Education in The Digital Age: 5 Tools and Techniques

Many would say that the digital age came about when computers started revolutionizing the world. That was in the 1970s. But, others would argue that it was when the Internet took the world by storm in the mid-1990s. There’s no point in debating, but the vital thing to point out is that this kind of change brought immense development and transformation in how children are educated. 

Traditional classroom teaching methods soon became insufficient, and there was a need to utilize tools and techniques to keep up with the times and not get left behind. Children were introduced to technology at home, so, naturally, they’d look for it in their classrooms since it has been integrated with how they process information. 

To say that technology became imbued in the cultural grain of the children of this generation is an understatement. Technology didn’t become necessary, but it soon became a requirement. It wasn’t a trend that you temporarily had to adapt; it’s become part of the lifeblood of the educational system. 

This became more pronounced when the world suffered the onslaught of the pandemic. With lockdowns and restrictions, it was apparent that technology would bridge the great divide between students and teachers. 

Today, educational institutions use technology in the delivery of educational materials through their websites, in order to attract parents to enroll their kids in their respective schools. That’s why it’s essential that the school web design must showcase how technologically advanced the institution is. 

If parents can see how modern the school facilities are, it assures them that their children can be as technologically competitive as the other kids and that they can keep up with the academic demands of today’s world.

Here are some of the tools and techniques utilized in this digital age of education:

Video Conferencing Applications

Video conferencing applications have become crucial in classroom collaboration. As a student, seeing your entire class on the screen takes away the weariness of not seeing each other for a long time. Classes have become synchronous and interactive. 

With their features, the class can be in an almost real-world setting, allowing them to raise their hands and react to whoever is presenting using the built-in reaction buttons and chat functions. Additionally, the teacher or instructor can create break-out rooms so students can work in groups. 

Today’s technology has also made it possible to attend crystal-clear video conferences with modern-day’s 5G or LTE technology. Kids will surely not get bored and feel like they’re attending a face-to-face class.

Learning Management Systems 

LMS is a software application created to deliver the best teaching experience for students on distance and hybrid learning modes. The platform has all the features a teacher would need to make the class successful. 

LMS has tabs for courses or subjects, classroom sections, projects, conferences, quizzes and exams, and an online library. Parents can keep track of their children’s progress quickly and communicate with their teachers effortlessly through the platform. 

Gamification

The children of this generation are hooked on games, which will make learning more interesting for them. It’s no hidden knowledge that kids are more interested in something if an element of play is involved.

Middle-aged school children have an attention span averaging between 22 to 39 minutes. Beyond this period, their minds will wander, and completing something academically would be an arduous task.

Academicians believe gamification will increase a child’s attention span and keep them engaged for a more extended period. 

Microlearning

Microlearning was adopted in the digital age to prevent overwhelming kids with too much information at one time. Kids’ e-learning was given in small doses, or what they say, tiny bursts of learning materials to allow them to process information correctly. 

Receiving nuggets of information has proven to be effective in the memory retention of many kids, so this method will stay so teachers can adapt it whenever they feel appropriate. 

Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom method is utilized by educational systems that implement the hybrid setup of e-learning. A flipped classroom is the exact opposite of the traditional way, where children are given assignments to be done at home. This time, the tasks are given virtually so research and preparation can be done at home, while execution and presentation will be done in class. 

This technique gives students the chance to share their one hundred percent attention while in class instead of talking amongst themselves and getting distracted by things around them. The technique shows that students’ cognitive participation in class is higher since they performed the prerequisites for the topic.

Conclusion

The educational system will continue to evolve. What was mentioned here could potentially be obsolete in a year or less. It’s essential to remember that change is the only permanent thing in this world, and adapting to change can be a measurement of success and survival.