Nindiya Saket is the Principal at Manav Rachna International School Noida. She is an experienced principal with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. Her areas of expertise include educational leadership, strategic planning, research, English, MS applications. She is also a British Council Expert for school teachers, students and leaders for Core skills program and teaching 21st century skills. She possesses strong inter-personal and leadership skills. A strong believer of ‘Be the Change’, she is also a blogger, motivational speaker, a trainer, an avid reader, and a passionate educationist.
“Education is not learning of facts but training of the mind how to think.” Albert Einstein
Education has shown paradigm shift over a period of time. The system has evolved drastically in last few years. From the days of Gurukuls to the modern technological driven self-study, we have seen enormous changes. And every entity related to education in some form or other has seen changes. These changes are pedagogical and more inherently linked with the whole ideology of education. We have shifted from teacher centric to child centric, from knowledge based to holistic, from text based to whole explosion of information and so on and so forth. Teacher is no more imparting knowledge; teacher is a facilitator, mentor and motivator. Objectives have changed and so has the roles.
While much has been said about pedagogy, child centric learning and teacher as a facilitator, the inclusion of technology and tools still dwells on grey lines. Today I would try to bring about some kind of understanding to this aspect.
The use of electronic social networks (ESN) as a new teaching method that is chosen by modern teachers, who have sufficient professional, information, and communication competence, passed several stages of formation, and nowadays are widely used in the educational process in secondary schools.
Today technology serves as a useful tool in enhancing teaching skills and learning ability. Audio-visual education can be easily provided with the help of technology. Computers are a useful tool in all areas of teaching-learning. Multi-media technologies are used in schools, and colleges to communicate ideas between students and teachers. Today technology-based education is attainable at the universities of developed countries. Smart schools have made a leap in virtual learning. Online learning and remote training are among new education forms in the new century. By evolving the learning environments at the beginning of the 21st century, individuals and societies put a heavy responsibility on the shoulder of educational institutions and their traditional structures by their increasing need for education.
The evolution of teaching and learning through technology integration is apparent at all levels of education. Technology and education have been brought together, which has changed the classroom as well as the roles of the teachers and students. No longer is the classroom limited to four walls with a teacher using the conventional method. The roles of teachers and students are not the only roles to change. The choice of learning methods depends on the objectives and content of the educational material of each lesson; characteristics of relevant scientific field methodology, characteristics of specific teaching methods of an academic discipline; time spent on the study of a material; age peculiarities of students; their skills; equipment and material procurement of educational process, including equipment and others.
There are various benefits provided by the evolution of teaching techniques. Some of these are included below. The vast array of educational technology that is available today offers students a wide range of options from which they can choose the best ones for their learning needs. This helps them develop the right kind of skills and knowledge so that they can become good professionals in their chosen field. This, in turn, offers a wider choice of materials that can be accessed easily.
It also helps improve learners’ communication skills and performance in school and workplace settings because learners who are able to communicate better through technological means will also perform better academically as well as in work settings because communication skills are very important when you want to get your point across effectively.
In today’s world, it is essential for students to be able to access the internet from anywhere at any time so that they can do their assignments and research without having to travel all over a place or wait for a particular time when they can do so.
Using educational technology helps learners in this regard because it allows them to connect with the internet even when they are in a classroom, at school, or at home. The use of teaching technology also is advantageous for teachers. Technology facilitates sharing of resources, expertise, and advice. It ensures greater flexibility for teachers for carrying out different kinds of tasks at different times. It promotes the skills, confidence, and enthusiasm of teachers through various teaching techniques. It helps teachers in easier planning, preparation of lessons, and designing of teaching-learning materials. Through graphics, pictures and PPT teachers can present the material in more interesting and attractive ways. A teacher can guide and help students in searching for qualitative material. Students learn through interactive technologies and the teacher facilitates them on how to use and reflect responses. The teacher may be diagnosing learning problems and helps the students in finding the solutions. By using modern technological devices teachers can expand their knowledge and develop their professional teaching skills.
Since every coin has 2 sides, the evolution of teaching technological techniques also has its own disadvantages. Results in lack of interest in studying-As everything is now accessible or through data saved in a computer or mobile devices. It develops poor study habits and a lazy attitude among students through education. Nowadays students are more dependent on the internet instead of their books and input from teachers. Students might discover unusual things on the computer-The Internet does not always help students in search of things that are valuable for them. There are several things found on the internet that are not good for students. As a result, students may take the wrong path. Also, it hinders academic performance. Instead of using their laptops and tablets for their studies and online tests, students more often visit social networking sites which may lower their academic performance. It is Expensive as IT facilities are not available in the schools. Most of the schools are not in a position to afford the purchase, maintenance, and other expenditure involved in its use. The cost of laptops, and wireless broadband projectors for example contributes a large percentage of the school budget. There is widespread ignorance about the use, applications and advantages of IT on the part of teachers, head of the institution and educational authorities responsible for bringing improvement in the functioning of the school particularly related to teaching learning and organization of co-curricular activities with the help of such technologies.
Today’s teachers are not well-equipped with the modern use of technology. There is a greater paucity of such competent and skilled teachers who can use and integrate the right technology in an appropriate manner for effective integration of IT in dealing with school curriculum bringing desired change in the behaviour of the learners. The prescribed curriculum in schools, colleges and university, the examination and evaluation system, the available instructional material and the infrastructure is not in a position to provide desirable support for the use and application of IT in the teaching-learning process and other useful activities for the benefit of the pupil. Lastly, it can be said that lessons delivered online or through digital resources reduce the face-to- face interaction between teacher and student that provides a more personal experience.
In a nutshell, Education technology is a systematic and organized process of applying modern technology to improve the quality of the educational system. This paper introduced advances in educational technology, history of use of technology teaching and learning process. There are various types of the technologies currently used like radio, television, audio tapes, video tapes, projector, computer and internet in teaching and learning process. Educational technology has impacted both students and teachers in the learning and teaching process respectively. Lastly, introduced the major disadvantages of technology in the learning and teaching process.