How Schools Transitioning from Analog to Digital can Prepare Children for Technologically Advanced Workplaces.
I remember the earliest instance of my classroom’s digitization was the introduction of a whiteboard and a projector connected to a falling-apart CPU running Windows 7. Even though it doesn’t seem like much now, it felt like we were stepping into the 22nd century at that time. And it was a very important step because it kicked off the whole process of bringing technology into the Educational Sector.
Online classes, virtual assignments and digital lab classes have become the norm during the Covid-19 countermeasure lockdown and people have gotten used to working from home. But this isn’t the first time both these means were used. Online classes were actually invented in 1960 at the University of Illinois 9 years before even the Internet was. The first online work-from-home jobs were created in the 1980s when companies realized the costs for commute, office expenses, the impact of the information economy and service jobs along with environmental concerns.
From schools to offices, we walked into the 21st century hand-in-hand with technology. In the recent past, school kids were at risk of spondylitis because their bag was too heavy and filled with numerous books but now one tablet or laptop is enough to carry all their books. Tons of paperwork that once took over storerooms are now folders in servers. If you’ve seen our previous article on how programming is being applied in nearly every field (Which if you didn’t, here you go), then you already know how much technology is integral to our industries.
So how do we prepare our children for a world transitioning into a digital workstyle?
These practices in schools are leading the way forward:
Employing apps that tailor how a classroom works for each child.
Each student is unique. Every child has their own strengths and weaknesses and having their education tailored to their needs might not have been possible a few years ago but schools have now started using mobile and tablet applications to help their students learn at their own pace.
DreamBox has been widely used to teach mathematics from kindergarten to 9th grade because of its games and activities. It adapts to children throughout their journey and changes pace, difficulty and syllabus. Kahoot! is an app where teachers can create their own kind of a gameshow to make interactive classes. It works by setting a host device that is controlled by the teacher and sending different kinds of questions to player devices. It notes and shows the time taken for each answer as well. You can create your own “Kahoot” i.e. quiz or find one online. No Red Ink is an online platform that specializes in teaching language arts to children using fully online resources for onboarding including parent letters, implementation guidelines, and video tutorials.
When education is tailored to individuals, they are bound to become a talented and knowledgeable workforce when their career takes off. Plus, the familiarity gained through continuous association with technology prepares them for using the same in their job.
Using Technology that makes evaluation of tests and report-generation easier for teachers.
Written exams are usually associated with adding fillers to answers to fill up space. These papers take time to be evaluated and only assess basic knowledge. Schools have left this practice behind and switched to Optical Mark Recognition(OMR) and Online assessments for their standardized tests along with using tools like Diagnoser (By Facetinnovations) and Computer Adaptive Testing (By Smarter Balanced) to make evaluation efficient and also test deeper understanding of concepts. These applications also change how reports are generated by noting which concepts or processes the student is unclear about rather than just assigning marks and grades. This leads to teachers gaining better insight into their students’ needs.
Through these tools, the obvious benefits to teachers apart, children themselves learn that it's not about the score but about the clarity you have in a subject that matters. They also learn to handle strengths and weaknesses better which is one of the major skills required in any field of work.
Using Technology that offers ways to learn other than studying books.
Imagine teaching a child to program using C++ directly. We wouldn’t be able to get concepts through to them. This is what sparked the creation of applications like Scratch and Tinker that teach programming using better visuals and games. Similar to these, many developers and educational technology experts collaborate to create games that help students understand math, physical science, social science, and language arts concepts. Similarly, teachers had a hard time with teaching practical applications of theoretical concepts due to budget or resource restraints. Now, Youtube offers a wide range of videos that demonstrate practical applications of science that can be used in schools. Some schools plan to kick things up a notch using Virtual and Augmented Reality devices to provide an even more interesting way of learning.
The information gained through unconventional methods not only makes children intelligent but also resourceful. They get to know how something is learnt and how to ask the right question that will not only get them an answer but lead to more questions and more learning. They also build adaptability towards advancements in technology so they can make efficient use of it in their workplace.
Assignments and projects take a virtual approach opening many doors.
Project-work is a means of mixing knowledge, creativity and practicality. Previously though, most project works included submitting pages over pages of reports and explanation. Teachers now employ the use of common household devices to help reach more toward the practical and creative side of things by letting children make video projects, computer programs that use science concepts, PowerPoint presentations, digital posters and in some special cases, rap songs about relevant topics. These unorthodox methods keep children’s interest in doing projects peaked and also provide the necessary cementing of knowledge into students’ memories.
Students build their ability to make mental connections between different things while doing such projects. They understand how they can use knowledge and expertise from two different subjects to get results no matter the circumstances. This makes them dynamic and spontaneous employees and employers.
Open education means you can learn within your budget and in the comfort of any location.
Education should be affordable and available to everyone no matter their financial or health conditions. While this might not be possible all the time, one thing is for sure that the internet is free and available to a lot of people. Open Education by many universities is offered through online mode. One of the most famous organizations in the world edX has built a Massively Open Online Course platform with copyright free materials and open source code so that teachers and programmers can contribute and reuse them with their own modifications.
More educated individuals mean a better and larger workforce. The always-up-to-date syllabus provided by open education provides students relevant knowledge that can immediately be applied to make work easier and the habit of learning no matter their circumstances means people will strive to stay updated in their field.
While the current trend for the world seems to be to go back to our roots, we feel that it is important to find a balance between the great things of the past and the innovations of the future.
After all, you cannot get ahead without looking both backward and forward. Schools adopting these technological measures don’t threaten human teachers because technology is still a tool at the end of the day and a tool is useless without a proficient expert. If the current children are to have a blossoming career, they need to cohabitate with technology comfortably.
