Education technology has become inherent to most schools today. In addition to providing individual and enhanced support for each student, there are a world of benefits for parents, educators and even schools themselves. Since schools introduced technology to their ways of working, learning has been optimised and the schools are able to offer more engaging, personalised and efficient ways for students to learn. In this article we’ll focus on the most significant effects technology is having on learning and how it is optimising the learning experience, both for students and educators.
Uninterrupted learning
As we explore the many practical ways that educational technology is helping to unify educators, learners and parents within the learning experience, it’s important to acknowledge one of the more educationally compelling benefits of effective technology in the classroom. Having a robust IT infrastructure at a learning institute streamlines the running of a class. Factors like high-speed internet and reliable networking mean information can be accessed quickly and efficiently, with little to no downtime. This is important because it is reported that the first 7-10 minutes of a class are critical in engaging students for the rest of the lesson. Efficient technology ensures that classes aren’t interrupted, and that these first few crucial moments of a class are protected, allowing students to be drawn in and be inspired to want to learn more.
Collaborative Platforms
Technology also offers significant benefits to the learning structures of a school. Learning institutes who make use of technology on cloud-based platforms, create a shared-learning environment where students are able to interact with educators and other students in real-time from anywhere. The sharing of knowledge, allows educators to give immediate feedback and subsequently accelerates the development of pupils.
Tech-Enabled Professional Development
Learning institutions that make use of the latest in educational technology are more attractive to talented educators. Top-tier educators gravitate towards institutions that are able to offer developmental benefits that the latest technology offers, staying current with best practices and advancements in education. This means that they are able to grow in their own ability much faster and more efficiently.
Learning Management Systems
The key benefit of Learning Management Systems (LMS) is that they unify teachers. Students and even parents in the learning experience. Every party is able to access a centralised hub, which contains everything from educational content, to teacher’s instructions, assessments and other important information. LMSs also make this information available anytime and from anywhere – meaning in a real-time education. This ensures that every student is adequately equipped with the tools and information they need to excel at school.
LMSs also mitigate the issue of students falling behind if they miss a class. These systems allow every student to access the learning material and work load required of them whenever needed. Meaning students can easily catch up on anything they may have missed. This is a significant benefit. This it means students aren’t likely to fall behind, and will always be up to date on their learning progress.
Another key benefit of learning management systems is that they encourage continuous feedback from educators. This allows them to guide a student’s progress over time. Making it easier for the student to retain the new information.
Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology aims to support students with diverse learning needs by using hardware and software to improve functional capabilities. Assistive technology includes literacy software such as text-to-speech programs, as well as screen magnification and interactive screen displays. This technology ensures inclusivity across a school and enables equal access to educational opportunities for every student.
Parental Communication
Research shows a positive correlation between parent involvement and students’ learning outcomes. In fact, according to 448 independent studies that were carried out over several years, the American Psychological Association review reports that when parents are involved in their children’s schooling, students show higher academic achievement, increased school engagement, and improved motivation.
Parental involvement tools are available in the form of apps and several other software applications, and allow parents to be a part of their child’s learning experience, by giving them access to a single platform that provides all of the relevant information they need, including:
- their child’s learning progress,
- teacher’s feedback,
- wellbeing information, school notices,
- news,
- calendars and
- timetables.
The publication EducationWeek offers a further exploration into all the benefits of parental engagement with students.
Confidence in security
Cyber threats don’t just have an effect on the school itself, but on the students and teachers as well. This is because students thrive within a culture of safety. Research found that Australia was the 4th most targeted country in the world when it came to cyberattacks, with the education sector seeing an average of 3,934 documented attacks per learning institution.
Students and teachers who have the confidence that their learning institute has taken adequate measures to protect their confidential information are able to focus on learning with confidence. Schools with effective cybersecurity also experience less downtime, and mitigate the risk of reputational damage due to cyberattacks. All of which contribute to the confidence educators and students have in their school of choice.
Data Analytics
Data analytics are a key benefit of educational technology, providing insights into many aspects of the learning environment. This helps to enhance the learning experience in many ways:
Data-driven decision making
Where schools would usually rely on experience and chance, they can now make decisions based on solid data. Using insights, numbers and statistics to back up their decisions, the likelihood of successful outcomes for a school is significantly increased.
Real-time response
Another significant benefit of a school turning to data is that they will have real-time answers of whether something is working or not. This extends to curriculum changes, a change of leadership or teaching style. Even discovering the best time to send information out to students based on their response or open rate of that information. Having this real-time information guides a school towards being more effective in almost every way.
Differentiated learning
Data analytics offer insight into student’s learning behaviours, what they have learnt and the rate at which they learn. This allows teachers to differentiate their approach to each learner. Identify their learning gaps and streamlining the learning process for each student by giving them individual attention. This hyper-personalisation means that learners are able to learn their way. Educators are able to teach based on a student’s strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, numbers and data allow schools to focus even more on their students, as explored in this article by IT news.
Technology as a tool
The effective use and application of technology in education has a wide range of benefits. All of which result in a more optimised learning environment for both the educator and the learner. A school’s level of academics is one of its key measures of success. Technology has proved itself to be an agent of improvement, optimisation and inclusion. NetStrategy believes in the purposeful integration of technology into a school’s ecosystem, to amplify the exceptional work a school’s educators are already doing. We believe and have seen that technology empowers both students and educators and equips an educational institution for future success. Contact a member of the NetStrategy team today to find out how we can partner with you to optimise your school’s performance.
