Have you ever been a day without using technology? We bet not. The advancement of technology has an impact on every aspect of the world. And our education system is no exception. Since the pandemic, the use of technology has increased rapidly in the classrooms. Because of this, the physical classroom environment got replaced by video conferencing.
But is technology helpful to the students? Let us try to study its advantages and disadvantages before concluding.
Advantages of Technology in Education System :
The technology in the education sector benefits us in certain ways like:
Makes Students More Engaged
Consider a teen or a young learner. Give them an educational tablet or another technical device. Observe them being involved in the learning process and focusing on the topic. The interaction with technology draws the attention of the students and excites them to learn. It makes them feel motivated and energized to learn and explore various aspects of a concept, fulfilling the most worthy educational goal.
Accommodation of Multiple Learning Styles
Earlier, it was easy to make up the one-style-fits-all approach for students. But, we need to understand that each child stands in a different position. Hence, each of them has different strengths and reacts differently towards the various teaching methodologies used. Having said this, we can break down the learning process into three major categories:
- Auditory Learners
- Visual Learners
- Tactile Learners
And technology helps us cater to all three categories of students through different mediums.
Encourages Collaboration
Alongside the other advantages that technology has brought to education, it has also promoted working together. The internet has facilitated the sharing of ideas, opinions as quickly as the sharing of files. It encourages the students to post about their workings on social media platforms leading to increased interaction. Thus, what technology has naturally brought in education was, is, and will lead to greater collaboration.
Technology and education in the pandemic have brought around a drastic change in the lives of children. With the help of various software and tools, parents can also have a detailed view of their child’s progress in regular intervals. It has enabled parents to now have full hands onto:
- Child’s absence records
- Academic grade report
- Child’s progress report
- Submission & delay remarks
You can also learn how technology benefits other sectors here.
Disadvantages of Technology in Education System :
However, there are pros and cons of everything. And technology is no exception. It has a few disadvantages like:
Learning Is Becoming More Expensive
Through time, a lot of things have changed in the field of education. Apart from a pen and a book that students needed, we now need software installments in each classroom. To use the software, we have to provide access to a device for each student. In turn, the universities increased their fees to afford the expenses of technical advancements. So, we can say that technology education at schools and universities has increased the expenses.
Insufficient Teaching Methods and Misguiding Information
The teacher or tutor is well equipped with adequate information of their subjects to impart to the students. But, with the technology-based education system, certain teachers need to get used to technology and its usage that consumes a lot of time. Hence, it becomes a great challenge to implement the mechanism that indirectly causes a lot of trouble.
These days, websites are more focused on getting a better ranking. So, it gets difficult to impart the necessary information to the students. These websites, in turn, have misleading information that may affect a child or student’s brain. And be it knowingly or unknowingly, a student is bound to stumble upon a wrong site where the information is either copied or irrelevant that misleads his mind.
Extra Distractions for Students
There has been a rise in technological devices because of the usage of the internet in schools. The students put in a lot of effort to focus while learning. The technical advancements have facilitated the entertaining material that could be an easy distraction. It disturbs the concentration of the students. Schools provide students with tabs, mobile phones, or laptops. One important thing here is to monitor the children while they use these devices. They can use these devices for surfing social media and other entertainment platforms during learning hours. Thus, they get distracted from their studies because of such addictive devices.
Technology will always keep growing, with new inventions and updates after intervals of time. Majorly, technological growth is a sign of good progress for the country and creates a sustainable future.
Technological advancements have been fruitful to us. But maintaining its dignity is equally necessary for a child’s bright future. Technology in the education system can be used but must not be allowed to manipulate a child’s mind.
Technology Used In The Education Sector
It has both pros and cons, and hence, some of us might love or even hate the way technology has come into education. There is a section of people who love the old-school pen and paper, physical contact with friends and teachers, and less exposure to screens. On the contrary, there are plenty of forms that we might enjoy filling just with a few clicks from our homes.
With this approach, here is the list of changes brought by technology in the education system.
- Digital Readers and Tablets – hardcopy textbooks replaced
- 3D Printing – the creation of models for visualization
- Virtual Reality – virtual tours for students to inaccessible places
- Gamification – gaming in the classroom creates fun with the learning of content and basic knowledge.
- Cloud Technology – storage of digital textbooks, lessons, videos, and assignments
- Artificial Intelligence – automated grading system and learning opportunities
- Mobile Technology – learning process through educational apps
Technological advancements have attracted all of us today. And so, we must agree to the fact that the students of this 21st-century world are growing up well. Though each development comes with enhanced tools, the teaching quality of a teacher is irreplaceable.
Conclusion
In summary, robotic technology-driven machines have laid an impact on the minds of students. It helps them learn at the comfort of home and well-equipped web labs or libraries.
Thus we draw the statement that the use of technology in classrooms can only add to the value of classrooms but not replace it entirely. Physical classroom education is inevitable for a child’s overall development.