MY THOUGHTS ON ONLINE LEARNING AND EDTECH

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Hello ECI834!

The internet today is very much alive, and the evolution of Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 all happened in my lifetime. I was fortunate enough to witness this evolution, and it surprises me quite often to the fact that where we were and where we are now and is still evolving as we speak. Web-based platforms have allowed us to remotely replace or facilitate many interactive processes in a day to day activities. Getting an education online was the next frontier for web-based convenience, and there are many reasons why I felt this is a practical and attractive platform.

Online Learning and Education technology has done wonders in the field of education. In her ted talk video Daphne Koller a professor of computer science at Stanford University and a co-founder of Coursera explains how College education has traditionally been a privilege reserved for society’s elite, she narrates the advent of the Internet which has torn down barriers to education, allowing the world’s citizens to access higher education online for free. She explains how online classes can provide a “real class experience.” Students receive grades on homework assignments and earn a certificate upon successful completion of a course. The structure of online courses guarantees student engagement and interaction. Finally, she states how free online courses elevate education to a human right. Education for all would unleash boundless creativity for innovation and support lifelong learning.

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The article How OER Is Boosting School Performance and Equity From the Suburbs to the Arctic is another example and speaks of how Open educational resources bringing Equity in education. The article narrates a story of Kotzebue, a village in Northern Alaska, which knows the meaning of “challenge” when it comes to education. With the help of OER, school districts adapted content to meet their local needs, maximize education budgets and ensured access to resources and educational rigor. By being able to serve all student whatever their race, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, family background, or family income OER supported the goal of educational equity

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I couldn’t agree more with Dean in his recent blog post that “ if an online environment is well organized has rich content delivered in an engaging manner with assessment opportunities, how different is that from a typical traditional classroom”. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Open Education and Open educational resources, Virtual classrooms and many such technological benefits are leveling the educational playground. There was a time where one was supposed to get this education and knowledge by enrolling to the expensive educational institutions, it was reachable for only privileged class, but today the whole educational arena has changed, the concept of open education and open educational resources has revolutionized the field of education, it has replaced the traditional classroom and made education free, affordable, Flexible and accessible to all.

EdTech

The effect that EdTech has had on schools today has been quite substantial. This incorporation of technology has totally changed the way educators teach and children learn. Emerging technologies and various educational applications has changed the whole game of teaching and learning and transformed the traditional classroom setup. By adoption and integration of technology in the classroom, we are equipping our students for a fruitful life after school.  There are many advantages of using technology in the classroom and school, some of them are stated below.

Technology in the education Makes Learning More Fun and Technology in the classroom is also a great way to attract students towards interactive education. Technology encourages individual learning. Every student is different and their learning styles and pattern are different. Technology offers great prospects for making learning more effective for everyone with diverse needs. Children can learn at their own pace, review tough concepts and be confident with them by referencing. Technology can offer more opportunities for students with difficulties or special needs.

When technology is integrated into education, students will be more interested in the topics that they are learning. Technology offers several prospects to make learning more exciting and pleasant in terms of teaching the same topic in a new and exciting way. Furthermore, technology can encourage more dynamic participation in the learning process, which can be difficult to achieve through a traditional teaching environment.

With everything that been said, I also feel concerned for those students who cannot afford such technology and have lack of access at home. If our teaching practices are entirely be based on technology how can we accommodate those students who do not have access to such privileges?  How can we as educators and school deliver equal learning in a world of unequal access? There is a lot of unanswered question, and it also raises a problem are we ready for such a shift of taking education completely online and be more dependent on EdTech???

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