In recent decades, technology has become an integral part of our life. There is no aspect of life that has been left untouched. It has affected the way we shop, connect, socialize, play or most important of all, the way we learn. With the technology at such a high and producing great effects on our life, it totally makes sense to say that technology and learning have become almost inseparable. Let’s look at ways how technology has changed the face of learning in present era.
- Communication Evolution: The mode of communication has changed, now we text more andmore we use the texting language in common life, like 2M2H which means too much to handle. This type of communication brings student and teachers closer making a friendlier classroom environment.
- Poster Boards: It’s a Thing of Past: There was a time when we used to make poster boards with our hands and make it as beautiful as we can. Yet we were never able to give the true colors to our imaginations. But technologies have removed this obstacle, with the development to tools like Glogsterit became easier for students to create a multimedia poster or “glog” and truly demonstrate what they have understood about the topic.
- No more 3-Ring Binders: With tablets, computers and laptops, keeping and handling files have become easier. Now the students don’t need to carry those bulky book binders. As well they have the vast resource of internet to get the information they are looking for. Along with these facilities, there are tools such as LiveBinders, which gives the student the comfort of creating binders online. Because of which preparing for standardized exams such as GMAT and GRE has become easier and feasible for all.
- Interactive Textbooks: The outlook of textbooks has changed completely, if compared to the textbooks used a decade back. It is no longer a plain book containing texts and pictures. Now the books are filled with diverse options, such as, web-based sites including animation, assessments, video CDs, additional material and many other things to make textbooks more interactive.
- Rise of e-Books: E-books are replacing heavy and bulky textbooks and that too rapidly. With the advancement of tablets and e-book readers, e-book learning has gained more popularity. Probably, the way e-books are gaining popularity, the students will no longer need to carry heavy backpacks.
- No More Passing of Notes: Whether it’s directly related to learning or not, yet it is an integral part of learning. Earlier one person used to make notes in class and whole class used to copy it. But now time has changed. Students no longer pass notes in place they text or send pic of notes to one another. It is also an amazing yet funny way of how technology has changed the face of learning.
- No more clumsy Chalk Boards: There are many interactive and powerful gaming apps available to making learning fun. With each passing day, new tools and programs are being designed to enhance the quality of teaching that was once restricted paper and black boards.
- For Better Communication purpose, the use of Assistive Technology:With improvement of technology, the quality of voice recognition software has also improved greatly, making it more accessible. Kids with special requirements and limited proficiency in English can easily communicate with the help of contextual based language learning.
- The I-Pad-A complete Game Changer: I-Pads have proved to be a complete game changer because of it flexibly adaptable and extremely powerful tools that can help in teaching as well as learning. I-pads offer many applications, but the most powerful and an exciting aspect of I-pads arethe way it has enhanced the learning experiences of many specially needed students, particularly for the students suffering from autism.
- Extended Classroom Communities:With the advancement of technology, the ability of teacher student interaction has enhanced as well. There are many available platforms and forums on which students can interact among them as well as teachers and discuss homework, plan projects and post assignments.
- Rise of Web-Based Research:Though libraries are still quite famous but today’s students spend more time researching and learning online. The reason behind this change is the effective use of time, in libraries we used to spend hours finding the right books and then sorting the information out of all books. Technology reduces this burden by sorting out everything, giving students ample time to think, learn and digest new information.
Technology has brought the benefits for each learner by meeting the requirements of every individual.
