How Technology is Changing the Face of Education

As technology continues to pervade all facets of our lives, it is also slowly making its way into the classroom. On the surface it may seem that most schools are the same as they have been for centuries: an instructor at the head of a room with rows of desks and chairs facing him or her. However, technological advancement has changed learning even in the simplest of ways and has paved the way for students to learn smarter and more efficiently. As for teachers, they no longer occupy the role of typical lecturers or perpetual after-class tutors. Technology has given them the freedom to be guides, and given their students the agency to be actively involved in their own learning.

Technology-based learning can start as early as a parent chooses. A young child with a tablet or other smart device is a familiar sight today. With the plethora of educational games, applications, and websites available on the internet, developing a child’s language or math skills is not difficult. Used in a classroom setting, tablets and other devices prove just as useful, making for an experience that is as entertaining as it is educational.

Powerful tools being used by educators now are software and applications that help teachers create instructional materials online, distribute them to students, and keep track of their progress. Knowing a student’s level of skill as it applies to specific learning objectives allows teachers to shift their emphasis to topics with which their students are struggling most. The market for this kind of software has only grown as the variety of things that can be accomplished with their use has increased. Instructors can now test their classrooms, have students submit homework or work in groups, and keep parents in the loop completely remotely.

As the influence of technology grows, schools will need to find new ways of forming classes. Now that educators have the means of evaluating the progress of their students in real-time, classrooms may be organized by skill level. Students with the same level of skill will be easier to teach in a group than a traditional class. Group work and collaboration has been made even easier through the internet, and students will no doubt find themselves working out solutions to problems together, needing less help from teachers than before. More than anything else, the goal of the educator will become to provide them with the tools necessary to learn on their own.