The Benefits of Technology in Education - Uyen Nguyen Thuc -

TEDxYouth@PennSchool
Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.

So, we are living in a technological era. Children grow up with technologies such as video
games, laptops, Bluetooth, et cetera. Adults enjoy using their own smartphones with Facebook,
emails, YouTube.

Yeah, you get the gist. In schools, teachers use technology as a tool to help improve their
students' outcomes. There is no doubt that technology has been used everywhere and has
brought to us a lot of benefits in every single aspect of our lives.

So, in education, a very important part of our lives, basically, then what are the benefits of the
use of education? And how does it help in teaching and learning? What is technology in
education, you ask? Well, technology in education is the use of tools and knowledge to facilitate
the learning of students. It is introducing new and modern technological devices such as
interactive whiteboards, digital cameras, then there's projectors you see in every single
classroom and numerous educational softwares to the classroom. There are totally a lot of
computer applications that enhances learning, some of which you might find familiar.

It includes online learning software such as Google Meet, Zoom, then there's classroom
management software such as Schoology and Google Classroom, et cetera, student
information system softwares such as WiseNet, Workday, and so on. We all know that teaching
is actually a hard work. Correcting tests and assignments by hand takes a lot of time and
energy.

This is why teachers could really use a helping hand from technology because technology is a
useful tool that makes teaching become an easier job. Using technological tools, teachers will
not have to worry about taking too much time to grade papers or prepare for lessons ever
again. There are multiple softwares that save both time and energy for teachers such as Canvas
Teacher, GreatBook Pro, and et cetera.

It makes lesson planning very easier and time consumption will be greatly reduced.
Presentation softwares are also making teaching easier as teachers can easily edit and
demonstrate their lessons. They can also use this technology to help monitor each of their
students' progress using classroom management softwares as I've mentioned before.

Most importantly, technology has improved students' access to resources and materials that
could potentially help them in the classroom through a variety of images, educational videos,
and then there's games, well, you name it. Well, it can show colorful and stimulating examples
of a subject matter, and it helps students to learn just so much better. Teachers can now make
lessons that are connected to the students' needs and interests that makes the lesson more
creative and engaging.
For example, a lesson about the countries in the world can be demonstrated with an animated
and interactive glow. The students who use technology will become more engaged into the
subject matter well, you wanna know why? When schools use a one-to-one device initiative,
well, the students will be greatly benefited because technology will be more easily integrated
into the curriculum. In addition, you may have heard that many tasks in the classroom will
involve collaboration, and technology will help it to become a lot easier.

It creates an efficient environment where the students can freely communicate and help each
other. Easy access to educational resources such as TED.com, Wikipedia, and et cetera, it helps
students to improve their understanding. When students don't know the answer to a question,
they can easily find helpful information on the internet.

Students can also make choices on what kinds of activities they wanna do in lessons. And when
teachers can equally support students, then technology can help to create a personalized
learning system that can help the students to learn so much better. Hmm, have you ever heard
of a term gamification? Gamification in learning is an educational approach that creates an
addiction to learning.

It enhances the learning experience, and it makes lessons more fun and engaging. Students
can also have choices on whether they want to study real-time learning, with the teachers of
course, and learning at their own pace. There are students who can absorb ideas quickly, while
there are some others who just take some time to process all that information in.

While this way, students who are confident of their own abilities, they can study and take as
much time as they want to process all of those information. They are in full control of what and
when they learn. The students' knowledge retention will also increase, as there is no stress and
time pressure.

Well, we all know that every parent always wants their children to be successful in schools. They
always are very curious on how their children is participating in the classroom. But sadly, the
only time they'll ever get all of this information is in end-of-semester meetings.

Well technology can help parents to monitor their children's progress, even if they are not
directly in the classroom themselves. Also, parents can use this technology to help support
their children in their studies. But in fact, parents sometimes struggle when helping their
children in their studies.

So, educational apps exist, such as Khan Academy, Skillshare, Brilliant. Well, yeah, you know all
of that. They have videos with step-by-step instructions with a lot of details, but they're very
easy to understand.

Parents can use these videos to understand about their children's subject matter more, and
they can demonstrate it way, way easier to the children. There is no doubt that the COVID-19
pandemic has changed education forever, and school closures have disrupted the functioning
of the educational system. This is why online learning has become the best alternative solution,
well, to sustain education, of course.

And it has been implemented in many, many countries. Online learning enables students to
study from home safely amidst severe lockdowns and social distancing. Although, you might
have heard that online learning has some disadvantages.

But, for example, excessive screen time for the students, or it creates a sense of isolation. Like,
most students would find this online learning effective and exciting more than the actual class
itself. But wait, you're missing a really huge advantage here, because online learning, or online
education, it trains their students' self-disciplined skills, such as being organized in the
workspace, time management, et cetera.

But, most importantly, these skills are really needed for them if they want to achieve success in
their future careers. Overall, technology is a really useful tool in education. It supports both
teaching and learning effectively.

Most students would find learning with technology more fun and easier. And I, I believe that in
the future, technology continues to grow and support education more. And it will become the
most important part of our educational system today.

Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.