In this 21st century, technology has made huge impacts on our lives and changed most of our ways of doing things. Many traditional processes and procedures we used to follow have evolved due to the impact of technology. Technology has made positive impacts in areas like education, healthcare, transportation, socialization, etc.
In this article, I’ll be expatiating the impact of technology on education in various ways. Technology has led to a lot of advances in our day-to-day lives, however, it has also created some negative concerns in the community like social divisions, privacy concerns, mental health decline, etc mostly due to overuse or misuse.
The impact of technology on education has generally influenced learning apart from in the school or academic setting. Going on YouTube on a Saturday morning to search for videos with the perfect recipe and procedure for making those mouthwatering pancakes is also a positive impact that has been made by technology on our day-to-day learning.
The integration of gadgets like laptops, phones and tablets into education has provided a stream of information and resources for both teachers and students. This has given students the liberty of getting access to information on anything at anytime and anywhere. One of the impacts of technology on education that is widely in use is online learning.
Read more: The advancement of technology in medicine
Online Learning as an Impact of Technology on Education
Online learning is the education and instruction that are provided electronically via several internal platforms, multimedia, applications and software to students which can be accessible anytime and anywhere. The fast rise in the number of educational apps, learning websites, online courses and other digital tools have made learning remote and easily accessible.
The impact of technology on education has provided an option for people who work full-time but still want to take a course or two for additional knowledge or to further their education. They can do so remotely without much pressure or effect on their daily activities. Students who can’t go to school because they don’t fit in, or due to insecurities in their area or even an endemic, can enjoy the advantages of online learning and still receive an education in a much safer zone.
Various courses are now available online at our disposal on different websites, apps and software such as UI/UX design, software development, data analysis, digital marketing and many more. Some of these learning platforms are free while some are paid to provide a better learning experience to their students. These educational platforms include:
The impact of technology on education has made it possible to access a long list of courses on these educational apps and platforms for extra knowledge and expertise in different fields by just registering on any of them and proceeding to learn. These online learning platforms provide different courses in various fields like tech, writing, career building, celebrity lessons, creative fields, etc, all outside of the physical school premises and the traditional learning methods.
Advantages of the impact of technology on education
The benefits of online learning, educational apps and digital learning tools
- Better efficiency and productivity of students and teachers
- Higher engagement in learning processes
- Better accessibility to various learning materials and courses: The availability of various resources and information on the internet helps with student research and gives a better understanding.
- Automation: Education has now been automated with the use of learning management systems for uploading lessons, tests and assignments that can be accessed anytime by the students.
- Improvement in the collaboration and communication amongst students online. They can share their views and also learn from different educators all around the world.
Disadvantages of technology in education
- High cost of accessing some online classes and learning materials, or purchasing gadgets like tablets and laptops
- Distractions on the internet such as social media platforms where students spend most of their time socializing, watching videos, etc.
- Spread of false information: Some of these online learning platforms pass misleading or negative information to their students. Some put out misleading content to attract visitors to their websites.
- The use of electronic gadgets for cheating in tests and examinations.
