Educational technology essential in equipping children for their future
Both teaching and learning are being transformed by innovations which are allowing more technology to be used in everyday school lessons. A new phenomenon, of ‘connected learning’, is emerging, which is demanding that pupils and students in senior school and upwards, right to university, have greater technological know-how in order to be able to participate fully, and learn to their full potential.
In response to this greater use of technology, many experts say that the ethos of the classroom of the future needs to change, to become one in which teamwork and collective learning and sharing of experiences will be key.
The big danger which many educationalists see of this drive towards greater embracing of technology is that some pupils will simply become disengaged from what is going on in the classroom. This is, of course, a perennial problem, and one which teachers have always had to tackle. But with far more synergy between the technology they will use as children, and that which they will be expected to work within their professional lives, it is seen as vital that young people overcome any difficulties they have in working with that technology. At least in the classroom, they can be sure of getting the support they need to help them overcome their problems before they affect their productivity in the workplace.
Team learning is seen as one vital way in which these problems can be overcome. It has always been the case that children have been far more receptive to picking up difficult concepts and working methods when they are explained by their peers than by their teachers, so the new, collaborative classroom will, educationalists hope, foster greater willingness in students to share their experiences. In this way, they will become much more prepared for the world of work, where teamwork is so often a cornerstone of success.
Young people are now growing up with technology all around them. It doesn’t have the mystery that it once held, and this in itself bodes well for their ability to embrace its capabilities when they come to use it in a classroom setting.
As children are among the biggest users of online video websites such as YouTube, educationalists believe it should be easy to incorporate greater use of video and other forms of multimedia into the learning process.
And while these will never take the place of the teacher stood in front of the class, they will certainly make the transition from school to workplace much easier for the next generations of switched-on students.
As educational technology grows more sophisticated, it will give pupils greater opportunities for learning in new and more personally involving ways. Linking this to student response systems will also mean that they feel their input is being more valued.
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