What is technology in education?

Technology in education is the use of technological resources , such as video classes and online games, to teach new content and enrich the students’ learning process . In addition, it is also a tool to complement the work of teachers and education professionals.

What is the role of technology in education?

Faced with the digital culture that we are immersed in, where the internet and social networks are increasingly strong, it is practically impossible to think of an education that is distant from these technologies.

The main objective of using educational technologies is to make teaching more attractive to students.

But beyond that, technology in education plays an important role for education professionals. They bring new possibilities for how to transmit content and also facilitate educational management in administrative matters.

Types of technology in education

Many technologies are already used by teachers and educators in educational environments. Below, we talk about the most popular technologies and how they are applied in education:

ICT

ICT is the acronym for the term Information and Communication Technologies. Basically, ICT refers to tools, machines and programs that facilitate access to knowledge and transform learning into an active process.

Some examples of ICTs:

• Cell phones;
• Computers and notebooks;
• Email;
• Websites;
• YouTube.

When well integrated into the educational context, these tools increase the possibilities of accessing information and increase students’ interest in the subject studied.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is a branch of Computer Science that develops machines and technologies capable of performing activities similar to humans. In the case of education, AI is often used to customize teaching based on the subjects and subjects that students are more interested in or have more difficulties with.

In addition, it is also used to automate administrative tasks . For example, posting grades in the school’s system or applying tests, which in the end bring a complete analysis of the student’s performance.

Transmedia

Transmedia is a technique that refers to the transmission of the same content through different media formats . For example, the student begins to study a certain subject in the book, then the teacher shows a film on the subject and finally an online quiz to fix the content. These are different ways of teaching the same content.

Virtual and augmented reality

Virtual reality ( VR) is an interface technology where the individual can insert himself into a virtual environment as if he were part of it and augmented reality (AR) is the interaction between elements of the physical universe and the digital universe.

In education, VR and AR are used to provide students with a more realistic and interactive teaching experience . That is, a more practical and less theoretical learning.

e-learning platforms

E-learning is a form of distance education that seeks to promote learning through the use of computational and audiovisual resources, such as recorded video lessons and online tests.

In this teaching modality, which grew a lot after the coronavirus pandemic, students are able to study from anywhere and at any time , in addition to having several complementary materials at their disposal.

Games

The gaming market is something that attracts people of different ages. Thinking about it, the educational market invests in games and gamification as a way to make the learning process more fluid. In addition, gamification also stimulates creativity , develops students’ potential and promotes healthy competitiveness. among them.

Why use technology in education?

the technological revolution of recent years has brought a number of benefits to various sectors and education is no different. When well applied, both students and educators benefit from the use of technology.

Benefits

Among the main benefits of using technology in education are:

• More dynamic and interactive classes;
• Increased student interest;
• Stimulation of autonomy and creativity;
• Management of bureaucratic tasks;
• Monitoring the performance of each student in a more assertive way, with the support of data.

Given this, it is easy to understand why new technologies are so important for education, isn’t it?! But, despite the numerous benefits, implementing technologies is not so simple, especially in Pak.

Challenges

When we talk about the use of technology in education, two issues are pointed out by specialists as the great challenges of education: training of professionals and social inequality.

It is extremely important that higher education institutions prepare professionals for a new teaching reality and that schools invest in training their professionals . Only in this way will professionals know how to apply technological resources in the classroom.