In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, far greater focus has been placed on remote forms of education, particularly online learning. As face-to-face learning on campus was greatly diminished by social distancing measures, the Internet provided a platform for many to continue their studies. The sudden rise in online teaching spawned more discussions regarding the future possibilities for remote learning.
Of course, before the pandemic struck, students already used the Internet for research and homework help. Especially when struggling to write an essay for a college exam, it’s common for students to turn to the Web to look for help while thinking, “Can somebody do my assignment?” Educational resources and research databases are mainstays of online education, yet they only just scratch the surface of what the future may hold. Here, we will go through how technology has changed education, and how it is set to create further changes.
Videoconferences
Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, many students had to switch from classrooms to their screens. It became increasingly common for schools and universities to conduct lectures and seminars online via videoconferences rather than gather students in lecture halls, which had a major impact on how classes functioned in learning today.
Many students can now attend classes from far away, eliminating the need to be physically present on campus. In many ways, that greatly benefited some learners. Many save a lot of money that they would have otherwise spent on a college dorm, giving them greater financial freedom and easing their burden. Others save time and money due to the reduced need to commute to school.
Platforms like Zoom and Google Meet are constantly developing new features to help make the most out of technology for education. Features, such as screen sharing and breakout rooms, recreate and enhance the traditional experience of sitting in a classroom and learning from a teacher physically.
Quiz Apps
One increasingly common feature of online education is the use of quiz apps. Teachers can remotely test their students’ knowledge by creating customized quizzes for a given subject. Students can take these online quizzes as a fun way of preparing for an exam or revising a project.
With many platforms available, students even have the ability to devise their own quizzes and send them to each other. Using these fun and addictive platforms is one of the best tricks for online learning designed to raise students’ grades.
Augmented Reality and Databases
Augmented reality (AR) programs are proving to be revolutionary when it comes to learning. Programs like Google Earth allow students to explore faraway places they might never otherwise have the chance to visit. Over the past few years, many museums and cultural institutions have begun to digitize, offering people a chance to visit them virtually.
As an example, Google Art & Culture has begun the process of digitizing and archiving some of the world’s most revered works of art as scans with incredibly high-resolution. That has given young people an opportunity to study masterpieces more closely than they would ever be able to achieve with a physical museum visit. This initiative is an excellent example of how online learning is having a democratizing effect on the education system.
Final Thoughts
The removal of physical space as a condition for learning is opening up new experiences and opportunities for young people worldwide. Gone are the days when one had to go to a prestigious university to gain access to the world’s best research resources. Now, many of them are available online. Lowering the financial and geographic barriers that once held a gatekeeping effect in education is just one of the exciting examples of how technology has impacted learning positively.
Implementing all of these online learning tools, however, has some detractors worrying that too much of students’ lives are spent in front of a screen. But, as this post has proven, the Internet provides many opportunities for creating learning experiences that are both social and exploratory in nature. With every passing day, this technology will be further developed, and the possibilities for the future of education will continue to expand exponentially. But, as usual, only time will tell if online learning will render traditional classrooms obsolete.
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