Technology in the classroom has revolutionised the way students learn and engage with educational content. A study done by UNICEF in 2022 shows how education is more interesting and of higher quality with new technologies.
Ms. Tayla Polglase, Multimedia Innovative Facilitator at Crawford International Ruimsig agrees with this, as she capitalises on the use of technological innovation to advance education and improve the way that students learn.
“Technology is a tool that gives the opportunity to connect students to other people around the world”, says Ms. Polglase. It provides an opportunity for students to collaborate on a wider scale. Online applications like Microsoft Teams, provide a platform where students can connect globally, break into different smaller groups for brainstorming and discussion. These brainstorming and communication sessions allow students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and learn from one another’s differences.
In an effort to broaden students’ knowledge, implementing technology in the classroom allows teachers to cater to diverse student needs and learning styles. Technological innovations, such as virtual reality headsets that have audio and visual features make activities in a classroom engaging for different types of students. Students can further use technology to have virtual tours in other countries and ask questions to the virtual tour guide to expand their knowledge. Catering to different student learning styles create as sense of excitement to education and adds to the anticipation for the unknown.
Technological innovations are a great platform and offer opportunities for students to use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses through collaborative efforts. There are tools such as the Clever Touch screens, an innovative feature that can aid a classroom for all types of activities and teaching strategies. This interactive screen/board can be used on a daily basis for teaching purposes but can also be a collaborative tool for students, as it allows different individuals to work on the device at the same time. The screen can be split into four different parts and each student can then contribute to a classroom activity utilising their unique strengths. For example, Ms. Polglase mentions a project creating art, where a screen is split into two parts and different students can then work on one half contributing to research and other students can work on the other half of the screen drawing the art, thus utilising different strengths.
“Using technology in a classroom gives students purpose and makes them excited to learn and be actively involved in a lesson” says Ms. Polglase, “being able to use these technological tools to see into other countries and network with other students and organisations across the world, makes our youth curious to explore other places in real life and connect with new people and places. Creating global awareness is a challenging process but technology has made it easier and given us the opportunity to connect and learn about our world from the comfort of our classrooms.”
However, we cannot ignore the fact that technology opens the door for students to be exposed to harmful content. The online space is open to everyone in the world and not everything shared is of value to a student at a young age. Ms Polglase however emphasises the importance of having a controlled environment when technology is involved. Restricting inappropriate content is important to maintain a healthy academic development for students.
With these positive impacts in mind, Ms. Polglase encourages parents to see technology as a supportive tool that elevates learning. Within a controlled environment, children get to be exposed to tools that provide an experience unlike any other classroom and learn to use these tools to pave a brighter future for themselves.
