Technology is always changing, as is its relationship with the world of education. Educators around the world are consistently working to keep up with all of the new capabilities provided by new developments in the world of technology.
No one has yet to decide whether technology drives our educations or whether education drives enhancements in technology, but one thing remains true. Teaching and technology will forever come hand in hand. Check out a few of the coolest ways in which the two concepts collide in the classroom.
Earn a degree without ever leaving home
There are hundreds of online universities that offer a broad range of career paths and educational learning objectives. For example, one great online university by the name of Maryville even offers doctoral programs from the comfort of home.
Online universities work the same, financially, as do traditional brick and mortar schools. Financial aid and student loans are available to students who qualify and fill out their yearly FAFSA forms.
Advanced smart boards in the classroom
Say goodbye to the old, trusty, chalkboards. Smart boards have taken over classrooms everywhere. The interactive qualities of the new boards are absolutely insane compared to what students and teachers were working with twenty years ago.
Smartboards have the ability to serve every purpose necessary. No longer do teachers need to switch between media devices to pull together a multifaceted lesson. Interactive learning is as simple as a push of a button.
iPads and Tablets
iPads and tablets in the classroom have become quite common. Some classrooms work strictly from these devices. Students keep all their work save in the cloud and teachers are free to access it at any time. There is no more getting by with the age-old excuse that the dog ate a student’s homework.
Virtual classroom
By using sites such as Agora.io, educators can now create a virtual classroom that enables students to learn from home. This involves the use of a global network that can reach very small villages that might be challenged in accessing education. The teachers are able to use a combination of tools including video chats, real-time messaging, online whiteboards that can match the student’s individual learning style.
From passive to active learning
Technology has reformatted the way in which students learn. Instead of sitting for hours and writing down endless amounts of information at lightning speed, students now learn interactively.
When a student does not fully grasp a concept, they now turn to mobile apps or search Google for pages of extra information on the subject. They are actively pursuing understanding. Technology has become a tool for active education.
Personalized learning experiences
The most important and beautiful factor of technology integrating itself into the classroom is that teachers are now more able to cater to each student’s individual capacity to learn, and more importantly the student’s learning style.
Every individual learns at their own rate and in their own way. Technology has not yet allowed for the demolition of standardized testing, but it has provided a ray of light in the proverbial darkness of America’s educational system.
