Is Your Teaching Updated or Outdated?
It seems like each year, time moves faster and faster. This makes it harder to stay up to date with the newest trends and technologies. The realm of education technology is also moving quickly. It is an industry where companies like Lalilo aim to create technology that augments the educational process in hopes of providing higher-level education and an overall better classroom experience. Believe it or not, classrooms haven’t changed much in the past 100 years. With the rise of technology in recent decades, however, the education sector might be facing some disruption too.
What Is Happening In Education Today?
Smartphone technology has made it easier to deliver information in a faster and more convenient manner than ever before, and because of this, many industries have had to make adjustments. With the emergence of any disruptive technology comes a wave of change, and it is about time that the educational sector benefits from these technology advancements too.
When it comes to technological adoption (and change in general), the education sector isn’t usually thought of as “state-of-the-art”. The classroom has not changed much in 100 years but fortunately, that is starting to change. The notion that technology can be used in a highly constructive manner in a K-12 educational environment has quickly spread throughout the education sector.
This has clearly been supported by the research conducted by the IT Trade Association, which demonstrated that around 75% of educators think that technology can effectively be used to augment the educational process. Additionally, the integration of relatively updated technology in classrooms are considered beneficial to students since they will inevitably use some form of technology when they join the workforce. With technology being such an integral part of daily functions everywhere, it is imperative that today’s students become familiar with these mediums for more than just leisure activities.
What Impact Does Technology Have in the Classroom?
The research here is crystal clear — technology, if leveraged correctly, can do wonders for student performance in school. In fact, a study done with a kindergarten class in 2012, showed significant performance improvement on literacy tests when the students had used iPads to augment their learning. According to Sue Dorris, the principal of the elementary school, integrating technology in the classroom has positively affected the focus, motivation, and engagement in the classroom.
This same trend has been recognized even in higher-level education like medical school; in 2013, the University of California Irvine’s iMedEd program reported that students who used a tablet as an educational tool had scored “an average of 23% higher on national exams” than students from previous years.
Overall, educational facilities from all over the country have repeatedly reported that technology has increased retention rates, student interest, and engagement in the classroom. This trend has especially been noticed in classrooms with younger students (K-2). Where these many reports seem to coincide is the reason why technology augments education so well, and there are two main reasons.
First, technology connects with students. Children currently enrolled in K-12 schools have been surrounded by technology their entire lives, and while previous generations may have viewed technology as foreign, these children view technology as intuitive. The second reason is that technology helps solve an age-old problem in education; scalable, personalized, at-your-own-pace education. Evidently, technology can do awesome things for schools. But for teachers who want to leverage this technology in their own classroom, unfortunately, there isn’t much direction. So…
How Should Teachers Update Their Teaching Methods?
What many people get wrong when it comes to bringing technology to the classroom is that they think bringing a couple iPads to a kindergarten classroom will magically change the dynamics of the educational experience on its own. That might be one of the biggest misconceptions people have when it comes to educational technology. Even more important than the tablet itself is how teachers use them. There are 3 things teachers should keep in mind when integrating education into their classrooms.
Personalized Exercises
This is one of the most powerful benefits that technology brings to the table. Depending on the ease-of-use of the platform, creating personalized exercises/lesson plans can be a lifesaver and do wonders on student performance and engagement. When students learn using personalized material, they perform better, learn in half the time, and pass rates increase by 33%. With that said, pick an educational platform that allows for personalized education, and use that software to your advantage.
Make Collaborative Lessons
The days when students would sit still, stay silent, and listen to a long lecture does not have to be a reality anymore. Highly collaborative environments are becoming more commonplace not only in school, but even in the workplace. Tying in a collaborative effort into your classroom during lessons can prove extremely useful and help foster the communication/teamwork skills in any given group of students. Most edtech platforms have ways of simplifying group activities for teachers, especially for younger students.
Track Performance
Do not underestimate the power of data. Older platforms that only help keep track of grade points are a thing of the past. Many edtech platforms gather real-time data on your students’ performance in class as they finish activities (no more grading!). Everything from response speed, grades, participation, and so much more, can be aggregated in a way that is useful for teachers. With the right platform, you will know exactly which students are falling behind, where they are struggling, and how you can help.Finding A Solution
With platforms like Lalilo, who are dedicated to complementing the classroom experience, almost anything is possible. Since Lalilo is solely built to deliver a collaborative, personalized, and data-driven experience to K-2 students, it is a great start for any teacher looking to bring the school of tomorrow to today. Overall, with the vast forms of education technology becoming available to students around the world, the future of education looks bright.
