The Changing Face Of Education

4 minutes read

In the 21st century, technology has transformed the way we communicate and go about our lives. This changing technology has had a noteworthy impact on education as well, and has transformed the complete instructive landscape. In fact, very few educationalists would not confirm with the idea that technology has radically altered the education and learning procedure. Every year shows an increased use of technology driven resources like the Internet, e-mails, and online courses usage in the field of education. Technology has the potential to transform the conventional teaching and learning processes. It can eradicate all obstacles for education forced by time and space, and significantly increase access to lasting education.
The Internet has deeply changed the tradition of teaching and learning in the last decade or so, especially in universities and colleges that are well equipped with innovative technologies. It has significantly increased access to higher education and basically altered the forms of education. In particular, it has and will further facilitate education that is individualized, beginner-centric and interactive, making it far more relevant to the needs of individuals. It has made way for anytime, anywhere learning, which in particular is pretty attractive to working professionals, and has enabled lifelong learning in the true sense.

No generation is more comfortable with collaborative, online technologies than today’s younger generation, or may we say “digital natives”. Where a note pad and pen might have formed the tool kit of previous generations, today students are armed with smart phones, and laptops. This age-driven technology has noteworthy implications on higher education. Internet that was initially started as a breakthrough to observe and share some confidential files in a group, is now being used for more greater things, and it has resulted into some great optimistic changes in education as well.

Here are some of the changes and growth internet or technology has had on education in the last couple of years.

Online learning has gained a firm footing in universities across the globe.

Online programmes and distance learning have gained a firm footing in universities across the world. What was formerly thought of as a niche outlet for the delivery of instructive content, has fast become majority, creating wider access to education, newer markets for content and extended income opportunities for academic institutes. Most institutions today offer online courses, mainly those with public-service consent, believing that the online medium is quite instrumental in forwarding their mission, and placing it within the reach of people who otherwise might not be able to access it.

The newest crop of B-schools, universities and returning students from every age group, find it much easier to consume information online. And this shift is not irrelevant. It reflects the intelligence in people at large for managing the hardware and software that is needed to access information online. This combined with the reality that user interface design and software dependability has really reached a new level, makes them more accessible than what they were some years ago. Technology has successfully passed the edge for workability, and people are all set and ready to take benefit of the conveniences it offers. The following decade promises to be ground-breaking for learning, and online education is the future; for both traditional and online colleges. The developing technology that underlines this revolution has quickly made its way not just into colleges, but elementary and secondary education as well.

How social media is filling the gap?

Definitely there have been a lot of changes technology has brought in the development and advancement of education. Things have come a long way from classroom lectures to online courses; video lectures, allocation and submission of projects online using social media tools which keeps changing too match the latest trends. Virtually everything about education has transformed. A growing number of students prefer to study and work over the internet for several geographical and other reasons.

Despite the fact that social media like all other things has pros and cons, but today, over 95 percent of the faculty are making use of social media in courses that they teach. Which means almost every faculty now prefers social media and other education networks than the aged methods. Also more and more students are opting for higher education via online courses. This shows a growing fondness among both teachers and students for the use of technology to aid their learning.

The distinct benefits of digital learning:
The shift from rote learning to technology based learning is visibly evident. E-learning and modern laptops have now become a part of everyday learning. Technology has caused a huge revolution in the education structure, and experts feel that “rote learning” will probably shrink in the years to come. Few years back, online learning was Latin and Greek to the majority of people, but today’s technology has at last arrived with a bang, and everybody seems to have welcomed it with open arms.

E-learning is undeniably the need of the hour in today’s age. The majority of population in India is youth, and it is absolutely critical to give them the perfect kind of education. While e-learning guarantees that the quality of information remains the main concern, it also aids growth of content. Amongst universities, Manipal, Amity University and Symbiosis were the trendsetters, and now the trend has caught on with other institutes as well.

Erasing Boundaries:
Technology has removed the physical limitations that used to preside over education. Students can now learn from the confines of their home with technology that allows them to intermingle remotely. They can download projects from websites, pursue online courses, listen to talks on podcasts and converse with tutors through text messaging. In fact, there has been a growing trend towards online courses that offer a complete learning online. Thanks to Internet, one can easily access anything with the click of a finger. And students are making the best use of this technology. In this technology driven age, slowly notebooks are getting replaced by ‘laptops and presentations’.

Article written by: Saurahbh