Guest Post: 2015 Education Technology Trends for Teachers and Students

2015 Education Technology Trends for Teachers and Students

This article is a guest post Courtesy of Academy of Learning College, a career and business college.  With over 30 degree programs, 50 locations across Canada and over 25 years of experience, they are considered a leading provider of education.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.”

An education – particularly a good one -makes all the difference in the world. Even earning something as common as a high school diploma means the difference between having a job, and having none. And the better the diploma, certificate, or degree, the better the job obtained. Students, both young and old, need every advantage they can get. If you are a student, or the parent of one, then you know how difficult some subjects can be. Considering that the population of this ever shrinking planet borders on the astronomical number of 8 billion people, making competition for high-paying jobs almost cut-throat, having the best education – in all subjects required for one’s field of expertise – is the simple math behind success.

Keeping Up With Modern Education

To succeed, students need to keep up. This often presents unique challenges; a student may do exceedingly well in English, but fail miserably when it comes to Algebra. This is not because the student is any less bright than his peers, it’s because the student thinks differently, and therefore may need to be taught differently, in order for him or her to understand and appreciate the subject material, and the principals behind it, thoroughly. Or, the student may not be able attend class in person, or may even live in a region where there are no schools, which makes obtaining an education almost impossible. This is where online or in-home tutors and technology come in to save the day.

Technology Trends in Education

Online and In-home Tutoring:

One of the wonderful things about the internet, besides videos of dancing and costumed kitties, is the ability to find and hire academic tutors online. There are some great tutoring services available online today–students can speak with tutors directly, in real time. A tutor has been, and always shall be, one of the best learning aids available outside the classroom and most busy working parents would have to agree.

OERs:

Open educational resources (OERs), simply put, are free, openly licensed materials which can be utilized by tutors, students and teachers for learning and teaching purposes. While there are unlimited resources to be tapped from the internet, finding a published paper on a particular subject can be frustrating, but one is certainly available. Fortunately, platforms for obtaining such information are getting better.

ILS:

An integrated learning system (typically software) is integral to a student’s success. Designed to deliver, measure, maintain, and monitor subject material, an ILS engages a student directly by providing feedback as to why a student has, or has not, progressed; students interact with the program like they would a tutor. Many colleges already incorporate ILSs for homework–like Algebra–and off-campus courses.

Virtual Learning:

Virtual learning also utilizes computer software, as well as the internet, to deliver instruction to a student. This can be used to eliminate the need for a student to be in a classroom, and even the teacher, but it can also be used as an aid by a teacher to enhance lessons.

Instructor-Led Online Learning:

Just as it sounds, instructor-led online learning is a virtual classroom with a real instructor, teaching in real time over the net. This is awesome for students who cannot be in a classroom but want direct engagement with a teacher or professor. Though many career and business colleges have been slow to offer this sort of hybrid learning, large business corporations have used it successfully.

It’s a foregone conclusion, then, that today’s technology – which is constantly improving – is becoming the backbone of how we are learning. The advantages are undeniable, and students need this edge in order to succeed, let alone just attend a class. Because of these current trends in education, the isolated student, as well as the financially challenged student, can enjoy the same quality of education as their peers in the classroom.

In the past, technology tended to leave students, teachers, and educational systems struggling to keep up. But today it is almost the other way around.  Because students and teachers employing current technology trends naturally evaluate them, improving them wherever they can, these platforms can only improve – and they are improving.  We just keep getting smarter.

Further Reading: “Ask a Nerd! What kind of Tech Should I Use to Help Me Study?”

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