The Benefits of Education Technology in Classrooms

Technology and the internet have revolutionised the way we work, play and study today. Social media influences the way we connect, google answers almost any question we might have and online learning modalities brings accessibility and ease to learning something new.

The education sector is no different and with the application of EdTech solutions, teachers and schools can now use technology to help themselves while making learning a fun and connected process.

What is EdTech? The application of technology to aid and facilitate education.

The tech solutions used have to however not detract from the learning process and a lot can be said for applying the right educational technology to achieve intended learning objectives. Facilitation becomes easier for educators if relevant and efficient technology is introduced, and perfectly matched tech solutions could make learning as adventurous as the digital world wide web.

Here’s why the use of smart technology in education can aid the learning process while adding benefit to the lives of teachers, students, parents and the school.

Greater Efficiency for Teachers

Teachers are some of the main players in the educational system and also the ones that could benefit and make the most of EdTech tools and applications. They can improve the way in which they teach lessons while ensuring that learners achieve the learning objectives as set out by the school curriculum.

But teachers have a lot to deal with nowadays and the tasks of instilling discipline, keeping students interested and doing the marking and administration for all the kids in the class, can be a challenge.

Whether they want to use technology as part of a blended learning approach, advance their students to become more digitally savvy or simply want to make their own lives easier, the advantages of using the right technology will by far outweigh the disadvantages.

Educators have the responsibility to ensure they apply the right tools for the job and you can ready more about integrating tech into your classroom correctly here.

Aid Planning and Assignments Around Learning Goals

Every teacher knows how important learning goals are. All lessons and assignments are planned around preparing the learner for the exams. Sticking to learning objectives, the teacher can guide and keep the student on-track to meet these learning objectives by creating relevant and practical assignments.

Technology makes the creation, management and marking around these assignments easier. There are no homework books to carry around and multiple choice assignments with creative and engaging content makes the physical marking of assignments something of the past.

Digital inventions like Turnitin and Edmondo are great solutions for creating and checking assignments, but you can also ready our other article on the best educational technology tools here.

A New Approach to Discipline

Enforcing discipline could be tricky sometimes and teachers can use all the help they can get. Technology has brought some useful solutions to the process which helps with transparent management of expectations and goals while minimizing conflict.

ClassDojo is one of those solutions where the dynamics of a primary school classroom is transformed through the introduction and implementation of discipline-forming principles. Geared towards younger students, this software is especially good for incentivising good behaviour and performance in the classroom.

Each student sets up their own account and the teacher can get learners involved in the creation of the merit and demerit system, which would certainly help with buy-in and active participation in the process. Misbehaviour or failing to hand in quality work could lead to the removal of points while adding points re-enforces positive behaviour while they work towards a clear goal or reward.

Why not discuss and agree with the class what they consider as a great reward for an individual or the class if they perform well? You can also set benchmark goals of 25 or 50 points for the total class, encouraging group participation as learners want to feel part of something bigger.

Completely mobile and user friendly, this app works on phones and computers and is only one of the many apps a teacher can use to encourage and reward great work in their classroom.

Create Opportunities for Active Engagement with Content

This might be one of the most obvious benefits of technology in teaching, but it could also be one of the most effective if it is used well.

Data and academic orientated subjects can get a visual feel, or even feel like games to help students that tend to learn better with pictures. Analytical students can dive into thousands of informational souces if they want to explore a topic further by using links to other websites, pictures, data sets or entertaining educational videos.

There are plenty of practical possibilities when you consider how technology can help students and teachers:

• Create interactive quizzes and get immediate results and marks. Quiz websites like Sporcle will give you access to hundreds of quizzes around a wealth of topics
• With the help of software, like Prezi, students can research and create their own presentations
• An interactive whiteboard or similar technologies combine google, websites, maps and articles and they can collectively work around it in class
• Making learning fun is easier with the help of gamification. A good example is how learners can become better at language with websites like Lyrics Training.

Improve Communication and Connection

With the touch of a button EdTech teachers can disseminate assignments or distribute feedback. That is possible with technology and it will have a positive impact on the relationships between student and teacher. It makes your life and administration around teaching easier and imagine you could use technology to do the marking as well?

Fun and Effective Learning for Students

As a teacher you know that the best student is one that remains curious and inquisitive about a topic. Technology makes it easier for teachers to engage students who have different attention spans, ways of learning and interests.  A lot of times the content is available online and it’s about directing and collating it in such a way that they remain stimulated while answering the learning objectives.

Students who miss classes can access instruction or classroom learnings with apps like Edmodo and online learning platforms allow them to access what they need in one go, regardless of their location. They can study when they want, where they want and also use google to access additional research and multimedia where needed.

Technology and education can also create fun learning opportunities for students. Digital platforms use video, images, social media and games to make learning more fun. Technology allows them thus to engage in a different way with content and the younger generations tend to find it easier to spend their time nailed to their phones or computers.

Technology is part of almost everything we do, and one of the greatest benefits for children who gets exposed early to educational technology is the skills they start to develop around the digital and online world. Any of your students might be the next well-known African tech innovator or developer and even if they aren’t, they will be better prepared to compete internationally in a world that revolves around technology.

Parents Stay Involved and Informed

Parents might feel a bit disconnected from their children's education from time to time. Reports and parent evenings are the only way they get feedback and sometimes their child can slip or fall behind without noticing it. Technology can change that.

Parents can be linked to the same systems as children and most apps make provision for parents to see the child’s progress without interfering. This allows them visibility while not interrupting the natural development of the child’s independence, allowing them to learn the very important skill of accountability.

Parents can thus have peace of mind without having to ask about completed homework or interrogating their child about their progress. This level of visibility will also allow them to pay attention to subjects and areas where their child might need a bit of help and tutoring before they fall too far behind.

Tech Schools Are Perceived as More Advanced

The top priority for schools is the ability for their pupils to perform well in their academics and consequently achieve great exam results. The implementation of proper technology can aid educators while giving students their best chance to stay focussed to excel.

Digital learning systems will not only make the process more convenient, it will also enhance communication and improve tracking of learning, whether the students study at home or in the classroom.

Technology allows a direct line of contact with students and their parents, allowing them to stay updated around homework assignments, marks, timetables and exam information. It is also incredibly useful to disseminate information around extracurricular activities and schools with a good technology framework can use it as a drawing card to attract new prospective students.

Thousands of companies are still expanding and evolving the use of technology in education, but one thing is certain - Technology is here to stay. The list of benefits extends way beyond the above mentioned and you can clearly see how students, teachers, learners and schools can benefit by using technology in their educational approach.

Teachers have to however understand that tech doesn’t replace previous learning methods, it simply makes it better and provides alternatives approaches to educational programs.

The implementation of advanced technology solutions can sometimes lead to disadvantages. An example is when the solution gets preference over natural, human relationships and the way in which people learn. Luckily this disadvantage can be managed if educators continue to keep their reason for teaching and what's best for their students in mind.