The methods we use to educate students to evolve along with the world. It’s no secret that technological advances have been accelerating in recent decades, and as a result, educational technology is evolving. Technology in the classroom can improve and support learning and teaching practices. But what makes it so beneficial to the learning process? How can teachers incorporate educational technology into their classes?
We may not realize it yet, but the benefits of using technology in education are enormous. In today’s fast-paced world, incorporating technology into the classroom is not an option but a requirement.
Students have grown up in an age of innovation and apps. As a result, every gadget they own serves as their portal to the outside world. Students of all ages rely on technology for many things, from learning to socializing.
Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of educational technology in the classroom and how it can be used in novel and effective ways!
Table of Contents
What Is Classroom Technology?
This includes any technology used in the classroom to improve the learning experience.
Technology has been present in classrooms for many years, but its use in classrooms is increasing all the time. According to a 2020 study, 79% of teachers use technology in almost every lesson. This is more than triple what it was ten years ago.
Educational technology, or edtech for short, is the concept of using technology for educational purposes. The edtech industry is expected to be worth more than 106 billion in 2021 and nearly 378 billion by 2028.
What Are the Benefits of Educational Technology in the Classroom?
Why is technology so important in the classroom? The benefits of technology continue to evolve, but here are a few of the positive developments of technology in the classroom!
1. Creates a More Engaging Learning Environment
One significant advantage of incorporating technology into course design is that it helps to create a more engaging learning environment for students. It is difficult to deny the impact technology has had on how we teach and learn.
Technology can assist teachers in presenting subjects in more interactive and creative ways. With all of the possibilities available (and more on the way, thanks to advancements like virtual reality), it is an exciting time to be a teacher planning a course.
2. Gets Students Ready For The Future
Because technology is ubiquitous, it must play a role in students’ current learning environment. Using technology in the classroom will help students become more acquainted with common programs they will use in their future careers.
Teachers want to prepare their students, and technology is a great way to do so. Students must understand the fundamentals because they will play a significant role in their lives in the future. Computers and the internet will be an essential part of their professional and personal lives in the future.
3. Improves Communication With Students
One of the most important factors in a teacher’s and student’s success is their ability to connect. Teachers are constantly looking for ways to connect with their students and one another to foster community in their classrooms.
Teachers can connect with their students in new ways thanks to technological advancements. It enables you to open lines of communication and use the Internet to explain curriculum material in new ways to students, which can be very beneficial. Because many students nowadays gravitate toward the Internet, incorporating these technologies into the classroom may increase opportunities to build community with your students.
4. Improves Collaboration
A collaborative effort is required to create an engaging learning environment. Technology is an excellent tool for encouraging and facilitating student discussion. They will communicate with one another via technology and discuss various ways they can collaborate and learn together.
Some students are gifted with computers, which means it won’t be long before they learn some tips and tricks and can assist other students with their assignments and tasks. Such as in many classrooms, students form their own cliques and study groups. They share notes with each other to compare and improve their own shortcomings.
This effort can be facilitated with several online OCR tools that can help share the notes in a quick and easy way. An OCR tool helps students get text from image without any hassle, this text can be notes or study material which they can save in soft form and share with each other using digital means.
This fosters a collaborative environment in the classroom, resulting in a more connected community.
5. Aids in Learning
When students have access to technology, they learn better. To reach as many students as possible, technology must be integrated into the course design. Technology can provide a variety of teaching and learning techniques to assist teachers in communicating subject material to a larger audience (more on that in a bit). Many teachers want to reach as many students as possible, and technology can help them do just that.
6. Promotes Differentiation.
We all are aware that not all students learn similarly. Similarly, not all students are energized by the same topics. With the help of technology, they can gain access to a wide range of programs and research sources with the click of a button. Teachers, on the other hand, can encourage their students to write about topics that interest them to broaden their knowledge. In this way, they can ensure that students get to do what they enjoy while also learning a lot.
7. Increases Productivity and Creativity
It should come as no surprise that technology can increase productivity for both teachers and students because of its built-in digital tools. On the one hand, it allows teachers to manage and keep track of all school requirements much more easily. On the other hand, it enables students to create high-quality presentations using customizable slides and well-researched papers with ease.
Not only that, but technology can foster creativity. It encourages teachers to come up with new ways to deliver lectures that will capture (and keep) their students’ attention. Similarly, it encourages students to investigate a wide range of content to improve their education.
Whether they are interested in the arts, music, history, videos, sports, or virtually any other subject, they can easily find a plethora of useful resources online, such as editing software, podcasts, educational videos, and so much more. As a result, they can explore various creative outlets to learn new things and hone skills that can be applied in and out of the classroom.
8. Reduces Teacher Paperwork
One of the most time-consuming tasks you must complete as a teacher is paperwork. Not only must you sift through hundreds of papers regularly, but you must also organize them and ensure that they are properly filed. Utilizing technology for this administrative task can save time rummaging through hundreds of papers and redirect your time and attention to more important tasks.
What is great about enlisting technology’s assistance in this endeavor is that it does far more than simply organize papers. It has intelligent features that can analyze all your students’ data and provide you with a comprehensive report. This allows you to assess student progress or learning difficulties better and tailor your program to their current level. This information enables you to tailor their education to achieve better results in the future.
9. Obtains Critical Information
In the same way, cloud-based software such as Google Drive, OneDrive, and other classroom apps can easily collect data for easy access. Depending on your institution’s policy, you may have nearly unlimited storage space for hundreds, if not thousands, of documents per school year.
These apps help you efficiently organize paperwork. You can, for example, create distinct folders for each grade level. You can also assign different folders to different subjects. You can also give your students restricted access if you want. When you assign homework, they can place their papers or presentations directly in the folder to make organization easier. This will simplify your job as a teacher.
10. Keeps Staff and Students Informed
If an urgent announcement or emergency occurs, institutions can use online platforms or apps to keep staff and students informed. They can use social media, email blasts, websites, or a combination of all three to notify all parties involved about upcoming events, critical information, and breaking news. This is the quickest and most efficient method of keeping everyone informed and connected.
If students or parents have any concerns, they can contact their respective teachers or administrators for immediate assistance. This will close communication gaps between the school and the students, keeping everyone informed in the event of an emergency.
However, these platforms can be used for daily activities in addition to special events and announcements. Teachers can distribute class calendars to ensure that all students are aware of the due dates for homework assignments and in-class activities. This vital information will allow them to plan ahead of time and properly prepare for school. As a result, they can avoid additional stress and ensure they meet all their obligations.
What Are The Educational Technology Integration Ideas in the Classroom
Now that we’ve established the benefits of technology, it’s time to brainstorm some ideas for using it with your students. Here are some great examples of how to use technology in the classroom to promote an engaging learning environment!
1. Gamified Education
Because it fosters a sense of accomplishment, gamification has been shown to have an impact on a student’s learning and engagement. Many students are motivated to move on to the next lesson when they know they will be able to accomplish something along the way. Look around the Internet to see if there are any gamified learning opportunities for your subject material; you will be surprised by what is available.
2. Virtual Excursions
In theory, field trips and tours are fun and educational. However, planning and executing them can be difficult. Students can now enjoy the benefits of a field trip or tour without the hassle of traveling!
Even better, digital field trips enable students to “visit” locations they would not have been able to visit otherwise. It is an excellent opportunity for them to “travel” around the world. It also allows teachers to plan a fun and educational “trip.” Students could also use it to research organizations of interest and conduct interviews with professionals in their chosen fields.
3. Develop a Student Website
Having your website wasn’t always possible unless you had coding experience or knew someone who did. It is now easier than ever to create your website thanks to sites like Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly.
Now that technology has advanced, you could have your students create their class website! They can use the page to submit work, organize their files and information, and even personalize it to promote their creativity and pride. It is a fresh take on notebooks that can help your students begin or expand their digital portfolio.
4. Online Discussion
Have you found it difficult to foster a collaborative environment in your classroom? If this is the case, online discussions could be a great technological solution to try. To facilitate face-to-face contact, you can hold weekly discussion tables or office hours using a video app like Zoom.
An online discussion forum provides a place for your students to get answers to their questions, either from you, the teacher or their classmates. With this resource at their disposal, students can complete each lesson more thoroughly and hear the perspectives of their peers to form deeper connections with the material and their peers.
5. Make Use of Social Media
Because social media is already a big part of our lives, some teachers decide to incorporate it into their classes! You can use social media in a variety of ways within a course, such as creating a Facebook group for your class where students can ask questions, a Twitter page for the class where you can update them on certain things, or even an Instagram account where you can post video and photo-based lesson plans!
The goal of incorporating social media into the learning process is to provide students with a space where they can communicate with one another. You can also use it as a location to answer any questions they may have. At the end of the day, you will be bringing the classroom community to a location where many students already are.
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What Are The Various Types of Classroom Technology?
You can incorporate various types of technology into the classroom to promote better and more efficient learning. Laptops and tablets are arguably two of the most common devices available, but they are not the only ones. Aside from these, numerous technological advancements can be implemented in a classroom setting. Here are a few examples:
1. Printing 3D Models
A 3D printer in the classroom can help students studying architecture or engineering build a design from scratch. They can easily create prototypes with a 3D printer and watch them come to life. It is a fantastic way to prepare them for future careers.
2. Virtual or Augmented Reality
With the increasing popularity of video games and advanced technologies, students have a much higher expectation of education automation. They want something more interesting and exciting than smartboards, laptops, and tablets. That is precisely what virtual or augmented reality can do.
If you need to simulate a specific scenario for your students, this tool is especially useful. For example, medical students could operate on a virtual patient, while art and history students could travel through historical landmarks. There are several ways to incorporate AR or VR into the classroom, and it will improve student engagement.
3. Smartboards
Chalkboards and blackboards are obsolete. Smartboards are the new classroom necessity in this day and age. This type of device allows teachers to show web pages and textbook examples in addition to projecting slides. Furthermore, it provides students with a more engaging visual experience than just words on a page.
4. Disinfecting Cabinet
As important as providing students with the technology they need to learn is creating a safe and healthy environment for them. You should include a classroom disinfection cabinet so students can sanitize their devices before and after class. This will kill any bacteria and keep others from becoming contaminated.
5. Portable Power Sources
These devices cannot exist in your classroom without portable chargers. These chargers will keep your devices powered up so that low batteries do not disrupt your lectures. Here are some examples of portable chargers:
- Phone charger for up to ten devices.
- Replacement cables for charging stations.
- Floor charging lockers for heavy-duty floor stand.
- Portable power and charging station power supply.
Bottom Line
Because technology has both advantages and disadvantages, teach students proper netiquette to ensure effective communication. They should use it for learning rather than playing or searching for irrelevant items.
Because technology is changing by the minute, students and teachers must stay current. You have already learned about the numerous benefits of educational technology in the classroom, but keep in mind that traditional teaching methods are also essential for students.
Frequently Asked Questions on Benefits of Educational Technology
Technology in the classroom encourages students to interact with the material they are learning. EdTech, which ranges from online educational games to immersive virtual reality, empowers students to become active learners.
An increase in the frequency with which students assist one another when using technology in the classroom has been noticed by teachers. Many technology-based tasks involve other aspects, which necessitate students seeking assistance from their peers or the teacher.
It can be used to convey information, such as displaying notes on a smartboard or completing student assessments. Teachers can also use a variety of tools to plan specific lessons in a variety of mathematics subjects.
Communication is now simpler, faster, and more effective. Improved and more efficient manufacturing techniques There is less waste. Improved stock management and ordering systems.
References
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