BENEFITS OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION
Technology is finding its way into every aspect of our lives…
from the alarm clock on your phone to the fitness app that
tracks your workouts and counts your calories, to the DVR
that records all of your favorite shows to watch at a later time.
Technology is all around us, and there is no escaping it. It has
even made its way into mainstream education through rather
unexpected avenues.
The U.S. Department of Education’s 2016 National Education
Technology Plan “outlines a vision of equity, active use, and
collaborative leadership to make everywhere, all-the-time
learning possible. While acknowledging the continuing need to
provide greater equity of access to technology itself, the plan
goes further to call upon all involved in American education
to ensure equity of access to transformational learning
experiences enabled by technology.” EdTech Magazine outlined
the benefits of effective, interactive technology that is being
used to amplify classroom learning.
THINGS TO KNOW:
Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming a thing in education.
If you are unfamiliar with IoT, it is defined as the development
of the Internet in which everyday objects have network
connectivity, allowing data to be shared. According to
International Data Corp., IoT spending will increase from $655.8
billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion in 2020. IoT is very new in the
classroom setting, but is predicted to stick around.
Wearables aren’t just for counting steps for students,
although teachers are finding ways to make each step count.
Pedometers are allowing gym teachers to keep track of their
students’ steps and heart rates and to ensure safe and healthy
workouts. Wearable cameras are making projects both in and
out of the classroom more exciting for students. From wearable
fundraisers to pinging students’ whereabouts on field trips,
wearables are making their way into schools and onto the
wrists of students across America.
3D printing has surely made a splash with the story of a
teacher and his students creating new feet for a duck to walk
again. 3D printing allows students to bring their ideas to life,
and with the cost quickly becoming more affordable, students
and teachers are able to embrace the technology. “There is
an inflection point that people get when they start to print
because people go out onto Thingiverse, a repository of 3D
files, and they print and they print and they print, but there is
a certain moment when they realize, ‘I don’t need something
that exists, I want something that doesn’t yet exist.’ It’s just a
complete paradigm shift,” Jordan Brehove, MakerBot’s vice
president of solutions, says.
Interactive tech is becoming better, more advanced,
and more sophisticated. From robots to research methods,
interactive tech is helping special education students have
effective learning experiences in the classroom unlike
ever before. Intelligent toys, or robotic toys, are allowing
for extremely positive interactions with withdrawn autism
spectrum disorder (ASD) kids, again allowing for a more
inclusive classroom environment, where each student can learn
to the best of his/her ability.
“Technology has the potential to bring remarkable new
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possibilities to teaching and learning by
providing
with opportunities to share best practices, and offer parents
platforms for engaging more deeply and immediately in their
children’s learning,” U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says.
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