Technology Is Changing The Roles Of Teachers And Students

The following is written by guest blogger Artur Meyster of Career Karma

Technology is changing the duties of students and teachers in the classroom. Students are doing more of the educational lifting through learning modules and learning management systems, while teachers are transitioning to facilitators rather than the knowledge gatekeeper. These new changes force students to be active participants in the learning process rather than merely watching or listening.

The new role for teachers is to stay up to date with technology so they can properly implement new technology in their classroom. Students will need to rely less on Google and fully engage in learning modules. Students will slowly learn that applying skills are different from the ability to Google the answer. These new roles will create changes to the current educational model.

Let Technology Steer Classrooms

Technology is the driving force in our health, education, and economy. The world is moving away from books and paper to phones, laptops, and tablets. Schools need to do the same thing. For too long, the education industry has remained stagnant and used the same lecture model while reading the same novels. Technology should be at the forefront of the classroom.

The fear that students will use the Internet for unproductive reasons won’t teach them the skills they need for the professional world. Technology will always be a source of distraction. Students need to build the skill of remaining on topic. Teachers, on the other hand, need to trust that their students are not using the Internet to cheat.

Teachers will need to step aside and let technology handle a greater load of the teaching. Technology gives students access to the best pedagogy and researched teaching strategies for each content. This will change the teacher’s role and, in turn, will increase the learning potential for students. Teachers will become learning facilitators as technology evolves to teach more topics adequately.

Teach Students New Methods to Build Skills

Implementing technology doesn’t mean getting rid of old processes. It just means they look different. Students will still need to compile research to write papers in college. The research tools may look different from what they did a few decades ago, but the same principles apply. Yes, the Internet does save students time when looking for research, but online master’s degree students still need to know how to find scholarly articles and reputable, peer-reviewed research for their papers.

Technology Gives Students More Hands-On Experience

As teachers increase the use of technology in their classrooms, students will spend more time learning independently. Students won’t use their teacher for primary knowledge but will use the things they learn through technology to ask their teachers questions. Technology allows students in schools with smaller budgets to complete science experiments without expensive equipment through software programs.

Advanced programs make learning online more similar to in-person learning. Technology, like web conferencing and messaging apps, make online courses more similar to their traditional counterparts. These advances will allow the best online degrees to give students the same experience as students who learned in class.

Don’t Leave Teachers to Learn Technology on Their Own

Teachers with years of experience should receive support in the implementation of new educational technology. Colleges and universities need to create comprehensive plans to train their teachers in new technologies and require their use in the classroom. Teachers can be resistant to change, but the future of education will involve more and more technology, meaning any resistance will slow the progress of advancing education.

Education Will Change Every Year

The education industry will change at the same pace as technology. Even schools that can’t afford the newest technology will get access to technologies that recently became cheaper. Teachers and students need to be agile to keep up with the constantly changing environment. When new products become available each year, both teachers and students will need to learn how new technologies function. This may seem like a waste of learning time, but learning new tools is a transferable skill that students will need as they transform from student to employee. Students and teachers who adopt new technologies the quickest will thrive in the fastest online degree programs.

Conclusion

The rapidly changing environment of the education industry at the hands of technology has the possibility to make people uneasy as a long-standing industry adopts changes that will make it unrecognizable. These changes will increase the opportunities of learners through increased access to hands-on learning. Technology will take education to new heights.