The usage of technology in the classroom has boosted the process of learning in several important ways. It’s created a more collaborative learning environment, where students take the lead on their lesson plans while teachers facilitate the discussion. It’s also improved a student’s ability to communicate by granting them multiple possibilities to share their interests.
The Multimedia Effect
Students can create using any kind of media that best fits their skills. Students strong in writing or reading can convey thoughts through blogs, while those skilled in conceptual design can provide layouts or images to populate those blogs. Those with musical talent can produce directly from a computer, or record songs with just a few hundred dollars of recording equipment.
Equipping students with the tools to produce these kinds of projects also invites collaboration in a whole new way. Students become teachers or tutors, helping their peers to grasp difficult concepts and improve their interaction with technology.
Students also find themselves more willing to critique a work in progress, since it’s much easier for them to see the full scope of the project. They are also thinking about their audience, which will become more important as they age and try to find methods to grow a business of their own.
Cons and Challenges
One of the problems presented by technology is a fascinating one: the need for perfection. Students find themselves detailing lavish covers to reports, without having written a single word. Allocating class time efficiently is a job for the teacher, but it’s become more crucial than ever now that technology is becoming commonplace in schools.
About the Author: Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Phineas Upham website or LinkedIn page.