The Role of Technology in Education 

While previous generations grew up with outdoor baseball games, barbeques, and disco balls, today’s generation is growing up with technology. From the moment that children are born, they are surrounded by machines, and even when they leave the hospital, their homes are full of screens, tablets, and smartphones. Technology is a part of our children’s lives that is here to stay. 

We, as a society, have recently learned that technology can also be included in the educational system. In particular, California charter schools have included technology as a major element of the charter school educational system. Today, we will discuss the role of technology in education. As you’ll soon see, technology in education is much more useful than you might think. 

Technology Makes Learning Engaging and Exciting 

As mentioned, technology is something that today’s children are familiar with and comfortable with. Going into a school setting that only uses physical textbooks and chalkboards for teaching can be quite the culture shock for tech-savvy children. When we introduce technology into the educational setting, learning becomes more exciting and engaging for all students. Students no longer dread a boring two-hour lecture during which they watch a teacher write on a chalkboard. Instead, they are excited to learn through educational videos and online activities. Technology allows children to be more engaged in learning instead of sitting back and aimlessly watching. 

Technology Opens Doors for Enhanced Learning Opportunities 

There are so many more ways to learn than reading a textbook or listening to a teacher. The inclusion of technology in the educational system allows for educational content to be learned through games, which are a powerful learning method. Through gamification, students are excited to learn content, and some types of games allow students to demonstrate innovation and critical thinking skills, which would not be demonstrated if children were just reading a textbook. 

VR, or virtual reality, is another learning opportunity that has recently become feasible for California charter schools. Through VR, students can gain a completely immersive learning experience. This can be especially helpful for topics like history. VR allows students to feel like they are in that particular setting and learn through observing and interacting with their surroundings. Gamification and VR are two of many enhanced learning opportunities that technology provides. 

Technology in Schools Increases Digital Literacy 

With technology use becoming more prevalent in schools and the professional world, digital literacy is a must-have for most professional careers today. When children are familiar with using technology for school, they have higher digital literacy than students who do not use technology for school. This puts them far above the competition that did not use technology for school. It’s one thing to know how to use technology for video games and social media, but it is a separate skill to know how to use technology academically and professionally. The digital literacy your child will acquire from using technology for school will benefit them for the rest of their lives. 

Technology Allows Students to Learn at Their Own Pace

Sometimes the pace at which schools teach material can be too fast for your child, causing them to struggle to keep up with the material. Other times, it might be too slow, and they might be bored in class because they feel like they already know the content. Neither of these cases is good, but it can be challenging to formulate classrooms so that each student gets taught at the pace that best suits them. This is where technology comes in; with technology in the educational system, students can learn at their own pace, whether faster or slower. This is just one of the reasons why California charter schools are growing in popularity. Students of these schools excel because they have the freedom to learn at their own pace. When students are pushed too quickly or held back, they become frustrated or bored, but learning at a suitable pace encourages them to learn, study, retain content better, and encourage critical thinking. 

Technology Digitizes Student Progress

Tracking student progress has never been simpler than it is today, thanks to technology. When students’ grades and progress are digitized, it becomes easier to notice patterns in their learning and see what is holding them back or helping them excel. This personalized student view allows teachers to better cater to the students based on the progress they see. Technology helps make student progress easy to track and manage, allowing teachers to make informed decisions about their students. 

We hope this article helped show you the critical role of technology in education. With the help of technology, the California charter school system and other charter schools adopting a technology-friendly learning environment are seeing students thrive in academics and other extracurricular activities. Technology will only become a more integral part of the educational system, and we are excited to see how it will continually benefit our children.