While teachers’ reliance on technology has been increasing for some time, the demands of lockdown have only raised the imperative of using digital means in education. This has been the sole option for instructors to communicate with students. Zoom is now the closest thing most young people have to a classroom. Adapting to and being acquainted with electronic media is critical for educators for digital learning.
Teachers had to get acquainted with technology for some years. Blackboards have been phased out in favor of smartboards in many situations. Powerpoint presentations are ubiquitous, and schools have often embraced the use of email for communication and sometimes assignment submission. However, technology is increasingly significant as a way of disseminating knowledge and as a catalyst for innovation.
Blended Education
The notion of ‘blended learning’ has gained popularity in the last year. This entails granting students considerable autonomy, enabling them to select the speed at which they learn new subjects. This enables the students to study in the manner that works best for them while solidifying this during face-to-face sessions.
Students who have access to spectrum internet packages have a great range of free materials available to them for independent study. It is enabling them to focus more on specific areas of interest while also exploring and understanding their preferred mode.
There are many forms of blended learning. These include the flipped classroom approach, in which students take classes followed by independent work on the same topic. Then, the rotations approach, in which students rotate between classes, online modules, group discussions, and independent work assignments.
By completing certain activities outside of class, necessary time may be saved for group discussion and consolidation. This encourages students to build academic independence. Given its benefits and adaptability as a mode of instruction in schools, blended learning may find ongoing usage beyond the lockdown, even as we return to the physical classroom.
Cloud Collaboration
The usage of cloud-based internet technologies has been increasing for some years. However, it has witnessed a significant increase in schools since last March. Cloud sharing enables several students and instructors to read and update a document at any time and from any location. This is immensely beneficial during times of physical separation. Now that instructors are more acquainted with it, it is likely to be employed outside of lockdown as well.
This kind of technology is especially advantageous for group work or projects. This is because it enables students to collaborate on a single piece and see their contributions accumulate. It does, however, require that all pupils have access to capable devices and to a stable internet connection such as spectrum internet packages.
Video Conferencing
Another prominent component of this year’s digitally delivered education has been the usage of video conferencing tools. These platforms include Zoom and Google Classroom. Many individuals have struggled to embrace video calls as the primary medium for instruction. This technology presents benefits and possibilities for the structure of learning.
Numerous schools have benefited from the breakout rooms feature. It permits numerous smaller groups of pupils to separate and debate issues before reconvening in the main classroom. While organizing small group conversations in a physical classroom is conceivable, it becomes much simpler and faster with video conferences. There is no need to alter tables or seating arrangements anymore!
Students may speak in their own groups without being interrupted by other groups’ noise. Additionally, these groups may collaborate on cloud-shared papers and present them to the class after the breakout session. Additionally, teaching through video conferences enables students to access the internet concurrently. This opens up a vast array of online resources for use during and after the session.
Conclusion
All the forms of learning possibilities and methods that we discussed in this article are super-efficient. However, the implementation of these systems requires good internet connections. Many ISPs in the USA, particularly Spectrum and its affordable spectrum internet packages, have enabled students to learn and grow! So, if you haven’t already subscribed to a package, make sure you do ASAP.
