How Is Technology Transforming The Classroom Learning Experience?

According to a new report by the Global Industry Analysts Inc. the global e-learning market is likely to reach US$107 billion in 2015. Factors driving this growth include increased use of the internet and decreased telecommunication costs.

That is how much technology is influencing the education industry these days. Even in classrooms, the use of technology is on the rise. Another study conducted by Futuresource Consulting, revealed that the global expenditure on technology in classrooms is likely to reach US$19 billion by 2018.

Technology use in classrooms has even led to the evolution of a whole new learning experience knows as flipped learning or blended learning.

That said, here are 3 of the latest technology trends in the education industry this year:

• Flipped learning – This is a kind of a blended learning technique in which students learn content online by watching video lectures etc. usually at home and also do work in class with the teachers like discussing and solving questions etc. The basic idea is to engage the learners inside and outside the classroom and thereby provide a dynamic learning atmosphere. This makes learning more effective and fun. For this purpose, video distribution tools and streaming devices will be used widely and more cloud-based learning systems will come into use.
• Personalized learning – There is a wide variety of learning tools which can be personalized according to the needs of the learners. Various approaches like project-based learning, game-based learning etc. can be used with the learners depending on their learning styles. Moreover, with technology, teachers are now able to track the progress of their students in individual subjects or even lessons and find out the areas in which they might need help. Hence, they can further personalize their teaching.
• Online learning – The online revolution in education was brought about by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). They are free online courses offered by many leading universities across the world. They have been revolutionary in providing students around the world with free and quality education that they can finish anytime and anywhere. They offer courses on a wide range of topics like humanities, business, medicine etc. Usually they let learners take their own time in completing a course, but there are timeframes similar to traditional university courses.

With technology becoming such a huge part of the education industry, more schools have started to adopt the blended learning technique. Classroom technology has almost become inevitable for effective learning. Even mobile based learning techniques are on the rise now. Technology has basically become a necessity as far as the future of education is concerned.