IMPACT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY ON EDUCATION
I could either watch it happen or be part of it – Elon Musk
The era of 21st century is often regarded as an era of technology. Technology, today, plays a very important role in our life. It is seen as a basis of growth of an economy. The impact of technology can be felt in every possible field one such field is Education. Technology has always played a major role in education in some way or the other even before the pandemic.
Technology in educational field has made the process of learning and knowledge sharing more interactive. The greatest impact of technology on education is the change in our outlook towards the world. This remarkable shift in thinking from local to global can be attributed to technology. The onset of technology has made the journey of teaching and learning more effective.
Technology provides an interactive audio-visual medium. Animation software and Power Point presentations are used to present information in an interactive way. Both teachers and students find it helpful and interesting to use audio-visual tools. Large number of students can be addressed simultaneously with the help of projectors, screens, microphones and speakers. These teaching aids have led to increased attendance in classes.
Impacts of technology on Education are the following:
• Technology has made student life easy: Nowadays, students use different software and tools to make presentations and projects, instead of using pen and paper. These tools help to generate more interest in studies. There are online libraries which require no physical space. The teachers, students and researchers sitting in different parts of the world can access the same online library simultaneously.
• Technology has improved student engagement: Education technology has made learning more interactive and collaborative. It helps students better engage with their course material. This would help them to learn to do things in a practical way rather than just memorizing it.
• Technology has encouraged self-paced learning: In a traditional classroom, students who were struggling to learn new concepts would quickly fall behind their peers. With online assignments however, students can learn certain concepts at their own pace. This will make them self-reliant and also help develop their learning ability.
• Technology can promote innovative teaching techniques: teachers with the help of technology make teaching better and more interactive. This helps students develop greater interests towards learning through innovative modes. They would be able to retrieve the learnt aspects in a better way rather than merely from an examination point of view.
• Technology has enhanced time management: technology being accessible anytime and anywhere increases the time management among children. This helps them also focus on co-cirricular activities that is vital for their development. Children chanalise their free time in learning a new art form that can help them develop as an individual and also enhance their cognitive skills.
Just like every coin has got two sides, technology in Indian education has its own challenges too. The investment in technological infrastructure in schools, teacher training and software is a costly affair. India being a developing country, not all schools can afford to the technological infrastructure. With the increased demand for technology in schools, there is an equal demand in the cost of education too. Technology to a certain extent has replaced textbooks. With positives and negatives of technology in Indian education system, the positives have outnumbered negatives with many schools embracing technology. Ending on a positive note, technology in education enhances learning skills in students.
