Written by: Peter Minkoff
The fast-paced development of technology we have witnessed over the last couple of decades changed every facet of our society. Naturally, something as important as education wasn’t left out of this transition. On the contrary, this critical activity was one of the societal processes that have seen the greatest benefits from jumping on the digital bandwagon.
Only a couple of decades ago you couldn't imagine things like pocket-sized PCs, video calls, or affordable AI. Well, all these things now make an integral part of our lives and they have become accessible enough to reach every corner of our world.
As a result, the way we obtain, process, and acquire new information went through a tectonic shift and traditional education was quick to pick up a couple of cues and make changes in its long-established practices.
Let us take a look then at some of the most noticeable ways the tech has completely changed how we learn.
The changing role of a teacher
In the previous times, the teacher carried a huge responsibility of guiding students through a curriculum and making sure the educational goals are properly met. Sure, we always had assets like textbooks and other teaching aids but these were only the tools that weren't designed for independent interpretation. These days, we are living in times where any information is easily accessible, and online education has become far more interactive. Because of that, the role of teachers is no longer to present the ready facts to their students but rather to teach them how to look for and interpret the acquired information.
Learning becoming a non-stop process
Formal education will always be the place where people get systemized facts and the recommended ways to apply them in problem-solving. But, that doesn't change the fact that learning has become a non-stop process that, for the most part, occurs outside the classroom. History buffs can spend countless hours scouring Wikipedia and YouTube for the topics they enjoy. People who want to learn a foreign language will most likely do that with apps like Duolingo. In other to keep pace with these free learning resources, formal education will need to start making them a part of the teaching process.
Tailor-made educational programs
The development of technology has made education leaner, more flexible, and more egalitarian. As a result, the skills that are relevant to specific job positions no longer need to be acquired by going through broad and standardized education profiles. These days, the developed tech infrastructure as well as the rise of online program management services have made it possible to create customized educational programs designed to prepare candidates for challenges they will experience in real life. This teaching approach tears down the boundaries between education profiles and creates much more flexible labor.
Streamlined collaboration
Collaboration always made an integral part of education allowing the students to tackle the curriculum from different perspectives and approach the lessons in a more engaging and interactive manner. These things are just as relevant as ever with the huge change coming in the fact that this form of teamwork is no longer limited to class projects and study groups. Modern communication means have practically nullified the time and space restrictions allowing students to work together regardless of their current location. These new tools also present new possibilities for tackling tasks in a fresh and creative manner.
Opening new dimensions with AR and VR
The teaching results are the most effective when the students are able to approach the curriculum in an interactive, intuitive, and easy-to-understand manner. Technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are not only capable of meeting these demands but also pushing the boundaries of how can some subjects be presented and opening an entirely new dimension for students to interact with the data they need to process. These possibilities have the highest potential with classes dealing with more tangible and visually-oriented topics like, for instance, architecture, design, art, history, and geography.
Encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving
Last but not least, we would like to mention that this changing nature of education also makes students much more independent and proactive. As a result, they are forced to push their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to the limit which was something the traditional classroom environment struggled very hard to accomplish. Of course, in order to bear the beneficial educational results, these efforts need to be guided by some sort of mediator. But, even with such assistance, no one can deny that modern teaching methods are doing a much greater job of developing soft skills than the antiquated alternatives.
We hope these couple of examples gave you a general idea about the ways technology is changing the very core of education and even uncovered some strategies you can leverage to push your personal development plans forward. Granted, we have managed only to scratch the tip of the iceberg here. But even this narrow roundup should make it very clear that learning is undergoing a true digital revolution. It is up to us to use all the benefits we will get as a result of this transition.