Technology in Education

Technology has influenced every facet of our lives, and now the global education systems seem to require updates. Various educators employ the digital revolution and the newest trend in technologies to enlighten students and enable them to realize many things they are capable of. 

The major question now is, how fast can they utilize the technology to prepare these students for a career in the future.

However, a substantial number of studies have shown that despite the incoming of technological developments into the classroom, most teachers have rather been slow in changing their teaching methods.

The proof to show that technology and virtual learning improve the learning ability of the students is small. And both parents and academics have raised concerns about the distraction offered by the technology and ways that technology has further increased achievement gaps.

There have also been debates over the years about the problems that come with the newest technological developments in academics and the real world.

In this technology in education article, we will discuss the facts about technology in the classroom and how different technology has been applied in the educational sector over the years.

How is Technology Currently Used in Education?

Today, classrooms use a lot of the latest technologies: social media, online classrooms, blogs and wikis, podcasting, whiteboard, and mobile devices. There are various ways to take advantage of the technologies that have been developed recently. New technologies provide faster feedback and better collaboration between large groups of people.

School technology can change learning by creating a new connected learning model. This model connects teachers with their students and with content, resources, and professional systems to help them enhance learning.

Virtual learning and online academic resources and other technologies can enhance productivity and accelerate the pace of learning. It can also reduce the cost of training materials or program implementation and allow the teachers to make better use of their time in school.

Latest Technologies in the Classrooms – 2024

Computers and Other Technology Devices

1. In 2008, it was reported that all K–12 schools in the US had a minimum of one computer for instructional purposes. 

But with the availability of computers and other technology devices in elementary and secondary schools in the US. Many teachers still consider education with technology as inadequate for teaching students, especially science classes.

2. A research in 2012 by project tomorrow shows that about 55% of teachers in K–12 gave a report on how there were no sufficient computers to teach the students.

Even though there are computers and other technology devices available in the classroom, some teachers still feel that they are not enough to teach them properly.

3. The unavailability of technology devices is much more common with science classes than mathematics classes. 

According to a 2012 survey by the NSF (National Science Foundation), 69% of mathematics teachers in elementary, middle, and high school reported that their computer and instructional technology were okay and adequate for teaching the students.

While only 48% of science teachers in elementary, middle, and high school reported this.

Internet Access

4. Access to the internet in general and very common to all K–12 schools available in the US. 

As reported in 2008, all the public schools in the US had a computer for instructions and also internet connections. 

Even though access to the internet in general for all schools, what becomes an issue is access to the internet with sufficient bandwidth and fast connection speed. Although significant progress has been made 

5. A survey of administrators of school district technology found that over 68% of all schools in their district were fully compliant with the minimum internet bandwidth recommended for all schools.

This is an increase from the 19% recorded four years earlier, the network speed, reliability, capacity, and affordability have always been affecting internet connections.

The result of the survey also recommends that more bandwidth is still needed as schools expect a sharp increase in the statistics of students using different devices in the classroom.

6. Even though there were improvements in connectivity, internet speed varies according to student demographics.

It was shown by a study that high minority school students had half the high-speed internet than students in low minority schools. In contrast, low-income or rural areas have a slower internet speed than their colleagues in rich schools.

Mobile Devices

7. Asides from the school computer there are more accessible mobile devices by students in schools

A 2015 survey conducted by the project tomorrow showed that 47% of teachers of K–12 schools gave a report on how they have access to mobile devices in classrooms. 

Regarding the type of mobile devices that students used to work at school. The survey also showed that students that used personal devices are 58%, 32% used laptops available in school, 16% and 32% of students make use of the school chrome books and tablets, respectively.

And the survey concludes that 13% of high schools and 21% of middle schools reported they were unable to access computers and mobile devices during school.

Digital Conversion

The development of mobile devices with an internet connection has made schools and neighborhoods start digitizing classrooms and replace the Textbooks with digital books, or e-textbooks and are then made available to students online.

8. Increased in number of students using e-textbooks

According to Project Tomorrow, about 46% of students in grades 9 to 12 utilize digital textbooks, which was 30% in 2005

9. The use of videos with academic content from services such as YouTube, Khan Academy, and NASA is also increasing.

According to the same survey from the project tomorrow, teachers of about 68% stated they frequently use internet videos to enhance lessons in the class.

Utilizing computer games to teach in the class is also increasing; in 2015, 48% of teachers said they used it in classrooms, compared to 30% in 2012.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence specializes in pinpointing what students know or do not know and developing individual courses.

10. There is more use of AI learning platforms in recent years, and studies show there will be a significant increase in years to come.

With an AI learning platform like Duolingo, the conventional education system has been considerably challenged. Because AI learning platforms deliver a semester academic syllabus within a few hours.

VR and AR

VR means virtual reality and AR for Augmented reality; both are a technology used to teach students by introducing them to a virtual environment. The technologies require that the students put on a virtual glass, and then they are in a virtual environment. It is a way of bringing the student closer to what they are being taught.

11. The VR and AR produce more result in the student than the traditional class

A test carried out by Yale, on the use of VR for Surgery shows that the group that used VR and AR was 29% and made fewer mistakes

Another study was conducted in Beijing on two groups of students; one group was taught through traditional classes and the second VR. It was shown the former group scored 73% and the second group scored 93%.

Video Learning

This is a tech in education that is more visually based than Text; it aims to teach the student through a virtual class rather than the traditional class.

12. Educators of about 98% may regard video learning as an important part of an individual learning

It has also been found that most schools are now inputting video-based courses into their academic coursework. This is because Video-based learning enhances student satisfaction and achievements by 91% and 82%, respectively.

Chatbots

This is software that naturally interacts with humans on certain topics or domains and chats with text and speech. Chatbots have been used for various purposes in different areas, which include marketing, customer service, technical support, and education. 

13. The chats bots grades paper 92% accurate and faster than the teachers

It’s able to monitor the performance of the students and guide them according to their needs. The technology provides educators with the latest strategies and methods that enable them to learn more actively while reducing workload.

Public Schools Using Technology Statistics

14. There is the presence of technology in all educational sectors; US public schools now have a minimum of a computer for five students. 

They invest more than $3b in digital content each year. As sponsored by the Federal Government, the country is working hard to provide affordable and high-speed Internet and free online education to schools in rural or remote areas. 

In 2015/16, the primary and secondary schools started using technology instead of pen and paper to write standardized government examinations.

K–12 Online Learning Facts

15. In the 2014/2015 academic year, 24 states opened virtual schools to provide students with other online courses. About 462,000 students registered for the online school and studied 815,000-semester courses.

Even though it is a small percentage out of over 50M students in K–12 schools, it was a substantial improvement compared with 2012/2013 that recorded the enrollment of 721,149 courses. And most of the courses were studied by the students in High schools (85%)

16.  Another learning option is the Full-time virtual schools; the virtual schools enrolled more than 275,000 students in the 2014/2015 academic year. 

According to the survey conducted in 2009 by the NCES, it was shown that the major reason for providing online learning for students is to offer them courses that were not taught in their various schools. Or for course credit recovery from the classes they failed or missed (65%)

Facts about Educational Technology 

Below are different myths and technology facts about education today

Myth 1: The more the online course, the fewer brick and mortar buildings are needed

Teaching multiple courses online can increase or decrease the rate of constructing buildings. Some campuses may require less traditional classrooms, but students will always participate in traditional learning.

Some construction funds can be used for special buildings or classrooms and for the offices and personnel needed to support online courses. This includes student assistants, training designers, and IT staff in educational technology.

Myths 2: All faculties will later abandon the traditional teaching for the online teaching

It does not matter how popular online teaching might become; all faculty members cannot become online instructors. Some might find it difficult to develop the right skills required for teaching online.

In a virtual environment, the ability to give inspirational lectures is replaced by the ability to promote dialogue between and with students. 

Becoming good online requires training; in the same way, learning to be an excellent teacher in the classroom also requires training and constant practice.

Besides, some courses will require a classroom lecture, so traditional learning cannot be phased out. Because Some subjects are easier to learn in the face-to-face learning environment.

Myths 3: Fewer Teachers will be needed for online learning

The number of young people and adults who need education in the knowledge economy will continuously increase. 

Even with the best teaching methods and technologies, the number of students with whom the teacher can communicate effectively in a course is limited. Therefore, the number of teachers required is unlikely to decrease.

Although teaching online can make it easier for teachers to teach when convenient for them. And the number of teachers participating in online training may increase because the institutions will hire more instructors for some sections.

Myths 4: The students tend to learn more in online classes than the Traditional classrooms

The teaching method does not determine how much will be gained by the students. 

What students will learn depends so much on the teacher’s enthusiasm and the structure of the course. The students can learn more online and in traditional classrooms as long as the enthusiasm and learning structure is well taken care of.

Conclusion 

Over the years, there has been an integration of technology and education. The combination has enabled a lot of students to learn quicker both in classrooms and in the virtual environment. 

However, both methods of learning have ups and downs. 

Virtual learning is good but might be a disadvantage to a student that does not have proper internet access. 

And on the other hand, the traditional classroom might offer courses in a way a bit slower than online learning.  Although, a lot of people have viewed Technology in Education as the method that is likely to serve as a complete replacement for the learning that offers less flexibility.

Sources
Helen Vlasova
Helen is the co-founder of admissionsly.com, a career guidance website for students and young professionals. She has a degree in English from the University of Michigan. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and traveling.

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