Statistics suggest that 89% of K-12 teachers implement educational technologies in their classrooms. They further indicate that 92% of teachers believe technology positively impacts student engagement. Considering that every learner in a classroom is different, adjusting your teaching plan to suit each of them can be challenging.
Technology can help you incorporate various learning styles to cater to all learners, improving learning while making learners feel more motivated. Discussed below are five ways to use technology to enhance learning and teaching.
- Embracing online learning
Technology is invaluable when it comes to facilitating online education. The use of technology offers multiple platforms and tools that enable:
- Communication between learners and teachers
- Access to course materials
- Remote assessment and assignment completion
A learning management system from teachngo.com is an example of technology used for online learning. They offer:
- A platform for course management and delivery
- Communication and collaboration tools like video conferencing and chat rooms for real-time interactions between teachers and students
- Interactive simulations
- Digital content delivery systems like video/ audio players
These resources provide students with varied modes of consuming course materials. There are also online assessment tools like assignments, tests, and quizzes that enable teachers to track learner progress and provide feedback.
- Improving communication
When learners are absent and cannot get study materials or have questions after school hours, a disconnect between them and the rest of the class arises. Fortunately, technology has made it possible for teachers to leverage messaging applications to respond to student queries, send reminders, and offer feedback when learners need it. Technology helps bridge communication gaps while smoothening knowledge flow.
Whether you’re in a virtual or traditional classroom, online collaboration systems make it easier to create communities where teachers can allocate projects to their learners in real-time, and the learners can request clarifications where necessary. Peers can also interact with one another for any concerns.
- Implementing personalized learning
Personalized learning tailors learning experiences to each student’s interests and needs. With the help of technologies such as adaptive learning systems, teachers can develop personalized learning plans for every student and monitor their advancement in real time.
Customized learning can help learners feel more engaged and motivated by letting them concentrate on what’s most challenging and relevant to them. Besides enhancing student outcomes, customized learning can also automate specific learning process aspects, saving teachers time.
- Leveraging self-paced learning
The emergence of education technology introduced another significant benefit that learners can enjoy: self-paced learning. Every student’s pace for grasping concepts is different. While some are fast learners, others take time to understand particular concepts.
With technology as part of learning and teaching, slow students don’t have to skip the ideas they have difficulties learning. They can easily catch up with their peers thanks to the online curriculum and lessons designed exclusively for them.
- Use gamification
Gamification involves applying game design factors in an educational setting to make learning more engaging and motivate students to learn. This technique turns boring activities into fun games.
Gamification raises competition among peers, resulting in higher engagement. Besides involving creativity, gamification offers learners immediate feedback, which makes it easy for them to monitor their progress toward achieving their learning objectives.
Endnote
Technology comes in handy when looking to improve learning and teaching. Familiarize yourself with ways to leverage technology to enhance learning and teaching for better student outcomes.