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In the recent era, children aren’t referred to as ‘digital natives’ without reason. As a matter of fact, a report of Common Sense Media revealed that in 2017, 42% of young children had their very own tablet, up from 7% in 2013 and less than 1% in 2011. Again, the average amount of time children spend with these handheld devices has tripled in just four years. Children below the age of 9 are observed to spend more than 2 hours a day on screens.
It is no secret that technology has become an essential component of our everyday life. It has become so rare to see children and teens without a digital device in hand wherever we go. But, the rapid pace by which toddlers, children, and teens are adopting technology into their daily lives has numerous questioning effects on their education and development.
Although the negative impacts of technology often hit the news and are trending topics of countless debates, technology is also used in remarkable ways in educational settings. The real question is what educators and parents can do to harness the technology in useful ways without letting kids become a slave to it.
In today’s comprehensive post, we will walk you through the significant benefits of effective use of technology in the educational sphere and how it can enhance the learning experience truly for all.
Let’s dive straight in!
Vital Benefits Of The Technology Integration In The Educational Sphere
- Enhances Learning
According to a survey of more than 3,300 US College Students, most students now embrace digital learning technology for its ability to help them improve their grades and efficiency and effectiveness by 81%.
Over the past years, technology has become integrated into the classroom to improve the learning experience for children. Various technologies like Smartboards, document cameras, Apple TVs, and even 3D printers are now included in educational lessons to boost collaboration and engage students in learning. With improved collaboration in the classroom, educators and students now have increased creativity and project-based learning opportunities that make academic instructions more meaningful. Additionally, at-home educational technologies are helping numerous children in learning numbers, letters, colours and other foundational skills even before they enter formal schooling.
- Encourages Spontaneous Learning
As per a study, 75% of teachers claimed technology use in the classroom motivates children to learn. When children have easy access to technology, they can learn to investigate topics that they find intriguing. For our older generations, information was not as readily available, and children only had access to traditional resources.
Now, however, children have a world of information ready right at their fingertips. When monitored and used appropriately, technology can supplement learning in or outside the classroom by offering an outlet for children to research the topics in which they are interested. For instance, a lesson on dinosaurs could be easily supplemented with a YouTube video or a virtual field trip to a natural history museum.
- Fosters Problem-Solving Skills
Have you ever come across the popular video game Minecraft? In this game, players get dropped into new environments. They must immediately build shelter and collect items like food to survive and outlive their opponents. Also, an entire day in Minecraft lasts only about 10 minutes, so players must make remarkable decisions quickly.
With these kinds of technologies, children must work independently to accomplish a specific goal. In the process, they’re posed with various kinds of roadblocks and challenges that they must learn to navigate and overcome. In turn, they will learn to come up with their problem-solving solutions when facing real-life hardships like homework trouble, assignment deadlines, personal hardships, as well as technology-based obstacles. Developing such problem-solving skills also helps them to refrain from saying ‘write my assignment’ to various academic services.
- Enhances Language Skills
Numerous studies have shown that technology can promote the learning performance of language learners, increase learning motivation and offer them more efficient language learning means.
Active screen time helps children develop exceptional language learning skills. By reading eBooks or accessing stories online, they learn new words and proper ways to pronounce them. Various kinds of language development technology also offer multisensory engagement, which offers essential speed and support to the learning process. Modern children tend to have a keenly intuitive knack for comprehending computer-based systems.
Teachers can give children picture dictionaries or flashcards to boost their vocabulary and teach them to look for meanings when they encounter an unfamiliar word.
- Helps In Developing Core Competencies
In early childhood, the use of technology encourages the development of hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. One remarkable example of this is online games, most of which depends on the speed of movements.
Most computer games also encourage attention to detail and putting together clues that can solve a challenging problem. Children can easily put these critical thinking skills in research, writing literary analyses, and other educational and workplace tasks later in life.
- Develop Unique Skills And Talents
Interactive media can also be used to explore the talent of the children. When children get exposed to music or writing exercises onscreen early on, teachers and parents may get to discover their interests and inclinations quickly. Technology also offers excellent opportunities to present different activities to children that they may eventually engage in.
They get a comprehensive understanding of what gymnastics look like or race car driving. Ever noticed your children humming a tune or tapping their feet on the beats of a song he/she heard online? Who knows? That might just be his/her calling.
- Develops Future Technological Leaders
Our future lies in today’s many emerging technologies. In the upcoming years, technical skills will be more significant in the workplace. Thus, those who are technology literate have numerous advantages down the road. Early exposure to technology can help the children develop essential skills that they can use in high-powered, well-paying jobs in the future.
As projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the high demand for technology jobs will grow by 13% from 2016 to 2026. The need for technical literacy is also growing in traditionally non-technical fields like medicine or marketing. Additionally, ensuring that students are comfortable with the technology from the school guarantees that they will be able to adapt to an ever-evolving workplace in the near future.
