Let’s take a trip down the memory lane!
The year is 2000. You cannot miss Ms. Lucy’s Science lecture. The fever is telling you to do otherwise. You are struggling hard to decide between staying at home and going to school. Because you do not want to lose your grade, you drag yourself to the bathroom against your will and get ready for school only to find out that Ms. Lucy herself is absent. You questioned your very own existence at that time, didn’t you? And cursed yourself for being a risk-averse person. If you had risked your grade, not only would it have been a thrilling experience, it would have also saved you the hassle to make it to school while suffering from fever.
We cannot bring time back (technology is still not advanced) but today’s kids don’t find themselves trapped in this struggle that you went through once. Today’s generation can very conveniently decide to take a day off from school and miss a lecture as recorded lectures are readily available on the school’s website. Virtual classrooms have become a reality. And when the students have access to the fast internet with Frontier FiOS, there is nothing that they need to worry about. Lectures are readily available online and are just a click away.
Technology is, hence, a blessing that has helped the education department in many ways as well. Following are few ways in which technology has aided the education sector:
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Virtual Reality:
Time and again we get to hear this word ‘Virtual Reality (more popularly known as VR) but how many of us actually know what it means? Remember The Jetsons? This family of the future was living the dream life and one that was a mere fantasy in our minds. The spaceship and the video calls looked like concepts that will never be able to take the form of reality. I guess we underestimated the power of technology. With the advancements made in technology, we are now able to connect with people through video calls, if not physically meet them. The instructors can show the class a country without all the students being physically present in that country. Similarly, students can enroll themselves in courses or in universities without actually having to go to that institute. Facetime, Skype or Google Hangouts is all it takes to be a part of a class without sitting amongst the students in the four-walled classroom.
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Artificial Intelligence:
A very recent advancement in technology that has taken the world by storm is Artificial Intelligence (AI). Not only is artificial intelligence making it convenient for students to have access to online lectures, it is also aiding the administrative tasks to increase their speed and helping the organizations to cut-down the time spent on tedious tasks. The saved time can then be spent on each individual student. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, the administrative tasks like grading the students’’ homework or test become quicker, leaving time on the teachers’ hands to solve more queries that the students may have. Apart from this, AI can also tutor an individual based on the difficulties that he/she is facing and coming up with feedback and assignments for students to work on. With the fast-paced advances happening in the world of AI, it is feared that the human teachers may soon be replaced by robots as well.
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E-books:
As a kid, I remember having to wait anxiously for my monthly pocket money only to spend it on buying novels. I loved reading novels (I still do) and a major chunk of my monthly allowance was spent on buying books (both fictional and non-fictional). I have my own mini library at home. But I envy today’s kids. They can spend their pocket money on gazillion things that are not books. Technology has enabled the kids and elders to access e-books without having them to spend on the paper copies. The online versions of the books are downloadable and do not ask for a special place in your room to be stacked. Moreover, the availability of e-books means that any and every book is readable. You do not have to beg your cousin traveling to England to bring you a copy of a book not available in your country.
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Study Groups:
While it might sound like a fun idea, it is not always possible for 10-12 team members to gather at a place to work on a class assignment or group project. However, technology has this sorted out for us as well. Presence of online portals makes it easy for students to work on a group project by sitting in their homes. All you need to do is decide on a time for the virtual meeting. Then whether it be a combined study session or brainstorming for the semester final project, online portal got you covered.
After having read all the ways in which technology has and continues to help the education sector, aren’t you convinced that technology is a blessing in disguise? I, myself, find it convenient to connect to people who want to get some tips from me before starting their own blogs. Frontier online deals, a laptop, and an online portal are all I need.