Almost every industry has been impacted by technology. And education is one of the aspects of everyday life that has been impacted to a great extent by the technology. The innovation is taking place every single day. Education was much different if we see it a few years back. In the past, books were rare and only a few people had access to valuable resources to get the education. Moreover, people had to travel to the learning places. But, the scenario is totally different now. Technology has changed the education extremely. Nowadays, every individual has easy access to the information such as – audio, e-books, images, and videos. The resources are abundant and available to almost everybody, thanks to the internet technology.
This change would be continuous and is not going to stop. However, the artificial intelligence technology would boost this change and take the education to the next level; if we consider this change as positive. On the other side, there are some hazards to some industries. Take the example of automobile industry where the human power has been replaced by robots to a great extent. Moreover, the social media sites are threatening the traditional publishing companies. The giant changes in technology have forced the business owners to change their business model. So, technology has put some industries at risk. So, here are some points that how technology has changed the education positively and negatively.
How Technology Has Changed The Education
› Expanding Availability:
When we see a few years back, the educational resources were not much available as they are today. So, one of the intense ways in which technology has changed the education is that the educational resources are more available than before. The online courses have made it possible for the people to get the formal education at their own pace. There is a large number of institutions worldwide which are offering their courses online. One of the best examples of online learning is the edx.org
Much appreciation for the user-friendly Learning Management Systems that has made it possible to get the formal education from distance. Consequently, now a number of people can enroll in their desired courses and get the education online. In short, the technology has broken those limits and made education available to everyone.
› Large Displays:
It is a well-known fact that the visual aids help to understand quickly. The chalkboards and whiteboards are disappearing and being replaced by the projectors that have improved the displays and improved the learning consequently. There are web-based programs and applications that help to improve the learning through engaging content. Moreover, there are interesting games; catching the attention of students and persuade them to learn more.
› Reduced Cost of Learning:
Due to the technological advancements in education, the cost of learning has reduced remarkably. The web-based tools and applications have acted as the best medium between the teachers and students. Therefore, the institutions have to spend less to interact with the students, consequently, the educational institutions charge less. Similarly, the students or learners have to spend less to get the resources on their table. Hence, the technological progress in the educational sector has benefited a lot to the teachers and learners.
› Up to Date Content Availability:
It is because of technology that the students or learners can find the up to date content easily on the internet. They can find answers to most of their questions online. One form of the content available online is the e-books. Now we have audio versions of books, moreover, there is substantial content available for free. The e-books have changed the meanings of reading the books. The digital books do not need physical space, therefore, they can be carried out wherever you go. Moreover, the publisher can easily update the e-books if we compare to do so with the physical books. We can say that the digital content is not only available all the time but it has also reduced the cost of learning.
› Expanded the Life of Knowledge:
In the past, people would forget everything they had learned as soon as they leave the college. Today, he who does not learn new things with the time would lag behind the digital world. To keep pace with the ever-changing digital world one has to learn new skills all the time. As it is said that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”, the same is true for the person of today world. The rising requirements at the workplace or at home force people to dig out the treasures of knowledge. It would not be useless to say that the technology has expanded the lifetime of one’s knowledge.
› Engaging Games:
To engage the students and persuade them to learn effectively, certain engaging games are being designed. The games not only helps in effective learning but also attract the attention of students or learners. For example – Robert Kiyosaki who is the founder of the Rich Dad company has designed a game “The CashFlow” to teach the people how to quit the rat race and follow their dreams. Similarly, the interest of educational institutions is increasing to use the games as an effective interaction medium. Hence, the games are becoming popular in the educational organizations.
› Flexible Environment:
As stated earlier, the online courses are delivering the knowledge at the doorstep. Therefore, it becomes much feasible for a person to join any course at his own convenience. You do not have to attend the college or any class strictly at the time. It is all because of technological advancements in the education industry. Similarly, the technology has broken those barriers to learning and you do not have to travel long distances to reach the physical college or school. Consequently, people can learn from anywhere at any time. People can adjust their time schedule as per their convenience.
So, we can say that technology has changed the education entirely and will change more in the future. Probably the educational institutions would have to change their medium to interact with the students or learners.
– Good Luck!!!
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