CultusAccording to usnews.com, 78% of K-12 teachers believe that technology has a positive influence on the classroom, producing more productive and active students. Technology is radically changing the way our children are learning. Education coupled with new technology is providing for more active and independent learning, wider access to information, a whole new perspective on learning, a more personalized learning experience, more self-sufficient students, and an increase in the self-esteem of students. In the article below you will be able to read about the six ways technology is changing the classroom in our education today.
Active and independent learning
Instead of the typical passive role between student and teacher, technology allows children to actively learn by encouraging students to make choices while playing games and interacting with different learning platforms. Additionally, computers and iPads are allowing children to learn more independently. Instead of the teacher lecturing the class, students can learn the same information by actively searching the web or utilizing an app.
Access to information
Libraries have long been coveted as the main source for all educational research endeavors. Physical libraries, however, can only hold so much information. Because funding is variable, students’ access to information can widely vary. With the emergence of the internet and computers, however, students everywhere are able to access global databases containing more information than any physical library could hold. Such access has become a great equalizer in classrooms. Not only is the information to be found virtually limitless, but it is also more easily attainable. Instead of needing to locate the right book and then read or skim through to find the information, students are able to instantaneously receive an answer in the form of a webpage.
Perspective
Technology is providing students with a whole new perspective on learning. It is one thing to read or see pictures of a fly magnified 100 times, but it is another thing all together to have the experience of using a microscope yourself to discover a whole new perspective. Affordable digital microscopes from places like www.microscope.com also plug into a PC or Mac and allow the teacher to project the microscope image onto a classroom board in real time, a feature that brings the whole class into the action.
Personalized learning
Technology has allowed for a much more personal, one-on-one experience for students. Utilizing an app or online PowerPoint presentation can allow each child to learn at their own pace and in their own way. Students are offered more varied teaching methods rather than just one teacher and their preferred method. This significantly benefits students who learn better in less traditional ways.
Self sufficiency
Washingtonpost.com explains how internet research tools have created more self-sufficient researchers than in previous generations. Educationworld.com agrees, claiming that graduates need much less assistance in utilizing basic computer programs. The students are engaged in learning when technology is involved. They are prompted to push buttons, navigate challenging questions, and receive instantaneous feedback all without any teacher interaction. Promoting self-sufficient students will create more successful adults and stimulates serious private research.
Increased self esteem
According to www2.ed.gov, the most common effect of technology in classrooms was an increase in student motivation. Technology is valued outside the classroom and incorporating it into student learning gives students a more satisfactory sense of accomplishment. The immediate computer feedback and lack of public embarrassment is shown to significantly increase self-esteem. Such confidence and pride in learning creates an ideal mindset for student success.
Education which utilizes new technology is propelling learning forward and creating a happier, more self-sufficient generation of graduates. Traditional methods of teaching and the iconic chalkboard are slowly giving way to a highly technology-based learning experience. The advantages are as endless as the technology itself!
