Since the technological world has evolved dramatically in recent years, more people become involved in digital media. As a result, it is critical for teachers to use the most up-to-date tools in their work to catch students’ attention in class. Thus, there are concerns wondering why EdTech should be embraced at schools. And what are these benefits that EdTech could bring to modern education? Below are the remarkable reasons why we should implement EdTech in today's educational curriculum.
Brief introduction about EdTech
Much simpler than it sounds, EdTech is the term combining 2 words Education and Technology. The aim of EdTech is to utilize the applications of technology to create better learning & teaching experiences at class.
Unlike many hypotheses stating that robots would replace teachers at schools, the fundamentals of education including teaching are still going with the presence of EdTech. Students will not just surround high-tech devices and stick their eyes to the screen hoping they could learn better. It’s more about their educational output being maximized to a level they have never expected.
It’s the fact that every industry today is more or less affected by technology. “Work smarter not harder” is what technology has brought to the whole world. With the help of technology, most industries can increase their productivity in the most efficient way. For instance, a bakery can increase their productivity from 3 doughs/minute to double thanks to the help of a mixer. Back to the case of education, technology has assisted us in every daily task with tools like Slack, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. This is proof that EdTech has now played an important role in modern education.
Read more: What is Edu Tech? And why is it important?
Why should EdTech be embraced at schools?
It cannot be denied that EdTech does bring benefits to the development of education. It helps to transform the ways kids learn to the next level and discover their potential abilities. The number of EdTech’s advantages can be countless but here are some highlighted ones.
Support children with different learning needs
Many researches have carried out that children respond differently to the same educational method and material. This stands for the trend that each student is different and thus, has different educational needs. Special-education-need students or SEN students in short were used to being treated unfairly and left behind by their peers. However, it was not totally the fault of the teachers. It’s the way education was delivered in the past that was blamed for.
For SEN students, the use of EdTech in the classroom has already started to help with engagement, independence, and excluding physical barriers. Adopting EdTech at school will lead to a significant change in the possibilities for children with special needs in the future.
Create a more customized education to fit each student
Apparently, every single student is fundamentally different so they have different ways and abilities to solve problems. For example, some students are better at reading and thus, they can learn and remember things on their own just by reading books. According to some well-known studies, finding a strategy to address their unique individual demands will result in more desirable educational achievements. And this problem can be easily dealt with the help of EdTech. As EdTech enables teachers to cater to the individual by providing a wider selection of learning methods and allowing them to know at a glance how each student is performing in class.
Make assessment process easier and faster
How to produce each student’s precise and detailed assessment at the end of term or semester is always a nightmare to some teachers. Typically, most teachers find it difficult and challenging assessing individual students’ performance. It’s not simply about evaluating where they’re at by looking at their grade. Since students are awarded a grade that reflects their entire performance, it is designed to serve as a standard for all parties involved in assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Assessments are more like evaluating the pupils’ accumulated knowledge after the whole learning & teaching process.
However, some disagreements with this traditional assessment system have been raised. They think it’s too late to deliver the final assessment result at the end of the process. It would be preferable if teachers could obtain an indication of how a student is doing at any point during the year and change lessons or assign extra work to help them get to where they need to be. Fortunately, this is entirely achievable with EdTech. Most EdTech software provides teachers with an educator's panel where they can rapidly obtain precise information on student development. This not only changes things for assessment but also aids in the formation of a detailed picture of a student's learning journey throughout the year.
Improve the lessons’ content
What makes a lesson engaging needs more than just lectures that are full of words. Take a book for example, most children would prefer the one that combines words and images. Most teachers would agree that providing content in an entertaining way is the best approach to ensure student success. The issue is that it might be difficult to identify ways to make a lesson's material more engaging. Through gamification, the use of EdTech tools in the classroom can significantly boost the instructional quality of a lesson. Consider how exciting it would be to teach grammar to children. This is exactly what EdTech intends to do.
Support teachers to have an effective workflow
Some teachers claim that it’s hard to apply new practices into the classroom due to the shortage of time. Most teachers are constantly working against the clock. They simply don’t have enough time to complete everything they want while still fulfilling all of the responsibilities coming with the job. That’s why many experts and innovators are continually coming up with new methods to make the most out of the school day. As a result, EdTech was released to free up time by reducing regular daily tasks. Teachers would have more time and energy to do whatever they want to create a fascinating learning space.
Are there any barriers to the Edtech implementation?
Edtech is now very popular in many nations all over the world. Its applications vary from softwares to smart devices that support the teaching and learning process. However, we still cannot fully exploit its power due to some obstacles below.
The requirement of more researches being carried
Although there is proof that EdTech was first founded 40 years ago, it is still in its early days. Unlike many other industries, errors are not allowed in education, otherwise, a whole generation could collapse. Therefore, whenever a new piece of EdTech is created and implemented, its effectiveness must be measured and documented carefully before application. Typically, researchers have to spend time examining their findings and transforming them into actionable recommendations to improve technologies, software, and practices.
The ownership rights related to data
Issues relating to the data ownership are also one of the most important hurdles to the EdTech implementation. When it comes to EdTech, there is naturally some concern about data security. Under certain circumstances, the data used for software is sometimes very complex and contains personal information as well. Thus, there must be clear criteria outlining who is accountable for the secure keeping of data and what they are permitted to do with it. If a school implements EdTech in the classroom, it should be clear at every stage of the process whether they own any data acquired.
The lack of teachers and parents’ reassurance
The finally remarkable barrier includes the lack of trust coming from teachers and parents. It is obvious that EdTech cannot work without their support. Therefore, it is critical that all parties involved understand how EdTech implementation will operate and how it could support them particularly.
To make it happen, there must be more assurance that the technologies being utilized are safe and will truly increase the quality of education a child receives. Especially, parents and teachers must be given the chance to learn about EdTech and what benefits it can provide.
Final words
Although it is difficult to predict the future of EdTech, the current benefits it brings to life are undeniable. Schools are encouraged to implement technology in order to create a better engaging space for both teachers and students. However, only approved EdTech softwares and devices should be applied to prevent the unexpected results.
We hope this post could provide teachers and parents with a full perspective towards the importance of EdTech in the modern world. For further information about this new technological trend, you are welcomed to read more at Golden Owl’s blog.
