“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”
There is always a need to adapt to the changes around. Although the prime purpose of education has remained the same, i.e to nurture the minds of the learners and prepare them to become good human beings, the process of nurturing and blending nature and nurture has taken a huge turn. Innovation has always been a part of learning and education.
As the population grew more diverse, progressive principles of education began to take hold. The goals and purpose of the educational system were adapted to meet the needs of a diversifying population. A new progressive approach attempts to teach critical thinking skills to the learners and make them engaged and informed citizens. Child-centered curricula were devised to address the artistic, imaginative and creative aspects of the students. Traditional academic learning combined with tools that could produce citizens better prepared to understand and participate in community life. Thus came the birth of technology in education.
How has technology transformed our teaching-learning process? :
Technology has transformed the teaching-learning process by equipping the classrooms with digital learning tools, enhancing the learning experiences, giving the opportunity to the learners to learn whatever they want, whenever they want. Technology has enhanced teaching-learning methodologies by incorporating digital innovations. Innovations are all about adding another perspective to a problem and finding newer ways of solving it. Educators and learners are both empowered with the access to unlimited resources, content, and systems.
It has helped the learners develop 21st century skills like problem solving skills, analytical thinking skills, critical thinking skills, creativity and imagination.
It is enthralling how technology has transformed the nurturers along with the ones to be nurtured. It has widened the possibilities of learning, by diluting the cultural, geographical as well as economic barriers. Online learning opportunities and the use of open educational resources and other technologies can increase educational productivity by accelerating the rate of learning; reducing costs associated with instructional materials or program delivery; and better utilizing teacher time.
Education beyond the classroom :
Along with the changing world, education is changing. The definition of education has changed over the years and with the changing educational methods, learning has evolved too. With the inclusion of innovation and technology, the role of the educators has changed. Educators have become facilitators for the learners. Every child’s uniqueness with his/her own way of acquiring knowledge, attitudes, values and skills is taken into consideration and every child's diversified learning needs are addressed which enables a child to discover, derive and further explore. Education has spread its roots to learning beyond the classroom. Providing the learners the opportunity to take ownership of their learning and development.
What are Teacher applications?
Developing technologies are reformulating the education system, and the best teaching and educational apps play a key role in this progressive change. The use of apps has widened the educational experience. Teacher apps provide the best pedagogical approaches to the educators to expand their skills and abilities and cater to different learners with multiple intelligences.
What is the significance of teacher apps?
Technology and innovation has enhanced the thinking abilities of the educators. With the growing need of the learners, educators have also become more aware as individuals. Teacher apps are significant to heighten the level of teaching and enhancing the experience of education for the learners.
What are the features of the best teaching apps?
An effective teaching app is the one that augments the educator’s teaching methodology as well as enables them to utilize the features of the app to enhance the efficacy of their teaching-learning process.
- Video based content: Video-based content will cater to the range of learners and their learning styles. It will also help the educators in comprehending the new pedagogical approaches which they can further utilize in their classroom.
- Interactive content: Interactive content will keep the learners actively engaged into the content.
- Live tutorials and sessions: Live tutorials and sessions will encourage the educators as well as the learners to widen their knowledge and understanding by attending sessions and watching live tutorials. Live tutorials can also be based on the specific requests of the learners and the educators on various topics.
- Knowledge testing: The possibility of testing one’s knowledge is highly significant and providing so will ensure the constant improvement of the learners as well as the educators. It will also help them to move a step ahead.
- Offline Mode: Giving the learners and the educators access to the content of the app, in offline mode will broaden the intrinsic motivation of the learners.
- Hands-on-learning: Providing the opportunity for learning by doing will help the learners experience a new level of learning through technology where they will be able to apply their knowledge. It will help them enhance their creativity, critical thinking abilities and problem solving skills.
- Personalised experience content: Providing personalised features for the learners as well as the educators will captivate their interest in the content.