For Schools Archives - Page 11 of 15

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Edsys

Attendance is an important everyday school activity. A decade ago, attendance was taken at schools by calling out everyone’s name. Now, technology has made the process easier and faster. You might be familiar with biometric systems.

RFID technology is currently the most popular and feasible technology used for School Attendance Systems, student tracking systems and parent portals.

What is an RFID Attendance System?

An RFID Attendance System makes use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags to log the attendance of individual students to database. A database would have unique profiles for individual students with details such as their address, date of birth, class, etc which can be viewed through school apps or parent portals.

Types of RFID Attendance Systems

There are two main types of RFID Attendance systems- Passive and Active according to the types of tags used.

Passive RFID

In this type, RFID readers would send radio waves to tags. The microchip in the tags power on using this signal and reflect back the signal to the reader. Thus the time of entry/exit gets registered in the database. It is due to this very reason that these are known as “Passive RFID”

These can operate in three different radio frequencies:

125 – 134 kHz – LF (Low Frequency)

13.56 MHz – HF (High Frequency)

856 MHz to 960 MHz – UHF (Ultra High Frequency)

The range of Passive RFIDs is limited as it simply reflects signals back to the reader rather than emitting signals on its own. Therefore, the range of these tags usually comes under 10 meters. However, this gives it several advantages.

Advantages

It doesn’t require a power source
Smaller in size
Easy to manufacture
Far more cheaper than Active RFID
Minimal health hazards

Being extremely affordable, it is no surprise that these are the most widely used RFID tags. Because of their simple nature, Passive RFIDs have numerous applications. Attendance at schools and offices commonly use these.

Battery Operated Passive Tags: These are similar to normal passive RFID tags. The only difference is the addition of a battery to power on the microchip. This helps to use the entire signal received from readers to be reflected back instead of using it to power on the microchip. Thus, it effectively improves the range.

Active RFID

Unlike Passive RFID systems, these use RFID tags that have their own power source and a transmitter. Active RFIDs have superior range and data capacity. Some of these tags are known to have range over 100 meters. But these increased abilities come with an increased demand for power.

These are usually powered by powerful batteries which can last for a few years. Never the less, they have to be replaced once the batteries expire. There are two types of Active tags – Transponders and Beacons

a) Transponders wake up by receiving radio signals from their readers. Once awake, they communicate with the readers as required. As they do not use their battery power to wake up, transponders have better longevity compared to Beacons.

b) Beacons are used for real-time location monitoring systems. They are powered by their own batteries and emit signals at pre-determined intervals.

Advantages

Long range
Ideal for real-time location systems
Larger memory

However, there are numerous aspects that make Active RFID tags less feasible for large scale usage. The improved technology in Active RFID tags make them costlier and the associated radiation could be hazardous to health. Also, they are usually bulky when compared to passive tags. Hence schools and offices usually prefer passive tags for attendance while active tags are used in throughout supply chains and shipping yards.

Wi-Fi: The Future of Attendance Systems

Technology is developing rapidly, and Wi-Fi seems to be a faster, more user-friendly option as far as attendance systems is concerned. With BYOD in schools and workplaces becoming a popular trend, concerned authorities would not have to invest in hardware. However, the technology is still in evolving stage.

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Edsys

Childhood is the most innocent phase of life. What they learn and experience during the phase influences their development as an individual. But what if they are robbed of their innocence at such a tender age? That may be the biggest crime ever committed. Unfortunately, a large number of children around the world are subjected to molestation on a daily basis that can lead to mental and physical trauma, the burden of which the children will have to carry for the rest of their lives.

Some facts and figures

India ranks 4th in the list of countries with highest rape crime rates and about 42.2% of the victims are minors. News related to student molestation isn't anything new and most of us choose to ignore it until it happens to someone we know.

One of the latest cases of student molestation is the abuse of a LKG student by her seniors in a school in Kerala. Even after the case was reported, the school authorities did not take any immediate action against the senior students.

This event itself proves how schools, the place which is supposed to provide knowledge and security to students, are not safe anymore. Circumstances have changed and now, almost every parent has that fear in mind until their child, especially if it is a girl child, comes back from school.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there has been an increase in crime against children in 2013, compared to the previous years. It has been reported that cases of molestation have increased by 47.7% in 2013 compared to previous years.

These statistics have been taken considering only those cases which have been reported. If we consider those unreported case as well, the numbers will definitely rise. It is a fact that in India, 1 out 2 children under the age of 10 faces sexual abuse. But, in most cases, the authorities choose to remain silent. In fact, only a few schools report abuse, an even lower number takes immediate action and only a marginal percent has student counsellors.

The symptoms

In most cases, children refuse to reveal that they have been molested, mainly out of fear. But, according to psychologists there are some symptoms that indicate that the child is stressed out that indicate that the child has been subjected to sexual abuse:

Mistrust towards adults
Avoidance of people
Sleep problems, nightmares and fear of bed
Absent mind
Refusal to go to school
Aggressive behaviour
Disorders in habit
Unusual behaviour
Extreme fear while touching Constant fear of people
Sudden silence showing no interest over things once interested Gloomy behaviour

The initiatives

There are a whole lot of things that can be done to prevent child sexual abuse and to help children out of the trauma in case they have been subjected to sexual abuse:

a) Follow sexual abuse prevention policies and ensure that the security arrangements are fully functional

b) Educate children about their bodies and what parts of their bodies, others should not touch

c) Make sex education a must in school for students of the appropriate age

d) Make a plan involving the students and thereby making them aware of where to go, what to do and how to react in case of an attempt of sexual abuse

e) Conduct seminars or similar programs to educate the parents and students about sexual abuse

f) Ensure that students can rely on you if they are subjected to any type of abuse

g) Provide self-defense training to students

h) Appoint counselors to help students deal with the trauma if they are subjected to sexual abuse in school

i) Have a background check done before appointing an employee in the school

Students are the responsibility of the school right from the time they leave from home to school until they are back to their homes in the evening. Therefore, it is important for schools to come forward and take strict actions to ensure safety of students for they are the future of our country.

Posted on March 27, 2015 by Edsys

Abu Dhabi Education Council or ADEC was introduced in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as per law no. 24 of 2005, issued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al- Nahiyan. The sole aim of the body was to develop education and educational institutions in Abu Dhabi. For this purpose the organization has implemented innovative educational policies, plans and programs throughout all private schools in Abu Dhabi.

It also gives support to educational institutions and its staffs to achieve the objective of national development in accordance to international standards. This ensures delivery of services which covers all sections of a society.

ADEC is a group of highly talented, qualified and multi-skilled people who aims to fulfill the need of educational reforms.

ADEC Vision

Public satisfaction is what decides the rise or fall of any institution and it is no different with ADEC. They have realized its importance and have ensured the very best of its services to the public. Moreover, they consider it their responsibility to ensure these services and their ability to meet the demands of the public is what makes them stand out.

They have also made it sure that their services are distinguished. ADEC firmly believes that customers don’t depend on them, but they depend on the customers and hence they are entitled to provide the best services possible.

Efforts Taken

By 2008, all private schools in Abu Dhabi were registered under ADEC for the purpose of inspection. This helped them to evaluate the quality of education across these schools.
The availability of a proper database has allowed ADEC to ensure the schools can maintain their strength and tackle their weaknesses.
Schools have found that an external intervention for evaluations have helped them to improve exponentially.
ADEC also gives opportunity for schools to evaluate themselves and make the necessary changes to improve education.
ADEC launched a Library Upgrade Project that was aimed at developing and transforming school libraries into 21^st century learning resource centers.
The movement started during 2006-2007 and has been one of most successful initiatives by ADEC.
As part of this, schools are visited and the existing facilities are accessed to better understand the extent of upgrade required.
The efforts of the organization has led to the introduction of high quality education systems that operate from a safe and attractive facilities that are appropriate for learning and at the same time environment friendly.
They also look to develop a curriculum that is relevant and tailored to meet the needs of students in Abu Dhabi.
ADEC is also responsible for ensure that the information that they have collected from their inspections be available to the public.
Introduced the idea of Parents Satisfaction Reports with the aim of giving schools an opinion from the point of parents and teachers.
Surveys are based on features like the school reputation, extracurricular activities, catering service, medical services, and administrative staff.
In 2008 ADEC embarked on a journey to build 100 new schools throughout Abu Dhabi by the year 2020.
ADEC has an EHS Section to facilitate, monitor and maintain a sustainable, healthy and safe education environments for staff, students, educators and administrators.

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Edsys

“Every child should have the opportunity to receive a quality education”- Bill Frist

Providing affordable and easily accessible education to each layer of society is crucial. When it’s about education, the quality is really important compared to any other aspect.

Studies show that the human brain develops more rapidly between birth and age 5 than during any other time in a person’s life. It is important to equip children with the very best quality of education during the initial years. It is indeed shocking to know that 250 million children are unable to read, write or count well, even those with at least four years at school. Technology has brought innovations such as smart apps for preschoolers for improving childhood education.

EYFS, the Early Years Foundation Stage is an ideal choice for parents who want their children to get quality education quite early. Education is a process and providing children with best quality education in the early years is the first stepping stone towards their successful future.

EYFS contributes to creating a better society where opportunities are equal regardless of background. Child’s physical, emotional, intellectual and social development depends on the education he/she receives. The progress of mental and physical abilities of children is at an astounding rate from birth to age of five. Children need high quality personal care as well as learning experience during this period.

Here is what high quality education for children does to the society;

Less welfare assistance needed
Fewer unemployment benefit claims
Higher income tax payments
Criminal justice system gets less burdened

Impact of high quality education

High quality education grows with the children like an investment.

Never ignore the quality of education as children who receives quality education is 18% likely to be employed, 24% more likely to own a house, 53% less likely to have multiple arrests and more likely to make higher earning.
Criminal tendency is reduced in children who receive quality education
A new study held at Norway concluded that high-quality early childhood education offers protection against the economic decline of families
There are noticeable changes between behaviour pattern of students who received quality education and the ones who did not
Children belonging to low income families had behaviour problems and the pattern was opposite when the income increased
Taking steps from an early age to improve childhood education skills could raise overall population levels of academic achievement by as much as 5%, and reduce socioeconomic inequality in education by 15%, according to international research led by the University of Adelaide
Future education is improved by better early education foundation
There are possibilities of education achievements to rise by 5%. 5% improvement in the educational outcome out of 620,000 pupils aged 15-16 in secondary education means that 13,500 students would be benefited out of this. 5% is not less.
Better education will contribute to the future employment chances of the children and it will show positive reflection on the society economically
High quality education results in personal development with better understanding of responsibilities, social development with well understanding about the social responsibilities and emotional development

Rather than a task, learning should be an experience. The diverse experiences that students acquire through education will make them thirsty for more knowledge. Successful and burden-free learning results in happier students.

Functions of EYFS include

Functions of EYFS is not limited in helping parents choose better, instead it concentrates on more.

Learning is encouraged through experience. The learning abilities of children are motivated and stimulated
Secure environment is provided to the children to learn
Visual aids are encouraged while teaching
Learning materials are organised and they are imaginatively used
Social and personal language of children are also taken in to consideration
Basic skills of children like physical coordination, speech and communication are given support
Stories, songs, games, drawing and imaginative play are used to encourage the mathematical and creative development of children
Curiosity and knowledge of children are developed
Indoor and outdoor works are planned and coordinated among teaching assistants, nursery nurses as well as volunteer helpers
Observing and recording the progress of each child
During both inside and outside activities safety of children and staff is maintained

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Edsys

Gone are the days when students used to carry heavy backpacks. During those days, teachers used to give lectures in classrooms while students sat quietly listening. Education field is undergoing an evolution where mobile devices are replacing books and lessons with apps such as smart apps for preschoolers. The mobile devices, which include smart phones, tablets, laptops etc., were once confined to our homes or offices. But now, they have found their way to class rooms. The idea is to replace the traditional learning techniques with digital learning to create a more interactive and engaging class room atmosphere that the mobile devices can offer. In fact, 52% of teachers around the world firmly believe that mobile devices can motivate students to perform better by improving their creativity, thinking and problem solving skills.

Apart from learning purposes, software have also occupied their own space in overall school management saving schools of unwanted expenses and efforts. For example, manual timetable management is quite a laborious task where errors make it tougher. There is Time table management software that makes the job easier by automatically generating timetables.

Though students were once restricted from carrying mobile devices to schools, now most schools agree that the use of such devices can bring out the potential of students to the fullest. Even parents who once were against the use of mobile devices by children are supporting the idea of integrating mobile devices in learning.

Why?

Because mobile devices can:

Prepare students for a better future

Digital literacy is the need of the hour. As an adult, you may be using technology in your everyday lives. Also, technology plays a vital role in defining career paths. Nowadays every job criterion ends with a demand of expertise in computers and latest software. In the future, the demand will get even tougher. Also, in the connected world today, mobile devices form an important part. Therefore, use of mobile devices in classrooms enable students to prepare themselves as they transition from being students to being a part of a workforce.

Keep students updated

As students, you used to refer the encyclopaedia to get more information about a topic. But, the encyclopaedia might not have been the latest version and there was no guarantee that the information you just read was out dated. Times have changed. Now, students can use mobile devices to learn more about a certain topic while knowing more about the latest updates on the topic.

Save students from carrying around stacks of textbooks

Every textbook does not carry reliable information. Also, they cannot provide students with instant and updated information like mobile devices can. Also, to carry around lots of textbooks can be a burden to the tiny shoulders. Digital textbooks can be a solution to all the problems. They give easy access to information for the students in an organized manner. Also, most digital textbooks are constantly updated, creative and less expensive than the printed textbooks.

Expand learning beyond classrooms

Traditional learning is confined to textbooks and the walls of classrooms which made students deprived of expanded knowledge on a topic. However, use of mobile devices enables students to be a part of the connected world and to expand their learning to a global level. Students can use mobile devices for doing any group work or project work or may be, they can connect with people around the world to learn more about a particular topic.

Students nowadays love technology. Therefore, introducing mobile devices in learning motivates them to learn more even after reaching home. Also, apps such as smartapps for preschoolers, digital textbooks etc. can make learning more interesting while adding to every student’s knowledge. Also, most students are always curious to know more about different topics and the mobile devices serve as the perfect platforms where they can explore and deepen their knowledge. An engaging classroom can instil interest in students, inspiring them to learn and therefore, integrating mobile devices can really transform education for a better tomorrow.

Posted on March 18, 2015 by Edsys

It is fact that smart cards are the next big thing when it comes to data storage and security. By now it has found application in numerous fields. The use of smart cards, particularly in the field of education has helped parents to address a wide range of concerns.

With smart cards parents are able to monitor what their ward spends money on. Before going into the details of how this is made possible, it is only wise to know what a smart card is.

Smart Cards

The commonly used smart cards are a range of plastic devices embedded with an IC (Integrated Circuit). The integrated circuit can either be a micro-controller or some equivalent. It has an internal memory or a memory chip for the purpose of storing data.

With the provision of an in-built memory, large amounts of data can be stored. These cards can also carry out their own on-card functions.

They are available in a variety of forms like plastic cards, key fobs, watches, SIM (Subscriber Information Module) cards in GSM mobile devices and USB based tokens.

Working of Smart Cards

Though hybrid smart cards have entered the market, contact and contactless smart cards are the most commonly used ones these days. Their operations are very closely related.

In both type of cards the information is stored in a chip embedded on the smart card. The difference between the two technologies is in how power is supplied to the card and also how data is transferred between reader and card.

As the name suggests this is done without contact in contactless smart cards. Instead, it is done by using magnetic or RFID signals. The cards are provided with antennas which when comes in the range of an electro-magnetic signal activates the card, hence supplying power and enabling data transfer.

How does it help to track expenditure?

Now it’s time to answer the all important question of how exactly smart cards help you to track the money spent. This aspect of the smart cards has been helpful for parents to track their child’s allowance. What he spends it on or how much he spends, can easily be tracked without even a moments delay.

The students can use these smart cards to make purchases on and off the campus, like books, food and to even pay his/ her school fees. As soon as the smart card is used for any of these purposes, a notification is sent to the parents on a web portal, such as Parent Portal. The purchase details will also be stored for future enquiry.

Parents can also get information on the go with the help of a mobile app. Parent app is one such app which sends notifications to the parents. Hence, the misuse of cash can be taken care of by the parents. Moreover, using such smart cards also helps students to learn proper management of money. It also avoids the situations like losing cash, had it been carried by hand.

More Benefits of Using Smart Cards

Vast student information can be stored and made readily available to the school and also the parents. It can also be used for the purpose of marking student attendance. The IC in the smart card gets activated when in the range of an electro-magnetic field, therefore registering attendance.

It is an effective method of storing data. Since it is tamper proof and provides high level of security, it can provide safety of information. Using a smart card is not a complicated task, which makes them desirable when it comes to data handling.

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Edsys

“A quality education grants us the ability to fight the war on ignorance and poverty.”- Charles B Rangel

There are numerous advantages that come with quality education. Like an investment that grows with time, quality education benefits students and the economy. What measures the quality in education – the environment of the school or the syllabus on the text? There are a number of questions to be answered. KHDA is best placed to answer those.

What is KHDA?

KHDA stands for Knowledge and Human Development Authority. The major role of KHDA is to ensure that private schools operate with the required quality standards. The performance of children is in one way or other parallel to the performance of the school. KHDA identifies the strength and weaknesses of each school and helps them to improve by better innovations.

The activities of KHDA is not limited to the inspection of school, instead there are a lot of possibilities that KHDA assures.

Assuring Quality

When it’s about education, quality is far more important than any other aspect. Schools are subjected to regular visits by the KHDA team. School inspection plays a vital role in measuring the education quality.

Check out the 5 reasons that make KHDA vital for quality education

Independent as well as accurate view of the school: Accurate factors regarding a school cannot be obtained from the school website alone. KHDA maintains transparent review about the school based on regular inspections.
Serves as a means of accountability: Schools are accountable to KHDA. The only way to impress KHDA is to maintain quality education. No private schools can escape from KHDA, the service of schools are at constant observation and evaluation.
Choose better with KHDA: Parents are often misled while choosing the best education institution for their children. A trusted source is a must for choosing better schools. KHDA is the best source to rely on when it’s about the quality of education. Transparency of information is guaranteed by KHDA.
Better innovation in education:Not only inspection but also innovation. Better innovation can raise the standard of education. KHDA comes up with new ideas that can be connected to education.
Enable the best practice at each level: The quality of education is not taken as a whole. Instead each level in education is taken in to consideration. Each level in schools requires different level of practices. KHDA delivers to each student the very best education experience.

The four point scale of KHDA

The KHDA scale consists of four scales. The level is granted to the each school depending on its quality.

Level 4 : Outstanding Quality : The best schools receives Level 4
Level 3: Good Quality : It is the expected level of quality for every schools
Level 2: Acceptable : School requires to improve
Level 1: Unsatisfactory: The quality of school is not acceptable. Measures must be taken to raise the standard of the school

KHDA is always ready to innovate and implement new ideas. Quality is placed above any other aspect. Continue reading “5 Reasons KHDA is Vital for Quality Education”

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Edsys

A modern classroom is defined by technology these days. There is constant pressure on teachers and administrators to implement technology in classes. Though there are several advantages of making use of technology in teaching, the question remains – can technology replace teachers in Future Classrooms? Well, the answer is clearly no. Though beneficial, technologies can never replace a teacher.

Free Classroom Activity Apps (Check it Now)

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

Here’s the Reason Why

No matter how advanced or smart a computer program or a product is, it can never come close to the knowledge and life experience a teacher brings. Several researches have been conducted and it has been proven time and again that teachers bring about a change which no technology can. A teacher simply does not impart knowledge or information. And teaching is definitely not about facts and figures. A teacher leads, guides, facilitates and mentors a student. They are role models who set an example to students and drive them towards a brighter future. A good teacher encourages independent thoughts and independent learning. He/she can be a positive influence, can be an inspiration to set and achieve goals. The trust and bond between a teacher and student creates the perfect learning environment; which can never be achieved through virtual learning.

Having Said that,

In today’s age the old school method of books and notes will not work. Teachers have to stay updated with today’s trends and equip themselves with the latest in technology. They have to implement these technological innovations in their curriculum, without losing their control over the classroom. For example, there are several school apps and smart apps for preschoolers available that make the process of learning and teaching really simple. The future of education is clearly going to be personalized-tech infused learning.

The generation today loves technology. To connect with students and help them understand better, a teacher will have to come out of the comfort zone and explore new ways to engage them. And, technology will certainly play an important role in achieving just that. Technology has immense potential to upgrade today’s educational system. There are several students’ apps and smart apps for preschoolers that help teachers improvise and enrich the overall teaching experience. New educational technologies will not only energize the students, but teachers as well. Which means, even in a technology-infused learning environment, the role of the teacher will remain ever-important. Yes, it will become less traditional, but important nonetheless!

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So, where do we stand in this debate of teachers versus technology? Well, the answer will have to be the middle ground of the two. While classrooms cannot function without a teacher, the fact the remains that in the near future it will be the other way around too. Facilitating learning through technology presents tremendous opportunity for both the student and the teacher to deepen their knowledge and empower themselves. The teacher will have to become a facilitator of parting trustworthy information from electronic sources to the students. Teachers versus technology is an ongoing battle.

Technology plays a supporting role, but it’s the teacher who brings it all together. Technology is certainly changing the way students learn, but it cannot be termed as a replacement for teachers. High-quality teachers create a classroom culture that motivates students and leads them on the path of success. Technology cannot inspire, help them through their struggles, help them fight back and stand up. Yes! Technology can only be a helping factor to learn, but it cannot replace the knowledge and experience that come with a teacher. So, the future of education as believed by several institutes, including Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) will not be teachers versus technology, but it will be teachers plus technology. And as long as the balance is maintained we can expect an education system that not only promotes learning, but also opens doors to creative freedom and expression.

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Edsys

Private schools have become ubiquitous in UAE for some time now. But unlike the public education sector, its counter-parts were not monitored that often. As a result the quality of education took a dip, but the number of private schools went on increasing. Likewise, school fees were also becoming a major concern as most private schools had increased their fees several folds.

The lack of knowledge about where the trouble is also made it difficult for schools to improve its quality. The necessity of a body which collects such data was becoming unavoidable.

Enter KHDA

Prior to KHDA, parents, teachers and students had no clue about the performance of schools and had to blindly join schools based on hunches. The mission for KHDA at hand was to improve the private education sector. To help with this, they appointed the Dubai School Inspection Board (DSIB) to collect data on private schools.

The data collection is done on an annual basis and these data are made available online. The data can even be obtained through mobile apps. These data can be used by schools to improve upon themselves. It also allows parents to get an idea of which school to opt for.

Stats show that within the first 5 years of its operation, KHDA has witnessed 51% increase in schools labelled as good and outstanding. Apart from identifying the weaker schools, KHDA also does its bit to help improve the condition of these schools. This approach was to help those schools that could not improve by themselves. Adding to this, events like "What Works" are also conducted to enlighten teachers on what to do in order to improve quality.

Lessons to Be Learnt

All aspects of the private schools need to be monitored and help must be given to weaker schools to improve performance.
An information collecting body needs be appointed for this purpose.
Based on the information collected, a database needs to be formed which contains the list of schools based on their performance.
All the information collected needs to be made available to parents and students easily and nowadays a website is the best way of sharing all this information.
Schools must also be able to access this information and make use of them to improve. The data collected needs to specify the areas where the schools need to improve and take actions accordingly.
Transparency of information should be made compulsory and is considered to be the hallmark of good governance. For this all the information that is collected should be made available to the public.
The information parents and schools get needs to be authentic in order to be made useful.
The fee structure for a school needs to be constructed on the basis of the quality that they are willing to provide. Hence a neutral body such as KHDA could be of great help in identifying outstanding schools.
The database needs to be updated regularly based on a periodic scrutiny of the schools.
The role played by this body should not just be confined to collecting data and making them available to the public. They must also take responsibility to improve the quality of education by improving the condition of the educational institutions.
They must also be able to suggest methods by which the schools can improve their performances.
Collaboration of schools rather than competition is what is required to help develop the education system on a whole, than just focusing on particular school.

The performance boost of private schools has been so remarkable that other countries too can take a few tips from KHDA. Especially in a country like India where a new private school is built every month, such performance analysis could be vital.

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Edsys

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”-Malcolm X

What we learn today is to be put to use tomorrow. But it’s not easy to face the competition in future just using bookish knowledge. Technology had stepped into the field of education long ago. Books have been replaced with gadgets and lessons with apps such as smartapps for preschoolers that are in the form of games or activities to instil interest in students.

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think”-Margaret Mead

Unlike traditional learning which provides limited knowledge to students that is just confined to the textbooks, technology involved learning provides a much wider platform for them to explore every subject in depth. With the blending of technology with education, students are given the opportunity to make independent choices, to think and to face challenges.

Changing trends…

Technology evolves with time and schools are supposed to be updated about the changes made and introduce students to the same.

The current trends in technology involved learning are:

SMS/texting in classroom

About a decade ago, schools had prohibited students from bringing mobile phones or any other gadgets of the sort. But now, schools use text messaging as a tool to connect with students as a part of e-learning. It involves SMS quizzes, surveys and texting of questions to students before teaching a chapter in class. Text messaging can also used to remind students to bring a study material or to do homework and to connect with a generally shy student.

Use of apps for parent-teacher communication

Before, parent-teacher communication meant the parent-teacher meetings that were held post examinations in schools. Many parents tend to miss the meeting due to their work or other reasons. For such parents, the apps for parent-teacher communication, such as the ParentApp are a blessing. ParentApp provides the opportunity to parents and teachers to interact with each other whenever they have time. Also, parents are provided with reports regarding their child’s performance in school and the latest happenings in the child’s school.

Social media in classroom

You usually use a social media network to connect with your friends and family. But some schools have come up with the idea of using social media platforms such as twitter to connect with students and to hold discussions about a particular topic.

Free online courses

You want to learn two courses or more at the same time? If it was before, you had to wait for one course to be completed before you start another. But online courses have made it easier for you to learn whatever you want. The classes will be held in the form of webinars and study material will be in the form of e-books.

3D printing

Visual learning is always more effective than theory. Students tend to learn faster and understand a subject completely using 3D printing. All you have to do is print 3d models of all complex structures and use them to teach students.

The future trends in technology involved learning will be:

Digital textbooks

The field of education is all set to undergo a tremendous change by going paperless. Students won’t be carrying around textbook but a tablet or a gadget of the sort with digitalized versions of textbooks stored in them. This move can help the schools save huge amounts of money.

Time management tools and communication software

In future, students may not have to attend school on a regular basis. They will be able to sit at home and connect with teachers via communication software to attend classes. There are various time management tools available in the market so that educators can ensure that students are completing their assigned tasks on time.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

At present, Employees in many offices rely on their own devices such as laptops, tablets etc. to work rather than using company owned systems. He “Bring Your Own device” practice has shown to increase productivity among employees and saved the companies lots of money in terms of products and computers. This trend is soon going to hit educational institutions as well.

Cloud-based apps

Cloud computing is getting popular these days and very soon, you will see it entering the world of educations. Many cloud based tools are going to be used where sharing of information will get easier.

Open textbooks

Open textbooks are gaining popularity in schools around the globe. They are digitalized textbooks in print, e-book or audio format that can be downloaded, improvised and shared by students, teachers and parents.

The trends in educational field are quick and happening. Hopefully, the upcoming trends will change the face of education sector by providing wider platforms for students by letting them think deeper about subjects and preparing to face various challenges.