How Tech is Changing Education Centres

Episode 91

Covid forced education centres, much like all other industries, to rapidly adopt new ways of working. With a sudden need for remote learning, classrooms become online environments and the need to manually take notes became a thing of the past. Even as many students return to a physical classroom, the use of technology has dramatically increased. Now, schools are embracing technology not only as serving a function but also as a primary means of driving pedagogical outcomes. As teachers start to see the advantages that modern technology can offer the classroom, students are reaping the benefits.

In this week’s WineDown episode, we sit down with a special guest and discuss how technology is changing education centres.

• Changes in How Students Learn & Teachers Teach
• Harnessing Technology to Improve Teaching Practices
• Do Schools Need IT Departments?
  

Changes in How Students Learn & Teachers Teach

Gone are the days of using blackboard and chalk. Tablets and digital pens are the new standard tools for the classroom, and this is saving a lot of time. Technology has shifted teaching methods from traditional ‘Rote Learning’ to be more interactive and engaging for students as teachers no longer have to manually write out lines and have students diligently copy from the board. These days, teachers can instantly project slides or videos on to a screen and record lessons. This allows more time to be spent dissecting and discussing information instead of physically write it down line for line. It also allows students to access the information from the lesson after the class and enables inclusivity for students who are unable to physically attend classes.

Harnessing Technology to Improve Teaching Practices

Advancements in technology also provides teachers with the right information and tools to tailor lessons to each student. As everyone learns differently, being able to effectively translate data into information that specifically helps teachers in guiding and educating students is a great advantage to developing lesson plans and teaching strategies. By using programs such as Microsoft Power BI, schools are able to track how a student is performing over time and correlate any dips in performance with school or home activities to assess how they can be more effective in sharing knowledge with each student.

Do Schools Need IT Departments?

As classrooms rely more and more on digital devices, having a reliable network infrastructure and connection to the Cloud is now an essential part of the education delivery model. Without it, there can be major disruptions to the classroom, and it can affect students’ learning. Also, technological tools such as Microsoft Teams, VIVI devices for casting, and interactive whiteboards and projectors may assist teachers in building an environment for students to learn. Though these all require a level of technical skill to set up and maintain. With so many different requirements for each department, it’s important to have knowledgeable IT specialists to call on, though having a team of IT experts on premise can be costly and unnecessary for many education centres. Luckily, partnering with an MSP can provide education centres with a wide range of IT specialists, taking the stress out of managing IT and helping schools focus on what’s important – providing the best education to students.

Technology has rapidly and drastically changed the ways in which education centres function. From using data to better understanding a student’s learning needs to teaching in an online environment, schools are now embracing IT as a driving force for developing education practices. If you’re looking to modernise your education centre, talk to us today to see how we can help you best utilise your technology offerings to confidently guide and educate future generations.