Ten Ways Technology is Impacting Modern Education

by

11 July 2018

Education

Modern Education

No one can deny the fact that the use of technology in education is having a tremendous impact on the learning process. How technology is changing education, though, is a topic that is being hotly debated right now by educators. Some believe that it has a positive impact on education while others believe that its impact is highly negative. That is why we have come up with a list of ten ways the latest technology in education is affecting the learning process.

Five Positive Impacts of Technology on Education

1. Education is more accessible :

In recent decades, one had to go to a university in order to learn new information, but with the advent of the internet, information is becoming so accessible and widespread, that you can now learn for free what would normally cost $50,000 to learn at a university.

In addition to free information, many educational institutions, from Harvard to the Naval War College, offer distance learning for busy professionals who would otherwise be unable to further their education. This type of learning certainly is not free, but it does make learning easier for a large number of people who want to better themselves.

2. Getting access to information is faster and more efficient :

Accessing educational resources is no longer a slow, painstaking process thanks to search engines and online databases and libraries. Technology has even made going to the library to find an actual book easier. Google has an application that allows you to find out which libraries have the books you are looking for almost instantly.

3. Multiple Ways to Disseminate Information to Students :

Thanks to Blackboard and smartboards, teachers are now able to present and disseminate information to students in a number of ways. Blackboard enables teachers to keep students apprised of their grades and upcoming due dates, while smartboards allow them to enhance the learning experience by giving them the opportunity to use everything from videos to interactive presentations in the classroom.

4. Technology makes it easier to stay organized :

Before hard drives and Blackboard, students and teachers used multiple paper folders, binders, and filing cabinets to stay on top of homework and grading. Now students can save their homework on a hard drive and turn it via Blackboard when they are finished, while teachers can use this same technology to organize their time, make lesson plans, and keep parents apprised of their children’s grades.

5. Technology is preparing students for the future :

Many of the devices and programs being utilized in the classroom, such as laptops and Microsoft Office, are used in the workplace, as well. While not all students will learn how to write code, many will be able to gain valuable user-level knowledge of these programs so that they can use them effectively in the future.

The Five Negative Impacts of Technology in The Classroom

1. Technology is making students lazy :

This is one of the major complaints teachers have about students these days. Rather than spending the time needed to do good research on a topic, many students will simply google the answer, and when they can’t find what they are looking for in the first few search results, they give up and invariably say: “I can’t do it. I don’t know.” Full report and statistic that you can find on the internet. Thanks to search engines, these students think that the answer should be available to them instantly, and when it isn’t, they give up.

2. Technology is making students stupid :

Since many students now expect to find answers instantly, they have forgotten how to engage in critical thinking that would ordinarily allow them to find answers on their own. Another impact technology is having is that it is shortening the attention spans of students. According to Pew, 90 percent of teachers believe this to be true. Many more students cannot differentiate between valid and non-valid sources of information; as a result, many students believe Instagram posts are valuable sources of information when doing academic writing.

3. Technology is Distracting :

“Turn that off” is now a common phrase in the classroom because students are constantly on their cell phones or laptops playing games and texting when they should be listening to the instruction of the teacher. Students are losing a valuable opportunity to learn, while teachers are losing their patience with the students.

4. Technology is seen as a solution to every problem :

There are many problems in classrooms across the country, and technology is expected to solve every one of them. Technology can’t solve them all, and in some cases, it only exacerbates the problems. But, technocrats in Silicon Valley are insistent that they can bring about a utopia devoid of problems, and they lobby Congress frequently to force unwanted technologies and curriculums on schools across the country.

5. Technology isn’t preparing every student for the future :

“Technology prepares students for the future” is popular slogan politicians love to throw around, but it is not completely true. Not all students can grasp how to properly use technology other than to play games and listen to the music due to variables ranging from parenting to IQ. As a result, much of the money spent on tech in the classroom is wasted.

As you can see, there are many benefits and drawbacks to using technology in the classroom. Like most things in life, we have to take the good with the bad.

Read Also :

 

 

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Business Course Online

Should you Study a Business Course Online?

With the world becoming more interconnected with rapid advancements in technology, the business world is becoming a dynamic platform for complex economic transactions. Hence, it is essential to know the progress made in the field to compete with other qualified people in the domain. Business course online is an excellent way to gain a foothold in the corporate industry, especially if you belong to a different academic background. They are also gaining popularity because they are cheaper than regular business degrees without compromising on the quality of the education provided. Who are some people who pursue Online Business Courses? There are millions of people all over the world, who take up online business courses. Have you ever heard of someone who leapfrogged his way into the top management overnight? Or someone who shifted careers in front of you and is now a hot-shot VP in a big MNC? What did these people do that catapulted them to success? The answer is often learning and constant self-development. The rigors of a 9-5 job do not leave ample room for progressing when it comes to developing yourself. This forces you to be stuck at a position that can only afford you minimum growth and sustenance. The key to destroying this rat race is to improve your skills and add to your qualifications. If you present the improved version of yourself to your employer, he will have no chance but to promote you and give you the commensurate increment. In our experience, we have seen students juggling multiple careers, while at the same time rigorously preparing and following business courses online. It does not matter whether you want to be a hotshot Investment Banker on Wall Street or an Entrepreneur jet setting his way across continents, you will have to develop yourself to take the leap. If you want to start a business career and are looking for options, you should consider opting for online business courses. If you are unsure about these courses, this blog can be an eye-opener. Read on to find out about the various benefits of online business courses. Benefits of pursuing a business course online: Business courses are a great medium of teaching you how to solve issues in a business environment. Here are some benefits of studying business courses online. i) Convenience: While you might be familiar with a conventional education set-up, pursuing a business course online can afford you a lot of conveniences. Online classes can allow you to study from your home, the local library, or any other place with an active internet connection. Some universities also offer the option of recording the video lectures so that you are not inconvenienced by issues like illnesses or a bad internet connection. ii) A personalized timeline: While conventional degrees require you to adhere to their fixed schedules, online courses can allow working around your schedule. As a result, you don’t have to worry about rigid schedules or inflexible course options. Conventional business schools also demand a strict attendance percentage, which is much relaxed in the case of online courses. iii) A chance for national and international collaboration: If you think that online courses do not match up to the networking opportunities in a conventional academic set-up, you may be in for a surprise. You are joined by students from different backgrounds and geographical locations. You also get the chance to interact with your peers and faculty, discuss weekly assignments, or ask questions. Many online business courses also hold separate networking opportunities to provide their students to meet and interact with each other. iv) Affordability: Conventional business courses can cost a small fortune, and not everyone is able to afford them. But online business courses cost a fraction of traditional courses, which can easily fit in your budget. In addition, you can also forego the expenses of living on the college campus or travelling till there every day. v) The flexibility of maintaining work with academics: A major advantage of online business courses is the flexibility to pursue them while working a 9 to 5 job. Unlike conventional courses that require you to fulfill college credits within a specified time, online courses offer a more relaxed timeline that does not require you to compromise on your career. Things to remember before opting for an Online Business Course:   It is important to pay attention to the fact that you would need to set your priorities. If you are paying the fee and have the intention of seeing it through, you need to take out time from your routine. While some shady courses, might give you certifications in exchange for money, the best ones are rigorous and involve tests and appraisals to test your growth and development. It is also important to check some references and see the benefits that people have accrued who have taken up the course. Connect with them over LinkedIn or social media and see the impact the course has had on their professional life. Do not believe every positive thing the platform or the course says about itself. Tap into some Quora and Reddit articles, see, and analyze things for yourself. You will not end up spending more than an evening doing your research. Always remember that you would be investing time, money and effort in the online business course. Hence doing the background check and references is essential. Conclusion: Pursuing a business course online is a great way to tap into the business boom in recent years without hampering your existing career or economic status. With new companies being established every day, enroll in a business course online to establish a well-paying business career. Many people have benefitted immensely from taking up an online business course. They have not only seen their professional life being impacted in a positive way but have also experienced the improvement in their personal lives. If you are of an ambitious nature and want to give your career a much-needed boost, an online business course might just be the avenue you were looking for. Do let us know about some great platforms, which are offering online business courses in the comments section below. Read Also: How Do You Grow Your Business Online? How To Grow Your E-Commerce Business The Many Benefits Of Online Education Quit The Rat Race: 5 Tips For Becoming An Online Entrepreneur

READ MOREDetails
Online Learning

The Positive Sides Of Online Learning

Since the start of the pandemic, a lot of changes have been made to the lives of people all around the world in general, but one specific change that has been made that has greatly impacted the lives of the young people in the world today is the changes made to education. When the first wave of the pandemic hit and lockdown policies were placed on the cities of the world, schools were forced to close their doors and move to an online space. There is a lot to say about virtual learning in general, as this isn’t a new idea that was created during the pandemic, however, we will be sticking to the basic pros and cons of online learning during the pandemic mainly from the students’ perspective.  1. Safety  The main reason why schools moved online during the height of the pandemic is that COVID-19 was spreading at a dangerously rapid pace. Lockdown policies, curfews, and travel bans were all put in place for this very reason. The dangers of this coronavirus were so serious that truly, the safest place to be was locked down in your home. Schools had to make this change to move online for the safety of the students, the teachers, and their families. The move to an online platform helped slow the spread of the virus and ultimately, while there were plenty of pitfalls and a learning curve, was the safest thing to do for the wellbeing of everyone within the education system. 2. Comfort It is no secret that when the change was made to move online, many students were initially happy as they were able to go to school directly from their bedrooms. It is a lot easier to get to class on time when all you have to do is log in. During this time, students didn’t have to wake up hours before their first class to get ready and commute to school, they could wake up three minutes before class and log in if they wanted to. In addition, you could go to school in your pajamas or anything really if you chose to. There was no need to spend loads of time choosing an outfit, doing your hair, putting on makeup, and so on every single morning. You could very literally roll out of bed (or stay in bed) and turn on your laptop to go to school. Adding to the comforts of online school, you could grab a snack, drink, or go to the bathroom whenever you wanted without having to ask for your teacher’s permission. Ironically, there were a lot of freedoms that students experienced when it came to school during the lockdown. 3. Affordability Most students probably didn’t directly experience this, however, it is important to mention as it greatly affected their parents/guardians. By staying at home, the parents no longer had to pay the transportation fees of their commuting children (whether it was gas for the car or bus passes). In addition to the transportation fees that come along with sending your children to school, moving their education online allows parents to save on other costs such as lunch money, going out with friends after school, snacks or extra pocket money, etc. The children would just eat at home and stay at home so there wouldn’t be any outstanding expenditures necessary. 4. Open-Book Exams Probably the biggest perk that all students can agree to when it came to online learning is the opportunity to do all of your assignments with the help of your notes and the internet. Most exams, even on a university level, were open-book during online learning as educators knew that most students would look to their notes or the internet for help. This way, passing classes and getting good grades was a lot easier than having to memorize the materials and write them down in a classroom with a given time limit. The trouble is that now that most schools are readjusted to face-to-face learning, many students have trouble with going back to really studying the materials. 5. Creativity  One major takeaway about the lockdown experience throughout the pandemic is the creativity that came out of it. Being locked down for months at a time without being able to leave the house will get to you. Human beings are social creatures needing to connect with others. During the first lockdown, people were forced to stay isolated for months on end and the only way we could connect was through social media. People came up with a lot of creative projects and trends to participate in as well as showing off their unique skills and talents to connect with others. This burst of creativity extended to the classroom as well. Due to all teaching being done online, teachers needed to get creative with the materials as well as the work itself in order to keep the focus of the students. There were a lot more online projects, whether it was using tools such as YouTube and other social media platforms, or creating video projects. These new mediums of learning aren’t normally teacher-related jobs, making most teachers go through their own learning curve in how to deal with this pandemic. In the end, students were able to interact with an entirely new style of learning rather than just reading, writing, and memorization. 6. Open Communication The pandemic, and especially lockdown, was a very lonely time for a lot of people. There were a lot of spikes in depression rates and brought a lot of attention to feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression. The world of psychology changed by moving online as well and there was a lot more open conversation on mental health and the importance of peer relations. Specifically, schools were also bringing these issues to the forefront and began a focus on self-assessment. Many schools had emails go out and seminars you could take where you could connect with those who are going through feelings of loneliness. School communities became more tight-knit as you would only interact with your class and the same teachers virtually every day, and that would be the only human interaction most people got during the lockdown. Open communication into how people are doing, feeling, and going through was welcomed and thriving during online learning, creating a healthier environment for both students and teachers.  7. Resilience  The last thing to mention is the incredible resilience both students and teachers went through during this time. Moving the entire school system online basically overnight was not an easy thing to do and go through. A lot of people (shoutout to all seniors who graduated during lockdown) missed out on a lot of fun events that normally come with being in school (graduation, prom, sports, plays, etc.). There was a lot of hardship; the world was taken over by a violently spreading deadly virus and our entire lives were confined to our homes. This was a moment in time that will make the history books one day and those that went through this only came out stronger on the other side of it.  Read Also: Online Schools the Only Source for Personalized Education 3 Ways Parents Can Safeguard their Household’s Online Safety The Many Benefits of Online Education Here Are the Benefits Of Continuous Learning

READ MOREDetails
GMAT Prep

3 Amazing Online Resources for GMAT Prep

Thankfully, there is a wide variety of GMAT prep courses and institutions to choose from when it comes to finding the course that makes sense for you. As you probably know, much of it costs money, and the GMAT is not a cheap investment. For example, it’s $250 just to take the exam alone, not including private coaching prior to or even gas money on driving to the testing center! (Okay, we won’t go overboard with the fees, but you get the idea.) Have you spent time exploring free online resources for GMAT prep? While you can get creative and spend time speed reading dense academic journal articles and newspapers for additional verbal practice, wouldn’t it be more convenient to take advantage of the GMAT-specific resources online? We happen to think so, which is why we’re very excited about three amazing resources not to be missed by serious GMAT learners. These resources are not only free but also highly informative and extremely useful in the GMAT learning process. Who doesn’t want to supplement their test curriculum with free resources that can only help them enhance their score? Let’s examine these three amazing resources and all that they have to offer prospective students. GMAC: When you’re looking to study the GMAT, why not go to the source directly? The Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) creates the GMAT and offers a variety of free resources on its website, gmac.com. In particular, they have a great section titled “An In-Depth Look at the GMAT Exam” that breaks down the test and its different elements in one of the most comprehensive ways available. Any questions to have about GMAT          specifics can be addressed on GMAC’s website—even articles about Integrated Reasoning as a predictor of future success. com: Thankfully, www.gmattutor.com has a handful of free resources to take advantage of in the world of GMAT learning. In addition, to the “find a tutor” tab that helps you find a GMAT instructor or class by geographic region, this site also features a lot of free GMAT practice. Their “Tips and Tricks” section will help you buff up on some very useful test day strategies; the Idiom List is particularly helpful for non-native English speakers; the Math Basics portion is a very useful brush up on all relevant quant skills. GMATTutor.com is a perfect resource for helping devise your GMAT prep game plan and enhancing the skill set you already have. Manhattan Review: Manhattan Review has been a global pioneer in GMAT preparation since its early beginnings in 1999. Now operating in nearly all corners of the world with students from all around the globe, Manhattan Review has a plethora of free GMAT resource materials to choose from. If you’re looking for quality practice questions, you’re in luck. Manhattan Review features 42 free practice questions in its GMAT Practice Question Bank. This is of enormous value, especially since they dissect each answer and explain why the incorrect choices are wrong. Furthermore, they provide a free GMAT practice exam, which is invaluable to get the “test day experience.” Truly, you cannot look to a better GMAT resource than Manhattan Review, and lucky for prospective students out there that they provide these resources for free! As is evidenced by these three amazing examples, finding online GMAT practice that’s also free is accessible, easy to find, and highly useful to implement in your course of study. It’s never a bad idea to mix up diversify your materials with additional free material since it can be tiresome using the same workbooks and guides over and over again. Also, since most people take the GMAT on a computer, it’s always advised to practice on a screen to mimic the real-life circumstances of test day. An additional resource worth investigating is Testtutor.com, which provides some good preparation materials and practice exercises, despite being slightly aged and out-of-date. Finally, while free materials are highly beneficial and a welcome change of pace, it probably goes without saying that nothing can really beat the value of enrolling in a GMAT prep class. Manhattan Review, for instance, has a variety of courses both in-person and online that can add valuable test insight and applicable strategies. Regardless of the plan of action, you choose to take, know that you have options, both in terms of reference guides and the GMAT core curriculum. Read Also :  5 Counseling Specializations Undergraduate Students Should Understand 4 Emerging Trends In The Education Sector

READ MOREDetails