Can you imagine education without technology nowadays? Can you see yourself sitting at a desk, following a boring lecture by a teacher who uses nothing but their words and a whiteboard?
Technology changed that image. We now see education as an engaging, fun process that’s heavily reliant on useful technologies. We’re talking about smart boards, tablets in class, state-of-the-art projectors, and all kinds of tech that help students to understand theoretical concepts better.
Today’s learner is a “technological student” even if they aren’t studying technology per se.
The educational process has already changed because of tech tools, but we’re not stopping there. This is an industry that makes consistent progress, and will change college education in ways we hardly expect.
The Connection of the Future: Students and Technology
Currently, learning and development professionals mostly use video learning, games, and collaboration tools during the educational process. According to the information provided by Statista, 74% of these professionals are using video learning technology in 2019. The learners are already feeling the benefits from their efforts. But will the educational evolution stop there? Of course not!
College students will keep discovering new tools that boost their efficiency at learning. These four new technologies have huge potential:
- Easy Writing Tools
Writing is an important aspect of college. You have to handle several assignments per course, but you also write notes during classes. You want to make that process more effective, too. When students get more effective at taking notes in class, they retain information. The research process is easier with all these hints, so the need to hire Edu Birdie to help with essays and research papers will be minimal. There are two main tools that make the note-taking and writing processes easier:
- Smart Pens
Note-taking is way faster when you use a smart pen. You can use it on your tablet to take notes, just like you’d do with a plain pen and paper. However, it will upload these notes to your digital library, which you can organize and access at any time.
The revolutionary thing about smart pens is that they also record sound, so you can capture the most important part of the lesson without writing anything.
- Virtual Keyboards
You like typing but you don’t like the idea of taking your laptop to class? Virtual keyboards use laser technology, to give you a vision of a keyboard, which is fully functional. You connect it to your smartphone or tablet, and you can start typing right away.
- Digital Textbooks
Textbooks – that’s a lot of paper put to no-good use. Traditional textbooks are boring. Students were required to purchase new editions that had minimal changes when compared to the old ones. They were spending a lot of money on paper they would only use during exam week.
Those days are gone. Digital textbooks are changing things. They are cheaper (for about 40% when compared to print). They are also more effective, since the student can search and find the information without turning countless pages.
- Mobile Apps for Flexible Learning
Flexible learning is a concept that enables students to make choices of when, what, where, and how they learn. This means that education is accessible at any time. How? – Through mobile apps; of course!
- WeVideo is an app that connects students with their teachers. It’s used by educators at all levels. If they are willing to open up and connect with their students outside consultation hours, this is the platform that helps them do it.
- iTunes U is growing bigger by the day. Free educational courses on any topic are within reach. Students can simply access them when they feel like learning something, and they get high-quality instructions served right away.
- Smart Backpacks
Did you get your first tech backpack already? It’s specifically designed to store all your tech devices in the safest and most organized manner possible. But it’s not just about storage. A tech backpack will also let you charge your devices, since it rocks solar energy panels as part of the design. You won’t need to search for a plug socket.
How cool is that?
Technology Is a Productivity Booster
Sure; it can be a distraction. If you’re playing games and wasting time on Reddit all the time, your devices undermine your way to a successful graduation. But if you use the right devices at the right time, they only help you be a better student. In fact, it’s impossible to reach your full potential as a learner without using any kind of technology.
The future of education is bright. Students and teachers will be using more devices and apps as time goes by. Whether you like it or not, you’ve gotta follow that trend. This doesn’t mean you must invest a lot of money in the most advanced technology. It only means that students should embrace the trends as much as possible, since they make them more effective at learning.
BIO: Joshua Robinson is a blogger and essay writer. He turned his love for writing into a way to make a living. Joshua loves technology, too. By infusing tech tools in his writing practices, he can complete more work in less time.