The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just affect healthcare and economies worldwide— it also thrust remote education into the spotlight. Suddenly, children, parents, and educators were forced to adopt new models of learning and teaching in order to adapt to the new normal.
In tandem with this shift is the greater use of education technology. Let’s take a look at the latest trends reshaping the way the world learns.
Collaborative eLearning
Collaborating to solve a problem or finish a project increases engagement and understanding among students. Not being able to work together in the same classroom is a major disadvantage of studying from home.
Bridging the gap are eLearning apps and platforms. Through collaborative features, students are able to hold meetings, work on the same project at the same time, and discuss ideas in real-time.
Mobile-based Learning
Aside from eLearning, another important trend for education is the rise of mLearning aka mobile learning. Thanks to the proliferation of mobile devices and learning apps, students don’t need to be in one place – such as the classroom – to study. Designing mobile-optimized content helps them work on their courses anytime and anywhere.
Aside from online responsiveness, mLearning also comes with offline learning capabilities. For instance, eBooks have features like bookmarks, annotation tools, hyperlinks, search features, and in-app dictionaries to enhance the learning experience.
Social Media and Education
Social media is no longer just for keeping up with the daily lives of friends and family. It’s now a powerful educational and communication tool.
Social features on their eLearning materials allow students to share opinions, study materials, and projects with one another. They are able to comment on their classmates’ posts, put up links to relevant websites, and build peer networks. The integration of social media into learning modules is creating a greater learning experience for learners of all ages.
Tech and Classroom Interactivity
Bringing educational technology into the classroom has made lessons more interactive and livelier. Course content in eBooks can be embedded with augmented reality, videos, audio files, and other forms of multimedia to inspire students to become more actively involved in the learning process.
Analytics and Data Management
With the growing popularity of remote learning comes a bigger need for data management and analytics. Teachers can now have comprehensive analytics of a student’s performance data, such as chapters completed, tests attempted, etc.
Exams can now be administered entirely online, and educators have the ability to see what every student does during that time. Not only can teachers give and check exams online, but they can also do the same for assignments and homework.
On top of this, analytics allows the teacher to develop action plans based on hard data on a child’s academic performance and engagement. For instance, data can reveal a troubling pattern in a student’s grades and use this to take appropriate measures. It also helps teachers offer customized training that supports the student’s capabilities.
As the needs of the education sector transform, so does the technology available to educators and students. To keep abreast of these developments, educational institutions must take steps to adopt such innovations in their learning models and explore ways to integrate them into the curriculum.
