“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teachers hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience most of our world.”
– David Warlick
These days everybody is a tech-geek with mobile phones in their hands and technology based ideas in their mind. When nothing is being left without the influence of technology, then how can we not expect it to get into the main stream of learning too? Keeping in line with the innovation of new technology trends, teachers are offering students the privilege of education they truly want and need.
Schools have started to recognize the importance of wireless gadgets and its significance in shaping the brand new tech enhanced learning ecosystem in the classroom setting. More and more classrooms at K12 level and even in higher education are adopting this meaningful change and it is only subject to rise in the coming years.
It was way earlier prophesized by Market research firm Global Industry Analysts that “E Learning” would reach $107 Billion in 2015 and it did. Now, Research and Markets forecasts show triple the revenue of 2015 – e-learning will grow to $325 Billion by 2025.”
With all the jargon regarding the rise of technology in the educational sector, what exactly are the educational technology trends that are gaining fame amongst the students as well as the teachers?
Here is a list of top 5 technology trends that are bringing a fresh wave of change to our ever existing conventional classrooms:
Flipped Learning
This is an evolved form of blended learning in which the students initiate into learning activities from the space of their home. The technology behind flipped learning is the advent of E Learning apps and studying content online. Many learning apps provide various descriptive videos and solutions that make learning instant, easy and fun. The role of classroom in flipped learning is to assess what students have learned, and do their homework in class (as goes the name “flipped”). This type of learning eliminates the restriction of teacher being the only source of knowledge provider; instead students can learn from each other in groups created on the eLearning apps and other similar platforms.
Online Assessment Platform
Not just classroom learning but classroom assessments are also experiencing a vast change in terms of technology. Specially designed online exam platform for schools are simplifying the assessment task both for teachers and students making it much more efficient, accurate and prevalent than before. With the integration of a single online test platform in the classroom system, teachers can create, conduct and evaluate assessments all at once. It completely eliminates the hassle of manual assessments and augments the core value of examination with a twist of innovative creativity.
Gamification
Long gone have those days when games used to be abhorred by parents and teachers! Now games are the most significant part of our recent times learning methods. Gamification uses the basics of game system that involves providing reward winners, challenges, increasing the level of challenges with accordingly bigger rewards. This makes various classroom tasks fun and more engaging in comparison to any other type of method for learning.
All types of games are created on the concept of intense release of dopamine which is a chemical in the brain that gets triggered when you win at a game. This gives a positive experience to the students related to learning and naturally increases their interest in gaining more of knowledge.
Social Media
Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are quite popular amongst today’s generation but it still considered as a distraction in the classroom setting. No doubt that it has made its way in the domain of education but it is still not much acceptable. It is important to put light on the fact that students these days are more comfortable with social media platforms and so it can be powerful tool for both students and teachers.
There are many platforms in the educational market that are replicas of social media but are solely used for the purpose of education. One of which is Study24x7, platform created for both learners and educators to augment learning and knowledge sharing process in a real time environment. Such platforms serve various purposes and provide courses and varied educational materials. Connecting with mentors or discussing with similar aspirants all in all is possible through Social media platforms for learning.
Mind Mapping
“Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity”. Mind Mapping is a way to represent ideas and concepts in a graphical manner. It is a tool that uses visual thinking factor that helps in structuring information, helping students to better understand, comprehend and recall existing ideas and generating new ideas as well.
It has been developed to take place of traditional note taking methods replacing it with a technique that resembles more closely to how the brain actually works. Since it is a task that is both artistic and analytical in nature it engages the brain in a more active manner and best of all it is fun!
Conclusion
Right from online assessment platform– automating assessments, to social media platforms-that were once abhorred but now embraced, educational sectors are moving towards an era where technology knows no bounds and will replace even the slightest of manual involvement. E- Learning is becoming the present and future of education; it is quite possible that what Research and Markets believe- “e-learning triple to $325 Billion by 2025” will definitely become the truth and finally believable by all of us too!
