How Children are Learning Thanks To Technological Discoveries

You must have seen how classrooms are rapidly changing and how they are transforming into a technology based environment that is sparking the interest of young learners. It is interesting how the burden of carrying textbooks to class and having to scribble every last word pronounced by a teacher is slowly being replaced by easier methods.

Business schools are also on the lookout of such technological advancements and developments. So how is technology being integrated in an academic or vocational course?

Tech for the Taught

We are introducing young learners to the world of laptops, gadgets and other such devices. They can be useful to students in the following manner:

Nearly a third of students say they like to use their laptops for work in class and almost 40% of college aged students agree with that thought.

Only 20% of students in school use their mobile device and college students use them even less at 15%.

For use outside the classroom, both student types prefer their laptops for homework over their mobile devices.

How is technology useful to teachers?

Interactive whiteboards or Smart Boards and projectors are generally preferred and are frequently used in the classroom by teachers. It is favoured in colleges (48%) rather than in high schools (36%). This is a recent survey that was conducted to determine how popular they were and how widely accepted they were in society.

The most popular software, Microsoft Office is used the most by both educators and students. College students use the program more at 84%.

Rezzly, (formerly Gogo Labs), is a company that provides assistance to teachers in order to turn their lesson plans into quest-based games for their students. Rezzly’s cofounder, Lisa Dawley, is a former teacher, university administrator and gaming enthusiast.

Lisa, being a visionary could understand how important it was to introduce this student and teacher friendly opportunity for them to grow. Research has shown how important it is in the lives of students to learn while not assuming that the teaching learning process is a burden.

She is a genius to have understood the psychology of the young and bright minds that are going to develop new ideas for a better future.

Is this allowing students to be honest at all times? Especially before exams?

According to thestudents surveyed, far more (72%) say they’re more likely to be distracted by use of tech outside of the classroom than in it (46%).

Cheating isn’t such a big deal apparently either. 29% believe that cheating has moderately increased because of tech devices with only 10% saying it’s increased significantly.

So you can see how technology has changed the face of education and there is a constant trend of improvement and discovering new possibilities for aspiring youngsters.

What is your opinion about technology integrated education? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Why learning English online is the new trend?

Are you studying online yet? If not, it is about time you start pursuing your degree online and achieve your career goals without investing excessive time or money. 

With the advancement of technology, online learning has become one of the most popular modes of earning an accredited qualification for many students and professionals across the globe. Why? Simply because it allows you to advance your education without making any drastic changes to your personal and professional life. As online courses offer a lot of convenience and flexibility, its demand has been increasing quickly worldwide.

Learning English The Online Way

Recently, over 100,000 individuals have enrolled for a single web-based course that offers English language tuition to the students. The introductory programme from the British Council, is their first attempt at MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) which provides lessons free of charge. Among the people who have already signed up for the 6 week course, students from Russia, Burma and Spain are highest in numbers.

According to the British Council, this online course is among the largest English language classes worldwide. More than 33 per cent of these English language students are pursuing the education programme through their smartphones.

Tapping Into The Global Demand

Sara Pierson, head of English partnerships at the British Council, claims that the web-based programme has “tapped into the global demand.” She said “English is spoken at a useful level by one in four people worldwide - and we know that even more people all over the world want to learn English.”

MOOCs were initially adopted by some of the leading universities in the world which offered numerous programmes online to students anywhere in the world. In fact some of the online university courses have acquired excessively high students’ base, with some institutes having over 200,000 students.

A Global Virtual Classroom

However, several educational establishments have also started to develop online courses for students. In fact, the British Council has partnered with prominent UK-based online education provider, FutureLearn, to create and deliver the English course.

Kathryn Skelton of FutureLearn commented “Learners are taking the course from countries like Burma and Algeria, where internet penetration is relatively low, yet the appetite for learning English is clearly thriving.”

The online language course has already attracted learners from 178 nations, with Spain being the highest contributor of students. The United Kingdom is also in the top 10 list. Moreover, there are large groups of students from India, Vietnam, China and Colombia as well. A study of the programme, which utilises online tutors and video to deliver course content, reveals that male students are outnumbered by female students by less than one to two. It is probably the first time they are pursuing an online programme for nearly three quarters. It was also found that the biggest group of students were educators.

You will not be required to pay any tuition fee for pursuing the course neither there will be any examination at the end. Instead you will receive a “statement of participation.”

Are You Going To Enrol For The Programme? 

So what do you think about the new online English course from the British Council? Do you think this course can help you in honing your English skills? Let us know what you feel by sharing your views and opinions in the comments section below.