How Has Technology Changed Learning?

Education and Technology

technology based education

When we are living in the 21st century, is there any scope of escaping from the world of technology? We are living in a world where digital technology is influencing us in different ways. We see the use of technology in every aspect, in our day-to-day activities, manufacturing and industries, services, education etc. In fact, one sector which has seen a major transformation over the years through the use of technology is the education and learning sector. The presence of online world has revolutionized the whole learning processes, right from accessing to disseminating information. With the advent of online learning, educational apps, ipads, and not to forget our laptops and desktops, the whole face of education has changed through the use of technology.

Various Ways by which Technology has changed Learning

  • Global platform: Education is not confined to a single platform. Education, backed by technology, has spread across the globe. With digitalization, a student sitting at one place can access education provided from a remote foreign place through video conferencing, apps like skype or through online technologies. Today, teachers can provide education to distant students in the comforts of their own homes. Technology has created a global platform for teachers and students for a convenient mode of learning.
  • Perfect assessment: The assessment processes of many institutions have been digitalized. Students can access their learning and knowledge base by appearing for online mock tests, which help them to improve further for the final test. Online assessments are efficient and perfect as these are flexible and impartial. For distance or correspondence courses, such an online test is all the more useful.
  • Better teacher-student interaction: Gone are those days when the classroom was the only mode of interaction between a teacher and a student. Today, with the help of various technological aids such as WhatsApp, Skype and E-mails, teachers can keep in constant touch with their students. Sharing of content through e-mails and services like Dropbox has become a convenient mode to have a better teacher-student interaction.
  • Instant information accessibility: All information is now easily available at your finger tips just by being online. Students are no longer confined to textbooks; in fact they can access a whole lot of information within seconds.
  • Online research:  Online libraries and e-books are now in trend. You can access online library that is versatile, comprehensive and virtual. Huge ambit of information in the form of audio, images, online books, videos are available at one’s fingertips through the Internet. And not to forget our very own Google search for gathering ideas, information and clearing doubts.
  • Multimedia and video games: Technology and media have impacted education positively. There are gaming models which help providing a huge range of information and also help to solve problems. Too much time spent on video games has never been encouraged but we cannot deny the fact that video games are a great source of ‘edutainment = education + entertainment’.
  • Mobile education apps: Lots of mobile apps are available for imparting online education. These apps have innovative learning methods, which make learning more interactive and interesting.
  • Online degrees: Today, there has been a huge increase in the number of accredited US institutions offering online degrees which not only help students to learn on the go but also open up exciting job opportunities for them. In fact, in the US, this has been the latest trend. Online degrees are now being increasingly accepted.
  • Technology is very helpful for students with special needs:  Students with special needs no longer need to respond to traditional classroom environment. There are a number of mobile applications that facilitate and enable such students to learn mainstream education with digital educational aids.

To sum up: In many ways, technology has changed education and learning profoundly. It has expanded access to education tremendously. Today opportunities for formal learning are huge in scope thanks to technology. Technology has paved the path towards towards adopting new, innovative and interesting ways of learning, communicating, and working collaboratively. With the worldwide reach of the Internet and the presence of smart devices and apps, efficient education is possible. Technology has redefined the process of learning and education.