Technology can enhance education by expanding teacher access to training and deepening students’ engagement outside the classroom
There has been a lot of focus recently on online learning and how it will impact the future of education.
As technology takes a more prominent role in the classroom, there are some tenets of online and virtualized learning that can benefit our educational system today – including advancing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula to help encourage more students to explore these fields.
Based on our experience, here are three ways online learning can benefit the traditional classroom:
1. Online-based courses can help increase teacher training flexibility
Technology is constantly evolving, and educators must keep up to ensure their course content is relevant for students and prepares them for life outside the classroom. Since it’s not always possible for teachers to attend training courses, online distance learning and virtualized classrooms can provide teachers with the resources they need to bring the best information into the classroom.
2. Online educational tools and self-study can complement the classroom experience.
Online activities and supplementary materials can deepen student learning when school isn’t in session as well as enable extra-curricular skills practice that’s more engaging than traditional homework assignments. For example, we’ve observed that online activities are extremely well suited for extra practice and advanced study in computer science. As digital natives make their way through school, their ability and desire to incorporate online activities across disciplines will only increase.
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