Technology and education – The digital revolution in education

Education is an essential part of any individual’s life. It has a major influence on all life areas, setting the tone for your personal and professional development. However, the approach to education you’ll notice today has slightly alternated from what it used to be a while back. A variety of improvements have been made possible all thanks to tech advancements.

Technology has become a common thing in our everyday life. It has changed the way we work, communicate, travel, handle daily responsibilities, so naturally, it has changed the way we learn as well. Since tech and education have intertwined, new teaching and learning trends have emerged.

What exactly has digitalization done in the educational sector? What are the adjustments you can notice in the field?

While the subject is vast and multiple factors come into play, here are the main aspects you should know about when it comes to the digital revolution in education:

Interaction between peers and teachers are constant and ameliorated

In the past, student-teacher interactions were limited to the classroom. It was rather difficult to maintain communication on-going once a lecture or a course held in a physical environment was completed. Well, nowadays, things stand completely different. Thanks to file-sharing digital tools and instant-messaging apps, you have available a great range of opportunities to stay in touch.

Instructions and learning materials can be shared rapidly outside physical meetings, which naturally makes the entire educational journey more effective and resourceful. Face-to-face gatherings are, obviously, still relevant for a successful approach to information assimilation, but learning processes are far more effective in the modern educational setting. From Cambridge summer schools and private institutions to major universities around the globe, the vast majority of educators in schools are working with digital tools to ensure constant and ameliorated means of communication.

Teachers have it easier nowadays to make a bigger impact on a student’s life, while students can get the support they need to achieve their desired academic results.

Geographical boundaries have been eliminated

Developing countries have faced various barriers in the past in terms of education. Students weren’t able to access their needed support and further professional development possibilities remained scarce. Living in an area with limited learning possibilities meant you’d have it difficult to actually access a promising academic journey

One of the biggest impacts technology has had in this domain is the appearance of e-learning. Nowadays, the variety of online courses has increased significantly and anyone with an internet connection can access the learning resources needed to obtain the knowledge wanted on one topic or another. Online tuition has become a popular trend worldwide, students can receive one-on-one teaching assistance regardless of location from experienced and qualified educators.

With geographical barriers being entirely eliminated, a whole new world of opportunities has appeared and more students in developing countries are able to access good quality education.

Debate and discussion boards and forums – self-learning possibilities

Technology promotes a more independent way of learning. Students can strengthen their knowledge and skills outside the classroom, without actually talking directly to educators. That is made possible through the variety of debate and discussion boards and forums.

Sites that encourage peer-to-peer collaborations, apps that allow fast access to learning materials – with the internet and software tools, many virtual communities have been established, facilitating students to enrich their knowledge and refine their thinking. Online communities have become valuable for higher levels of course comprehension and for a deeper understanding of different topics.

Resources accessibility has been boosted

One big impediment for students not that long ago was the acquirement of good study books and materials. Getting a different textbook for each course, during college, for example, meant a rather costly investment, one many students couldn’t afford. Nowadays, e-books have become a preferred alternative for many pupils. Educators provide their students with digital alternatives, which can be easily obtained online, and in many cases, free of charge. With boosted accessibility to resources, learners have every material they need to maintain their knowledge assessment in-check.

Moreover, many universities upload lectures online as well. This means if you’d want to go over a lecture once again, or find out what was presented in a seminar you’d missed, you can easily go online and get the needed information there. This has broadened learning horizons for many.

More personalized learning opportunities

The outdated one-teaching-method-for-all has caused different issues in the past for students who simply had a different learning pace. With so many educational tech tools now easily accessible, teachers can ensure a more personalized approach to educating. The different abilities of students are taken into account, and new teaching styles are implemented in institutions worldwide. Teaching personalization in the classroom through technology and digitalization increases the number of students actually finalizing their studies and not being left behind.

Special needs in education – learning possibilities for all

Another aspect that needs to be mentioned here is education for special needs students. The traditional classroom environment wasn’t exactly designed with the interest of special needs learners in mind, which meant these types of students were rather marginalized by the education system. Well, technology has managed to finally change that. Digital learning, being so flexible, interactive and accessible, allows this group of learners to benefit from an equally rewarding learning process, one that is adapted to their capabilities and understanding. Teachers now have tech applications that permit them to assist learners with special needs, and leave standardized, rigid teaching procedures behind.

With so many technological advancements being made in recent years, all areas of our lives have been revolutionized, and the education sector hasn’t fallen behind either. Digitalization has been embraced by all major educational institution, and new impressive changes are still being awaited. While traditional leering formats still maintain their valuable role, educators and students alike benefit from far more opportunities. As you can see from the details explained above, edtech has had quite the impact and continues to evolve at a fast and promising pace.