If you had to choose between something boring and something that looked interesting, which would you choose? Why don’t all teachers think this way? Which student is going to choose a textbook over a robot or a Makey Makey? Schools need more technology and they need it now.
Why Schools Need Technology
We’re not much for numbers here at Eduporium, but we came across one recently that really stuck out. It went something like this: In today’s economy, 96 percent of working Americans use communications technologies as part of their routine, day-to-day responsibilities. To put that in perspective, if each member of the U.S. population, which is 318.9 million, worked five days a week, 306.1 million of them would need to be proficient in technology. Luckily, today’s youth stick to tech tools like it’s second nature, but can schools be doing more to make sure they know how to use as many as possible and have the skills to accomplish anything that’s thrown at them in the future?
The short answer, more often than not, is ‘yes.’ Knowing how to use technology—and not just computers—will all but certainly be a requirement of most jobs in the future. Unfortunately, for everyone, most schools currently do not provide their students with adequate exposure to EdTech that gets them learning by doing, enhances retention, builds skills and creates confidence. Some believe that great teaching and technology cannot coexist. What they should try, however, is marrying the two and see how well it’s received. Since many students do not have access to technology outside of school, educators have the chance to provide them with that needed exposure. Don’t assume that everyone knows how to do anything. There is often a portion of the class who needs instruction on basic, but vitally important tech-related tasks.
One way to introduce students to STEM is to make it fun while they learn key skills through active interaction. Digital curricula are a great idea, especially if you can learn from schools or districts who have initiated similar journeys. There are so many projects and fun activities that can be done right in the classroom or be taken home for collaborative work outside of school. For instance, having students create 3D models will not only develop their computer skills, but also touch on design, creativity and teamwork—more of what they will need in their futures. When technology is used in the classroom, school resembles the challenges that these kids will soon face in the real world. Is there a better way to prepare them?
Innovation in the Classroom: Start Before It’s Too Late
Now, more than ever, it’s important to find innovative ways of carrying out age-old goals. The same is true in life, the professional world and, especially, in education. Traditional learning topics, practices and styles are no longer the best ways to prepare today’s students for today’s world and even more so for the world they will likely be entering in the future. Since the world has changed, education must adapt as well. Teachers need to employ innovative lessons that are hands-on and appropriate for this era. Using EdTech is the best place to start.
In a way that is similar to the consumer world, educators should strive to get better or risk losing their students to meaningless daydreaming while they sit in class. By even just tweaking their instruction a tiny bit, throwing something at kids they haven’t seen before, they’re more likely to grab their attention immediately and, more importantly, keep it for longer periods of time. In case you haven’t heard, kids don’t like reading aloud from 50-year-old textbooks. It’s boring and some of them don’t enjoy the spotlight being cast on them. Instead, challenge yourself to modernize the classroom by using any number of technology tools to teach the same points and concepts. It will deepen learning and make students happier, which, redundantly, will deepen learning.
Learning how to change is half the battle when striving to bring innovative approaches to learning. As we said, a lot can be accomplished by integrating tech tools to supplement the lessons being taught and the concepts being discussed. In fact, it’s better to start having kids learn with technology earlier on in their schooling so that they don’t develop a clinging feeling to a robotic and repetitive school day. Innovation in education is not only about the students and it is just as important for educators to try new things, take risks and be creative. Teachers are the ones who get kids excited about trying new things so shouldn’t they be excited themselves? With so many cool tech tools available for today’s classrooms, students, parents and teachers can all share in the same excitement and innovate their way to a proper 21st century education.
Chasing Creativity Through Coding
Which characteristic will be more important to the future success of today’s students? Creativity or tech efficiency? Hmm, that’s a good question and while we can’t answer it with any kind of certainty due to the ways the world is bound to change in the next few years, we’ll give it our best shot. In order for today’s generation of students to find their way into sustainable careers when it comes their time to enter the workforce, they are probably going to need a potent combination of the two. Innovation will be key in gaining employment, especially if the prophecies about robot workers comes true. Tech skills will be a close second.
What if it were possible that the use of modern-day technology right in the classroom actually sparked endless amounts of creativity in children? Oh, wait; it does! Using coding as a way to get students familiar with technology and promote creativity is perfect because even if they fail, they learn. And they’ll learn more than they would if they were reading about how to code. Coding gives students the opportunity to tinker with technology, learn from hands-on trial and error and, most importantly, it helps them pick up important skills in a fun and carefree setting.
There are some good ways to go about creating a classroom of tech-centered creativity and we thought we’d pass along some ideas we recently heard. First, it is important for teachers to create a system and show students that, for them, creativity is about getting the system to do amazing and inventive things. Students should also be focusing on the skills they need to hone. If they’re creating wildly creative creations that have nothing to do with technology, then it may be a waste of classroom time. When coding, kids can even design projects that are unique to them—things that coincide with their hobbies and interests and engage them even more. We can express many things through code.
Technology Accelerates Learning
Let’s take a second and acknowledge something that should already be quite clear. Technology makes things faster—or slower. Technology has the ability to make things better. Some people would even go as far as dubbing “technology” a synonym for acceleration. Much like it has deep implications on our world, technology also drives learning and is able, due to its reach and capabilities, to shape education in ways not previously possible. As technology is being integrated into various learning environments, these possibilities essentially multiply. By opening the doors to virtual reality, mobile learning and collaboration, technology accelerates modern learning in more ways than one.
Since most modern technology is as versatile as it is powerful, it can be used in a number of different ways in classrooms by users of a number of different abilities to increase productivity. This versatility also allows it to be an asset not only for advancing learning and comprehension but also enhancing teaching practices. Technology is able to blend the classroom experience with new digital learning tools, including handheld devices and laptops. This, in turn, expands the amount of material teachers have access to and can teach, enhances the experiences they can create, increases motivation, and demands student involvement.
Of course, the technology is not brought into the classroom just for the sake of having it—it needs to be used correctly and serve the purpose of advancing learning. One of the ways it does so is by creating an interactive environment in which kids can touch and feel their way to deeper learning experiences. For more of a scientific approach, EdTech offers the chance for students to learn through experimentation and playful discovery. Instead of just having content thrown at them, technology allows students to interact with what they’re learning and, thus, increase engagement. Finally, tech offers the chance for group reflection in ways that are easy and efficient and teaches are the facilitators. So, yeah, technology does enable, accelerate and enhance learning at all grade levels.
The Evolution of eLearning
Education has been revolutionized in recent years to include a much heavier focus on technology use throughout schools and districts. This shift to eLearning, since its inception in the late 90s, has also been revolutionized and continues to improve as well. Of course, before the turn of the century, Internet connections were nothing like they are today and dial-up—dreadfully—was often deployed and relied on. Despite the shortcomings, many were thrilled with the new capabilities, but little did they know that they would be in for a movement that would be transformative in nature and vital in the future.
During the mid-to-late 2000s, those in the tech field caught on to the fact that learning with technology in the classroom was gaining steam and had enormous potential. Despite the faith from experts, many in the education field, however, remained skeptical of its place in an educational setting. Back then, schools simply did not have enough bandwidth to offer a stable platform for eLearning. Those who took the risk of diving into the EdTech world were often left frustrated and the limited selection of tech tools didn’t do much to alleviate that struggle. There was research being done on the viability and impact of EdTech in the classroom, but not as quickly as the questions were pouring in.
Fast forward to the modern world of learning technologies and, in just the last five years alone, numerous issues have been addressed. Not only have the devices become more efficient and user-friendly, their popularity has skyrocketed. Since the importance of learning with technology has been realized, many companies (including this one!) offer affordable STEM tools to members of the academic community—perhaps one of the greatest outcomes of the eLearning revolution. With this tech, creating and networking rests comfortably in the hands of the learner and the potential of educational technology has finally been understood.
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