Role of technology in education sector

Abstract

Even though technology has changed many facets of our life, it seems like education is an exception at the outset. With curricula in key areas remaining almost the same over the century, and with a classic scene of students sitting in rows while being taught from behind a podium, in some ways, education seems the same for ages. However, technology has advanced education in many ways than we can imagine. The most significant achievement of technology has been in expanding access to education. Earlier, books were only available to the elite class, and people had to travel great distances to be formally taught. These days, with new sources of information (online information, images, etc.) and increasing penetration of the internet, formal learning opportunities have been made accessible through sources like Khan Academy, podcasts, MOOCs, traditional online degree programs, and more. The tremendous increase in access to education, even to the economically disadvantaged, wouldn't have been possible if not for technology. Another aspect where technology had considerably changed education is in increasing opportunities for communication and collaboration. For so long, classrooms were isolated, and students' interactions had been limited to those from the same premises. The physical barriers in the form of walls have been broken by technology to make the whole world into a 'global village.' For example, students from remote areas in the USA can now follow scientific expeditions of the Arctic, read scientists' blog posting, witness live streaming, and have a video conference with scientists for any clarifications. Likewise, collaboration in team activities like group projects has also been increased with the proliferation of tools like google docs, wikis. The role of a teacher, who had been a primary source of information for ages with students being passive learners, is also being changed with the advent of technology. Since technology enables increased access to educational information, the teacher's role is changing to "guide on the side" from "sage on the stage" as more responsibility in gathering information now lies with the students. Schools are redesigning learning spaces to incorporate these new changes. At the same time, technology has also made it easier for teachers to create instructional material. With the ubiquitous use of smartphone devices and increasing penetration of the internet, a new era of education, which available to everyone from anywhere, has begun. It is now up to the educational institutions to make the best of the technology and make teaching more effective.