The Master Plan for Education
Hands-on learning that keeps students engaged is one of the best ways to prepare students for future career success. When modern technology is integrated into the classroom, students can experience learning in a variety of different and compelling ways, which is essential to mastering skills and internalizing content knowledge. Progressive schools around the world use technology in the classroom, making it a natural and comfortable part of the curriculum. Computers, the internet and other forms of technology must not be separated from regular curriculum anymore; no longer should teachers have to walk their classes down to the computer lab to practice keyboarding or learn fundamental computer skills.
When technology is woven naturally into the curriculum, all kinds of exciting learning can take place. Students and teachers become actively engaged in their experiences, have the opportunity to participate in collaborative groups, engage in frequent feedback and communication with each other, and connect to the world through virtual connections. It is also easier for teachers to nurture different learning styles and work with multiple intelligences, and often introverted students find that they are able to participate more actively with more options for contributing to class.
Trends in education come and go, and often return several times over in different packaging. There is a good reason for this. Effective learning and teaching never go out of style. Today we have the added advantage of technology to enhance what we already know to be effective learning methods. Here are a few current trends worth looking at:
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More Meaningful Collaborative Learning
Connecting with others and sharing ideas and information have always been powerful tools for learning. With social media, open-source sites, and other ways of collaborating online, classmates can now work with students around the world. Even if we don’t know someone personally, we can learn from each other and test out ideas and theories virtually, sharing opinions and knowledge with learning communities across the globe. -
More Tech-Powered Activities
Creative educators have always been able to find ways to grab their students’ attention and direct it toward the necessary subject matter. It is now possible for students to create video games, compose music, or go geo-caching (a high-tech scavenger hunt). Xbox’s Kinect and PlayStation’s Wii can enhance P.E. class, and students can learn languages, create avatars of literary characters and communicate via Skype with peers around the world, all with the help of technology. These activities, while seemingly incredible, are truly just the tip of the iceberg. -
Blended Learning Approaches
This approach combines traditional teaching with computer technology. Most of today’s students, especially in the upper grades and in higher education, are connected online in some way. Good educators understand that a powerful way to promote learning is to focus students’ natural online tendencies toward their class work. A teacher may assign interactive quizzes on material covered traditionally in class earlier in the day, or perhaps students will work from home in virtual groups on a project they began at school. The best examples of this type of learning are the teachers who follow up the in-class content and discussion with homework that includes online discussions and collaborative work.
What it all means
The master plan for education seems clear: by integrating technology into the classroom, teachers can shift from being the sole proprietors of information to learning guides and facilitators. Class time can be used more effectively, and students with different learning interests and styles have a variety of ways to participate. When technology is effectively integrated across the curriculum, learning is deeper and the learning process is enhanced.
Content provided by U.S. News University Directory.
