Since the early 2000s, online education has taken off. In the early stages, only a few colleges offered online classes and features, but in today’s world, even elementary students can access technology-based learning programs and software. Increased technology in the classroom is just another sign of our rapidly changing world. If schools and colleges do not keep up, they will soon fall behind the competition that does provide a high level of technology access to its students. Schools at the top of the technology wave, like CBT College and other similar schools, are constantly finding new and innovative ways to bring more technology into the classroom for students of all ages.
Increased use of computers
Today’s kids use computers in the classroom more than ever. Some schools have dedicated computer classes for children each day, and others have different learning tools and classes offered online. More people are realizing the importance of technology and computers in the classroom, which has lead to the development of computer-related charities, such as One Laptop Per Child, which aims to give every single child enrolled in school a laptop to use for his or her schoolwork. Children now are expected to type many of their school assignments on computers, and many students must now create computer-based presentations for their assignments as well as use the Internet for fast research on their school topics.
In further promotion of technology-based learning, many companies and software developers have created academic apps that help students learn material faster and better than ever before. These apps help students manage school assignments, learn new words, practice math skills, research historical topics, examine science, and much more. Some apps even replace traditional school calculators with mobile versions that work on a phone or tablet computer. Then there are also apps that will make student’s lives easier, take for example DocsToGo, and helpful and effective app for creating and editing MS word, exel, or power point files and then syncing them with Google Docs or Dropbox.
Cloud services are programs hosted online. Users all over the world can log into the same program and session and exchange information automatically. Many online schools use this technology for students to collaborate on group projects or explain current learning topics. Other cloud services provide a way for students to upload and share their assignments quickly with teaches without the use of paper products. Students can also store their school assignments virtually, eliminating the excuse that their assignment is late because the computer crashed and lost their data. Online presentation software, such as Prezi, is also an extremely useful tool in the classroom because it allows teachers and students to share presentations with others quickly and efficiently.
Another way that technology has improved and changed the classroom is the ability for teachers to telecommute with students. Students can gather into the computer room and log into a cloud program where a teacher from anywhere in the world can teach them new skills. These programs are ideal for tapping into teacher knowledge outside the realm of each physical school building, such as for specialized high school sciences or math subjects. This type of teaching has also been popular with language learning. For low sums of money you can link up with language teachers anywhere in the world and get face to face lessons from a native speaker. That’s pretty cool!
Instant project sharing
Students can use technology to quickly share their projects online. This is useful for group projects, as well as for teacher evaluation. Using a cloud program, the student and teacher can go over the assignment together, identifying any necessary changes and helping the student to learn from his or her past mistakes. Google Docs is great for doing this. Multiple people can look at the same document at the same time, comment, make edits, and see exactly what each other are doing or working on.
As you can see, technology can provide a high level of benefit to students at any level. Whether it is a first grader learning to type for the first time, or a graduate student consulting with a mathematical expert across the globe, technology brings nothing but good into the classroom. The schools of today would do well to embrace the technology changes that have arrived and the ones that will arrive in the future to provide the best modern education possible to students of all ages. Technology will play such a large roll in education that it is quite possible that the classrooms of today will in no way resemble the classrooms of the future. With companies like Knodium and Skilledup popping up it is conceivable that learning will become an online endeavor instead of an offline one, only technology and time will tell!