We live in an era where technology is so intertwined in our lives that we cannot think of surviving without our android phones, laptops and home assistants. In AI Superpowers, Kai-Fu Lee, the once-president of Google China, writes, “By 2025, almost 50% of jobs will come technically equipped with AI automation”. He further adds that all advancements in the field of AI will go in vain if the young learners of today fail to embrace technology and work in tandem with it. This is precisely what puts the debate of technology vs education to rest and calls for a world where the future workforce learns to work alongside their IoT-implemented assistants.
So what should the focus be on – Technology or Curriculum?
While technology is clearly an emblem for advancement, not always can technology be the catalyst for growth. We often laud institutions that integrate new technologies in their curriculum but forget to check whether technology is at all helping children learn better. While familiarising students with new technologies can build them for a better future, it is imperative to check whether they can learn a lesson without the use of technology. Gracy Anderson, a thesis writing expert at Duke University says “It is crucial that we never force technology in classrooms unless it supplements a teacher’s goals.”
Read more: Education and modern technologies, their positive and negative impact
Therefore, before we move forward to integrate technology into education, what we need is a robust and adaptable academic curriculum. Curriculum and technology are interlinked – unless you know how to use the tech tool, you won’t be able to use it to your advantage. Again, without tech tools in the classroom, students may remain unprepared to deal with future jobs.
But how do we do achieve the perfect balance between technology and curriculum? Since early 2018, the realm of education has witnessed a disruptive wave of change thanks to the gifts of technology. So my suggestion is that we rectify how we use technology in the classroom in the first place. Here is how!
5 Ways to Strike Balance Between Technology & Education
Here are the 5 ways we can augment technology in the world of academics to train the future workforce for better and brighter prospects.
Demystifying Technology and IoT
Little knowledge is dangerous. When we have a vague idea about something, we often use it in the wrong way. So students need to understand that technology isn’t just about Batman’s Bat Mobile or the Matrix. Therefore, teachers need to burst the sci-fi bubble for young adults, so that they realize where technology stands today. The first step would be to educate students about the stage of development so that they do not have expectations of the garage turning to a Terminator movie all of a sudden.
Students need to know that technology can adapt to an extent and cannot implement beyond what they learn, where there is an absence of logical reasoning. By demystifying technology, students will understand the scope of its capacity.
Aim for Curriculum Enhancements and not Technology Implementations
Do not use technology because it is “cool” and all high-end schools are doing it. Technology can be a barrier if not used in the right place and the right time. So you need to understand how and where tech can be used as a learning tool to enhance the curriculum.
Replacing teachers with technological tools may be a bad option because a pre-recorded lesson cannot ask a student to pay attention when he or she is looking outside the window. But, technology can be used to build a digitized curriculum with 3D animations and videos that aid retention. Technology can be used to customize quizzes and questionnaires according to the weak areas of a student. It can also be used to track progress and support collaborative learning.
Revise the Curriculum and Revamp Teacher Training
Wouldn’t it be an irony if a teacher who doesn’t understand how to use his or her iPhone trains students about the applications of technology? Even though the learning sphere has witnessed the wave of technology, the wave is yet to hit faculties and staffs. As a result, most educators are anything but prepared to handle technology. Since the onus to train today’s youngsters lies with the teachers, they must be prepared to handle the advanced curriculums.
Find more: What Are the Best Android Apps for College Students
A great way to start is by offering teachers free computer training courses. Institutions can also tie-up with tech moguls like Apple and IBM for teachers training programs. Another significant hurdle that needs to be dealt with is the outdated syllabus, which should be replaced with a more dynamic curriculum that will help technology blend with education, making it more industry- oriented.
Incorporate the tools judiciously in the learning environment
Today difficult tasks like dissertation editing and writing have become a matter of minutes with assignment help sites and online tools. But that isn’t where the role of technology should be limited to. It is time that we usher in major digital shifts into the world of academia to make technology a prominent part of academics. A major trend that schools across the globe are adopting is AR/VR-based technologies for a more enhanced approach to aid retention. A survey has shown that students can retain lessons that are taught via visual and audio channels as opposed to classroom-based lectures.
Read more: How an excellent dissertation and assignment service can help you score better grades?
With AR-compatible tools in the grind, students get to learn from practical sources, which is way better than learning from theoretical texts. Moreover, technology provides an on-demand experience which helps students absorb matter at per their preferable speed.
Seek Out Development Opportunities
While technology implementation is no race, it is vital that you know how others are implementing technology. There are several free educational resources available online to read and learn from. With a well-framed curriculum, the possibilities for integrating technology into education are boundless. For instance, imagine students from one school connecting with other schools via Skype to discuss and debate over globally significant problems.
Integrating technology in classrooms can be fun and scary at the same time. In the end, if teachers are ready to embrace the benefits and the risks that come with technology, the reward is a robust curriculum that can take students to the next level, and beyond. Otherwise, we would all be still trying to work on an abacus.
Check out: Try an eLearning Authoring Tool for Simpler Course Creation
Since the world is getting a technological makeover, the chances are that most industries will see a steady rise in tech-related jobs by 2025. So it is no longer the question of choosing one over the other – education or technology. The need of the hour is to incorporate technology into learning to train the future’s workforce so that they can survive in the job market. So it only makes sense that we work towards bringing in technology and education together for a better future.
Author Bio: Andy Alvin is a software engineer who is also associated with MyAssignmenthelp through which he extends dissertation editing service to students pursuing software development and computer science. He is also an active blogger with an insatiable love for books and travelling.
Leave a comment