Digital Technology in Education - Essay Example

Digital Technology in Education DRAFT OF THE SOURCES: EDUCATION IN A DIGITAL DEMOCRACY: technology not as an end to learning but a means of learning but it has the widest and easily available undesirable content; proper monitoring is required while children use it. Internet helps making useful connections with quality content and with people in an educational environment. The connections with content, context and community are powerful. Highly enriched content is available with access to the websites of appropriate context. Making connections with a particular community has become ever easier. RESEARCHING AND EVALUATING DIGITAL STORYTELLING AS A DEEP LEARNING TOOL: digital storytelling stimulates four important activities in a child’s brain, student engagement, reflection of deep learning, project based learning, effective integration of technology into instruction. EDUCATION GOES DIGITAL: improvement in distance learning, education has evolved from face to face courses, teacher centered syllabus and schooling to online and a hybrid syllabus which is more students centered. THE USE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN UNIVERSITY TEACHING AND LEARNING: A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE: the use of computer technology is still constricted in many universities to limited, straight and very rigid terms which are far from its actual innovative, constructive and certifying use which is acclaimed by technologists. DIGITAL GAMES IN EDUCATION: electronic games have become an important part of children’s lives. Children learn best by playing and this concept is not accounted for by most educational institutes. Videogames designs should be re-evaluated to provide maximum learning. Still there are chances of misuse by the children. THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: technology benefits in learning are increased learning efficiency or performance, more effective learning, student engagement increases, more enthusiastic approach to learning. ICT learning is a cutting edge technology through case study approach. New and different concepts can be shared with the students as a tool of informal learning. INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO IN E-LEARNING: Assessing the impact of interactive video on learning effectiveness: pictography based learning is easier and more interesting for children than normal and traditional teacher based learning systems of schools. The images imbed into the mind of children in the area of long term storage. DIGITAL GAME-BASED LEARNING IN HIGH SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION: students motivation increased when game based learning provided to them. Change in educational policies is very important with the growing digital cloud. Upgrade of educational models and training of the teachers with respect to those models is very important.  DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN EDUCATION: With the advent of 21st century new breakthroughs were introduced in every field. Old patterns were changed and taboos were broken. Things which were considered dangerous became useful and eventually essential for our life. With the introduction of new diseases and the cures for many epidemics changes and evolution came gradually in every field. As every change is eventually related to knowledge, the actual process of imparting knowledge could not remain constant in the transition phase. The field of education became disrupted when many applications and software were introduced which could be positively used for the purpose of providing quality education to the students. The scholars and professors, for whom the books were the only bible, became enraged at the concept of learning through means other than books. The topic of digital technologies in the field of education became the hot topic of debates and quickly caught fire as more and more objections and favor came in to the lime light. Computer and internet had always been considered a disruption for the students and nothing positive could be gained from it as far as learning was concerned. But the scholars and psychologists proved them wrong by conducting various studies, and then came the most important and most convincing argument in favor of digital technologies in the field of education: the online courses and certifications. They became a “killer app” and after it various tests and studies were conducted which proved that digital technologies could actively be used for imparting quality education in any part of the world as long as the students had access to the computer and internet. Digital technology can no doubt replace the traditional books and the teachers but it is an aid which is used to enhance the learning experience. The educational institutes which are using digital technology for learning should have proper knowledge of the use of computers that they are installing and the teachers who are teaching the use should be properly trained in the use. So that the projectors and the computers do not become show pieces but are used to reap maximum benefits. Learning through technology enhances critical thinking skills, it teaches the students to sift through the load of information available on the internet and then leech out the relevant information. This act when becomes second nature at the young age comes in handy in higher education in university and beyond. Secondly, the use of computers is essential in professional life, therefore teaching the use early in life helps in professional life as well. To prove the positive role of digital technology in the field of education, a study was conducted which consisted of a number of students. The students were provided with similar subject matter and learning goals but half of them were given the matter in game form and the other half was given in non gaming form. The students were observed and a Computer Memory Knowledge Test (CMKT) was done pre test and post test. The results and views of the students were evaluated by asking them to fill a questionnaire. It was observed that the students who were given the matter in gaming form were more perceptive and enthusiastic to learn it and had more points in the quiz, hence learned more than the students who were given non gaming form of subject matter. Another simple reason is that gaming is more interesting than simple curriculum and hence the students were keener to learn through this way. (Digital Games in Education: The Design of Games-Based Learning Environments, 2007) computer games can be designed according to specific subject matter so that young children whose interest wane more towards game can be taught in this manner. Still there are various loopholes when it comes to learning through this method, first one is the addiction of the kids to the computers and second is the damage to the eyesight by constantly using computers. As it has already been discussed before that, digital learning is a tool to enhance the educational experience, it cannot replace the teacher and other traditional forms of learning, the students should be kept under constant supervision and should be granted the use of computer and other devices for pre decided time periods which not only protect the damage to their eyes but also gives them time to do other things. (Digital Games in Education, 2007) Another tool in the arsenal of digital technology for enhanced learning is video. Video is the most modern and adventurous form of learning through technology. The invention of 2D and 3D videos have given video a more interesting twist and for teaching young students this twist can become the key to opening new learning adventures. not only teaching through 2D and 3D videos, students should be taught the ways to make these videos so that they can be given assignment which will take the creativity of the students to the zenith. In a research that proved the effectiveness of video in education, the author says that when compared with the students who were studying without a video, the students who have video form of subject matter showed greater learning effectiveness and learner’s satisfaction. (Instructional video in e-learning, 2006)Digital storytelling is another concept which enhances the perceptive of the student and enhances their learning experience. Digital storytelling is telling a story through a video rather than reading it aloud or through a series of pictures. By digital storytelling a student remain engaged into the story however boring or non-interesting it is, secondly it is a reflection of deep learning; as pictography creates a deeper dig into the memory centers than hearing, digital storytelling is project based learning experience which integrates technology into instruction. (Researching and Evaluating Digital Storytelling as a Deep Learning Tool, 2006) In the process of learning through technology a student’s comes in contact with content, context and community and this connection can become a powerful tool for an enhanced learning. The internet is full of highly enriched content, supposedly the teacher when teaching regarding space craft’s can log in to the NASA website for the most recent pictures of the space craft’s and satellites. The context in which the content is to be used comes with regular use of internet. A person can connect with hundreds of like minded people who are studying the same thing and can create a virtual community which does not only helps in making contacts at a very early age but also helps in sharing the ideas and enhancing the learning experience. (Education in a Digital Democracy: Leading the Charge for Learning about, with, and beyond Technology, 2000) Online learning is the latest when it comes to the technologies that have been introduced to enhance distant education, various methods by which distant education has been enhanced includes mailed courses curriculum, printed syllabus, audio recordings, computed based instructions, video recordings group communications, multimedia and simulated materials, wireless and handheld devices. The paradigm of education has changed from face to face courses, teacher centered schooling to a more student centered and hybrid courses which consist of teacher not as an instructor but rather as an additional aid which enhances the learning through modern technology. (The Digital Society - Education Goes Digital: The Evolution of Online Learning and the Revolution in Higher Education, 2005) Education with technology has the benefit of increasing effectiveness of the learner and increasing performance gains, it also increases learner efficiency and engagement and students have a more positive attitude towards learning. But it cannot be said that introducing technology in the curriculum always have a positive effect. For example on a high grading student it might not have the same positive result which it has on average grading or poor grading student. Similarly certain morals are to be taught to students before using any of the technologies: referencing and authenticity. Stealing or copy pasting anybody’s work should be prohibited and referencing should be made compulsory, checking the authenticity of the sources should also be taught to the students beforehand. (The impact of digital technology a review of the evidence of the impact of digital technologies on formal education, 2009) nothing is setting off to displace the vitality for schools over instructing those youthful in our society, or is whatever available framework probable to have the ability on, assumes a part for overcoming social inequalities, yet the formal instruction framework may be both under strike. There appear should be two fundamental suggestions to schools with respect to the educational module here. In instructors and other teachers just basically compelling reason with think a considerable measure all the more around children’s encounters whats more a chance to be sure should decipher also utilize the taking in that dives once outside of the classroom. (Literature review in informal learning with technology outside school. 2004) Despite all the benefits of digital technology in the field of education, it is not being given the proper position which it merits. The use of computer technology is still constricted in many universities to limited, straight and very rigid terms which are far from its actual innovative, constructive and certifying use which is acclaimed by technologists. (Use of computer technology in university teaching and learning, 2007) BIBLIOGRAPHY: BARRETT, H. (2006). Researching and Evaluating Digital Storytelling as a Deep Learning Tool. GROS, B. (2007). Digital Games in Education: The Design of Games-Based Learning HILTZ, S. R., & TUROFF, M. (2005). The Digital Society - Education Goes Digital: The Evolution of Online Learning and the Revolution in Higher Education. Communications of the ACM. 48, 59. LAURILLARD, D. (2008). Digital technologies and their role in achieving our ambitions for education. London, University of London, Institute of Education. MILLIRON, M. D., & MILES, C. L. (2000). Education in a Digital Democracy: Leading the Charge for Learning about, with, and beyond Technology. Educause Review. 35, 50-62. PAPASTERGIOU, M. (2009). Digital Game-Based Learning in high school Computer Science education: Impact on educational effectiveness and student motivation. Computers & Education. 52, 1-12 SEFTON-GREEN, J. (2004). Literature review in informal learning with technology outside school. Futurelab. SELWYN, NEIL. (n.d.). The use of computer technology in university teaching and learning: a critical perspective. Selwyn, Neil (2007) The Use of Computer Technology in University Teaching and Learning: a Critical Perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23 (2). Pp. 83-94. ISSN Print: 0266-4909 Online: 1365-2729. UNDERWOOD, J. D. M. (2009). The impact of digital technology a review of the evidence of the impact of digital technologies on formal education. Coventry, Becta. http://publications.becta.org.uk/display.cfm?resID=41343. ZHANG, D., ZHOU, L., BRIGGS, R., & NUNAMAKER, J. (2006). Instructional video in e-learning: Assessing the impact of interactive video on learning effectiveness. Information & Management. 43, 15-27. Read More