How Technology is Redefining Education

Once upon a time, slates and chalks redefined education to make it easier for kids to practice what they learnt be it math, chemistry or art. Nature was the lesson that teachers taught, notebooks and slates the medium through which it was fixed into the minds of their students. The birth of modern technology from computers to the internet to smart phones and smart tablets has revolutionized the field of education making it an essential tool in a teachers toolkit to lead lively, colorful scholastic sessions that aid in the holistic development of a child.

This isn’t just applicable for at school learning, this is applicable for parents as well to further the education of their young ones making use of all the applicable tech to broaden their horizons. Technology has allowed more access to information, tutorials, courses, ideas and a wide array of subjects to the attention of children, parents, teachers and the educational system alike.

The pandemic played a major role in propelling the use of technology in education, from the use of online platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to the higher rise of students taking up online learning and courses on topics of their interests. It has helped in the further development and rise of distance education, enabling students and teachers to interact, share content, learn and be taught all the while maintaining the same vitality as seen in classrooms. Let us delve into the major ways by which technology has made a positive impact on education-

• Resources Availability

Access to information is crucial for teaching and learning. And before technology and the internet, this was vastly limited to textbooks and library books. With the rise in the use of technology, content availability has increased tenfold as it isn’t limited by the number of pages in a book or even the number of books available. Rather, it is readily accessible to all the members of the educational community, from teachers to parents and most importantly, the children. Books are commodities that aren’t always available to the masses due to a variety of reasons, be it funding or their prices. Technology has made educational content available through videos, massive open online courses, free pdf format textbooks and even through the regular google searches that are readily available through the internet and can reveal the relevant information to the users.

• Collaborative Activity

Earlier, education was strictly limited to classrooms, however, technology has made it possible for students to interact freely with peers beyond their classrooms and build social relationships that aren’t confined to it. It has also given more accessibilities to research personnel, explorers, and other experts in various fields who can give them a valuable insight through webinars, video conferences, blog posts, social media and more, allowing them to witness the processes and understand the mechanics behind anything in a more practical sense rather than being entirely theoretically oriented. Students can also carry out group activities without any hassle by using apps like Google Docs, Canva and more to efficiently collaborate and put forth a joint effort.

• Modern/Virtual Classrooms

Gone are the days of using dusty chalks and blackboards to get an idea across. Tech gadgets are even tailormade for classrooms now, from i-boards to computers, all the latest advancements are readily available in classrooms to facilitate as teaching aids for teachers to educate their children. Laptops and even smart tablets are being offered in schools for children that are kid friendly with multiple resources, books, and even educational games that can motivate children through the power of playing, bringing a fun element into the classes! The role of teachers is quickly going from a dominant role to that of a supportive nature, allowing students to take on more responsibility for their studies using technology thus enabling them to collect data and do their own research in

Once upon a time, slates and chalks redefined education to make it easier for kids to practice what they learnt be it math, chemistry or art. Nature was the lesson that teachers taught, notebooks and slates the medium through which it was fixed into the minds of their students. The birth of modern technology from computers to the internet to smart phones and smart tablets has revolutionized the field of education making it an essential tool in a teachers toolkit to lead lively, colorful scholastic sessions that aid in the holistic development of a child.

This isn’t just applicable for at school learning, this is applicable for parents as well to further the education of their young ones making use of all the applicable tech to broaden their horizons. Technology has allowed more access to information, tutorials, courses, ideas and a wide array of subjects to the attention of children, parents, teachers and the educational system alike.

The pandemic played a major role in propelling the use of technology in education, from the use of online platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom to the higher rise of students taking up online learning and courses on topics of their interests. It has helped in the further development and rise of distance education, enabling students and teachers to interact, share content, learn and be taught all the while maintaining the same vitality as seen in classrooms. Let us delve into the major ways by which technology has made a positive impact on education-

• Resources Availability

Access to information is crucial for teaching and learning. And before technology and the internet, this was vastly limited to textbooks and library books. With the rise in the use of technology, content availability has increased tenfold as it isn’t limited by the number of pages in a book or even the number of books available. Rather, it is readily accessible to all the members of the educational community, from teachers to parents and most importantly, the children. Books are commodities that aren’t always available to the masses due to a variety of reasons, be it funding or their prices. Technology has made educational content available through videos, massive open online courses, free pdf format textbooks and even through the regular google searches that are readily available through the internet and can reveal the relevant information to the users.

• Collaborative Activity

Earlier, education was strictly limited to classrooms, however, technology has made it possible for students to interact freely with peers beyond their classrooms and build social relationships that aren’t confined to it. It has also given more accessibilities to research personnel, explorers, and other experts in various fields who can give them a valuable insight through webinars, video conferences, blog posts, social media and more, allowing them to witness the processes and understand the mechanics behind anything in a more practical sense rather than being entirely theoretically oriented. Students can also carry out group activities without any hassle by using apps like Google Docs, Canva and more to efficiently collaborate and put forth a joint effort.

• Modern/Virtual Classrooms

Gone are the days of using dusty chalks and blackboards to get an idea across. Tech gadgets are even tailormade for classrooms now, from i-boards to computers, all the latest advancements are readily available in classrooms to facilitate as teaching aids for teachers to educate their children. Laptops and even smart tablets are being offered in schools for children that are kid friendly with multiple resources, books, and even educational games that can motivate children through the power of playing, bringing a fun element into the classes! The role of teachers is quickly going from a dominant role to that of a supportive nature, allowing students to take on more responsibility for their studies using technology thus enabling them to collect data and do their own research into the topics. This helps the retention of ideas, facts and theories since it’s based on self discovery and research rather than rote learning.

• Anywhere and Everywhere

Technology is ubiquitous now, applicable in almost every facet of our lives, be it making a grocery list to even writing exams! This truly shows the wide applicability and far reaching implications of technology, allowing students to learn and obtain an education, no matter where they are, thus increasing connectivity through use of gadgets like laptops, smartphones etc. Even if they are in different time zones and entirely separate continents, their education or the ability to attend classes and complete their coursework is virtually undisrupted.

• Boosts Experimental Mentality

The integration of technology into education makes for more curious students and individuals. It makes them curious to know more about more. To read and grasp more knowledge based on their current interests, their school syllabus or even to understand the science behind a movie like interstellar! The options are limitless when technology is used as an aid. Kids can even view experiments and laboratory set-ups that might not be readily available to them to peruse or even see in a regular classroom atmosphere. This gives them an insight on possible fields of career, and melds the technological awareness associated with this generation to subjects and topics that influence the world, from social sciences to life sciences and everything in between!

With all these pros ramping up their impressiveness, it is also necessary to understand like every invention, even technology in education has more room for growth and optimization. While technology is truly changing the educational arena, the availability of these resources to all the citizens of our country remains questionable. It can currently be seen that the introduction of technology into education is primarily centered in the urban areas whereas it is still unreachable to much of the rural population. It therefore becomes the prerogative of the government and the education sector to promote these inventions in a cost effective manner in order to ensure that all the children of the country, regardless of their socioeconomic background, get the best education possible.