Educational technology is a combination of the use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to support teaching and learning. The term EdTech is referring to the industries that create and provide services in educational technology.
5 BENEFITS OF USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
1. Technology improves knowledge retention
When technology is integrated into lessons, students who are engaged and interested during the learning process, are expected to have better knowledge retention. Technology help encourages active participation in the classroom which is a very important factor for increased knowledge retention. However, it is important to experiment with different technology tools and decide what works best for your students in terms of retaining their knowledge.
2. Technology improves engagement
When technology is integrated into lessons, students become more interested in the subjects they are studying. It provides students and teachers with different opportunities to make learning more fun and enjoyable in terms of teaching the same things in new ways. For example, delivering teaching through gamification, taking students on virtual field trips, and using other online learning resources such as Kahoot make teaching and learning fun and interesting. Technology can increase the learner’s participation in the learning process to increase performance. Teachers can also use different apps other online resources to keep students more engaged. Virtual lesson plans, live conferences, grading software, and online assessments can help teachers save a lot of time while keeping students engaged.
3. Students learn useful skills
By employing technology in the classroom, teachers and students develop skills essential for the 21st century. Students can gain valuable skills they need to be productive in the future. Contemporary learning is about collaborating with others, solving complex problems, critical thinking, developing different forms of communication and leadership skills, and improving motivation and productivity. Technology helps its users or consumers to develop important practical skills, including creating presentations, learning to differentiate reliable from unreliable sources on the Internet, maintaining proper online etiquette, and writing emails.
4. Technology encourages individual learning
No two students learn in the same way because of different learning styles and different abilities possessed by students. Technology provides a great opportunity for making learning more effective for everyone with diverse needs. Students can learn at their speed, pace, and review content at any time. Technology provides more opportunities for struggling students to close learning gaps. With access to the Internet, students can research different ways, which in turn increases the engagement and performance.
5. Technology encourages collaboration
When technology is integrated, students get the opportunity to practice collaboration skills. This is achieved when they get involved in different online activities such as working on different projects by collaborating with others on forums, discussions and sharing documents on their virtual learning environments. Technology can encourage collaboration with students in the same classroom, same school, and even with other students across the globe.