How has technology improved education?

Technology has improved education by using advanced techniques and tools for research and development. Technology has improved the speed of the learning process through the internet.

Technology helped to create new and updated educational material and syllabus. Data analysis and visualization technologies have improved the quality of education. Technology improved the student’s security and provided low-cost, real-time platforms for communication.

1. New and Updated Designs of Educational (Class Subjects) syllabus

Technology has improved the design of books and educational materials. 25-30 years ago books contained black and white images, and text. Fonts were not that much easier to read. The sizes of the books were small. Only books were educational materials.

But technology has changed educational materials. The quality is improved. Now books are colorful, containing images, diagrams, and charts. Now they are inspiring. Even it’s easy to understand the topic of the chapter from its image. It’s helping to improve the image of the topic in students’ minds.

Now there are thousands of fonts that support different emotions and facts in the text. Now notes, eBooks, blogs, videos, apps, charts, smart arts, data visualizations, and infographics are part of educational materials. Today Corel Draw, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, smart class apps, Adobe Photoshop, stock images, and many other IT sources help to create, design, and various types of educational materials and class syllabi.

This is a big change in education through technology. And I think the goal should be to store data/information/knowledge systematically in the brain of students. And this helps them to memorize it faster during the class and competitive exams. Even when they will in the jobs they can execute that knowledge to produce creativity in their works. Technology has changed, and improved the quality of education. And I think we need to think about long-term problems and results while we plan and integrate the change in education by using Technologies.

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2. Teachers and students’ communication

Technology has improved the Teacher’ and students’ communication channels and methods. There was a time when students fear to ask a question to teachers. There was a time when student hesitates to communicate with the teacher about what they are feeling. If someone wants to learn more about the class topic from the same teacher then there were no way. There were no ways to keep connected with the teachers for years.

But technology has changed teachers’ and students’ communication methods and types. It is now much stronger, easy, high-tech, and possible to build long-term connections with teachers and students with the help of technology.

Now today’s teachers understand that technology is a part of our life. So they are trying to learn the use and methods of advanced technological tools that help them to explain the class topic.

The use of social media by teachers not only helps students to learn but also helps society. If Physics teachers/lecturers/professors have social media pages and groups then they can invite and target students especially college students to like and join the group. After that, they can create, and post, content that is related to physics (class-wise/chapter-wise). It builds a great connection and generates students’ interest to learn physics not only in class but after class. And I think it’s the biggest and greatest use of social media in education.

Now students can comment on the teacher’s post publicly and ask questions. It helps students to ask questions, and take part in the surveys and they never hesitate to communicate with teachers. And teachers will be inspired to teach more and answer questions if students are interested in learning.

It’s also important for the teacher to use the latest technologies it’s because students are inspired by thousands of things on social media. They believe if their teachers are updated with the technologies then study becomes user-friendly for them.

Many schools/colleges create videos on classroom topics so that students will be able to watch that topic again thousands of times in the future. Many teachers have YouTube channels in which Indian students can learn from American teachers, and American students can learn from Indian teachers. Even teachers can learn from each other.

Technology removed the communication gaps and it is above then political boundaries. And when we matter education and development of students above then politics then I am sure that we will become not only developed but wise citizens.

Now if students have the option to learn from teachers on their blog, they can follow them on Twitter, they can join the communities and overall it helps to study the subject and it helps to create a positive environment.

This way, I think technologies speed up the learning process. Technologies created the platform for students to post questions and answers. Students from different cultures are connected with each other for the class topic.

The better use of technology in the classroom and education mostly depends on our teachers, professors, and management. When they adopt a positive attitude to enhance the capacity of students then it will improve and align the education in the right direction.

But we also need to be careful that our students are not motivated to follow the wrong direction directed by trolls, politicians, and companies for personal benefits.

To stop the negative impact of technology on students, teachers and professors have to lead students. And it will happen if the government, school, college, university, and management boards work on teacher development. So that they can feel safe, secure, and inspired to lead students to a better future by developing expertise in students through technologies.

 

3. Students’ safety

Keeping students safe in college and school is one of the major concerns for authorities. In schools and colleges have many security leakages. That needs to identify faster and need to block.

Example: – I think the following are possible leakages:

• Entry into the school for an outsider without identification.
• School/college Security Information sharing by staff even with their friends and family.
• Misuse of students’ family data in the colleges.
• Classroom photo sharing on social media.
• No Real-Time monitoring of school/college infrastructure.
• Lack of prevention tools on the spot in accidental cases.
• Lack of security in private and school/college transportation systems.
• Lack of Training and guidance for students/parents about what to do? In doubtful and accidental situations.
• The communication gap between teachers, parents, and students.

Etc.

But technology can help to prevent/block such leakages in the student security in colleges and schools.

For example:

1. Use of E-Cards (such as ATMs) at the entrance gate for every member of the school. No member can enter without swiping.
2. Use of sensor in the students/teachers/staff dresses (Belt) to track and notice the activities.
3. Use of Security Camera – CCTV and real-time 24*7 monitoring of all types of school and college infrastructure by security staff.
4. Only school/college authorized drivers can drive the vehicles. And mechanical identification/testing of vehicles each day before their use on both ends.
5. Installation of CCTV cameras, and GPS on the School Bus.
6. Automatic Message on parents/guardian mobiles when students swipe the e-card at the entry gate both times (enter/exit). Such as “Kids are entered in the classroom”), kids on out from school. And this is mandatory for school and college students to follow.
7. Student’s presence and activities reporting apps, real-time. So that parents can see students are in the class. Such as Like website owners can see real-time traffic and location and keywords and source of traffic on the website.
8. Special monthly classes for students to educate about cyber safety, after school, in the school and in colleges. Even it can be through YouTube or video tutorials.
9. Security staff fitness test/training updates and use the latest health techniques.
10. Video conferencing / 24*7 live support / Videos calls and 1 available 24*7 support when students want to tell something. Such as a guide. And also students should have something to contact that support staff immediately.

Etc.

I hope some of the above examples, are in the practice by schools and colleges to secure and build an educational environment. And I think the government should take care of these things by creating a mandatory (Subsidy/Fund) for schools and colleges to use advanced technologies. And also submit the report quarterly.

4. Integration of technologies in the classroom and advanced tools and techniques for research on Education/Problems

Integrating technology in the classroom will help teachers and students to master educational technology. That will help in research and inventions.

Technology provided the tools for teachers and students to conduct and participate in problem-solving techniques. And the research starts with data collection. Data about students’ performance in the classroom in a particular subject.

For example, students’ performance in English class is greater than the chemistry class. I am the principal or authority my goal is to identify why the same group of students is not getting good results in the chemistry class.

Now research starts from here. I can take the survey, I can provide an assignment, I can take interviews on the subject and record them to analyze the behaviors and expression of students on specific questions, research the syllabus and teaching staff, chemistry class environment change, and use the internet and other application can help me to find the reasons.

Now with the help of technology, it helps to find out the best teaching methods, and classroom dynamics help to design specific activities for students, and installation of required IT Infrastructure in the classroom, school or college.

It was not possible before technologies integration into the classrooms. In the old days, it was tough for teachers to identify the reasons behind the poor performance of the class. There are a few reasons, but those are not supported by data.

Technology improved educational research from facts to accurate and real-time data and information. Now data enables teachers to create more interesting methods for teaching, it’s helping to develop a career-oriented environment, it’s involving new theories and achievements.

Use of online quizzes, recording of the personal interviews to collect behavioral data, specially designed games to identify intentions and motivation behind student’s activity, surveys on after-school activities, and integration of technology in the classroom to identify in which programs and applications students are interested and performing better.

Technology also provides options for students to research the problem. For example, if teachers give the assignment to students on how to improve the air quality and what is the one by one steps to do it. So that now students can use information technology devices, such as AI air purifiers, air indexing apps, search engines, media reports, expert pieces of advice on the internet, etc.

Now after the assignment is done, teachers can create a report and share it with an Air Quality Expert or expert in Air pollution to find out which methods are more practical and can really help.

Now, in the end, it’s helping not only students to research but also helps to use various latest and advanced technology tools. Now it’s a duty and I hope it will be that school/college and authorities provide technological tools and equipment for students to research.

For example, Google’s invention is just a research project that today it is a billion-dollar company. And the research project is done by students. Facebook is one of the biggest social networking services websites founded by students.  Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many others left the colleges and did extraordinary work. They were able to do it because of the use of technologies and the use of computers in schools/colleges. So they were inspired to do something different. It’s all about the alignment of students’ creativity through technology.

I know they were on the right assignments and projects to do. But what we can learn?

We can learn as a teacher, to find out the ways to explore students’ creativity in practical projects and real-world problems.

As a student, we need to learn, Science. I don’t mean subject. I mean the desire, the desire “To Know More”. We need to develop science and scientific practices inside us. The desire to know more, to find more, to explore more, helps us as a student to develop a scientific attitude and mindset on classroom subjects, projects, and creative activities.

Now, these (Scientific and creative approaches with the use of technologies in the classroom) practices help colleges and universities to build next-generation developers, scientists, engineers, designers, artists, musicians, doctors, geologists, space scientists, and definitely a new generation of Teachers.

And it’s the biggest proof of why technological tools and techniques are important for students in the classroom.

I have more to explore and ideas to share with you. But due to the length of this post, I am concluding my points in this paragraph.

Technology has improved the transparency in the educational process and in the organization, improved the staff management methods, streamlined career development programs, faster and easier methods to conduct exams and tests, students’ performance reporting, real-world problem-solving assignments, and projects.

But whatever the ways you choose to integrate technologies in the classroom, school or in the college. But always remember that don’t ignore the happiest and most joyful environment and projects. If students are not happy, everything you do will not be beneficial. So it’s important to integrate technology around the happiness, interests, and motivations of students.

I hope this article will help you.