The world is changing fast. The future of education is being shaped by technology. In the last decade, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in education. It’s gone from being an institution-centered model to one that is now primarily person-centered with technology as a facilitator of people’s needs and desires.
In this blog post, we will explore the various ways that technology is transforming learning for students and teachers alike.
How Technology is transforming education as you know it
Today, there are more ways than ever for students to learn at their own pace, on their own schedule without having to worry about the price of a college education or being forced into a certain program with which they may not be happy.
We’ll explore the exciting changes that technology has brought to education in this blog post.
Here are some developments:
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, the new reality
The human sense of imagination can be an amazing thing. However, Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality(AR) take the imagination to another level. When put together, they can allow for an experience that has a very real impact on education.
In VR, the user is fully immersed in a virtual environment which can simulate anything from sitting in the middle of New York City to walking through the lower chambers of a pyramid in Egypt.
AR, on the other hand, uses devices like smartphones or tablets that project a digital image onto the real world in front of you.
The potential for these types of tools is only just being realized and has enormous implications for the future of education.
Educators around the world are taking advantage of this new technology and integrating it into their lesson plans to provide students with new and exciting learning experiences.
Here are just a few examples of how this is being done:
- Tools like Google Expeditions can allow students to go on expeditions to far-away places without leaving their classroom. They can virtually explore the Titanic shipwreck and see how it would have looked during its heyday. This can allow students to learn historical lessons from a perspective – as if they were there they may not have been able to get before.
- Medical schools are using these tools to help students understand the complexities of human anatomy.
Now, students can use tech like Microsoft HoloLens to explore internal organs and brain structures of human beings in extreme detail in a way that was never before possible.
Additionally, invasive surgical procedures can be simulated which can make it easier for medical schools to prepare students for the rigors of their future profession.
- Abstract concepts especially in science can be made more concrete for students by using VR. AR can be used to create a life-like environment where students can virtually explore a cell, or understand the way tornadoes form.
- Students can use VR to teach themselves languages with the help of products like Mondly. What used to be a too expensive and time-consuming task, is now quick and easy with the help of this new technology.
Think of how much more immersive the experience is for students when they are able to have a complete sensory and emotional understanding, rather than just being told the information.
It’s not just about seeing and hearing a new technology; it’s being able to engage with it as well, which is what makes it so powerful.
Paired with the rise of interest in STEM, AR and VR are poised to change education as we know it.
Artificial Intelligence for better learning
Education is constantly evolving, and it’s getting a little help from the future with artificial intelligence.
AI has been used for years in video games to create lifelike characters and stories. Now, it’s being applied to educational programs for students of all ages.
AI can create personalized lessons for each individual student to help them learn more efficiently by tailoring content and adapting the lesson plan to their pace.
AI is also being applied to adaptive learning systems to help students learn at their own level, and even predict future challenges for them.
This technology can also be used in the classroom to help teachers assess students and respond with targeted guidance.
Other areas where AI has found use in schools include: automating mundane tasks, as AI assistants for teachers, and analyzing student data to determine areas of need.
Education Apps for every student
Mobile technology marks a significant shift in the way we engage with the world, and has provided students with an entirely new set of tools to use in their education.
Students can now have access to a world of educational materials that they never would have been able to get before.
The rise in popularity of e-textbooks and online learning programs has made it easier for students to take courses without having to leave their homes.
Apps like Quizlet and Flashcards by Quizlet, Arbobridge, Kaplan etc. are great resources for students to use when studying or reviewing or when preparing for exams. Play-based apps that can be used in the classroom are also a great way to engage young minds with content.
Others are the so-called brain-training apps, which have been shown to improve cognitive function and memory, game apps like puzzles, quizzes, and geometry.
There are also a large number of apps that help students with learning disabilities or other challenges to become more successful in school.
These tools allow students to be able to learn on their own terms, and are changing the way we think about education.
Videos, more than just lecture
It is said that you and I memorize images and visual information much more quickly than text.
Videos are a great way to learn because they allow you to see the content, hear it in an active way, and also get some background information.
Video content has been shown to increase student engagement, and it’s a great way to make lessons more interesting for students- to make it a more interactive experience.
What’s also great about video content is that students can view it on any device, and at their own pace.
And it’s not just about watching YouTube videos; there are also video lessons on Udemy and other learning sites, video tutorials on YouTube for various subjects, etc.
There are also a number of platforms that provide teachers with a library of videos for their lessons, like Youtube EDU .
As a very versatile educational tool, they are used for many different reasons in the classroom including: introduction, review, or for in-depth coverage of the content.
Videos are a great way to learn, and it’s something that we’ll see more and more of in the future.
Cloud Technology takes education to new heights
If there is one lesson Covid-19 can teach us, it’s that dystopian future predictions are not always far from reality.
What does this have to do with education?
Well, Covid-19 is a virus that could not have been predicted, but it has shown us just how important cloud technology is when it comes to education.
If students can’t get to a physical classroom because of Covid-19, they can still get the same knowledge and skills through online learning.
This means that schools can be located in any region, and that students will have access to the same type of education.
At the heart of all this is cloud technology, which is also needed to store and access personal information.
For instance, teachers and students can use the cloud (Dropbox or Google Drive for example) to store and retrieve video lectures, class notes and lesson plans.
As more schools make the switch, cloud services are becoming essential for teaching and learning in the future.
Education and Technology: Looking Ahead
The future of education is about expansion and innovation, not restriction. Education should be driven by the needs of each individual learner rather than constrained by an institution’s ideas on what a learning experience should entail.
In this future, apps would be king because irrespective of technology, they serve as a bridge between the needs of learners and their content. And app developers would be the new kingmakers.
The best app developers will be the ones who have a sense of what learners need, and they would provide apps that are personalised. Additionally, collaborating with the right app developers also means you have access to a team of experts who can build the type of app you need to the highest standards – anything less and you’re not giving your learners the best chance of success.