Example Essay: The Changing Learning Experience

The Changing Learning Experience

“Education is evolving due to the impact of the Internet. We cannot teach our students in the same manner in which we were taught. Change is necessary to engage students not in the curriculum we are responsible for teaching, but in school. Period.” – April Chamberlain. As technology impacts the world and the way it operates, society and the people within must learn to adapt and leave the safety of their pre-established paradigms in order to take full of advantage of the innovation occurring around them. Breakthroughs in medical research and technological advances have had significant impact on today's society, especially the new generation. The way this generation is growing and acclimating differentiates greatly from that of their parents and grandparents. Learning does not just involve sitting in a classroom, but now incorporates the use of outside factors including other people, sources, and most importantly, technological modernization. Social Media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr have all had a major impact on the communication within society and its people. When correctly taken advantage of, they allow a more personal interaction that goes beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom experience. It allows students and teachers to communicate and share experiences that brings along a sense of familiarity that engages and enhances the classroom learning environment. When you can connect with the teacher and student and get to know them on a more personal and relatable level, views and opinions can be brought into the classroom that otherwise would not have existed. This will open students' minds and indulge in their curiosity and their natural instinct to want to learn more. Teachers can take advantage of these social networks by using them to remind students of upcoming tests, assignments, or group projects. They can also be used as a means of communication between their peers and the rest of the classroom. This mostly applies to an extension of social networking which includes blogs, emails, and websites. School districts such as the _______ Public Schools district utilize online blogs for every teacher and school that enable the teachers to keep the students as well as parents informed of classroom activities. It updates them on current objectives and keeps them up to date. Computers have arguably played the largest role in affecting the learning experience of students and teachers. In elementary school, time is allotted for students to learn and experience the workings of educational software on a computer such as Microsoft's Word Document and PowerPoint. In middle and high school, computers are being used by students to actually complete given assignments that are graded. They are expected to have basic knowledge on how to work the computer and to be able to correctly format the given assignment. They have opened up a new realm of knowledge that doesn't pile on top of one another physically and take up space. And searching through this file takes only a matter of seconds. One major advance in computing technology is the Promethean Board. It has a direct effect on the learning experience. No more of the need to use the chalk board and white board or the use of the old school projector. It allows teachers and students to write on the board through a digital pen without the hassle of erase marks and other inconveniences. It also allows the displaying of information and video by online means. Another invention has even further changed the way we find information is the tablet computer. Computers have taken a infinite amount of information and organized it into a digital space. Well, the tablet computer industry opened up a whole new outlook. It has taken these computers and dramatically reduced their size. It allows them to be portable, lightweight, and small enough for the average hands. They are used to input and analyze class thoughts and decisions into one place. With a push of a button, a student can input his vote and voice his or her opinions on the matter being conducted. It enables the capabilities of computers to be fit into the smaller classrooms of modern educational buildings without a specialized room. Building even further onto this idea, special needs students who are incapable of writing are being taught to carry these portable devices and to convey their thoughts through various apps. Rather than putting their ideas on paper they instead type them and save them in a digital cloud. An advance that isn't necessarily a physical technology but rather a branch of an already existing one includes online learning. This massive movement forward has dramatically changed the way people learn. Now those who cannot attend school physically are still able to acquire and access an education or knowledge in that specific subject through the internet and online assignments and assessments. This technology has even gone as far as being able to see the teacher live or through a pre-recorded session as she/he teaches the class. The learning experience of students and teachers alike has been affected by technological advances in society. Many of these have taken form from previous generations. It has evolved and "learned" to mold itself to fit the requirements and conditions of modern day society. Through innovations such as computers, texting, social sites, and even digital boards, it has greatly affected today's learning habits and ideas.