Technology has become a staple in our lives; there is simply no escaping it. Yet, many schools and colleges undermine the importance of the link between students and technology.
Recently, many educational institutions have been asking themselves, “how important is technology in education?” The answer is simple: very!
Examples of technology in the classroom include Google Classroom and Khan Academy, as well as the use of classroom technology tools like the SmartBoard.
Here is a list of reasons why every classroom should have complete access to technology:
- To Be Employable within the 21st Century Workforce: The future is embedded within technology. In fact, even today, we see the majority of jobholders in developed parts of the world working away on computers instead of using the traditional pen and paper. Technological awareness has become an asset, and those graduates who are familiar with the latest technology hold a higher chance of landing a job; technological familiarity can be boosted by placing appropriate gadgets within the classroom for students to access. It is particularly important for schools and colleges which accept students from low-income backgrounds who do not have complete access to the latest technology on their own to provide technological resources to their pupils. This includes teaching gadgets, like the SmartBoard, as well as regular computers equipped with high-cost applications that not every student can afford to subscribe to.
- Students Can Learn at Their Own Pace: College students rarely manage to note down all that their professors dictate during class. Instead, they access these lectures online later in the day through their computers. Access to these lectures after class is only possible through the use of technology in the classroom. In this instance, a camera and mic set-up would be required to record the professor, alongside a computer that would then relay the recordings to the students after class.
Access to these lectures can help students tally everything that happened in class on a particular day, especially if they were absent.
Speaking of time, it’s no secret just how busy school and college life can be, especially when teachers keep sending in new papers to be done every day. Such papers require extensive research; sometimes a school library just isn’t good enough. With the use of technological appliances, students can access free research papers online. All you have to do is find a reliable free source on the internet like paperap.com. It offers multiple essay examples and research papers related to the environment.
- Greater Access to Information: In addition to using lectures recorded by their own professors, some students opt to use additional online resources to revise. This includes websites like Khan Academy and YouTube tutorials. However, all of this is only possible with the use of technology.
- Online Student Communities: Many college students develop their own online communities over popular apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. Such communities are often open to students from various universities and serve as a platform on which to ask study-related questions. Enabling the use of such online communities within the classroom will not only encourage students to ask questions but will also serve as an excellent opportunity for peer or group-based learning. It will help students connect with one another, too, which some may find harder to do in person, but easier when done online. The end result is a close-knit student community that helps its members grow and learn from one another.
- Student-Teacher Discussions: Applications like Google Classroom allow students to be in touch with their professors round the clock; they can drop a query at any time and hear back from their teacher without having to go through the hassle of finding them during school hours, which are always busy. Using the modern resources offered by technology, lecturers can answer their student’s queries whenever they have the time. It’s a win-win situation for either party; the student gets an answer, and the teacher is not rushed to explain on spot in-person but can instead help their pupil whenever they have the time to.
Integrating technology in the classroom can help students become better learners and ultimately achieve better results.
Technology in the classroom is not a new concept. In fact, using technology in the classroom has been around for years, but still requires time to develop to its full potential. However, a positive technological shift has been noted in classrooms across the world, and a more advanced version of the practice can be expected within the upcoming years.