Technology is ever changing and every day we are waking up to something new. The best thing about it is that technology revolutionizes the way we do things. Some time ago students had to visit physical libraries to research for their assignments but things are different today thanks to Google, Yahoo and other search engines which have proved to be effective tools in disseminating knowledge.
The following are some of the top 10 tech trends for students:
- Distance learning
Years back, distant learning was completely unheard off but today it is a reality. All you have to do is to register for a course and then buy a computer as colleges have e-libraries equipped with learning materials accessible remotely. Essay writing companies have also awakened to this reality and consequently have opened sites where you can get writing help and have the paper delivered to your email.
- Flipped learning
This educational strategy is increasingly gaining popularity in private academies. In this program, students are given lessons and educational materials to study at home. They are also given their tutors’ contacts just in case they encounter difficulties. By doing this, students get to enjoy the comfort of their homes while studying and are only required to go to school for assessments.
- Gamification
Although gamification cannot be regarded as the technology itself, it was brought about by technology and is currently very popular with students. Most games have stages which signify game’s complexity. In schools, every challenge surmounted promises to take you to the next stage where you get more goodies. For example, in some games, you can start by forming a simple word and as you move through stages, you encounter more challenges which you have to crack to unlock gifts.
- Big data
While this is not a common household term, it is one of the popular current technology trends and entails the collection and creation of a database. The same is today being used by doctors and researchers to diagnose and treat mental cases. The stored data is also being used in schools to identify learners’ weaknesses and strengths in order to offer customized help.
- Cloud computing
Most people are aware of cloud computing as today computers and phones have applications that enable users to save data in the clouds. The concept is being used in education where colleges are storing digital learning materials and students’ data in online platforms where students can access them using their electronic devices thereby saving schools huge sums of money that could have been spent in printing them.
- Digital textbooks
The greatest of digital classroom revolutions witnessed in the recent past is the replacement of hard-cover books with e-books. The move is also seen as a positive step in environmental conservation as prior to this compounds could be littered with waste papers but today colleges have online libraries where students access e-books and e-journals. This transition has been quite a relief to parents who used to spend huge sums of money buying textbooks whereas today one copy can be accessed by many.
- Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is already in use in various fields but is now being incorporated into the education sector. This is coming in through the introduction of virtual teachers equipped with massive knowledge in certain subjects. Tutoring systems like the Third Space Learning are integrated with the knowledge that helps teachers to identify scholars who are yet to understand certain educational concepts for timely interventions.
- Formation of educational e-groups
Social media has become an indispensable tool in our lives as people are spending most of their time online either chatting or reading posts. Students are nowadays forming study-help groups where they seek online help by posting queries on their social groups for anyone with a solution to provide it. They also add their tutors so that they can assist when called upon by tagging them.
- Voice Recognition
This is also one of the many technology trends that are being adopted in classrooms. Most smartphones have taken the lead by incorporating virtual assistants on their phones. For example, Microsoft has ‘Cortana’ and Amazon has ‘Axela’. Learners find these virtual assistants useful because they can play assistant roles like answering simple questions, giving synonyms, doing calculations, doing online searches and even being time managers.
- Augmented reality
This technology was introduced first by Google but the idea failed to take shape as expected. Thereafter, Microsoft saw an opening and tested the market with its Hololens which was introduced in 2015. Augmented reality is also being introduced in classes where the hologram human body is used in the study of human anatomy using simple voice commands and gestures.
