With the advancement in technology, there are many changes in the way people operate. For instance, it is possible to hold a board meeting when those involved are in different locations. Moreover, employees can now work from remote locations. That improves business productivity.
Education is not left behind either. The days when physical books were the only source of subject information are gone. There are eBooks online that both teachers and students can utilize when they need to research. However, they should be cautious as some websites may give misleading information.
What are the advantages of using technological devices in education? Here are a few:
- Online education
People no longer have to attend physical classes due to digital technology. Many universities offer online courses. This means that the cost of education has reduced, and even those with strict schedules can still learn. In simple terms, education has become more accessible.
- Students understand concepts better
With the advancement in technology, teachers do not use traditional teaching methods alone. They can utilize technological applications to ensure the students understand the concepts. For instance, PowerPoint presentation slides are used to illustrate points in the form of pictorials and graphs.
- Evaluation is easy
With the advancement in technology, teachers now issue online assignments to their students. They review the papers submitted from wherever they are and give feedback. Instructors easily give personalized comments to enable the students to improve.
However, there are also cases where technology makes academic performance worse. For instance, students are distracted by social networking sites. They end up not understanding what is taught in class. Moreover, some teachers oppose the application of technology in their classes.
Although technology is good and is beneficial to education, it should be used appropriately. Some tips that help in ensuring all the goal of technology are achieved include:
Involvement of all Stakeholders Before Implementation
One of the hurdles that prevent technology from achieving the intended goal is opposition from those who are supposed to implement it. For instance, the parents may feel that a given technology may only prevent their children from performing well. On the other hand, the instructors may be of the opinion that technology takes their jobs by offering essay help. Students may use the technological device as a source of entertainment instead of a source to facilitate learning.
How can such scenarios be prevented? School management should hold a meeting with all the stakeholders and explain the objective that certain technology is supposed to achieve. If there are people who do not understand it, they should be trained in its use. That way, the transition could be smooth, and the goals of the application could be achieved faster.
More importantly, teachers should be encouraged to explain their fears concerning a certain application. If they genuinely feel it’s not appropriate, school management should halt the implementation. Good technology is one that enables teachers to use a few good resources to meet the learning objectives.
The School Should Establish a Strict Technology Policy
In other cases, technology fails because there are no policies to guide its usage. Teachers should create rules that guide how technology is used within the class environment. For instance, they can restrict their usage to specific topics. Moreover, websites that distract students can be blocked from these devices. Students should also account for the areas where they use these technology items. That way, the utilization of these applications is restricted to education and improvement of academic performance.
However, that does not mean that the class should be completely dull. A few educational games can be installed on these devices. Moreover, instructors should explain to the students as to the reasons for the restrictions.
Proper Monitoring of Class Activities
Teachers should not assume that the students will always be responsible as they use technological devices in class. As such, there is a need for proactivity to ensure that nothing goes wrong. One of the methods of ensuring that the applications are put to good use by the students is to walk around the class environment and guide the students when they are stuck.
Moreover, students are unlikely to make mistakes when they know the teacher could easily discover what they are doing. That means the layout of the classroom should be right.
Technology cannot be detached from education. It is here to stay. If anything, it improves how educational instructions are delivered. It is upon the implementers to use it properly.
