The 21st century has witnessed a tremendous impact of technology in Education, from the primary to university stage. It has revolutionized learning styles and educational curriculums.
The technological revolution plays a profound role in developing teachers and students, as they are the main parties in the educational process.
The impactful role of technology has led to evolving the whole education system, as it’s available for everyone. It’s easy for people to access different information with the latest technologies.
This impact has been demonstrated in many educational aspects. So, let’s discover the importance of technology in educational systems.
Here we will learn the following:
What is Technology Education?
Let’s start by clarifying the definition of Technology Education before we explore its benefits. This innovative approach employs hardware and software to enhance the educational experience within classrooms, ultimately improving academic performance.
Additionally, Technology Education represents a cutting-edge approach to streamlining the learning process and enhancing teaching methodologies through the study of students, educational curricula, and analysis of classroom environments.
Importance of Technology in Education
There are many important factors that shed the light on the modern need for technology in Education:
1. Enhancing hands-on learning
One of the reasons for education’s effectiveness is the practical side of learning. That was one of the roles of technology in education, as it enables students to apply the knowledge they’ve gained through doing assignments and tasks.
Moreover, Technology helps students develop their skills in knowledge execution, as it boosts their skills in problem-solving.
2. Increasing Synergy
Technology is one of the factors of cooperation increase among students throughout the learning process.
This role helps to enhance group activities that encourage students to engage with peers in solving problems as they discuss ideas.
Collaborative activities play a significant role in developing communication skills.
Technology provides students with digital tools that they are used for working on assignments and projects with cooperation with peers.
Technology in education benefits isn’t for increasing interaction between students only, but also boosting one-to-one interaction with teachers, as it allows learners to discuss lessons with them by asking questions.
3. Easing the educational process
As Technology offers us several facilities in our life, it facilitates educational systems.
It became easier for students to submit their projects and assignments to teachers online. In turn, teachers can receive on their devices the tasks and review them. This advantage helps in time-saving.
This role also achieves through online tools that enrich the learning process such as videos, pictures, and presentations for presenting topics, in addition to virtual classrooms for attending classes and text chats for communication.
4. Developing critical thinking
Technology-based learning assists develop further students’ skills such as critical thinking. They learn how to implement the knowledge they’ve learned in reality.
Additionally, it encourages students to be more productive, increases their activities, and boosts self-confidence.
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Benefits of Technology in Education
The impact of technology in education is noticeable in the following advantages:
1. Facilitating Studying
With technology-based learning, it became easier for students to study educational materials by using digital devices that help them access curriculums.
2. Easy access to Knowledge
By using search engines such as Google and Microsoft Bing and with a push button, it’s easy for students to get the required information, whether from blogs, social media channels, and e-books. This benefit has an impactful role in boosting knowledge.
3. Building Teamwork
As Technology increases engagement among students, it achieves this benefit through digital tools for video conferencing such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype. These tools rely on holding meetings and online classes for teamwork.
4. Training on Responsibilities
Technology helps students to take responsibility through working on assignments and projects that require several steps such as searching and cooperating with others.
Moreover, students are responsible for submitting assignments and projects to their teachers on the deadline.
5. Qualifying for Career Life
Technology-based learning’s importance is not only for the present but also extends to the future in career life. Students in all stages learn how to use digital tools that are essential in different fields of work.
Students learn using digital tools that are existed in the updated curriculums. The most prominent tools are electronic whiteboards, web pages, and video conferencing.
6. Education with Entertainment
What makes traditional education boring is the lack of entertainment that makes students enjoy learning. The technology incorporates the entertaining side into classrooms.
This benefit shows clearly in Game-based learning which means activities include playing particular games to achieve learning goals by applying specific strategies.
7. Easing Remembrance
With EdTech, it’s easier for students to remember information as digital tools such as microlearning, game-based learning, and VR-based learning.
using these tools helps students to remember what they’ve learned by 25% at least.
8. Evaluating Students’ Improvement
Technology benefits are not only for students but also teachers. They can evaluate their students easier and professionally.
Moreover, they can rely on digital apps to follow up on students’ activities and performance.
This benefit helps teachers to keep track of progress throughout the learning process. They can find out what effective plans that work out with students.
Disadvantages of Technology in Education
Although technology helps in developing education and facilitates the learning process, it includes several cons, which are:
1. Digital Devices are Distracting
Students tend to misuse digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops in classrooms.
They use them for entertainment by browsing social media websites and apps and playing games. Therefore, these devices distract students from learning.
2. Lack of Face-to-Face Interaction
Online learning that relies on technology doesn’t include a direct connection between teachers and students.
Also, this type of learning doesn’t include oral activities such as presentations. So learners are less likely to engage verbally throughout the learning process.
3. Some Websites aren’t Accredited
Although students access any type of information quickly on the Internet, they can get misleading information, as there are unreliable websites that publish false data to get more visits.
4. Technical Issues
Teachers and students experience several technical problems throughout the learning process. The most common issue is Internet disconnection which occurs surprisingly. It prevents students from completing online classes.
Moreover, sometimes websites have trouble with servers that break down. It prevents teachers and students from accessing Websites.
5. Cheating becomes Easier
Numerous students misuse technology by using it to cheat in exams. It’s easy for them to access the answers on the Internet as they use their smartphones. So they get higher degrees and gain undeserved success.
6. Higher cost of Education
Incorporating technology into education requires spending extra money as students should buy digital devices for learning, unlike traditional education, which relies on cheap resources. Schools in real time impose additional tuition in all stages due to technology.
Example of Technology in Education
EdTech has multiple examples that teachers and students use in the educational process. Here are the most prominent tools:
- Projectors.
- Tablets.
- Video meeting websites and apps.
- Digital whiteboards.
- Laptops.
- 3D printing.
- Gamification.
- Artificial Intelligence.
- Blockchain technology.
- E-learning platforms.
- Virtual reality headsets.
Ethical Use of Technology in Education
Learning how to use technology in education ethically is a must-do for every student at different stages to avoid misusing it. Here are the methods for EdTech ethical use:
- Students should learn how to be aware of every file they download or link they press that may contain viruses damaging the device.
- Teaching how to face cyberbullying by reporting. Students should understand cyberbullying’s definition, its examples, and its risks.
- Learning what accredited websites are that share correct information and how to differentiate between them and fake websites.
- In searching, Students must acknowledge giving credit to their sources to maintain copyrights.
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Conclusion
Technology Education or EdTech is the latest method that schools use to improve the teaching and learning processes due to its pros as increasing cooperation and facilitating access to knowledge.
However, EdTech has several drawbacks such as the lack of interactivity facially and high cost. Students must be aware of using technology ethically in the classroom and how to face its risks by learning from teachers.
