Advantages Οf Technology Integration Ιn Τhe Education Sphere - The teaching strategies based on educational technology can be described as ethical practices that facilitate the students’ learning and boost their capacity, productivity, and performance. Technology integration in education inspires positive changes in teaching methods on an international level. Are you still wondering whether or not you should start relying on different apps and tools? The following list of benefits will help you come to a final conclusion.
1. Technology makes teaching easy!
Aren’t you tired of giving theoretical explanations your students cannot understand? You simply cannot discover a way of presenting tough concepts that makes the concept clear for each and every student in the class. Technology has that power! Thanks to audio-visual presentations, your students will understand exactly how the knowledge is applied in practice. You can use projectors and computer presentations to deliver any type of lesson or instruction and improve the level of comprehension within the class.
2. Technology helps you track students’ progress!
You are no longer limited to a plain-old diary and notes about every student. That would only get you confused. Today, you can rely on platforms and tools that enable you to keep track of the individual achievements of your students. MyStudentsProgress and the TeacherCloud Progress Tracker are great online tools that enable you to do that, but your school can also develop personalized software that would serve that purpose.
3. Educational technology is good to the environment!
Can you imagine the amount of paper and number of trees that would be saved if every school decided to introduce digital textbooks? Of course, that goal is far from realistic at this point, but you can make a change when you start from your own class. For example, you can instruct your students to take online tests and submit their papers and homework through email. You can also encourage them to use eReaders to go through the literature you assign.
4. Thanks to technology, students enjoy learning!
Students are addicted to Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Digg, and other websites from a very early age. The internet can distract them from the learning process, but you can also use their inclination to spend time online for a good purpose: Making learning enjoyable. Use touch-screen technology and online presentations to make the classes more interactive. You can also rely on technology when you want your students to take part in discussions. Set up a private Facebook group for your class and inspire constructive conversations!
5. Technology makes distance learning more accessible than ever!
Without the wonders of the internet, people wouldn’t be able to get access to any type of information at the very moment they think of it. Today, distance learning is one of the most trending learning methods. Virtual lessons are slowly taking the place of traditional lectures. Students can organize their time in a way that works for them, and they can easily gain the knowledge they are interested in. For example, let’s say one of your students shows great interest in Astronomy, but the traditional curriculum does nothing to feed that hunger for knowledge. You can recommend him/her to take beginner’s course at Coursera, Udemy, or any other online service that offers high-quality virtual lectures.
6. Students and teachers can access information at any time!
This is possibly the most obvious benefit of technology. When old-school teachers were students, they had to spend hours in the library looking for the information they needed. Today, technology integration makes everything different and simpler. Students can easily access newspapers, scientific articles, studies, and any other type of content online. They can write better, deeper academic papers because they can support their arguments with more evidence. When you give a lecture the students don’t understand, they can find simpler instructions and information with a single Google search.
7. Technology makes collaboration more effective!
Think about the way collaboration looks like in a traditional classroom setting. You organize groups, assign the projects, and suddenly the class becomes a complete mess. Some students express their opinions too loudly and firmly, while others don’t get an opportunity to be heard. Online tools and apps offer a unique setting for students to engage in a group project. They can do the work from home; the team is connected through the Internet and everyone is inspired by the focused environment.
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Technology
You stand no chance of being called “the cool teacher” if you keep neglecting the use of educational technology in the classroom. The benefits of technology integration described above should convince you of the fact that this form education is great for both students and teachers.
