Educational Technology: 3 ways educational technology can improve future learning

Educational Technology: 3 ways educational technology can improve future learning.

By Aileen Emmett, 4th year Digital Media & Society student

As a student who is studying Digital media and Society, I hope to clarify that the use of educational technology can improve future learning in all levels of education.

BBC highlighted that “technology in the classroom is changing the face of education”, BBC stated, “By incorporating technology into every aspect of school life, children will learn the skills and knowledge that they need to thrive in our fast-moving society.” There is great demand for newer technologies to be integrated into schools, but it is very costly.

Although the installation of innovative technologies can be very expensive, the advantage of using technology in schools highlighted by BBC is that “Classrooms can enjoy greater collaboration and schools can save money on replacing traditional textbooks and learning tools”.

Irish educational systems are still using the old traditional way of teaching. If schools want to become more tech-savvy, they need to integrate the use of technology into their curriculum. In primary education, students need to improve and develop digital skills. An article from the Irish Times written by Barry McCall titled “Microsoft helping primary school students develop digital skills”, stated,  “Computational thinking needs to be mainstreamed and the learning needs to be structured and scaffolded within the primary school system.”

According to Barry McCall, Minecraft is an excellent tool for creating projects and a clever way to learn computational thinking.

The Department of Education are implementing technology in all classrooms. Technology is transforming in many different ways. According to the national center for education students with the Department of Education, “As of 2009, the NCES reports that 97% of teachers have one or more computers in the classroom and 93% of computers located in the classroom have access to the internet”.

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To further assist teachers and students in educational technology, I have identified 3 ways educational technology can improve future learning.

1. Consider using iPad’s: Teachers will need to know about the different educational applications that are readily available for iPads. These applications will need to be designed to suit all subjects. Applications need to have interactive exercises which should engage students.
2. Consider using Greenscreen technology: Greenscreen technology allows students to be more creative. It also allows them to investigate the areas they are most interested in. For example, in a geography lesson, maps can be uploaded onto the greenscreen while a teacher is teaching about countries and culture.
3. Consider using flipped classroom teaching: Flipped classroom teaching is a clever way for students to learn. Students watch educational videos at home prior to their scheduled class. The subjects are discussed the next day in the classroom. For example, if a student was learning maths, they would watch videos on their computers via youtube at home. They would do their exercises or have a classroom discussion on what they had learned in school with the aid of the teacher.

As a final word, educational technology will enhance the learning environment in the future.

Aileen Emmett is a student studying at GMIT Castlebar. She is currently in her final year in BSC Digital Media and Society. She has a keen interest in web design, graphic design, coding, and learning in higher education. This blog is being submitted as part of the Social web strategy module available through WordPress.