Our world is changing.

Year after year, digital technology is continuing to eclipse traditional textbooks & old-school lectures. Technology has now become integrated into nearly every part of our lives, influencing how we talk with our friends, purchase clothes, watch sports, and above all — learn.

As technology increasingly helps us understand our global environment, schools are turning to Ed-tech to help their students develop critical thinking skills, collaborate with peers, and solve problems. Technology is now a part of every students’ identity.

Six reasons your school should implement technology in the classroom

•Technology Prepares Students for Future Jobs

Technology helps students get ready for the global economy by equipping them with computer skills that will prove useful in almost any job. By taking advantage of digital resources, students will rush into the global economy with confidence and a unique skill set of tech-savvy abilities. Often we forget that outside of the classroom, students depend on mobile devices like phones and laptops to text, take pictures, and stream their favorite shows. By communicating on a digital platform, which students are already using for social uses, teachers are further helping their students prepare for the real-world environment and in turn, communicating in a way that students feel comfortable with.

•Technology Reaches Diversity in Learning Styles

Every student learns in a different way. While some students learn best by doing, others are visual learners. Ed-tech helps bridge the gap between demographic divides by providing an objective platform on which to teach. Integrating technology into the classroom encourages students from all backgrounds to be engaged in the learning process, and helps combat many learning disabilities that hinder students from achieving their highest potential.

•Technology Encourages Collaboration in the Classroom

Contrary to the myth that students will learn in isolation, or take advantage of digital products for personal use, is the reality that students are leveraging technology for school projects, which require teamwork and collaboration. Schools acting on this observation are seeing higher test/project scores, higher placement, and seeing students pay more attention in class because they look forward to working with their peers. Embedding mobile devices and other digital resources into the class can give students the best chance to interact with their classmates and optimize their social communication skills.

•Technology Engages Students

In today’s digital age, technology is a part of every student’s identity. Outside of the classroom, students use social media, the Internet, and various apps to engage with their world. In addition to increasing student collaboration, educational technology has helped students engage with the teacher and be a proactive learner. Integrating technology into everyday curricula helps students better understand the material and empowers them to actively take part in the lesson. Today’s students love technology, so they are more than likely to be interested in learning if they can utilize the tools they love. With technology, the classroom is a happier place and students are excited to learn in ways that accommodate their favorite devices.

•Technology Provides Accurate, Accessible Information

When mobile technology is available and easy to use in the classroom, students are able to access the most up-to-date information quickly and effectively. Today’s digital readings, as opposed to traditional textbooks, are always being updated with informative, helpful, and creative graphics that help students learn through real-time information. Additionally, Ed-tech helps eliminate a lot of teacher {and student} frustration with the purchasing of new materials over time. Joshua Katz, a high school math teacher in Florida, recently pointed out that many teachers find it absurd when textbook companies require specific versions of textbooks, especially when the books are nearly identical to the versions from the year before {when they were required reading then}. Ed-tech helps combat the problem of accurate information by automatically updating outdated material with current data, models, and definitions.

•Technology Empowers Students to Critically Think

Ed-tech changes the balance of learning in the classroom. It gives the students more responsibility over their education {inspiring them to make their own decisions and think for themselves} and transitions the teacher into becoming an adviser and coach. As a result, students feel impassioned to really understand the material and think abstractly about how they could apply the lessons to other classes, and even their lives.

Ed-tech is education’s future. The question about adapting new mobile devices and software applications has now become a matter of how do we do it? instead of why should we?

As we progress further into the digital millennium, it’s important to remember the words of Ignacio Estrada:
“If children don’t learn the way we teach, we must teach the way they learn.”

Forward Edge is a full-service K-12 technology service provider in Cincinnati, OH. We offer valuable assistance in Managed Technology Services, such as on-site technicians to assist in all your time-crucial and need-right-now technology needs, along with in-depth network oversight, wireless infrastructure, server management, and much more!

In addition, Forward Edge also offers help developing technology integration skills via our Curriculum and Integration department. By utilizing the ISTE Standards for Coaches, Educators and Students, certifications in Google For Education, and experience with the latest technology, we provide a wide range of services like Professional Development, 1-on-1 Coaching, On-Site Coaching, Bootcamps, Webinars and more, all which deliver big benefits to your team.

Contact Forward Edge today about the variety of services we offer! Learn more about our services via our website, by reaching us via calling (513)761-3343, or sending an email to info@forward-edge.net