Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology, it’s easier than ever before to use technology in education in order to help students learn. Whether it’s using a virtual whiteboard to help students learn, or using augmented reality to help students immerse themselves in the content they’re learning, there are many effective ways that tech can be used in education today. Here are four examples of how schools are using technology to help students learn better and faster than ever before.
Increasing engagement
A growing body of research supports online learning in general and MOOCs in particular as effective methods for increasing student engagement. According to a 2012 report by The Sloan Consortium, 30% of online learners surveyed reported that their level of engagement was very high (as opposed to only 13% of those who attended traditional courses). Engagement often leads to better results: a study conducted by Georgia Tech, Stanford University and Pennsylvania State University found that an online course resulted in higher test scores than classroom-based course.
Improving feedback
One of my favorite classes in college was a Writing 115 class I took from a professor who had taught for over thirty years. In order to make our essays sound more professional, he asked us questions about what we would do if we were editors at some of America’s most popular magazines. It made our writing much more focused and helped us easily catch mistakes that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. A software company called Rheti created an app similar to my professor’s idea called RhetiREV. The app allows you to write your paper on your computer, then upload it into a cloud-based server where professionals will read it and give you feedback within 48 hours—completely free of charge.
Increasing teacher efficiency
As a teacher, you know how difficult it can be to keep up with all of your duties. But did you know you could use technology to make some of them easier? This includes anything from web-based time-keeping systems for student and parent communication, automatic grading programs for tests and quizzes, or even digital textbooks or other curricular materials. All of these options may be able to free up time for planning, giving feedback on student work or collaborating with colleagues on new assignments—all things you do because you care about helping students learn.
Helping students with disabilities
Whether or not you have a child with a disability, it’s likely that you know someone who does. It’s also likely that you don’t understand how technology can benefit those with special needs. Technology helps in many areas of life, including at school. While some may think classrooms for students with disabilities don’t exist anymore because schools are all inclusive, there are actually quite a few tools and programs out there for students in both elementary and high school to succeed. Here are just four examples of how your tax dollars are going towards helping students with disabilities through cutting-edge technologies
