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Wei Liu
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The Evolution of Technology in the Classroom
Technology has impacted almost every aspect of life today, and education is no exception. Or is it?
In some ways, education seems much the same as it has been for many years. The growth of technological capabilities means that a variety of media and learning-support tools now exist to help students receive a high-quality education through the Internet.
Technology has always been at the forefront of human education. From the days of carving figures on rock walls to today, when most students are equipped with several portable technological devices at any given time, technology continues to push educational capabilities to new levels. In looking at where educational methods and tools have come from to where they are going in the future, technology’s importance in the classroom is evident now more than ever.1
Technology-mediated learning environments refer to settings in which computer-based applications and simulations, personal and mobile computing devices such as smartphones or tablets, Web-based platforms, online or distance learning programs, video games, exhibits or installations that feature digital media, wearable technology, or other tools support participants’ engagement with new knowledge, skills, or practices. A growing body of research on out-of-school learning has documented the rich diversity of contexts and materials through which we develop understanding and come to participate in forms of activity.
Why use TML?2
Flexible, distance and open learning
- Although there are many different models of flexible, distance and open learning, the use of TML within such frameworks requires careful consideration. For example, providers must ensure that specific groups are not excluded, either because they do not have access to the appropriate technology or because there is a requirement to attend synchronous meetings at times when they are unable to do so.
Outreach
- In areas with low populations and large geographical land masses such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Norway and Sweden, TML has been effectively used to support learners in all educational sectors.
Cost-effectiveness
- Since TML theoretically allows for the participation of large numbers of non-standard and geographically-remote learners it might seem reasonable to assume it to be 'cost-effective'. However, this assumption is often based on a view of TML as 'transferring the textbook to the screen' and a transmission model of learning which does not take into account the most effective methods of using electronic media. There is also a tendency to overlook practical issues such as the development and maintenance of appropriate materials, the cost of training HE teachers to teach online and the management of learner expectations with regard to tutors' online availability.
One must keep in mind that in technology-mediated learning contexts, agentic intentions reside with humans, and not with technology. Responsibility for technology-mediated learning decisions rely entirely on people (most notably, teachers and students).3
As technology has grown, it has also changed how teachers relate to their students and their classrooms. With a wealth of information at their fingertips, students today have the tools they need to uncover a tremendous amount of facts and knowledge independently. In this environment, many students value less of a top-down delivery method. Instead, teachers now function more in a facilitative role. Their job has slowly evolved into a position where they help students understand how to learn, to love learning, and how to uncover and understand the information they find.
This can present some challenges for teachers, who must work on their own soft skills of leadership and problem-solving. They must learn how to foster conversations and create an environment that values team-work.
The best teachers will be those who can help students take ownership of their learning.
1.https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/evolution-technology-classroom
Technology has and can be a highly beneficial asset to the learning environment. This article brings forth a key attribute relating to certain soft-skills traits which may not currently be in the arsenals of the traditional brick and mortar teacher. We found in our small private school, that lifelong teachers (GT 10 years) were not terribly welcoming to the mandates required of technological response to COVID. Many were not computer users (even at home) so the transition to begin communication as well as teaching fundamentals was daunting and took an emotional toll on an otherwise well versed professional. Globally, as we being to increase and include technology in the K-12 environment, we must look in our evaluation mechanisms on increasing professional literacy, but also stringently seeking out evaluation of the mechanisms we put in place. It is not enough to transition to Google Classroom, Moodle or some other major platform, without investing time to understand HOW the tools can actually better manage both student and teacher performance in the present, but rework learning opportunities for the future.
@Zhanar. Today, mail. few people do not resort to the service ru. The number of agents is growing, especially among young people. Mail. according to the company ru, 9 million people use the service m - agent per month, and more than 2 million people join it at the same time. I don't know, he said, but I can tell you that I'm not going to do anything about it. But can we say that it is not harmful? What changes can occur in the health of people who spend hours in the agent? The internet creates addiction. It is sometimes attributed to emotional drug addiction. This addiction can occur at any time, but teenagers tend to it more and more. Because teenagers, according to their individual characteristics, quickly adapt to any situation. But a teenager goes to any activity through an incentive, that is, his own motive is influenced by the fact that he goes to a particular activity.
I agree that autonomy helps students get more engaged in the learning process and new technology contributes to that, as long as it is chosen according to pedagogical criteria.