Technology has proliferated in the education sector on every level. From primary school to postgraduate academia, technology has fundamentally altered the way we learn.
The adoption of laptops and tablets in schools has had significant effects in particular. Students can study independently, collaborate with teachers and other students, and access a huge pool of knowledge online.
Technology offers so many exciting way to learn, and we’ve listed some of our favourites.
Collaborative tools
The ability to collaboratively learn has had a profound effect on education, and exemplifies the positive effects technology in schools.
Video chat apps such as Skype can also be used to take the classroom wherever you need it to be. Many apps have specialised classroom features so entire classes can collaborate at once. With Skype you can even take virtual field trips to places all around the world.
Tools such as Google Docs are incredibly useful when it comes to collaborating on school work. Teachers can set up groups of users within the platform who can all contribute to a task.
Gamification
One method of making students more engaged with education is to gamify the experience of learning.
Common examples of gamification include grading systems and badges given to students for completing certain tasks. But some people take it much, much further.
Perhaps the most famous proponent of this is Lee Sheldon, a video game writer and academic who took huge inspiration from multiplayer gaming in his teaching.
[pullquote align=”normal” cite=”Hannah Vickers, Education Technology”]Gamification can make the classroom the new playground.[/pullquote]
Sheldon says his game-inspired take on learning “makes the classroom itself the game world.” Instead of giving students assignments to complete, he’d set them quests. Instead of working to improve your grades you gain XP towards the next level.
Gamification might even, as this article by Education Technology argues, make “the classroom the new playground.”
Security technology
The safety and security of students and teachers alike is vital, and technology has helped with this immeasurably. Traditionally, security technology in schools was often limited to CCTV, but new options have emerged in recent years.
Perhaps the most crucial is a visitor management system, which allows you to track every person coming into your school. Having a record of everyone on the school grounds is a great way to ensure your school is a safe environment.
You can pair a visitor management system with access control technology. This allows a school set restrictions on who can get into the school.
If you’re interested in a visitor management system that can seamlessly integrate with access control technology, check out VisiPoint!