Top 7 Technologies Used to Teach Students

If we compare the classrooms of today versus the ones that were the part of parent’s childhood in the 70s, we’ll be able to find many objects and tools that have now replaced the traditional means of teaching classes. Some of them have now become essential for teachers all across the globe (the projector, the whiteboard, clickers or attendance, and participation control devices, etc.).

Much of it is a consequence of technology that has gradually been making its way in the education sector to such an extent that we can now talk about a branch of technology that only focuses on education. Technological innovations allow the students of the present to enjoy many experiences and alternatives that once could not even be conceived.

Therefore, in this post, we will discuss 7 technological trends that are revolutionizing the education sector, from virtual reality and the use of video games to artificial intelligence among others.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is one of the most successful technological innovations in recent years. Augmented reality or virtual reality (in English, Virtual Reality) consists of the visual perception of an environment of scenes and objects of real appearance (generated by computer technology.) This creates in the user the feeling of being immersed in an environment that is very similar to actual reality.

This technology transferred to the educational sector translates into the possibility of carrying out much more attractive and interactive learning. It allows us to simulate the scenarios we find in the history books: learning about the countries and their capitals, traveling to places without leaving the class, etc.

Online Education

Education through the internet has experienced remarkable growth in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century. Today, in some cases there are already talks about the supremacy of the online channel which can help with the transmission of certain types of knowledge, particularly in those subjects that improve teacher-student interaction. However, it is a trend with an increasingly participatory and bidirectional operation, in which users are not limited to reading or viewing content, but increasing their level of involvement by producing their own content and publishing them using simple tools.

Mobile Education

In addition to sending messages, browsing the web, consulting social networks, taking selfies or receiving calls at the most untimely time, mobile terminals can also contribute to educational training by facilitating the learning of subjects to schoolchildren.

To date, most of the political guidelines related to mobiles at school have prohibited their use in the classroom; however, even UNESCO believes that it is more effective to regulate the use of mobile for pedagogical purposes than to ban them entirely. 

Learning Through Video Games

The way of conceiving videogames by society has evolved significantly in recent years. It has already been shown that video games help improve memory, logic, concentration, focus, and planning, and also serve to develop other skills such as coordination, motor skills, and spatial orientation.

Thus, we find studies that show that playing Tetris 30 minutes a day for 3 months can help increase the size of the cerebral cortex. Others show that 3D games increase memory capacity by 12%. Nowadays, games like the Minecraft are being used in the classrooms with the aim of developing the creative capacity of the little ones. All these skills that allow us to acquire and work video games can be useful in professions such as engineering, architecture, art or design.

Artificial Intelligence

Although in recent days artificial intelligence has grown by leaps and bounds, the truth is that the idea that this technology will be implemented in classrooms at the educational level will still take a few more years. Stanford University (California, USA) conducted a study in September 2016, according to which this type of technology will be common in the classroom in the next fifteen years.

The benefits that this implementation will bring with it at the educational level points toward the personalization of learning, the expansion of the classroom and better interaction between teachers and students, both inside and outside the class. However, it also poses great challenges that will affect work, income, and other issues that are related to the adaptation of artificial intelligence in the education sector.

3D Printers

Although this technological tool still isn’t available to all classrooms, the truth is that three-dimensional printers bring enormous benefits at the educational level. 3D printers are one of the biggest bets for education in the near future because it can help significant learning in certain subjects thanks to the possibility of materializing a concept studied in a real object. Students will be able to create the concepts and designs taught to them in their classrooms.

3D printers will help to foster creativity and the ability to solve problems, generate greater participation, capture the interest of students, facilitate the teacher's task, and even promote collaboration between different subjects and departments.

E-Learning

E-Learning consists of a teaching and learning process that is carried out through the Internet. Characterized by the physical separation between the teacher and the student, the communication predominates creating a simple way through which a didactic interaction continues forward. In addition, the student becomes the center of training by having to self-manage their learning through the help of tutors and peers.

This distance training modality - or blended learning - has contributed to the training reaching a greater number of people. Among the most outstanding advantages of e-Learning are the following: space-time barriers disappear, allow flexible training, the student is the center of the teaching-learning processes, the contents are continuously updated, and the communication is constant.

Ellie Singh is a Marketing Expert at Top Digital Advertising Agency. He monitors organic traffic trends and helps rank the site higher on search engine. He loves to learn new things. He thrives to constantly learn more about web development and other tech related stuff. Ellie enjoys playing video games in his free time.