Emerging technology is driving new trends in the education world. Teachers and students around the world are increasingly abandoning the chalk-and-talk approach and switching to more interactive and immersive ways of teaching and learning.
Today, instead of simply having dedicated tech-times, technologies are being incorporated into every discipline, from art, science and math, to literature, languages and even physical ed. This is a major shift, with massive implications for the design and management of learning environments.
Appropriate use
When used appropriately, technology can be a strategic tool for teachers and students to support research, expression, and learning. But what exactly constitutes appropriate use?
The days of cramped computer labs with rows of screens and cumbersome boxes are fading fast. Today, education technology can deliver individualised learning experiences. Connected students can access material that goes beyond what is available in the text book. They can acquire knowledge in ways that fundamentally challenge traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Educators can also directly and more easily develop digital content to support their subject areas.
There is now a seemingly ever-increasing volume of educational apps and online lesson plans, and the proliferation laptops and smartphones in the hands of students. Yet only a small proportion of teachers is actually finding the ways – and the time - to infuse technology into their lessons.
Education institutions at every level, face a unique challenge in trying to equip teachers and craft a learning experience for their students that adequately prepares them for their future. Without the budgets or dedicated technical staff of private enterprises, schools can have a hard time keeping up with student and staff demand to use the latest and greatest technologies in their classrooms. Yet few question the that technology has a role to play in the preparing students for life in an increasingly digitally-driven world.
Challenging the status quo
So why aren’t more classrooms using digital models?
That may be a tough issue that puts a spotlight on the relevance of traditional teaching approaches to the modern world. It also points to a critical resource constraint in terms of technical skills and the need to develop stronger competences in digital literacy within the teaching ranks.
Dr Didacus Jules, former head of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), recently pointed out that not enough new education technology workers are coming in regional education system.
“This is in part due to the inability of education sector to compete with the private sector on salary for technology-skilled resources, but it may also be due to the fact that insufficient attention is being paid to developing technology competencies of educators,” Jules noted.
This issue is not unique to the Caribbean. A 2015 survey of teachers from the US, Latin America and the UK found that 90 per cent felt technology was important for classroom success, while almost two-thirds wanted to integrate it into their lessons but said they needed more training. The survey revealed that even though many teachers are interested, some remain also intimidated by the devices, and need role models, more customised training and coaching.
Redefining the classroom experience
The educators who succeed in adding technology to their teaching usually invest their own time trying to figure out how to use new tools, without compensation or credit for the hours they put in. This could involve late night scouring though mobile apps stores, YouTube videos and educational Web sites in search of material. It may also entail investing in software and hardware and taking the time to learn how to create custom content.
Dr Farid Youssef, a lecturer in physiology and neuroscience at the University of the West Indies, believes that education technology is an essential mechanism for opening up learning opportunities for students and teachers.
Over the past two years, he has converted all of his lectures into videos, complete with teaching notes and posted them online. He uses special software to produce his own videos and post them on YouTube, a popular online video sharing platform.
In the classroom, he uses a mobile app and smartphones to facilitate in-class interactions. He posts questions via a tool that generates real time quizzes and surveys online. Students then answer using their mobile phones and the in-class WiFi network. This allows Dr Youssef is quickly conduct tests and snap-polls and share the results with his class as soon as they have completed their responses.
“There is definitely a place for technology in the classroom. Today’s students are wired for multimedia and interactive experiences. But technology alone does not guarantee success.”
Challenges and opportunities
While technology presents real opportunities to improve classroom learning, there are real hurdles to be overcome.
Internet bandwidth is a major challenge for education institutions seeking to use online tools. Also, classroom infrastructure can be a constraint when teachers have to wrestle with issues ranging from in adequate power outlets to poor speakers and malfunctioning multimedia projectors.
Then there is the human element. Many teachers remain uncomfortable departing from accustomed practice. Education technology pioneers commonly report that some of their peers also have a real fear that increasing use of technology aids in the class can make them irrelevant. Others are simply reluctant to change and are more comfortable doing things the way they have grown accustomed to. There are also challenges with students who prefer digesting only digital content over the fuller classroom interaction with their lecturer and fellow students.
Data privacy, copyright issues, infrastructure upgrades, network security, and running costs for training, software licenses and hardware maintenance, are also factors schools have to grapple with when introducing technology in the classroom. Perhaps the most significant factor, however, is the paradigm shift within the ranks of educators and students, to embrace technology as an enabling tool and find ways to relevantly invest in transforming the learning environment.
Shaping the future
Yet, for all the challenges, few can deny the power of digital experiences can have in arresting the attention and engaging the minds of the current generation. With the right technology the class can become a far more immersive learning environment facilitating critical thinking skills. In the process, it can help shape the minds and hearts of those who will determine our future.
Bevil Wooding is an internet strategist at Packet Clearing House, a US-based technology research firm. He is also the chief knowledge officer at Congress WBN (C-WBN) a faith-based, international, non-profit organisation where he is responsible for technology-education, knowledge management and outreach initiatives. Twitter: @bevilwooding
