How Essential Is It That Schools Teach Using iPads, Smart Boards, Social media, And Other New Technologies

How Essential Is It That Schools Teach Using iPads, Smart Boards, Social media, And Other New Technologies

Nowadays, technology is a quintessential part of our lives. We use our phones for a myriad of activities, we work on laptops, and even cars are advanced.

Moreover, a lot of activities, such as meetings, learning, and socializing, have moved over to the virtual realm.

Just a dozen years ago, no one could see a beneficial and extended use of technology in learning.

However, with the pandemic, technology has flooded the education system, creating new teaching methods that seem to integrate into the traditional techniques quite well.

But what are the advantages of high-tech and the virtual world?

Extended learning methods that suit each student

The traditional way of learning includes reading from a book and listening to the teacher. For a lot of students, this technique is enough to make them understand and remember.

Nonetheless, if you ask them if they like studying this way, they’ll probably have a lot to say. Reading isn’t enjoyable, and it’s pretty passive, just like listening to the teacher. So, it’s a mixture of dull and inefficient.

Also, consider that some people learn better and faster by seeing footage or doing things. Meanwhile, some students have learning disabilities.

Technology can solve those problems because you have a broad range of learning content:

  • Videos and images for people who are visual learners
  • Isolated audio for people with learning and hearing disabilities
  • Interactive games for practical learners

These examples are just a few ways to improve learning by making it more effective and fun. 

Improved accessibility

Technology allows pupils to access learning content and participate in lessons from far away. This strategy was exceptionally useful when all the schools were closed during the pandemic. But now, virtual learning seems to stay because it makes learning more accessible.

Sure, elementary and middle school students might still attend physical classes, but what about when they’re sick or need to revise some of the learning material? Here’s where a tablet and the teacher’s shared drive come into play.

Students can have all of their books on a drive, accessible from anywhere without having a heavy weight to take to school every day. Also, books are expensive, and they harm the environment. So, why not buy them online for a fraction of their price?

Lastly, with online classes and material, students can attend universities and colleges worldwide, cutting transportation and rent costs.

Cutting time and costs

The school budget would most likely benefit from not paying for books, copies, and more. In addition, teachers can cut down time-consuming tasks while simplifying them:

  • Checking the attendance of students
  • Correcting tests
  • Writing grades into the school records
  • Planning lessons, tests, and material
  • Creating tests according to the common standards
  • Feedback

Meetings can also become a virtual practice without taking up a whole day. For instance, why should a parent interrupt their work to go to school and talk to the teacher? They can use their phone and message or facetime the teacher for ten minutes.

Anticipating the future

Teaching students to work with technology anticipates the future. We already live in a high-tech society, but most workplaces will function with virtual methods tomorrow. Remote work will most likely become a standard among companies. So, it’s vital for students to be prepared.

It’s not just learning to navigate a new interface or a menu: learning how to solve minor problems requires a knowledge of the virtual structures. Thus, experience is essential.

Moreover, learning how to look for a job online, send an email, and upload something on a drive are the life skills of today.

For instance, what can a student do when they have trouble with essays? They can type in essay help, pro essay writing service, or another similar query to find a solution. Then, they simply message a writer that can assist them. But the advantage is that the student did that all from one location while contacting someone perhaps far away.

Teaching students how to collaborate

One of the perks of technology is that you can always stay connected from anywhere, all the time. This crucial aspect makes it easy to communicate with peers.

In addition, working online means that you get to share your work through drives, clouds, and virtual storage. You can have creative meetings with people, which translates into a school project. Later in life, when students become employees, the methods might be the same.

But working in pairs can be quite challenging, even when you’re next to your partner. Especially if you have to talk, there might be a lot of noise and movement. Using tablets can turn group projects into a much more manageable experience that students can take home.

Becoming more active in the learning process

As a teacher, you can become more dynamic in the teaching process by adopting various teaching methods. You elevate your class, whether it’s a form you created on Google or an interactive PowerPoint presentation. You’re helping your students focus and get involved.

We’re used to the mentality of passive learning, but is that what we should teach? Should we teach students that knowledge is boring and inflexible? Maybe the key to creating a better world is encouraging students to become part of the lesson and get passionate.

For instance, using various platforms, students can create their own material to share or present to the class.

But even just reading something that isn’t on paper motivates students because the younger generation is used to the screen way more than paper. These young minds associate the screen with a leisure activity, thus, they’re more likely to engage with it.

Last thoughts

The direction of our world is clear: we’re heading towards high-tech. So, it makes sense to use all these new tools to:

  • Extend learning methods fit for each unique student
  • Improve accessibility
  • Cut time and costs
  • Anticipate the future
  • Teach collaboration
  • Help students become more active in the learning process