Aditya Singhal, Negosentro | 5 EdTech Trends for Students Who Don’t Like to Read | With the rampant technology boom, there is not one field that has been left untouched. Every other sector including the learning and education sector has developed fantastically along with the technology boom. The impact that technology has had on the education and learning sector is enormous. This change can be seen right from the school levels to the college and university levels. Education and the way things are learned and taught have received an immense boost from the various technological advancements that have been seamlessly merged into the system. And so now, we have so many courses that are non-traditional. Students of this century are more ready to lap up information taught in the alternate style of teaching methodology.
The traditional colleges and the mode of studies still includes assignments, dissertations, projects and other such criteria for evaluation. There are tons and tons of assignments to be completed for which many students still take assignment help. There are also loads and loads of study material to go through, which involves a good lot of reading. All these are mainly the trademarks of a traditional system of learning. So, how does an alternative system of education differ?
Alternative Systems Of Learning
When it comes to learning, there is no right way or wrong way. Students grasp knowledge best in the ways they are more comfortable with. Some students prefer more of visual and verbal based learning. There are also some who are more inclined towards kinesthetic learning. This kind of pedagogy uses the tactile sensations. These students are learning more by doing rather than listening. And therefore there has evolved many alternative new forms of learning to cater to the changing needs of students. Even college courses are being designed to provide exclusively to these kinds of learners, who do not like to learn in the traditional methods of reading books and writing assignments.
It is a good thing to explore different colleges and course works in depth so that students can get the best of these emerging educational technology trends. There are a wide range of options available, and prospective college students should be proactive if they want to choose an alternate system of learning.
Some Emerging Trends in Edu Tech Sector
Here is a list of some emerging Edu tech trends that have a considerable impact on the learning and teaching segments of education:
Online Learning Apps
There are so many online learning apps that have been and are being developed every other day to cater to the varying needs of learners. The biggest advantage is that learning happens on the go and is always fun. Many learning apps have been created that cater to a wide variety of students. It could be school students, college going students or even adults who would like to learn something new.
For example, DuoLingo is a great app for learning languages that gamifies the practice sessions and rewards learners for being consistent in doing their exercises.
The trend of online learning apps is an Ed tech trend that has produced some wonderful results, helping students all across the globe. Location is now no longer a limiting factor when it comes to learning and access to learning resources.
Virtual reality/Augmented Reality
A few years back, when virtual reality was making its presence, none would have thought that this concept can be put to use in the education sector. But, the fact is that virtual reality or augmented reality has made its way into the education sector. This is a trend that has the potential to blow up into more gigantic proportions, changing very face of education, teaching methodology, and learning process. The virtual reality technology is very innovative. Any creativity combined with innovation is sure to give some fantastic results.
Subjects like physics need not be boring anymore. With the right virtual reality technology, you can check out the physics experiments and learn about the same in a different dimension altogether. STEM education is by far more likely to be affected in the best possible way by the virtual reality technology application in classrooms.
While studying engineering or mathematics or technology or even science subjects, learners prefer to do rather than sit and stare at the blackboard. They learn best when experimented rather than sitting and reading about those experiments. The laboratory experiences that can be created using the VR technology is simply astounding, making learning more meaningful, satiating the learner’s curiosity levels.
For example, Anatomyou is a 3D-stereo app that offers you an immersive experience of navigating the anatomy of the human body.
Machine Learning and Data Science
Data analytics and machine learning are fast gaining momentum. Since, data science vests in itself immense ability to revolutionize the future of education, therefore students should look for the top data science courses to carry out learning from their home. The pace of growth of these technologies is sure to have its profound impact on the education technology sector. Artificial intelligence has an immense ability to revolutionize the future of education. Learning experiences of students can be more customized through artificial intelligence, thereby saving time and energy for the teacher, who can devote more time to see what methods work best for students.
Identifying the weaknesses of students, analyzing them and understanding the right measures to be taken up at the right time are also possible through this technology. And so, usage of this kind of technology can help in making learning a much better and productive process.
For example, EruditeAI (ERI) is a free private peer-to-peer tutoring system augmented by artificial intelligence. The AI system analyzes the content of the conversations between different students and generates personalized responses for peer-tutors – improving the teaching quality to a professional level.
Flipped Classroom
This is a blended learning platform that is quite different from the traditional learning environment. The method of delivering the content is quite different. Here, there are no classroom boundaries. It is most often online, outside of the classroom. The student engagement and learning outcome is often high in this type of an environment.
For students who do not like the traditional learning environs where there is more of reading and less of doing, a flipped classroom can do wonders as they get a chance to do many activities. These kinds of students thrive in environs that allow them to explore and do more activities.
For example, Spiral is a popular Flipped Classroom app that offers instant feedback to students and is an excellent multimedia assessment tool that thrives on student collaboration.
Personalized Integrated Learning Experience
One size fits all does not work for everyone. The way students learn and the way teaching occurs has changed over the past few years. Now the latest trend in education technology is the personalized integrated learning experience. The learning experiences of the students are given priority. Every student learns at his/her pace. Integrating the best teaching practices, through various videos, lectures, infographics, quizzes etc. and customizing to the learning preferences of the students certainly equates it to personalizing the learning experiences.
For example, Knewton uses learning analytics to track past performance of the students and modify their curricula accordingly.
Final Words
In conclusion, there is no doubt about the wonders that technology can do to education. Learners are now at an upper hand, with everything easily accessible to them, making their learning experiences more worthy. Having the right mix of technology in the field of education certainly helps students who prefer alternative learning systems. While traditional systems are still in vogue, changing times need changing approaches. Now, students across the globe need no longer feel isolated, due to their seemingly different learning styles. Technology trends in education will continue to evolve and students should make the best use of the emerging technologies.
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Author Bio: Aditya Singhal is the co-founder of Transtutors, a leading Online Education platform for college students. Having graduated from prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Delhi, Aditya has a personal interest in helping students.
