The education sector has seen a technological revolution just like many areas of the economy. Education technology or Ed-tech is a broad topic encompassing the use of computers, completing assignments online, and pursuing online courses. Children who are still in school have ventured into the world of digital learning but even older and more mature students can take part in the online mba programs in PA. When we study virtual reality techniques, we embrace Ed-tech. Now that books have now been formatted into downloadable content, almost every student is expected to have a smart device. The new learning structure focuses on personalized training to enhance individual learning competence. As software applications improve, we expect to see greater additions to curriculums. Like any other form of innovation, there are both benefits and drawbacks of Ed-tech.
The Upside
The Coronavirus pandemic changed all spheres of our lives, including education. But we have to keep learning. The unprecedented push to online studies comes with many benefits. Even commercial digital learning platforms are now offering support for free. This section reflects on the positive side arising from the hasty adoption of Ed-tech.
User Engagement
Smart learning software offers tailored sessions and engaging materials like videos (this Masterclass review suggests that there are even online classes with videos from famous faces leading the learning, which will instantly help people engage with the content). This improves the learning impact for better results. If we have questions, we can immediately search for the answer online. Where the concepts are difficult to explain, tutors can source more materials online.
Cost-Effectiveness
The cost of hiring an online tutor is by far less than building learning institutions and maintaining educational facilities like physical libraries. The cost of buying hard copy books can be very expensive. But we spend less money when we equip both learners and tutors with smart devices like smartphones, iPads, and tablets. All we need is reliable broadband to access online educational resources.
Standardizing Education
Any school can receive a quality education as long as they are well-funded. But with good internet access, we can get the same education standards across the board. Many degrees are now available online so that anyone can access them no matter where they are located.
Bridging the Gap between Classwork and Reality
Education technology is changing how we consume information. We don’t just study. We also want to see if it is practical outside of the classroom. Since we can access digital study materials anywhere and anytime, we can adjust our study time to suit our lifestyle. This means there is a lot of free time we could use to apply the concepts we have grasped.
Perfecting Digital Skills
The more we communicate with online trainers, the more we perfect email formatting. Many times, we will be troubleshooting computer problems hence polishing our skills by the day. With time, we get comfortable creating well-crafted project presentations. We will need these tools in our career and personal life ahead. Online behavior is raising a generation of tech-savvy professionals and giving them an edge over the old-school generation. Even if you’re an old-school educator, you can still learn all of these courses and assist your students with whatever they need. If you’re not sure where to look for an appropriate course, try searching online for “Dominican University of California courses for teachers” or other similar keywords.
Individualized programs
Teaching new students in understaffed schools can be a boring undertaking. Students possess different learning capabilities hence the need for personalized schedules. Some online programs can track the students’ progress and assess areas they have mastered or failed. Understanding the learning patterns of a student allows tutors to design individualized programs. All they need are customizable software to fill the needs of each student. Custom school admin software can hence, bridge the gap between students and teachers wherein each individual can learn from the software their course material, know about their online testing and assignments, teacher schedules, school calendar, and much more. A customized school admin software can also ease the physical burden on overburdened administrators and integrate and streamline their daily work.
The Downside
Learning new skills anywhere and anytime offers greater opportunities. But there are a few drawbacks of this revolution that have been spearheaded by a social distancing lifestyle. Here are the disadvantages of education technology.
No Human Connection
The increased proliferation of internet-based courses is forcing us to lose touch with peers. Though we can communicate on social media, we still need interpersonal skills to develop our professional and personal lives. Digital literacy comes with anti-social inclinations and some people could forget important verbal communication skills. How shall we learn how to present ourselves in offline interviews? To have a fulfilling social life, we need more one-on-one meetups.
Distractions
Distractions are probably the greatest disadvantage of studying over the internet. Our devices and environment can distract us in many ways. Sometimes we end up playing games in the middle of a lesson or chatting on Facebook while completing an assignment. It takes a lot of discipline to use Ed-tech while keeping off the social media trap.
Whether we are taking studies online or our kids are having virtual classes, we must weigh the pros and cons of Ed-tech. It may not be a solution for everyone. Younger kids still need classrooms before they can use the internet. But there are ways we could limit the disadvantages. For example, we can install kid-monitoring apps on our children’s tablets. We should also promote healthy habits like switching off smartphones during bedtime and keeping off any gadget at the dining table.
