Month: September 2016

Posted on by Edsys

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is sure to make big changes in the education sector. It is clear that over the last decade, Artificial Intelligence driven smart education software applications have addressed several challenges of learning such as language processing, reasoning, planning, and cognitive modeling.

Though the introduction of smart devices such as interactive whiteboards and tablets have influenced how subjects were taught in a more engaging manner, there is something more that AI can contribute to this sector, thus enhancing teaching and learning opportunities even further. Also there are several projects already in the works that use computer intelligence to help students and teachers get more out of the educational experience. 

Here are 9 ways, where AI driven smart education software can benefit the education industry

Must Read: 4 Innovative Teaching Methods to “WOW” Your Students

1. Facilitates More Personalized Learning

While focusing on standard courses and lessons that students should study, it is also important to know how a student learns. Advances in Artificial Intelligence such as lesson planning software are providing teachers with a better understanding of how their students learn and is allowing them to customize the curriculum accordingly.

2. Helps Improve Teaching

Innovative smart education software can help teachers improve their job as well. Artificial Intelligence teaching software can identify areas where students are weak and focus on that area. Unlike traditional paper materials that need correction and re-print, most advanced online systems that are available in this digital era can actually generate better material. They can also offer more comprehensive testing than typical classroom curriculum.

3. Automates Basic Activities including Grading

School as well as college grading consumes a lot of time for teachers and students. However, AI is getting very close to human grading and would soon act as a relief for the community. Teachers can now choose to automate this grading process and thus save time for student interaction, class preparation as well as for career development. In the coming years, essay-grading software will be common, which allow teaching professionals to focus more on in-class activities and student interaction than grading.

4. Makes Adaptive Learning Possible

Higher levels of individualized learning via AI driven software is always a concern in kindergarten as well as graduate schools. It is expected that several adaptive learning programs, games, and software are on its way to assist students in adaptive learning. These reliable systems are designed to meet the needs of the student in their way of learning such as – greater importance on tough topics, repetition of lessons that students haven’t learned, thus helping students to work at their own speed. 

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5. Enables Support from AI Tutors

Several highly qualified AI tutors are now available 24/7 that help students to master specific subjects. Though these tutoring systems still cannot beat real-world teachers, with advancements in technology more advanced solutions will soon be a reality.

6. Helpful Feedback for Students and Educators

Along with helping teachers and students with their courses, AI systems can also provide feedback that will benefit for a successful course. Many developing schools are also using these tools to check students' progress in learning and teachers can also use them to check the areas where they should improve instructions for students.

7. A New Way to Find and Use Information

While the advanced technologies including Google or Siri provides results based on user needs and preferences, AI systems will also change the way information is searched for and found in schools and colleges. With more integrated technology in AI, future students may have vastly different experiences in doing research and looking up facts than the students of today.

8. Reduces Trial and Error in Learning

Most students do not like to be on the spotlight or even considered as a failure. This will impact their confidence as well. An intelligent AI student’s learning system is an ideal way to deal with trial and error. These technical solutions will offer students a way to experiment and learn in a relatively judgment-free environment. Also AI tutors will help them to improve a lot.

9. Makes Education something Entirely Different

The long-accepted reality behind the AI driven software in education sector is that this system has the potential to completely even the concept of education that exists today. With AI systems and software, students can –

  • Learn from anywhere in the world at any time
  • Get familiar with basic skills
  • Benefit from a wider range of services in future
Posted on by Edsys

“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” – Mark Van Doren

The transformation from traditional teaching methods such as blackboard, textbooks, etc to computer-aided presentations has been innovative. Such Innovative teaching methods have improved the learning process and strengthened governance.

Get Best Free Student Apps (Check it Now)

With the rapid rise in digital technology, there are further advanced teaching techniques available. And so, it is time to change the traditional method of teaching that has ruled classrooms for many decades. New methods are designed to improve the quality of education along with student’s involvement in the educational process.

(Don’t miss: 29 Essential Smart Classroom Tools/Websites for Every Teacher)

Technology plays a key role in effective teaching

Skilled teachers

  •  used to implement new and easy methods before they appeal to mainstream educators
  •  integrate new teaching strategies and methods into a classroo
  •  use much advanced technology to enhance or expand upon the student experience

One of the basic motives behind advanced teaching is to motivate students to actively take part in the learning process. When the level of interaction with teachers and peers increase, students gain knowledge that is practical and also, retain more information effectively from a class.

Impress Your Students With These 4 Most Innovative Teaching Methods

1. Use Educational Videos

It has been found that the use of educational videos during class has improved the engagement levels of students and thus has created a greatly enhanced learning experience. Relevant videos keep students more alert, motivated and focused on the specific topic in hand. Visual content can enhance memory knowledge and students’ ability to retain new information. This facilitates active learning. Several studies have linked the use of video during lectures with attendance, participation and retention of knowledge and information.

Must Read: 8 Innovative Ideas to Make Your Teaching Methods More Effective

2. Improved Classroom Technology

Classroom technologies that are available today range from computers, to tablets, digital cameras, video conferencing facility and GPS devices to enhance a student’s learning experience. More advanced technology may include using video games to teach math and foreign languages, Skype to communicate with other classrooms or guest speakers from anywhere around the world, or even multimedia.

However, while using these devices, make the students aware that the use of these tech tools in class is a privilege and if misused, it can be discontinued. Also during class, you should move around the classroom or use monitoring software to ensure that the students are using their devices in a useful manner. Be sure that they are focusing on their assignment.

You May Also Like:  Why Technology Cannot Replace Teachers In Future Classrooms?

3. Interactive Learning

Let them collaborate. The greater the student interaction is encouraged; the faster the boundaries of authority will be broken. You can provide a short overview of the day’s topic and give students a challenge to meet by the end of the class. The task may include answering a question or solving a problem. Let you students break into small groups to do research online, chart out ideas and discuss ways to meet the challenge. You can reviews their work uploaded on a Blackboard site. By the end of class, let each group share what they’ve learned with their peers.

4. Spaced Learning Works

Amazing results were reported when it came to spaced learning. This is a unique learning method, where highly concentrated summary of lessons or content is repeated thrice by students. There are 2 ten minute breaks in between. During these breaks, distractor activities which might include physical or other entertaining activities are performed by the students. This way of teaching encourages students to quickly switch through activities, just like ten minutes of knowledge on the English literature with a PowerPoint presentation and then having 15 minutes of football. This may lead to get better grades. It is said that the method is more effective than traditional teaching.​

Get Best Free Student Apps (Check it Now)

By incorporating digital media elements into the study materials and project, the students can learn better.(Is Smart Education the Future?) It also makes them more motivated in paying more thoughtfulness to the information presented and retain the information better.

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Teaching a number of children with different attitudes, behaviour and attention spans can be a challenging task. Bad behavior is not something a teacher should tolerate in a classroom. You cannot ignore it or it will get worse. It is crucial to teach students to manage their own behavior. Understanding the root cause of the child‘s behaviour is essential. Basic models in understanding child behaviour includes:

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4 Essential Parts of Classroom Management Strategies

• Biological, where children’s behavior will be influenced by their environment
• Behavioral, where behavior can be modified through classical or operant conditioning
• Cognitive, the approach that helps the child judge and reason effectively and have a perception of their surroundings
• Systemic that targets the individual‘s behavior within the family, friends, school, classmates and community
• Psychodynamic that focus on understanding and intervening by unravelling past conscious and unconscious experiences

Effective classroom management strategies should be implemented to run a well-disciplined classroom. Behaviour management can promote a positive and caring classroom community that encourages student learning, positive peer and teacher relationships and self-motivation.

Effective Strategies to Check Out

An effective classroom management will help to develop a quality relationship between the teacher and the students in the classroom. Certain classroom management strategies can help to change student’s attitude gradually.

1. Teach those Routines and Rules

First, create the rules and the routines that the class agree. Next step is teaching them. Explain the created rules in a clear, brief language. Students should also be taught to use those rules in different special areas such as the lunchroom, hallway, school bus, or playground. It is ideal to create routines and rules in the beginning of the school year and also shared with parents. It should also be reviewed frequently throughout the year. Most students learn routines and procedures quickly. The teacher has to periodically review the routine and reteach it.

2. Be fair, but Consistent in Class

A teacher needs to be fair with the students, but at the same time consistent. Students should know that if they do something wrong, what the consequence is going to be. They should be aware that there are consequences that follow from the way they behave. Consequences may include formal punishments. Even though punishments are last option, it is important to deal with serious misbehavior.

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 19 Smart Classroom Management Strategies for Teachers

3. Arrange Classroom Meetings

A positive classroom atmosphere can be promoted by conducting classroom meetings on a regular basis. Such meeting can encourage effective communication between the teacher and the students. This also provides an opportunity for the teacher to involve special students in all classroom activities. Certain ground rules should also be created for the meeting such as students should help each other, they should show mutual respect, and only one should speak at a time.

4. With-It-Ness

With-it-ness refers to the teacher’s ability to know what is going within the class or among students, even without watching a student or group of students. It is less likely that students will misbehave if they know their teacher notices every little thing going on in the classroom. It is essential that teachers should use their peripheral vision. This helps them to indirectly monitor what is happening in all areas of the class. Continuously scanning the room to see what is going on. Hope you remember your school age where you assume that good teachers have eyes in the back of their heads.

Social stories can also be used to teach students new social skills, routines, behavior, and transitions. Encourage students to praise each other by clapping, cheering or even doing something positive. It creates a positive and fun classroom environment. Effective classroom management strategies can also increase the engagement of all students rather than just a few paying attention and few responding to teacher’s questions.

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Learning objectives need to be clearly defined to be accurate and efficient. When creating learning objectives, there are certain criteria one needs to adhere to, in order to ensure that they are SMART Learning Objectives. SMART is an acronym in the learning and development circles. It stands for 5 different criteria that help determine the efficiency of your learning objective and let you know if they are good enough.

Must Read: 

How SMART Learning is Changing Classrooms

As per the Smart Learning Objectives method, your learning objectives should be:

Specific –  Make sure to use clear and direct language. This makes it easier to communicate to the learner and let them know what exactly he or she should learn. It must also give them a clear idea about the things he or she should be able to do once the training is successfully completed. One should not be vague, misleading, or unclear.

Measurable –  When you set learning objectives, the basic aim is to determine if it is possible for the learners to meet, perform, or satisfy it. This is possible only if the objective is measurable. So, the first thing is that it needs to be an action you could observe. Here is where you correct the common mistake of using words which signify actions that could not be observed objectively. Examples are words like “know” and “understand”. Secondly, the objective must be written in a way so that the objective observer is able to closely watch the performance of the learner and come to a consensus about the fulfilment of the objective. One thing you need to note is that the learning objective should not be one that could be satisfied only by an individual’s own subjective understanding.

Achievable –  The smart learning objective needs to be something that the learners stand a chance to complete or satisfy. Enough pre-existing knowledge, resources, and time are the pre requisites for all objectives. As an example, do not create learning objective that is defined for and elementary school kid to construct a rocket in a day. This is not achievable. While checking your objective for this criterion, keep in mind that it should not be too simple or easy too.

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Relevant –  The learning objective must be one in which the learner is able to see the value in learning. Teach something that is not important or will not be used by a specific learner. The training should matter to the learners. It must be relevant and not something they will never need at all. Otherwise, it would be simple waste of time and nothing else.

Timely and Time-bound –  The learning objective needs to be something that the learner will use in a timely fashion. It needs to be something close like next day or next week and not the next year. Second thing, you must explain if there are time constraints on the performance of the learner. There are many cases in which the learner needs to complete the objective once the training ends, for example. The last thing is that the learner may have to perform an action that is defined in the objective in the given amount of time, like say for example “change the oil in just 10 minutes.”

The SMART Learning Objectives method helps one check their own work while the objectives are being created. It helps maintain focus on the building up of a useful objective and is also like a quick checklist to determine how effective the objective is. Start using it and see the difference it could bring to the overall learning programme.