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Technology is changing the way students and teachers interact and approach learning in the classroom. Textbooks are becoming a thing of the past as teachers and students rely on open-source materials, online programs, and video-based learning to consume the information they need to pass their exams. Technology is giving educators and students access to topics and materials they wouldn’t have been able to access a decade ago.
As technology gets cheaper and more accessible, teachers incorporate it into their classrooms to enhance learning and speed up processes. New educational tech trends are sweeping through universities worldwide. Teachers are looking for better ways to teach material while students are looking for easier ways to complete their work. While some technologies lend themselves to making the lives of educators easier, most education technology enhances teaching methods to ensure learners are getting the most out of their education.
Computerized Grading
Grading is the bane of a teacher’s existence. Reports that need grading are always piling up. Professors are employing computerized grading techniques to reduce the amount of grading they do and give unbiased grades. The tedious task of grading can be done by computers that improve their methods as they grade more assignments. These programs use artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science to continually hone in on the right grading technique for accessing students’ writing.
Computerized grading systems create more data points for teachers to understand their students’ misconceptions. When teachers understand what their students don’t know, they can provide additional resources or create extra practice to improve their skills.
These grading programs get mixed reviews from educators and education policy creators. One concern is the possibility of tricking algorithms by formatting content to get high marks on the assignment rather than demonstrating an understanding of the topic. If teachers rely too heavily on AI to grade, students will start using AI to submit papers.
Gamification
Gamification doesn’t mean learning will be more fun. It involves creating scenarios and testing them hundreds of times. This allows students to experiment with variables in different situations. College professors want students pursuing their master’s degrees to practice applying their knowledge rather than simply speaking about it. Gamification allows students to engage in the work they are learning. This newer learning style creates critically thinking graduates who are ready to perform after graduation.
MOOC
Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, are open-source collections of papers, videos, and lectures available online. Harvard, MIT, and other Ivy League schools produce MOOCs for in-demand topics. These online courses are typically free and come from some of the best professors in the world. These courses offer courses at varying degree levels to meet the needs of students on all learning paths. Classes range from entry-level psychology to advanced workplace management.
MOOCs are a great way to explore different courses for undecided students to dabble in a subject area before deciding their major. Professionals are using these resources to reinforce their resume with new skills.
Changing Homework
Technology is making it easier to learn anything at any time. You can find a video and primary documents about Napoleon’s first exile with a few keystrokes. The wealth of information takes away the teacher’s burden of being as knowledgeable as possible. Teachers can focus on using the researched-based pedagogy rather than being a keeper of knowledge.
Teachers are assigning readings as homework before class, allowing class time to be spent discussing and analyzing the topic as a class rather than the teacher lecturing for hours on end. The best online colleges offer discussion models and peer learning to build their students’ critical thinking skills through discussion-based learning rather than fact memorizing.
This active learning forces the student to engage with the material rather than giving them the option to ride on their peers’ coattails.
E-Textbooks
Physical textbooks are an outdated resource in the digital era. Updating books to online formats greatly increases their educational value. An e-textbook can hyperlink to related studies, relevant videos, and other useful tools that a picture and a definition can’t quite capture. Advance highlighting options and note-taking can immediately transform important passages into study guides or thorough notes. E-textbooks need to work on their compatibility with more platforms to gain more traction.
Tech Will Continue to Improve Educational Systems
The education industry won’t remain static as new technologies emerge and older ones become cheaper. Technology can be an invaluable asset as long as its users remain focused on increasing the amount students spend solving problems.