Technology Transforming Education: How Innovations are Transforming Schools Globally - Research Paper

Introduction

Technology has impacted on all aspects of human life, hence education is no exception. Technological advancements have led to reforms in schools and the entire educational system globally, hence promoting the interaction between teachers and learners which enhances the level of teaching in this era. New inventions have led to advanced gadgets such as cell phones and computers that facilitate communication as well as interactions. Therefore, schools have benefited from increased innovations especially regarding ease of communication and access to learning materials (Hanimoglu 97). In the United States, there has been a massive acquisition of materials that are geared towards promoting technological access in schools such as the internet to facilitate better research and study. Many high schools have access to computer labs that have a vital role not only in teaching computer as a subject, but also assisting studies in other disciplines. Therefore, despite its challenges, technology has transformed the educational system in the US leading to a more robust system of education.

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Technology has significantly expanded access to education in the US due to the availability of study materials. It should be noted that in medieval times, books for the study were very rare with only a few elites having access to such educational facilities. In this regard, individuals had to travel to different centers of learning to access proper education, which was quite expensive. However, the internet has facilitated a significant development and access to educational facilities with massive amounts of information including books, research papers, and other study materials being easily accessible in soft copies (Christensen 431). Therefore, the use of computers has facilitated home programs of study where the tutors of the specific families can use the internet to not only raise the literacy levels of their children but also teach them from their homes. The Ministry of Education in the US has incorporated the Computers in Homes, as a program that suits the education strategy for remote areas such as newly arrived refugees. Therefore, technology has facilitated support materials that are important in developing a robust system in the US. Despite the challenges noted by Hanimoglu (97) of inequities in the use of computers, the increased internet accessibility offers massive opportunities for effective learning.

Technological gadgets like computers and tablets have facilitated better classroom learning by offering massive opportunities to create a practical environment. It should be noted that teachers can expose children in younger grades to educational games through the use of computer games and simulations. This implies that instead of playing board games, various teachers in US schools can facilitate student learning of basics like spelling, counting, as well as other early educational lessons through the computer games hence making learning fun. Additionally, teachers in high schools have adopted the use of web-based science as well as math simulations to allow students to learn important concepts through the use of virtual labs. As noted by Hanimoglu (98), the existence of technologies in the class set-up has made learning effective through the improvement of the in-service teacher education as well as the preparation of pre-service instructors which facilitates a successful alignment of educational technology in learning processes. Such instructors can use simulation models to bring real-world problems to the classrooms. Therefore, the educational system, both public and private entities have adopted the use of these approaches to help the students have a better understanding of the lesson being taught.

Learning processes have been improved by better communication as well as collaboration opportunities. Technology in the US has expanded the opportunities of communication as well as collaboration, hence facilitating an improved system from the traditional set-ups. Traditionally, classrooms were noted to be relatively isolated, with collaboration been limited to other students in the same classroom or building. However, technology has enabled various forms of communication as well as collaboration that was undreamt of in the past (Raja and Nagasubramani 34). For example, the students in the rural United States can learn about the Arctic through following of expedition of a team of scientists who are in the region, viewing the available photos, reading blogs by scientists, using e-mails as channels of communication and engagement with the scientists, and even interacting with them through live chats. The use of live chats and various platforms of communication including social media platforms enable students to communicate with other students in different classrooms and share their learning experiences. Besides, the use of technology has enabled collaboration of students on group projects by using technology-based tools such as Google docs and wikis. Therefore, it can be established that the classroom walls are not a barrier since technology enables new ways of learning, communication, and working collaboratively.

Technology has transformed the way teachers and students interact for various sessions of study hence impacting on the overall education sector in the country. Modern technology has created a platform for generalization of teacher's schedules where lesson planning is supported by the emerging inventions hence enabling teachers to plan interactive and creative lessons using different technologies (Chein 8). Considering that the United States is one of the most developed countries globally, all sectors have been advancing to ensure that they remain the best globally. Educational sector is one area that has been considered among the best in the entire world. Therefore, educators have embraced technologies to facilitate and assess the learners regarding their skills and competencies. It should be noted that the use of technology in schools breaks down massive boundaries since it does not limit the lesson period. In this regard, technology has enabled the creation of an authentic learning continuum between the schools and homes due to the empowerment of the former. While traditional set-up necessitated physical meetings between teachers and students throughout the study period, utilization of internet, documentaries, and class videos have enabled flexibility in sharing material even without physical contact.

Learning institutions have established systems for planning, assessment, and implementation of various learning processes that enable an effective learning process. For example, the LMS software has been used in the US learning institutions to centralize educational content, course preparation, as well as resources hence helping them to deliver and track various student activities such as discussion and collaboration. It has been established that colleges can be able to calculate and present grades behind virtual walls hence ensuring security, privacy, and authentication. This is a positive development and transformation which has been facilitated by technological growth as opposed to the traditional systems that did not guarantee privacy. Use of technology such as data visualization and big data has facilitated the computational modeling and other complex environmental datasets which is an imperative part of higher education. Therefore, technology has contributed to the development and transformation of the education system including higher learning institutions.

Despite the massive positive developments of the educational system in the US due to growth in technology, various developments have raised massive concerns regarding the negative implications of technology on the learning processes. Technology has been linked to various negative outcomes concerning the education of children in the K-12 system. For example, it has been established that unlike the traditional system where teachers had enough platform for engagement with students to deliver on all the concepts, technology has replaced a lot of contact hours making students spend less time with tutors, hence a concern on quality (Yildiz-Durak and Saritepeci 443). Various stakeholders have raised concern regarding the amount of time that a teacher should spend with students to facilitate the quality of education. With increased technological alternatives and means of communication such as emails and live chats like Skype, teachers are likely to spend even less time with the students. This impacts the quality of instructions that are given by the teachers and the way they are received by the students. Besides, such people have questioned the time spend on screen by students indicating that more child exposure to the screen can lead to cognitive challenges that affect learning. Thus, technology has a massive concern regarding its impact on the educational system.

According to the analysis, technology has revolutionized the education system in the US transforming various aspects of learning processes. It was established that technology has led to active engagements with the learning materials. Through the use of various gadgets, students can do research and receive feedbacks which facilitates better engagement. Besides, the education system has adapted the use of internet which enables access to real-world scenarios in the classroom. However, some people and stakeholders have raised concerns regarding the overreliance of technology in teaching as opposed to enhancing teacher to student relationship. Such people argue that technology reduces contact in teaching which is a negative implication to the education system. However, it is evident that despite the challenges, the provisions of technology such as simulation and modeling have enabled a better approach to facilitate a more robust system of education in the US.

Works Cited

Chein, Jemmy. "How digital media and internet transforming education." Conference Paper (2012): pp. 1-10.

Christensen, Rhonda. "Effects of technology integration education on the attitudes of teachers and students." Journal of Research on Technology in Education vol. 3023777, no.4 (2002): pp. 411-433.

Hanimoglu, Egemen. "The impact technology has had on high school education over years." World Journal of Education vol.8, no.6 (2018): pp. 96-106.

Raja, R., and Nagasubramani, P. "Impact of modern technology in education." Journal of Applied and Advanced Research vol.3, no.1 (2018): pp. 33-35.

Yildiz-Durak, Hatice, and Saritepeci, Mustafa. "Investigating the effect of technology use in education on classroom management within the scope of the FATIH project." Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal vol.46, no.2 (2017): pp. 441-457.