?? The Importance of Technology in Education

?? The Importance of Technology in Education The Importance of Technology in Education Technology is a big part of our everyday lives now and, for younger generations, that has always been the case. Since many of our students choose online lessons through Tutorful, we’re interested in other ways technology can support education.Rachel Hall, Managing Director at online educational resource providers Busy Things, has put together this article for parents, teachers, and tutors to explain how tech can be used as a learning tool to engage with children. Being taught how to use technology early in life means that children grow up to become more computer savvy able to keep up with the world's increasing need for digital literacy. Plus, there are many new and exciting ways that technology is being used to facilitate learning, which is perfect for a generation of pupils who have been born into a digital world. Here are some of the ways that technology has had a positive effect on education and how it could have a positive effect on children’s futures as well.Do children spe nd to much time behind screens? We all know kids are obsessed with technology! A report by the Children's Commissioner found that 3â€"4 year olds spend over “eight hours a week online!”Even more worryingly it found “12â€"15 year olds spend over 20 hours a week online” on average. It’s not all doom and gloom! Technology provides access to a vast array of knowledge through online news articles, digital encyclopaedias and other informational websites opening up the whole learning experience. Unlike previous generations, the new generation of learners are no longer reliant on what's in stock at the local library. Textbooks, revision guides, activities, worksheets and tools can be interacted with at the touch of a button on most smart devices. So whilst it’s important for you as a parent to be aware of your child screen time but it's possible to utilise this fondness for screen-time by finding creative and innovative digital formats for learning. It means that our tech-savvy kids are more likely to engage with educational material. Making Learning Fun With Educational Games and SimulationsThere are activities available online for every subject on the curriculum. Interactive games can teach literacy, maths, music and art skills, while simulations like virtual l abs and atlases are great for science and geography lessons. Using the same learning strategies every day can get very stale for students and lead to boredom and disengagement. The use of games and the integration of computer learning can break the monotony, and make the classroom fun again. Simulation software helps to bring to the classroom real activities that would be impossible to see without technology. There are tools that can allow students to see the movements of planets in the solar system, how weather systems develop and how the earth formed over millennia. The Growing Role of MultimediaThe days of chalk and blackboards are long gone! Almost all classrooms are now equipped with projectors and often smartboards. So much teaching is now done in the form of presentations, and more and more teachers are using video. Tools such as Prezi can really add the ‘wow’ factor to presentations. Read our Top 20 Tech Tools for Teachers hereVirtual reality may seem like a thing of the future to many of us, but it is here and the possibilities are truly endless! Imagine a school where there is a field trip every day without any of the stress of loading students into a bus and no boredom of travelling. This is all possible with VR. VR tech is getting becoming more advanced and cheaper and more accessible by the day. It's not unimaginable that all schools in the UK will be able to conduct VR lessons within the next 10 years. Online Tutoring and LessonsOur tutors use technology to deliver online lessons that are more convenient and often cheaper than in-person lessons. Video and functions are used to see, hear and speak to tutors in real time, and live screen-sharing and whiteboards can be used by both parties. This means that tutors can use images and draw diagrams to help with their teaching and children can receive feedback on their work instantly.Do Tech Skills Help my Child’s Job Prospects? Looking ahead, job candidates with strong computer skills and knowledge are in high demand. It's important that children are given adequate exposure and training with regards to technology in order to increase their digital skills for the sake of their futures and for the UK economy. Many sources of primary school-level education now include coding in their programmes to teach children how to create, run, and debug simple computer programs so they can begin to understand how computers work, what they can do, and how to solve problems logically.By using technology in the classroom and at home, children can develop skills that are essential for the 21st century. Almost 100% of modern careers require a degree of tech literacy and getting started with these skills early is essential to get a head start.Using technology while teaching can bring a wealth of knowledge, resources, and new experiences, as well as excitement, to young learners. Bear in mind the positives of developing a child's computer skills â€" it will serve them well in the future.You can read our comprehensive list of our favourite edTech tools here.Keywords - Technology, Education, Importance, Benefits, edTech, Online Tutoring, Online Lessons