Technology has changed pretty much every facet of life over the years, and education is no exception. With today’s generation of children who grow up knowing how to use laptops, tablets and smartphones, the average classroom has had to make some pretty dramatic changes over the past few years. If you’re curious about what we missed out on, here are some of the ways in which tech has changed the classroom…
Education Continues Outside the Classroom
With the popularity and accessibility of mobile tech, education is no longer confined to the walls of the classroom. This has made teacher’s jobs much easier, as they can monitor assignments from any device and rely on measures like online backup for schools. However, it’s also had a pretty profound impact on the students themselves. As soon as an assignment is available, students can get to work on it in the classroom, at home, riding the bus, during lunch and so on. Although it’s still in its infancy, mobile learning is poised to totally bridge the gap between in-class and home education.
Textbooks are On Their Way Out
If you’re like me, you may have fond memories of going back to school and being given the task of covering all your new textbooks. This crafty ritual was a great way to inject a little more fun into the first days of term, but sadly it’s starting to be phased out by the progress of technology. With so many different devices being used in and out of the classroom, eBooks are gradually becoming the preferred format. They’re cheaper, more up-to-date, sometimes interactive, and can be accessed by anyone with a mobile device. Although the paper textbook isn’t totally extinct, this isn’t far off!
A Change in Student-Teacher Roles
Technology in the classroom has also had a pretty big impact on the traditional roles of students and teachers. Students at all levels of education have become considerably more active and engaged. Rather than a teacher relaying information and expecting the student to soak it up, they’ve become more of a facilitator than a simple dispenser. As more children grow up learning to use the internet, and how to search for the information they need to succeed in education, the roles of teachers are going to become more and more active, rather than based around reading out-loud from books. This brings me onto my final point…
More Personalised Learning Experiences
Technology in and out of the classroom has also given teachers more flexibility to customise lessons according to the student’s specific learning style. Over time, higher-ups in education have stopped seeing students as one homogenous mass, and more as individuals who need different solutions to different problems. These days, it’s pretty much a given that teachers will go out of their way to make sure every student is learning in a way that suits them. Various pieces of tech have allowed teachers to dispense information using a range of visual, auditory and interactive cues, assuring that no child gets left behind.
