In the new normal, technology plays a vital role in carrying out our everyday activities. Nowadays, it’s nearly impossible to think of how we can ever manage without it. In the educational scene, where most schools have switched and are still continuing to use online learning methods and curriculum, having technology on your side has become a must. Education and learning, like technology, are ever-changing and are always adapting to new methods of teaching and learning, especially in the new normal.
Just as professionals of the past learned to adapt to new methods, so too must we adapt to this new demand for more remote online learning. So here are five reasons why the usage and normalization of online learning and educational apps can enhance a student’s education and actually increase their memory retention and productivity.
Increases engagement
One of the hardest things teachers have to do in the classroom is keeping everyone’s attention. Even if they manage to get most of the class to listen, there’s always going to be a student or two who is fast asleep or is otherwise just not paying attention. With the use of educational apps, students are encouraged to engage more actively in their own learning.
For example, a study has shown that using gamified apps improved student retention and engagement. Educating through the use of a game helped to stimulate students’ minds and interests and helped them to remember important points of a study or lecture.
Interactive games can help make a lesson more fun to learn and may also encourage healthy competition among peers to improve students’ scores and performances. Other than video games, there’s also virtual reality or VR, learning videos, and other multimedia assets, all of which can be utilized effectively in education.
Accessibility
One of the biggest reasons why many have advocated for more online and technology-based education is accessibility. With information right at everyone’s fingertips, students can access all their schoolwork, lessons, and more any time and anywhere, which makes giving and doing homework much easier. With the use of cloud-based technology, students may be able to access all their papers and documents that they need in the classroom straight from their own device, to be used when they’re away from the classroom or inside of it.
Readily available resources means that all the students’ needs can be directly addressed and attended to no matter what it is, from improving English reading skills to learning how to write.
Moreover, accessibility in learning is also about accessibility towards disabled students, which includes physical and mental disabilities. Due to their disabilities, students might not always be able to attend a school or can’t otherwise concentrate in traditional school environments. The use of educational apps can personalize lessons and assignments to best cater to students, disabled or not, based on what type of learning or teaching method works best for them — so everyone wins.
Online learning opens up a whole new world of possibility for them and gives these students, who would normally not be able to access them, the means and right to better education.
Better communication
Students, teachers, and parents are able to communicate more efficiently through the use of the internet and technology. Students who have questions and other such concerns can ask their teacher regardless of place, provided that it’s at a reasonable time and the teacher is available. Parents and teachers are also able to use these same communication methods to conduct parent-teacher conferences from the comforts of each of their homes and with as much transparency as possible. It helps build better relationships among teachers, parents, and students and fosters a form of camaraderie between them not unlike a familial or friendly relationship.
Versatility and multi-functional use
From research and education to social functions and entertainment, the internet serves many uses. In the same way, the internet’s versatility can be effectively utilized in the classroom to serve many purposes. It can access educational tools and materials to use in the classroom, serve as a platform where fellow students and even teachers can connect with each other and form their own social networks and clubs, and improve extra-curricular engagement among students.
The multi-functionality of the internet, rather than only being seen as a distraction, should be taken advantage of and seen as the educational tool it can become when used right. It’s no longer just a tool to use in everyday life, but also an educational platform or partner in day-to-day learning.
Encourages innovation
Just as the internet opens up a world of new possibilities and opportunities for students, so too does it breed innovation among young minds. It encourages them to think outside the box, stokes their curiosity, so they may learn on their own and learn to educate themselves even well after they’ve graduated. As more and more new tech gets developed and released, it’s the integration and ease with which this new tech handles learning that inspires students to make their own innovations in whatever career they pursue.
The usage of technology and the internet in education is only as good as you’ll allow it to be. Traditional modes of learning are fast becoming outdated as remote or hybrid working and learning environments are fast becoming the ideal. Instead of shunning it, embrace technology as the educational tool it’s always been and adapt to the new normal.