What Is Edtech?

The field of education is changing and there have been innovative trends altering the landscape of teaching and learning for many years now.  Educational technology or what is commonly shortened to Edtech is paving the way for increased integration of Information technology (IT) into pedagogical practices. Beyond computers which were introduced in classrooms in the United States are dedicated to individualizing teaching targets and learning experiences; it was Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) and helped teachers harness “drill and practice” pedagogical approaches where students engaged in activities on computers and they received instant feedback from the computer program. In these programs, most students carry a laptop or digital device such as smartphones and sometimes a tablet.

The digitization of education or the integration of education and IT tools to form Edtech has advanced in incredible leaps since the introduction of the computer and in changing the way instruction is undertaken by educators and learning experiences are had by students, interactivity has become a core element of education. Furthermore, learning has become more fun and engaging in a variety of ways with smart tables, smart boards, digital devices, and the internet. The Internet of Things (IoT) has irrevocably changed the way students learn in classrooms. Although there are many exciting advantages there are also things we should keep in mind. Take a look at some of the challenges to AI in Education by Oleksii Kharkovyna.

Concerns About Technology and Education

1. Quantity doesn’t become quality. When humans do a certain task for multiple times, they eventually become better at it.

2. AI can stimulate technology addiction. Schools are traditionally places where students can imagine a world through books, imagine, and explore. Eventually, we have become so depended on technology that students will not be able to imagine their lives without it.

3. Lack of personal engagement. In some cases we are replacing teachers with robots, in a sense, we are robbing them, however, of the personal interaction with a teacher and building relationships.

4. The attention and the ability to multitask reduces. We use so much help from machines that our own abilities shrink and the reliance on technology maximizes.

5. No alternative teaching methods. A good teacher can offer several ways to solve a particular problem. If a student can use one approach, a teacher will come up with an alternative one. Also, one size doesn’t fit all, alternative methods are necessary.

6. Widens the rich vs. poor gap. Bots and other AI learning tools will require a student to have a tablet or a laptop.  This will create more of a digital divide.

Although there are concerns about technology, Edtech companies are increasingly driving investment into education and institutions are picking it up by storm driving efficacy and quality of learning and instruction in many ways. Lectures and tutorials can be audio-visually recorded for viewing or reviewing at a later time and robots can even take notes and record lectures for students who are unable to attend. Education is changing and technology is driving this, underpinning the advances in pedagogical and andragogical approaches.

The Benefits of Edtech

Now that we know what Edtech is and how digitalization of education is happening rapidly within advanced societies, let’s look at the benefits of Edtech for both educators and students. Education is student-centered, there are benefits of Edtech for student learning experiences and these propel students forward into deeper learning and preparation for the future. Driving collaboration, technologies such as smartboards on which one or more students can write and work on, smart tables in which a group of students can work with activities and cloud-based interactive activities, students can gain an optimum breadth of collaborative learning which is important for future employment. It also hones interpersonal skills which are additionally highly-integral to the students’ futures.

Tablets and online lessons can be collaborative in that many students will be operating within the virtual forum; Learning Management Systems (LMS) are highly-common nowadays and enable interactive and collaborative learning with educators and peer students. With IoT and digital devices, educational resources can be at students’ and educators’ fingertips twenty-four, seven. WiFi and cloud access has changed the nature of engagement with learning resources; they can be accessed at home and on public transport making students more connected with their education.

Advances in Edtech Methods

With Edtech paving the way for many advantages and differences in pedagogical methods, it furthers student learning through individualization; educators are able to harness technologies such IoT and digital devices and software programs to individualize and customize learning experiences and activities for students which meet their needs. This is highly important for students as they have varying capabilities and styles of learning; tailoring Edtech to suit the individual student is a way forward for optimizing learning experiences and for students to achieve their best potential.

For educators, technological applications are better known as apps can enhance the experience and efficacy of educators with artificial intelligence tools that automatically assess learning activities and assessments. With the efficiency of Edtech, educators have more time to pay attention to struggling students as well as students who are advanced in their learning capabilities for their chronological age. Additionally, apps can remind students and send parents reminders for homework, assessments, and other learning activities which provides a traceable method of teaching and learning experiences.

Sustainability

Pushing forward with sustainability as well as efficacy, paperless classrooms are the classrooms of the future thanks to Edtech. Educators can avoid countless pages of printing and photocopying and provide materials accessible on a range of digital devices. With data algorithms in technologies of Edtech, the progress of each student can easily be monitored and therefore evaluated for individualizing the activities. It additionally makes it highly conducive for easier reporting for educators when it comes to reporting time to parents. Edtech is paving the way in an ever-increasing manner which will drive the fusion of education and IT into new realms as the years go by.

Reference:

Built-in. (2019). Edtech. Education Technology: What is Edtech? A Guide. https://builtin.com/edtech

Chandramouli, D. (2019). 8 Ways EdTech Startups Are Setting Classroom-Innovation Trends. Entrepreneur Asia Pacific. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/33400

Maria, M., & Panda, I. (2022, July 13). The future is here: How artificial intelligence can help you with your studies. IvyPanda® Blog. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://ivypanda.com/blog/the-future-is-here-how-artificial-intelligence-can-improve-your-studies/