Most people who are so-called purists, consider technology as an enemy of success for students. There might be some truth in this because some students spend more time on social media, playing games and pursuing other recreational endeavors. Students’ grades may be negatively affected by excessively using technological devices and may face difficulties in classes.
So, is technology really that bad? Well, not exactly. Everything comes with its own share of cons, but we can’t label it based entirely on that.
There are some great technologies developed specifically for educational purposes and they are changing the educational landscape for a brighter future. With these technologies, students can have a better shot at getting more grades and getting a better pass rate.
These new trends make studying easier and more accessible to all students all over the world. How do the following new trends in mobile technology affect education? Here are a few good examples of how this has been accomplished and the impact of technology on education.
Mobile Learning
The mobile learning (m-learning) concept is based around making education mobile and accessible on devices you can use on the go. It includes personal digital assistants, the use of smartphones and also the use of tablets.
These mobile devices can be a great wireless mode of gaining access to the curriculum because of the affordability of some of the mobile devices used for this purpose. Students can get educational material right on the palm of their hand and have access to other online resources and tools.
The trend of owning smartphones and tablets also helps students by giving them access to research tools like the internet and online video platforms like YouTube.
The effect this has on education is that it becomes easily and readily available for most students and it can be much affordable than paper textbooks.
Integrating Technology in Education
Integrating technology in education involves using mobile devices, computers, software, social media platforms and networks in the classroom. These technological resources can also be used in the daily management of the entire school.
For example, when teachers use office productivity software to prepare their lessons and material they will use in class, they can save some valuable time.
The time that is usually spent writing on a chalkboard or whiteboard and erasing it to write new information can be better used for teaching new points. Teachers can accomplish this by using PowerPoint slides that interchange quickly and effortlessly.
Other changes like the one mentioned above help teachers manage their time better and students cover more curriculum and have more time to ask questions.
Seamless Assessment
Teachers spend a lot of hours grading and assessing students’ papers, examinations, and other assignments. With technological developments, teachers can delegate this task to AI software that does the grading for them.
Although this development is still at its grassroots levels, they can use the M-learning material to assess their students. Teachers can use pop-up quizzes that can be embedded in the m-learning material that their students use to test their strengths and weaknesses.
With that data, teachers can then categorize their students and see which ones need immediate attention to make it through the year and assist them accordingly.
Using this method can help the teachers see the equilibrium of where most students suffer and this way, they can provide better help to the students. Perhaps, after classes, the teacher can arrange to help individual students with unique problems.
Personalized Learning
It is nearly impossible for teachers in government schools that lack infrastructure to help students all at once to understand some concepts explained to them.
This is because of their unique circumstances, background and diverse learning traits which contribute to effective learning methods for each individual.
On the other hand, students use online material to search for certain points they don’t understand. When they use this tool, the search results will provide them with answers in a way they will understand personally. The content they get is available 24/7 and is personalized to their learning traits and methods.
The efficacy of this method is seen in the attitude of all students around the world towards learning in class and doing homework. They prefer searching for points they don’t understand instead of asking in class, which is the most common relativity between technology and modern education. You can even pay for essay australia and get advanced help with your paper. You can ever order dissertation, thesis, term papers and coursework from online writing experts. It’s all available on mobile with one click.
Women & Disadvantaged Empowerment
Women and historically disadvantaged people may find it hard getting access to scholarships and other financial resources needed. To curb that, technology has a wide range of resources that can help women and disadvantaged communities gain access to quality education.
Through online courses, all people can get the same level of education and the same qualifications. Women and people from disadvantaged communities can also get financial resources online either by specific scholarships for them or through crowdfunding sources.
These online resources help all people, no matter their background, get education easily without any cultural or religious discrimination. That is one of the advantages of mobile phones for students.
Image 2: https://unsplash.com/photos/_R5RCqptBec
Mobile Revolution on Education
The mobile revolution, which comprises various innovations that have socio-economic benefits, has begun to revolutionize education. Many resources, like digital content, are continually being made available to students and teachers, which makes learning more interactive.
The resources being used include instructional video games, digitalized curriculum, and other mobile educational resources.
As technology is consistently being updated and developed, the mobile revolution will continue having a direct impact on education. Students will continue getting resources that make it easier for them to understand the curriculum and save the teacher’s time.
Disadvantages of M-Learning
You must have heard about it. Still wondering what is mobile learning? Almost all technological developments have their strength and weaknesses and that is also the case with m-Learning.
So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of m-Learning? The foremost concern is about privacy due to cookies constantly being common amongst mobile devices.
It may be hard for younger ones to read the privacy policies and understand them, so this may pose a threat to those young students. Also, mobile devices can be abused by students and use it for cheating and they can also be a distraction to some students. This becomes a concern, especially when students bring their own devices to school.
However, these concerns can be mitigated by going back to the drawing board and redeveloping your school’s m-learning program. When the advantage and disadvantage of mobile technologies are compared, it is clear to see that the advantage outweighs the disadvantage.
Conclusion
Technology is genuinely revolutionizing the educational industry and has more benefits than disadvantages. The help you can get using mobile devices is very effective and quite practical. You don’t need costly resources to integrate mobile technology into your curriculum.
Technology also helps students improve their grades and reach their full potential by using these mobile tools outlined above. Teachers can get valuable insight about their students using technology that allows them to improve their teaching methods. While on the other hand, mobile devices allow students to get personalized learning helping them understand more of their curriculum.
Author Bio:
Sandra Larson is an academic expert in the field of technology. She is an innovator who is involved with startups which are developing new technologies for integration with education to help students across the globe who are less privileged in terms of education. In her free time, she plays basketball, learns new languages and reads mystery novels.
Leave a Reply