TECH EDUCATION

Use Of Technology In Education

By Philip Yiga | January 19, 2017

One thing that is for sure is that technology brings about basic structural changes that can be very essential when it comes to obtaining noteworthy improvements in productivity. Today, it is being used a lot to support both learning and teaching as it is infused in the classrooms through digital learning tools for example handheld devices and computers that are very crucial in expanding experiences, course offerings and materials for learning. The teachers of today have learnt how to bring together technology in their classes while the students are becoming a lot more interested in using technology while learning. Through technology, we longer have any educational boundaries through the teachers and students that are now able to work together in real time while using an advanced educational technology that is online. That is why majority of the universities and colleges have now embraced online education through creating virtual classrooms. This provides privilege to all the students worldwide to enjoy the same education as the ones especially in developed countries but without having to spend a lot of money. Online education has also promoted flexibility in education as students can now have class during their free time and also an opportunity to interact with other students. So what are some of the uses if technology in education?

Provides easy access to educational resources: one of the uses of technology in education is that it is able to provide a very easy access to educational resources by any person, anywhere. This is because there are very many open educational resources that teachers and students can obtain online. Most of these resources are reserved under the public domain and then freely made available to any person through the World Wide Web. Some of these educational resources include pod-casts, e-books, videos, libraries, games, instructions, tutorials and so much more. There are very many teachers that have now embraced online sites like Youtube, TeacherTube, 02 Learn which is a hosting platform that they can use to upload lectures and this way the students that might have missed class can get it from there. These lessons are provided for free to the students. There is also a growing use of cell phones for educational purposes so as to assist them access educational data especially while using some Edtech apps and so much more.
Unlocks educational boundaries: another use of technology today is its ability to unlock educational boundaries through supporting virtual online learning. The problem with physical classrooms is that they are not as flexible as the online studying that allows people of various geographical locations to attend the same type of class without having to travel. There has been an increasing advancement in virtual technology that has boosted face to face communication among the students and the teachers while in the virtual world. This way, the students can be able to ask questions to their remote based educators while making use of virtual communication like an example is through using Skype. Another use of technology in education is that it makes a variety of educational courses and materials easy to get to any person in the world. It is for that reason why many universities and colleges have decided to blend their educational systems while using the online learning tools. This will assist the students in this kind of institution to have enough flexibility through learning from any location.
Makes learning subjects simpler: there are a number of different software that are educational and have been created to assist the students be able to easily learn different subjects. Some of the problematic courses that a number of students have complained about is math which they believe is difficult but with the use of some of these software for instance BrainingCamp, they will make the equations simple to understand. If you are a student then you can use this BrainingCamp to assist you apply the knowledge and skills in math that you have to solve all the difficult equations in math and make math much more fun. There are also other websites like for instance learninggameforkids.com, IXL.COM and so much more that will assist any student of different grades to be able to easily learn simple math basics. Furthermore there is the Edalive.com site that both the students and the teachers can gain benefit from and learn or teach any subject in a much more fun way.
Increases innovation and creativity: it is very important for a child to go to school and learn how to be very innovative and creative so that they don’t have to fully rely on jobs in the future but instead can make their own and that is why technology is very important in education. Nowadays a number of teachers have discovered that incorporating technology in their classrooms will maximize a student’s commitment in the classroom. And it is for that reason why they have decided to place technological competitions in which the students are encouraged and told to make small educational technologies like for instance mobile applications, robots, smart-pens and so much more. So these technological competitions are the reason why you will find very many students under such a system with a high level of innovation and creativity in them and they will be more ready in the future for difficult tasks placed before them as compared to the students who never ever had such privileges.
Motivates the students: there is something about technology that will really excite and motivate the students. It is for that reason why most schools are using technological tools in education so that the students are motivated like through using computer based instructions that allows the students feel like they are in total control as they learn. Very many teachers now publish educational instructions on classroom blogs or send research assignments through email and therefore the student will not feel much pressured as they have enough time to study on their own. This also gives them courage to make mistakes since the computers they are using will be very patient with them as compared to human beings. There has also recently been the use of Gamification educational technologies that have widened the interest of the students in learning today. Most teachers have also adapted to using puzzles and video games that are education to teach the students some of the ways in which they can solve difficult academic challenges and this makes the students more interested in learning thus the motivation.
Betters writing and learning skills: the introduction of technology in education like for instance the use of computers in the classroom is very important because it has assisted majority of the students to learn how to write sentences and paragraphs that are well composed as compared to the traditional paper writing. This is because computers are constructed with word processing application applications with in-built dictionaries that assist the student’s auto-correct spelling errors and also corrects their grammars in a sentence that has been constructed. There are also now some English teaching software on the internet as well as mobile applications for instance BUSUU that students can make use of. Such an app will assist you be able to learn a number of languages online and they also obtain access to grammar guides that have been provided only by knowledgeable publishers. Another app that has improved on the writing and learning skills of the students is the Blogger and WordPress that many teachers have encouraged their students to make use of and develop their personal blogs and that is how they are able to express themselves and then share their skills with their friends. It is through that kind of blog that has led to the increase of many skilled writers today.
Increases teamwork among students and teachers: the introduction of technology in education has greatly improved on the teamwork that is there among the students and the teachers today. This is mainly through the advanced communication technologies in which the teachers are able to easily reach their students and the other way round in real-time. There are a number of mobile texting applications like for instance the Remind101.com that teachers can use to text up the students especially about an upcoming test or they can also use it to assign the students research topics. There are also other educational social networks like ePals.com that allows students be able to connect with some experienced educators. Another site is the social bookmarking site like Pinterest.com that assist the students be able to work together and then even follow some of these creative educators and teachers all over the world. It is through these kinds of interactions that students especially the shy ones are given equal opportunity to interact and better their grades without having to go through a one to one.
Supports differentiated instructions: another use of technology in education is through the support of differentiated instructions. There are times when a student or a number of students might feel left out and this can’t be the problem if a teacher uses technology to cater for each and every students needs either in or outside the classroom. They can do this through using a classroom assessment software as well as performance tracking programs that is designed to assist teachers plan for each of the students basing on their learning capability and performance. This way the teacher will be able to classify their students and then know where each of them has a weakness or strength in regards of education and work along those areas. There are also a number of mobile applications for example the PollEverywhere.com that can be used to get the response from the students about any topic or subject. Better still there are also group effort tools like Piazza.com that is created to assist the teachers produce a virtual classroom and then assign some research work to the students. This platform can also be used by the teacher to answer arising questions from the students from anywhere even if it’s across boundaries.
Endorses personal learning: there are quite a number of technological tools that can be used in education to assist boost on personal learning of the students. Some of these technological tools include things like the cell phones and the internet that will provide the students with a chance to learn on their own. There are many students today that would rather teach themselves or discover some information and this way they will be able to test the different options provided and be able to solve most tasks provided at school. They can do this through using some of the interactive educational games and software to assist them create diverse academic skills in education. Like for instance if a student is offering Art and Design then they can make use of the Photoshop software to assist them be able to learn a number of diverse designs as well as editing skills. However you should be aware that the process of using this Photoshop might be quite tricky but you should never give up and that is how you will learn through those mistakes and become better at it. Furthermore while using cell phones as a tool for educations, the students are encouraged to download some podcasts that are educational from the internet in which they can listen to while they are out of school like at home.
Prepares students for technological jobs in the future: finally the use of technology in education is so as to prepare the students for technological jobs in the future while they are done with school. This is because technology today is almost at the center of everything and it keeps advancing on a daily that is why you need to have technical skills that you will apply in one way or another. Computers in classrooms can be used by students to develop creative applications that can be used on tablets or cell phones for the purpose of education. There are very many advantages associated with knowing how to use a computer because most of the popular jobs today might be of no value in the nearby future because of the advancement in technology whereby there will be automatic solutions to most tasks.