The Effectiveness of Image and Video Technology in Influencing Learning Outcomes - Report Example

Results The focus of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of image and video technology in influencing learning outcomes. The data that was collected in this research points to the overall change in the learning environment as a result of technology. The figures and feedbacks given indicate that visual stimuli are effective in teaching both elementary and advanced learning. Students easily relate to image and or video communication throughout their learning. The conversation from the interviewees in this study clearly portrays a shift in the manner through which active learning is supposed to be undertaken. Based on these findings, it is evident that there is a high acceptance to use of media in the classroom. Out of the 150 individuals from various learning institutions who were interviewed, about 93% endorse the use of video and image technology in the classroom. This demand is quite overwhelming, and the stakeholders ought to establish means of meeting this need in learning institutions. The results further indicate that out of the 150 individuals who were surveyed, 64 of them were teachers in elementary as well as higher levels. They also expressed their take on the current technological trends and how they seem to be transforming the overall classroom experience. Out of this number of teachers, 91 percent of teachers said that technology helped them be more effective in their roles. This is not surprising by any chance. The use of image and video technology has made it easier for teachers to communicate with students, making it easier to understand. At the same time, 89.5 percent indicated that video and image technology has enabled them to be more creative in their deliveries to the students. This is a direct way through which learning outcomes are being improved amongst learners in classrooms. The use of this technology is working for the good of the students as well as teachers. In addition, 84 percent of teachers noted positive outcomes amongst students using image and video technology. These positive results relate to the overall degree of understanding concepts as well as individual performances of students in different subjects. From the findings that were gathered, students attribute diffusion of image and video technology and easy acceptance to easy availability. 56 percent of students believe the reason these technologies have been useful in classroom setting is because they have become household commodities. These can be through videos, television as well as computers. Teachers are taking advantage of the love for technology by students to revolutionize learning at different levels. This been achieved by designing pedagogies that are rightly aligned with the current trends in technology. This seems to be already in progress. The expression of students especially regarding the benefits of image and video technology makes it clear that new pedagogies have provided adequate room for new technologies. For instance, one of the benefits cited by many students as to why they use image and video technology is the fact that it makes students be in charge of the learning. For instance, using video as a learning tool allows the student to pause and take notes whenever need be. This been proven to boost their hearing and speech skills. Out of the 64 teachers who were surveyed, 60 percent confirm positive attitudes amongst students towards learning as a result of using video technology. Teachers claim that records show that classes that use video and image technologies experiences low absenteeism rates than those using traditional approaches. As a matter of fact, most students do not mind when a class is extended by some minutes because of the technology being used. The overall attitude towards learning is significantly boosted by such technologies. Students no longer view sitting in a classroom as a punishment. This can be confirmed by the levels of student involvement in learning. Most teachers indicated that lessons that embrace video technology registered higher numbers of students asking questions from that point forward. The act of students asking questions after the lesson is an indication of the deep desire to understand the overall concepts that have been taught. This is extremely good considering the overall nature of education systems in different countries. These findings are therefore expressing an underlying need to inculcate video technology in the school curriculum. This is the best way through which the learning outcomes can be significantly boosted further. When students were asked why video technology is critical in the current environment’s learning, the majority of students responded in relation to learning global contents. Literally, students are impressed by the fact that video technologies can link students in different continents to learn over the same platform. The use of video-conferencing technologies has been made very easy indeed. Students can connect with other students worldwide and exchange knowledge and ideas. Prior to the invention of this technology, students were expected to fly to other countries in order to get a platform to learn new ideas. This has been made very easy for students as well as teachers. Both students and teachers expressed optimism that this trend would result in improved learning outcomes. This is an important step in ensuring that designed pedagogies meet the current needs of the students. One of these needs is branding the student to make him fit into the global world. This makes it easier for students to seek employment opportunities around the globe. This in itself is a big step towards addressing employment challenges facing many countries. Similarly, students were asked to name the subject that they enjoyed most when learning with the aid of video technology. Interestingly, 73 percent of the students selected sciences. Most students feel they understand sciences better when using video technology that any other category of subjects. From this finding, it is noted that this technology plays a critical role in helping students to connect the abstract principles learnt in class with the real application. This is an effective way of linking students to the outside world where they will be expected to work. Using video technologies, students find it not only easy, but also interactive to visualize common mathematical concepts like time and acceleration. This technology seems to give motivation to the weak students to learn and explore various mathematical concepts. As a matter of fact, a large percentage of students would like to have more science lessons taught using video technology. This is because it seems to be working for the students better than the traditional approaches. This learning tool stands out as the most flexible resource for learning. While some students may fear asking questions in class, video technology enables students to learn at their pace. This is a great milestone in the education sector. From the research that was undertaken, 85 percent of learners in elementary levels play video games at least once per week. On the other hand, about 58 percent of students in colleges and tertiary institutions play some video games. This reality presents an opportunity for teenagers to use video games for learning. Different kinds of technology are involved in gaming, and this makes an excellent learning opportunity. The various gaming attributes like sensory stimuli, goals/rules, challenge, control, mystery support learning in some way. These video games have a positive impact on the motivation of students to learn. These video games have been found to bear a positive impact on cognitive skills of the learner. This implies that stakeholders in the education sector can quickly take advantage of the students’ love for video games to bolster their skills in schools. The education system must be redesigned to ensure that learners can make proper use of their passions for optimum gains. These results point to positive trends that have been witnessed in the education sector. This is working to revolutionize the learning systems in the current times. This research finding further pointed out the craving for different technologies amongst students as well as educators. It is not surprising that 88 percent of all the students interviewed in this survey own a mobile phone. In the same way, 73 percent of the learners have access to the internet at least once per week. In overall, many students have access to various technologies that have been invented in the 21st century. These technologies have become an essential part of learning tools in learning institutions. The fact that most students have interacted with these technologies makes it even easier for them to be used in the classroom setting. These technologies aid in learning at different levels. Partially, this explains the reason most learners find video and image technology quite interactive in the learning environment. From what has been gathered, it is upon the stakeholders to establish the best ways through which these technologies can be utilized to improve learning in schools. The feedback given by both teachers and students is a clear indication that technological infrastructure will help in optimizing learning in different institutions of education. The need to fully integrate image and video technologies in schools is evident, and therefore it is important for the stakeholders to put in place the required infrastructure to facilitate these technologies. Moreover, the linkage between internet and video technology seemed to be very strong. Most students who have experienced video technology have also used internet at one point. The connection can be explained in different ways. For instance, most of the video technologies that are used are streamed live from the internet. The most common technologies like video conferencing use internet connections to stream information between two or more centres. This means that as institutions work out the plan of integrating video and image technologies in their curriculum, the aspect of internet connectivity should not be avoided. The students stand to benefit from both internet use, as well as video technologies in place. This has been proven to be very helpful to the learning of students. This because of the current trends that have been experienced in relation to learning. Students heavily rely on search engines like Google to search for information on the internet. This had a tremendous impact on the learning outcomes of students. College students who were interviewed attributed their improved performance in class to the dynamic technologies that have been used to facilitate learning. Top on the list of these technologies is the internet that is mainly used to provide information to learners at different levels. At the same time, this survey has highlighted the contribution of other technologies in facilitating learning. The students expressed the desire for more technological tools to be integrated into the learning system. This is in tandem with the current trends in education institutions. For instance, most students are taking advantage of YouTube to stream live videos of lectures and other educational contents. Interestingly, students perceive those teachers using YouTube for lectures as more organized and focused. The students’ perception directly shapes the kind of tools that can be effective in that particular learning environment. Other factors notwithstanding, teachers are also fascinated by the use of video technologies as the primary teaching aid. 64 percent of the teachers who were interviewed pointed out the aspect of consistency in information and knowledge dissemination. In other words, a teacher can deliver the same information to different classes of students in varied places. This ensures that all students receive the same content and, therefore, can compete on the same level platform. Similarly, the teachers find it quite appealing that the educational content can be stored in the same format for a very long period. It is also important to emphasize the fact that the interviews revealed more information that was expected. This partly qualifies that both teachers and students were fascinated by this survey. During the study, it became quite apparent that students and teachers are learning so much from the media. The desire to experience most of these technologies seemingly emanates from the enlightenment they receive from TVs, social media, magazines and all kinds of adverts. It is even more fascinating to realize that students at level K-12 are very much informed about these technologies and crave to experience them. The teenagers and the adolescents are carried away by video games. The findings indicated that at least 67 percent of all students who were interviewed play some video games during the week. When asked on where they learnt about these video games, it was clear that teenagers were learning from media as well as from their peers. All these pointers are critical in enabling stakeholders in the education sector to understand how to handle students in the current generation. In conclusion, this survey has revealed a lot of information. Much of this information is very relevant to the education sector. Stakeholders in this sector can take advantage of the findings that have been made in this survey to establish means of integrating appropriate technologies into the current curriculum. The general pedagogy must be technology responsive to ensure that the current needs of students and educators are met. What the stakeholders in the education sector ought to do is to analyze critically the findings in this research pick some of the implementable recommendations and put them into action. This to ensure that the school curriculum is regularly reviewed to ensure the needs of students and the overall environment are met appropriately. Using technology to boost the learning outcomes is one way of ensuring that the needs in the environment are sufficiently met. Read More