The Role of Technology in Education: How to Make the Most of Digital Resources

Education, in its basic form, is the process of sharing knowledge. Whether it may be a son learning about sharpening his weapon from his father in the stone age or a student learning about the basics of gear mechanisms from his/her lecturer, everything comes under education. As time flew by, we as humans began to include available modern approaches in education systems. In this digital era, as the world is building on advanced technologies, it is important to make use of technology to transcend education.

There was a significant rise in Digital Technology in Educational Institutions during the early 2010s. Schools began to install projectors and computers in their classrooms. Admissions to Universities began to move from paperwork to online. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, the entire world’s Education System took Digital Technologies as their way of response to provide education. Being part of this digitalization and understanding the essence of using modern-day equipment became a necessity to sustain and develop.

In this article, we are going to discuss the role of technology in education and the improvement it can bring to student learning. 

How Does Digital Technology Help in Education?

Digital Technology involves the usage of electronic gadgets and their applications. In education, technology in digital format includes a wide range of activities, such as sharing resources, online video lectures, monitoring student performance, and many more. The credit for the rise of e-learning can be given to two main factors, one is the necessity of mobile phones in today’s life and the other is the reduced cost of the internet. These made a student who is hundreds of miles away gain access to the lectures of a brilliant professor from a renowned university.  

Benefits of Digital Learning

Proper use of technology in education can improve efficiency in learning life. To understand how technology can help and improve learning, here are some areas of benefits of Digital Learning:

1. Improved Access to Resources 

One cannot ignore the importance of resources in education. Digital Learning made the availability of resources such as study materials, research papers, textbooks, etc. at the fingertips. Also, as the world is connected through digital media, international books, and resources are available for a student who wants to have more references. A student can gain access to it anywhere and at any available time, making learning a 24/7 entity. 

2. Performance Tracking 

Consider a student who is taking a weekly test in a specific course. As the days go by and she couldn’t understand the reason for having any improvement in scores. In such cases, advanced technology comes into the picture. Digital tools analyze the test scores, highlight the weak areas, and suggest strategies to improve her scores. Many such examples applications help students to understand their learning patterns and make changes to perform well. 

3. Greater Communication 

As technology expanded, the connection between people grew exponentially. This can be applied to education also. A student can communicate better, share his experience personally and have a discussion over various mediums. 

4. Self-Paced Learning

With access to various resources and information, a student can opt to learn on his own despite the learning pace of the classroom. They can access learning in their specified learning period and make themselves comfortable. This can help a student to work on himself and boost his confidence. He can choose various learning patterns and improve his creativity.

How does Digital Technology help in Education? 

Digital Resources can increase the spectrum of opportunities for both students and professors. Various examples of digital technology in education constantly upscale learning methodologies. Here are some examples of technologies that improve student learning- 

Digital Resources can increase the spectrum of opportunities for both students and professors. Various examples of digital technology in education constantly upscale learning methodologies. Here are some examples of technologies that improve student learning:

1. Animated Videos for Complex Lessons 

It can be very easy to make an 8th-grade student understand Microorganisms with an animated video rather than an hour-long lecture on the topic. For an Under Graduate, a 5-minute video on “How an IC Engine Works” can be more helpful than a 5-page lesson. There exist many animated videos online for reference and for instance, a highly talented professor may go ahead and create a customized video for his students. Many studies constantly prove that learning through visual media, such as videos and pictures, can improve the rate at which we grasp and understand. Digital learning can help in understanding a topic more effectively.

2. Tools to Learn Languages

Learning multiple languages is made easy with Digital Technologies. Applications that can create Interactive audio-visual tools began to gain popularity. Writing tools and  Vocabulary building puzzles help in gaining more word power. Using such tools under a good mentor can bring the specified literary outcomes from the students.

3. Sharing Resources and Assignment Submissions 

Applications such as Google Classroom help in sharing PDFs, reference links, etc. with students. This help in reduced efforts, can save a lot of time, and make no student go without having the required resources. Assignments can be submitted online in such applications with specified deadlines. A professor can quickly check the no. of students turned in, mark the assignments and give results instantly. Such facilities can help in focusing on each student and their work progress. Also, these can help in the distribution of resources and work equally.

4. PPTs (PowerPoint Presentations) 

PPTs (PowerPoint Presentations) are a great method of teaching. This can reduce the board work for the professor and save a lot of time. PPTs can be used to give short points on a topic added with pictures and videos for reference. Also, we can create Flow Charts, Graphs, and various symbolic tools to improve learning. The main advantage of PPTs is that they can be used as lecture notes for further revisions.

5. Online Sessions and Recorded Videos 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is forced to be homebound. Schools and Colleges remained closed and physical presence in classrooms is not allowed. In such situations, Digital Learning helped institutions across the world provide education. 

Applications such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc. can be used to take online sessions. One can watch these videos from anywhere provided an internet connection. Also, another great advantage is recorded videos. Anyone who missed these online sessions or students who are willing to watch once again to clear their doubts can revisit the lectures in one click. 

6. Creative Interaction

Digital Technologies are taking education to a further level by indulging creative and innovative ideas. A tutor can make interactive sessions and ask students to solve a problem. Software such as MindMeister can help students to connect their ideas progressively. A student can share comments, create polls, insert images & videos, and edit mind maps. 

Such innovative applications can help students solve real-world problems and make use of technologies that are in trend now. These will make students updated with the growing world. 

7. Virtual Reality (VR) 

The use of Virtual Reality can create a separate world for students. Computer-generated virtual spaces can make students learn, understand and experience various scenarios. 

Many VR applications such as In Mind VR, Discovery VR, etc. are well designed to create a space that helps students to understand better. Also, YouTube has special features that can support VR videos, and many channels give useful content. 

8. Learning Games 

Puzzles and games can make learning more of a fun activity. Many applications are available online that have games for primary school students. There are customizable applications where we can create games, quizzes, puzzles, etc.

Many more methods such as creating Assignment Calendars, Online Grading, Virtual Discussions, etc. can be implemented in education for more productivity. Social Media can be used to promote technical fests or any events in the institution. 

Technologies can help to make collaboration with students from other institutions, interact and create sessions with guest lecturers, conduct national-level competitions, and many more.

Conclusion

Technology has taken the world to unimaginable heights. It is a wonder that a rocket flew into space only after 55 years after the first plane to fly in the air. When the world is growing at a rapid rate with new technologies, it is important to apply those perks to the education system. 
Digital Learning (E-learning) made many people around the world start learning. Learning became accessible to everyone and it became very easy and simple to pursue education. Digital Technologies improved learning regardless of age and stream of learning. The more one can make use of Digital Technology, the higher one can achieve in education.

FAQs 

Q1: What are some most used/popular applications for education purposes? 

Answer:

Many applications are handy and help students in their education. A few are:

• Google Meet 
• Zoom 
• Google Classroom

Q2: Can we use education apps for less cost/ free? 

Answer:

A lot of apps that are used for education and are relatable are free to download online. However, there are a few premium features in such applications that need to be bought at some pricing.

Q3: Is it necessary to implement Digital Technology in education? 

Answer:

Some researchers suggest a positive impact of Digital Learning on the performance of students. However, it is not mandatory to implement these modern tools in education.