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-thetime 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
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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
possibilities to teaching and learning by providing teachers
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.