Published on October 15th, 2020 | by Amanda Booska

How Technology Can (and Does) Improve Education

As technology continues to register massive growth, so do the methods for assembling and sharing information. Today, tons of educational materials and the latest scientific information are readily available. This, coupled with developments in personal computing is not only applications but also general hardware, is an indication that there are loads of new tools and techniques that can be used to enhance student learning outcomes. Here are 6 ways technology can (and does) improve education.

1. New and Modernized Designs of Educational Materials

Technology has been instrumental in the improvement of books and educational materials. About three decades ago books consisted of black and white pictures and text. Fonts were difficult to read and books were extremely small. On top of that, books were the only educational materials.

But technology has significantly transformed educational materials. The quality is top-notch. Today, books are attention-grabbing, consists of colorful images, detailed diagrams, and well-drawn charts. Books are now appealing. In fact, it’s easy to grasp the content of the chapter by just reviewing its images and charts.

Now there are tons of fonts to back different sentiments and facts in the books. Now educational materials have expanded from only books to include notes, apps, videos, eBooks, charts, infographics, data visualizations, and smart arts. What’s more, tools like Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, PowerPoint, Corel Draw, stock images, Excel, and many other IT products are instrumental in creating and designing different kinds of educational materials.

2. Improved Communication

Communication is an important part of any successful activity. As far as education is involved, effective communication is a must. Technological growth has bridged up communication gaps and streamlined the flow of knowledge. By leveraging online collaboration tools, one can easily establish a community where teachers can assign tasks to the learners in real-time and students may also seek clarifications. Learners may also engage in meaningful interactions with each other, share notes and documents, and find appropriate solutions to their subject-related issues.

3. Effective Assessments

Besides helping teachers to formulate effective practice exercises, technology also enables them to evaluate the progress of their students. There are many digital assessment tools that can help teachers to measure progress on a regular basis. These tools keep records up-to-date more effortlessly and accurately. They allow teachers to establish if a student gave a correct answer to a specific question and the amount of time they spent on that question. Through these assessments, teachers gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the student. From there, they can come up with appropriate interventions

4. Embrace Tablet Learning

Kids love using tablets, so they are more suitable for real learning. For this reason, more schools should embrace tablet learning at all levels. With this model, kids can complete assignments, submit them, and get their results in real-time. They can also use their tablets to access a broad range of free educational videos.

5. Take Advantage of Online Educational Platforms

As the number of online educational platforms like Udacity, Coursera, and Khan Academy increase, so do the number of people pursuing studies in the world’s best universities. This trend is unlikely to stop any time soon, with universities beginning to offer real degrees for completing online courses (perhaps with in-person exams).

6. Fun Learning

Students enjoy learning and retain more when they practice. The incorporation of technology in education has made learning more fun than ever. Students are able to understand and retain new concepts because they are engaged in a plethora of learning tasks.

With the increased access to devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones, the number of educational applications that enable learners to master numerous concepts in a playful way has skyrocketed. What’s more, students can live stream videos online to improve their understanding of a given idea, topic, or concept.

For instance, you can also leverage the classroom to show the concept of seed germination and plant growth by setting up a little indoor garden. As a teacher, you can guide your students to plant flowers and other greens that don’t need much time to grow, and they can water them periodically and track their growth. If your classroom doesn’t get much natural sunlight exposure, your school can invest in some LED grow lights that will also stimulate the plants’ development, so the learning process is effective and time-efficient

Final Thoughts

Technology is a powerful tool that enhances the quality of education in so many ways. It can make learning more interesting, improve communication, and provide reliable tools for assessing the learners’ progress. Schools should invest in new technologies that have the potential of enhancing the learning outcomes of their students.

Tags: improve, technology

About the Author

Amanda Booska Amanda Booska is a speech pathologist with over 8 years of experience in working with children, adults, in acute care, rehabilitation, and community-based services. She is interested in augmentative communication, community capacity building, and enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities.