Changing times force education to adapt
Schools shift teaching styles as technology improves
In the decade since the iPhone was first introduced, smartphones have made their way into the pockets of almost every student.
In some schools, tablets have replaced textbooks, homework is sent out and submitted electronically, and discussions take place in online forums.
According to Bloomberg, the pace of innovation is advancing and the world is changing at a rapid pace. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are are more than just science fiction predictions come true. They are changing the face and future of education.
According to Business Insider, such technologies are creating philosophical shifts in approaches to teaching and remodeling the classroom.
With the influx of new learning models available, many predict that traditional educational methods are bound to evolve in the next decade.
The beginnings of this evolution can been seen in websites like Khan Academy, TED, Wikipedia, and YouTube.
Math teacher Andy Ramroth said, “I think technology, specifically the internet, is an amazing educational tool. I have seen students become so knowledgeable on subjects by watching YouTube or going through online articles, whereas previous generations had to find the right catalog card at the library. Information is a lot more available, and there is a lot of accessible, well-taught content.”
In addition to the wealth of information the internet provides, many praise technology for its adaptability of technology and ability to personalize a student’s education. Technology allows educators to accommodate unique learning styles on a case-by-case basis.
According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization report, “Adaptive computerized learning, intelligent tutoring systems [...] has changed the face of knowledge acquisition radically, creating new relationships between teachers and students, students and students, knowledge and students and knowledge and teachers. Students with access to information technology can personalize their learning in many more independent and inventive ways.”
Technologies like DreamBox, a math education software that is used in a number of classrooms across the U.S. adapts to each student's skill level and allows students to learn at a pace best suited to their needs.
According to BusinessInsider, adaptive learning software is quickly replacing the role of textbooks in the classrooms in the U.S., and students are tackling subjects with the aid of tailor-made computer programs that accommodate their needs.
Andrew Luna, a senior, said, “I really like online services like Khan Academy because the courses can be altered to best suit my needs. Khan Academy practice sets would record the type questions I needed work in and keep providing me with similar questions so that I could master my weaknesses.”
The U.S. Navy has done just that. They introduced an AI-based tutoring system called Education Dominance into an entry-level IT school in Pensacola. The platform works similarly to a human tutor, monitoring each student's progress and providing personalized assessments, according to Business Insider.
The Navy reported that the students who had worked with the digital tutor made enormous strides in their education, and that they consistently tested higher than students who had studied without the program's aid.
Some believe that this sort of platform provides a glimpse into how educational models may work in the next 15 years: computers serving as individual tutors in classrooms filled with a wide array of learning styles.
Ramroth said, “There have been pushes to remove classroom teachers from the equation and have students learn from self-paced online content. For self-serving reasons, this terrifies me. For educational reasons, it also terrifies me. I think there is a lot more to education than just the information you can retain by going through an online tutorial. I am hopeful that students and parents will see that the idea may sound novel and work for some students, but is lacking in a lot of the other key components of education.”
However, some fear how differences in the availability of resources due to school location and funding may impact students as technology takes on a more prominent role in education.
“My worry of the future, however, is that schools with resources will continue to improve and be awesome institutions of opportunity, while schools in less affluent communities will find it harder and harder to attract and retain qualified teachers,” said Ramroth.
Additionally, as education adapts to changing times and technology is integrated into the classroom, many caution against being drawn in by the glamour of new and advanced tech without thought of possible drawbacks.
Luna said, “I really appreciate tech and all the advances and benefits that come with it. At the same time though, I think we need to seriously look into what the possible negative side effects of its usage might be. For example, we read in class about how the internet has made it so that our generation never had to find answers for themselves because they were always on Google. Before we welcome AI and online tutoring sites with open arms, I think schools should evaluate what they are doing well and what needs improvement, and work to produce not just smart students, but capable thinkers.”
In some schools, tablets have replaced textbooks, homework is sent out and submitted electronically, and discussions take place in online forums.
According to Bloomberg, the pace of innovation is advancing and the world is changing at a rapid pace. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are are more than just science fiction predictions come true. They are changing the face and future of education.
According to Business Insider, such technologies are creating philosophical shifts in approaches to teaching and remodeling the classroom.
With the influx of new learning models available, many predict that traditional educational methods are bound to evolve in the next decade.
The beginnings of this evolution can been seen in websites like Khan Academy, TED, Wikipedia, and YouTube.
Math teacher Andy Ramroth said, “I think technology, specifically the internet, is an amazing educational tool. I have seen students become so knowledgeable on subjects by watching YouTube or going through online articles, whereas previous generations had to find the right catalog card at the library. Information is a lot more available, and there is a lot of accessible, well-taught content.”
In addition to the wealth of information the internet provides, many praise technology for its adaptability of technology and ability to personalize a student’s education. Technology allows educators to accommodate unique learning styles on a case-by-case basis.
According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization report, “Adaptive computerized learning, intelligent tutoring systems [...] has changed the face of knowledge acquisition radically, creating new relationships between teachers and students, students and students, knowledge and students and knowledge and teachers. Students with access to information technology can personalize their learning in many more independent and inventive ways.”
Technologies like DreamBox, a math education software that is used in a number of classrooms across the U.S. adapts to each student's skill level and allows students to learn at a pace best suited to their needs.
According to BusinessInsider, adaptive learning software is quickly replacing the role of textbooks in the classrooms in the U.S., and students are tackling subjects with the aid of tailor-made computer programs that accommodate their needs.
Andrew Luna, a senior, said, “I really like online services like Khan Academy because the courses can be altered to best suit my needs. Khan Academy practice sets would record the type questions I needed work in and keep providing me with similar questions so that I could master my weaknesses.”
The U.S. Navy has done just that. They introduced an AI-based tutoring system called Education Dominance into an entry-level IT school in Pensacola. The platform works similarly to a human tutor, monitoring each student's progress and providing personalized assessments, according to Business Insider.
The Navy reported that the students who had worked with the digital tutor made enormous strides in their education, and that they consistently tested higher than students who had studied without the program's aid.
Some believe that this sort of platform provides a glimpse into how educational models may work in the next 15 years: computers serving as individual tutors in classrooms filled with a wide array of learning styles.
Ramroth said, “There have been pushes to remove classroom teachers from the equation and have students learn from self-paced online content. For self-serving reasons, this terrifies me. For educational reasons, it also terrifies me. I think there is a lot more to education than just the information you can retain by going through an online tutorial. I am hopeful that students and parents will see that the idea may sound novel and work for some students, but is lacking in a lot of the other key components of education.”
However, some fear how differences in the availability of resources due to school location and funding may impact students as technology takes on a more prominent role in education.
“My worry of the future, however, is that schools with resources will continue to improve and be awesome institutions of opportunity, while schools in less affluent communities will find it harder and harder to attract and retain qualified teachers,” said Ramroth.
Additionally, as education adapts to changing times and technology is integrated into the classroom, many caution against being drawn in by the glamour of new and advanced tech without thought of possible drawbacks.
Luna said, “I really appreciate tech and all the advances and benefits that come with it. At the same time though, I think we need to seriously look into what the possible negative side effects of its usage might be. For example, we read in class about how the internet has made it so that our generation never had to find answers for themselves because they were always on Google. Before we welcome AI and online tutoring sites with open arms, I think schools should evaluate what they are doing well and what needs improvement, and work to produce not just smart students, but capable thinkers.”