Almost every part of our lives have been influenced by digitalization to a degree. Today, 5.16 billion people have internet access. The connectivity that we can experience today allows people to communicate, receive news and explore other parts of the world, other cultures and other countries.
The education industry has also been impacted by the digital transformation, and from elementary schools through high schools and university education, classrooms, teachers and students can enjoy the help of technology. So what is digital transformation and how exactly is it influencing education?
What is digital transformation?
According to experts, digitalization has three stages: digital competence, digital usage and digital transformation. The first stage includes the first contact with technology as well as the time that’s necessary to build skills and confidence when handling digital devices (in education, this mostly concerns educational platforms).
The “digital usage” stage involves the period when users know the digital tools they have at their disposal and can handle them with ease and confidence—digital tools feel like a normal part of education.
The stage that we focus on in this text is the “digital transformation” stage or the stage of true digitization. In this stage, users use their digital tools and employ them in innovative ways and experiment with the options and ways they can be used in education in order to enrich the learning environment.
Personalized learning
Education revolution cannot exist without the personalization of learning.
Instead of trying to fit all students into the same box (or a few different boxes), teachers and programs in modern schools like Townsville catholic schools are switching to offering personalized learning solutions, even choosing online education. These solutions are based on students’ individual strengths, weaknesses and preferences. With personalized learning, students and schools can reap many benefits, mostly when it comes to absorbing knowledge. When allowed to learn in a way they prefer, students can absorb and retain more information and skills, as well as move quickly in education. This also allows students who have the interest to try something out but never had the courage to do it before because the approach didn’t fit their abilities.
Accessibility
Probably the most inspiring trend that’s brought to us by digital transformation in education is better accessibility to lessons, programs and knowledge in general. There are students who can’t physically access certain information (no matter the reason) but using technology, they can remove many of the physical barriers. For instance, students with speech or vision impairments can use text-to-speech or transcribed dictation programs to access their needed information and attend school without issues. And there’s also the fact that students from Europe can gain access to NTU projects all the way in Singapore thanks to technology that allows remote learning and access to notes and materials. These different tools and technology advancements can allow people with visual or audio challenges, as well as mobility issues, to enjoy learning, take exams and earn degrees.
VR
Virtual reality used to be simply a form of entertainment for video game enthusiasts, but today, it has many uses, educational ones included. VR is especially useful for learning sequences, which is something many students struggle with.
In education, VR can give students a chance to experience (at least in the virtual world) what they are learning about before they meet the subject in real life. For instance, future doctors can try out different procedures and experience what it’s like to be in a trauma room. Students in the hospitality industry can experience different work environments, learn how to serve customers and gain first-hand experiences without leaving the classroom. Once they are ready to receive real-world practical knowledge, students can feel much more comfortable and confident because they already have some preparation. People with more comfort and confidence will more likely exhibit these traits in real life as well, and make a smooth transition from the classroom to their real-life role.
Internet of Things
There are many ways IoT can improve education, mainly when it comes to school security and comfort (without boosting expenses). With smart devices that are all connected to each other, officials can understand student patterns so they can boost security features when and where it’s necessary. Smart devices can also monitor and manage the classroom environment and boost comfort for all students. With IoT, the school can also maintain a better connection with students by providing them with assignment tracking, degree monitoring programs and attendance. In the case of younger students, this information can be useful to parents as well as police in case a child didn’t arrive at school, etc.
Security
Technology is a crucial part of our everyday lives and education, so it’s important to improve security that will keep our information safe. Since modern schools have all sorts of information on students and teachers (personal information, home information, grades, attendance, etc.) it’s important to keep that intelligence safe from theft.
With smart security protocols that allow the recording, storing and sharing of sensitive information, it’s possible to keep this system alive in the world of digital transformation. Schools also need a way to provide students with secure ways of submitting assignments and doing tests, all of which require verification of users. Digital exams and assessments are very popular today, but it’s critical to keep them fair to maintain the integrity of education. In case of a security breach, the lives of individuals and institutions can be changed completely, and not in a good way.
Conclusions
Since we all have shifted towards a digital future, it’s easy to see how digitalization has affected education. Finding new ways to incorporate technology into education will be the goal of many experts, teachers and students of the future.
