Educational Technology Helping to Boost Learning in the 21st Century
Educational Technology Helping to Boost Learning in the 21st Century
In modern schools there are many subjects now studied, some of which that may not have been taught when many adults were at school, many schools now provide a diverse curriculum including foreign languages, sciences and additional subjects such as sports science and psychology too. As the number of subjects has increased over the years so too has the way in which children as well as adults learn in the classroom.
One field that is always evolving is technology, and in the classroom there are many new technological additions that can be found and have helped make learning more interactive and innovative to get the most out of students of any age.
One of the most popular instances has been how there are now interactive whiteboards in place of the older chalkboards that used to line the walls in most schools and learning institutions. These are more than a way to write on a board when teaching or writing ideas down, they are connected to a computer and an overhead projector so that whatever is on the computer screen can be shown to the rest of the class.
The image can be interacted with via a specialist pen that is picked up by the board's surface; this is because not all interactive whiteboards can use the dry erase markers that are used on standard whiteboards as some of the interactive models are porous and can be permanently marked. There are other ways to interact with the class such as graphics tablets that can be passed between members of the class to show working out or answers to the whole of the class.
This is even taken further with many student response systems; these can be used either in assessment or for surveys since they operate like clickers providing answers to multiple choice questions in the classroom. There are some other models that include the ability to type answers for more detailed responses or answers to mathematical problems. This data is sent from the student's unit to the main computer via Infra-Red signals where the teacher can view the results.
As well as these advanced learning tools there are many other technological advancements such as the presence of computers and of course, the internet that have made learning and researching much more effective and for pupils to reach their potential.