How Technology Influences Education: Learning by Doing



Technology Education

The teaching paradigm has changed a great deal in the past few decades. In the past, teachers simply relied on passive learning where students read and memorized information they were later tested on. Such a way of learning is not very efficient: the retention rate is only around 10 percent.


Fast forward to today’s classroom atmosphere, and you’ll see the process of active learning where 75-percent retention rates are the norm. This remarkable change has occurred thanks to the technology being integrated into the classroom. Tablets and desktop computers actually engage students and encourage them to learn more actively. These learners are now performing interactive assignments that stimulate the mind.

Let us learn how technology has made an impact on education as devices continue to improve over time.



Advantages of Learning by Doing


Children as young as one or two years old are interacting with technology, including mom’s smartphone or dad’s tablet. By the time the child is in preschool, he or she already has some working knowledge of technology. Resorting to old-fashioned teaching activities becomes a poor solution for these learners, but also for teachers who can greatly benefit from the use of educational technology. 



Why should gadgets be incorporated into each grade level? For example, an assignment on a laptop might be designed to get everyone talking about a particular subject. During the assignment, teachers can mill about the classroom in order to facilitate the instructions and move the pace along. Therefore, teachers should forego the typical lectures so that they can interact with the kids on a personal level.

Furthermore, performing a task aided by technology gives it a tangible quality. It becomes ingrained in the mind as the child moves through the exercise. If you ask the learner to recap the assignment, the recalling process is much more refined because of the hands-on approach.



Also, subjects are no longer categorized into strict and separate boxes. Technology creates scenarios and questions that pertain to several different subjects at once. Math, biology, and English might be studied with one activity in the morning. This interactive learning reflects how the real world works as children gain a better sense of their minds.



Last but not least, the children gain social skills that benefit them well into adulthood. Being able to work as a team is a skill that simply takes practice. Interactive technology also encourages communication and leadership skills.



How to Use Technology in a Classroom

The hands-on assignments don’t have to be complex sessions that only older children understand. You essentially need to cultivate a learning atmosphere that encourages creativity. Consider these activities that really get the mind working.



For example, you can create a live blog about a particular book. Each child can pick a favorite novel, write about it, and respond to comments made on the website. The symbolism of the book might be accented with particular assignments geared toward those subject lines. 


As the children write and read other blogs, their minds will truly expand. Concepts that were unfamiliar before can now be broadened as the learning process continues.



Furthermore, video games may not be classroom material, but learning about gamification can be valuable. Teachers can take certain games, such as Minecraft, and customize them for history. Build a civilization from the ground up by using this software. Kids will be instantly intrigued.



Children also have a chance to code a game that they’re familiar with as well. Tynker or Scratch are games that can be broken down into their individual codes. When kids see that the coding is so complex, they’ll appreciate the process of gaining the skills to do it themselves.



Gaining Important Skills

The digital world isn’t going anywhere. In fact, children today will probably interact with more gadgets in the future compared to today. As children gain more familiarity with the technology, future career paths will be set.



A recent study analyzed the worldly skills that people need as adults in the working world. These skills are all practiced and cultivated during learning sessions with technology.



Collaborating with friends and learning to effectively communicate are some of the major skills discovered through technology. Games that encourage discussions (whether in person or online) are core elements to adult success.



Children also learn ethics and morals when they use technology. Certain games give them real choices to make for their characters, which may influence their real life: they’ll learn at a young age how important accountability and ethics are to society.



The mind also improves functional and creative levels. Analytical thinking improves as problems are solved and puzzled over during an assignment. Creative thoughts are also part of the improvements because the mind is stimulated to the point of retaining more information than before. This extra information is eventually used to solve more difficult problems as the child develops.



Finally, physically doing an activity, from blogging to lab experiments, is the best way to solidify the information in the mind.

As e-learning moves forward, these interactive tasks will probably improve. Future students can gain an even better education as they use gadgets every day of their lives.

Due to all these reasons, technology in the classroom should not be seen as something bad, but as something that can greatly participate in students’ education.

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