Modern teaching and learning were going through a change that was further accelerated by the pandemic. With lockdowns imposed all over the world by respective governments, educational institutions were also shut down.
In these challenging times, technology came to the assistance of teachers and students. Online classes, checking and submitting the projects and assignments using information technology, different school management, and engagement software helped give better learning outcomes.
It has helped them to be interactive and better articulate their views in an organized way. It has improved their problem-solving skills, which is the need of the hour. It has also helped them be technologically sound and better prepared to face any situation like the current pandemic in a better-informed manner.
The benefits of information technology are uncountable in number. Let us see how information technology benefits the education sector so that more and more educational institutions can use it to provide better education to their students, and how it helps the teachers in giving quality education to prepare the future generations of the country.
Helps in providing better learning outcomes
In a brick-and-mortar school, teaching and learning happen in a group. Though it has its benefits, expecting all the students to learn and process the same information simultaneously is asking too much from them.
Online learning tools can solve this problem by providing them the flexibility of learning at their own pace. They can access the teaching material from anywhere. The variety of learning tools available to them help them better understand the concept on a one-on-one basis and is a helpful tool to test their abilities.
This makes learning an enjoyable prospect for the students. Teachers can also assess their students better with the help of online teaching as they can attend to each student on an individual basis. This helps in better learning and teaching outcome.
Binds students, teachers, and parents in one thread
In the education of the children, teachers and parents are equally responsible. Without parental support, children cannot progress in their learning. Back in the days when technology was used on a limited scale, parents had minimal access to their ward’s progress in the classroom. Whatever little they could learn during the parents-teachers meeting was not enough for them to understand the child’s problem, which was proving a hindrance for them to help their children.
With the advent of technology in the education sector, parents are better informed about their children’s day-to-day progress in school. Real-time updates of children’s grades, attendance, and other such important matters can be immediately sent to the parents so that they can also assist the school and the teachers in making learning enjoyable for the students.
Additionally, software solutions like LMS (Learning Management Software) that different schools and colleges deploy help the parents connect immediately with the teachers and administrators. Any queries raised by the parents can be directly resolved. This improves communication between teachers and parents, which is beneficial to the student’s growth and development.
Provides enhanced teaching opportunities to the teachers
Gone are the days when a single degree and textbook knowledge was enough for the teachers to impart knowledge to students. In modern times, teachers, too, need to keep themselves updated with what’s happening around them and adopt the best teaching practices prevalent worldwide.
With the help of technology, teachers can get their hands on resources to teach better with just a few clicks of the mouse. They can share new practice materials with their students, which augments better clarity of the concepts.
Other than that, solutions like group messaging to parents, or individual messaging, sharing resources with fellow teachers become more effortless with technological advancements. Technology also helps the teachers to develop professionally and learn any new skill related to teaching with just a few clicks at their leisure. With hundreds of websites related to teaching, keeping oneself updated about any recent happenings in the field of education becomes more straightforward.
It makes project-based learning possible.
The obsolete ways of learning with a teacher standing in front of the class and explaining a concept gradually vanishes. Learning is slowly progressing to a project-based method where problem analysis and critical thinking become the main motto.
Technology helps the students access unlimited resources that they can use to gain knowledge about a particular topic related to the project. Projects also help students collaborate on different aspects like audio, video, or blog content, which allows them to learn about working in groups.
Technology gives the student a choice to complete a project using the method they are more comfortable using- like audio or video content, blogs, etc.
It makes remote or distance education possible.
In the current pandemic, the importance of distance learning cannot be emphasized enough. With schools and colleges closed, the only way teaching could continue uninterrupted was with the help of technology.
Technology has helped students sitting in remote areas get access to education. It has broken the geographical barriers and brought education to the homes of every student. It has made education affordable to all. With materials and resources available online, buying different books for different topics is reduced to a large extent.
In the pandemic, remote learning has kept the teaching and learning process alive without wasting the precious learning years of the students.
Conclusion
Though the negative impacts of technology are often one of the most discussed topics in recent times, technology acts as a helping hand. If appropriately used by teachers, students, parents, and educational institutions, it will develop the education sector to make it future-ready in every possible way.