showing how immersing learners in the adult world via commercial game-like simulations helps students learn vital concepts have been provided by the Epistemic Games Group.
Michael gets to use his love for technology every day in his role as an online Mcle Law course provider. He also takes his work home with him and writes about law, technology and education.
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