Students can access learning tools that give them a deeper understanding of various topics. Whether using an app to convert text to speech for reading or virtual reality to explore ocean life, technology enables every student to learn in ways that are most effective for their learning style.
Collaborative Tools
Today, students are growing up with technology as a normal part of their lives, and many are adept at using it. They know how to use apps, websites and other digital tools to work with peers. Therefore, educators must incorporate these tools into their classrooms.
Classroom tech tools that help students collaborate will increase their engagement in the classroom and support them as they develop skills to become effective learners. One tool that supports collaboration is Newsela, a website allowing students to access current texts and sort through their ideas to make connections between different articles.
Other tools that facilitate collaboration include Parlay, a discussion platform designed to move students to a higher level of thinking by allowing them to interact with each other and their instructors. This tool also helps with communication and feedback.
For a more structured approach to collaboration, the Google Workspace suite of tools provides an integrated set of resources for students and teachers to share documents and files. It includes tools such as Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Docs, Sheets and Slides, with various security features and permissions.
Adaptive Learning Tools
Many technology tools have the potential to make learning more personalized. However, implementing adaptive learning technologies requires careful planning and execution to ensure the most positive outcomes. Adaptive learning typically occurs on an online platform that provides personalized instruction based on the student’s knowledge and understanding. It allows students to work at their own pace, bypassing concepts they have mastered and spending more time on those areas that require it.
It also helps teachers save time as students receive feedback from the system about their performance. This includes their errors and what they need to improve on. It also shares data about student progress with faculty, so they can identify which students are struggling and provide extra support.
One example is adaptive learning software that specializes in making itself a part of course lessons and curriculum. It offers various adaptive learning features, including mobile learning, gamification, video transcripts for those with hearing impairments and more. It also uses a combination of AI and pedagogical best practices to elevate levels of student comprehension.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) is a tech tool that immerses the user in a simulated environment. It enables users to interact with the surroundings and creates a realistic learner experience. The immersive nature of VR/AR increases learning engagement as it captivates the student’s attention and curiosity. Humans are fundamentally visual learners, processing information faster through images than text. This makes VR/AR a highly effective tool for STEM eLearning because it provides students and learners with a multisensory learning experience that helps to improve knowledge retention rates.
The immersive nature of VR also encourages collaboration and turns abstract concepts into tangible experiences. Students learn better through hands-on interaction with virtual objects and immersive simulations, which foster critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.
Moreover, VR/AR is a great way to teach technical lessons in a safe environment. For instance, medical students can practice surgical techniques virtually without risking real patients. AR can also help with soft skill training, like public speaking, by allowing users to practice their speech in front of a virtual audience.
Robotics
The prominence of robots in various STEM subject areas requires a thorough investigation into how they support students’ learning goals. In addition, it is essential to address the lack of research on how their design and functionality impact student engagement structures.
For example, when students are encouraged to assemble robots and make them perform different motions and tasks, their strengths start shining through. Some students are good at speaking and can verbally bring their team’s ideas to life, while others prefer to lead behind the scenes and code or do technical work to ensure that the project runs smoothly.
In this way, robots can encourage students to be creative and take responsibility for their learning. Furthermore, since prior academic achievement is related to learning engagement, identifying and analyzing the distinct engagement structures of student groups with different levels of achievement could be an important area for future study.
Content Video Games
Games are inherently motivating and can be leveraged to support learning in a fun and engaging way. Educational video games can enhance student engagement and improve retention by transforming academic content into an interesting, high-stakes game with a compelling storyline that engages students.
A computer game that allows students to take their families on an adventure by navigating the wilderness and facing obstacles such as disease, hunger, and predators. The game helped students practice problem-solving skills in a low-stakes environment and develop persistence, valuable transferable skills.
Another example of a game-based tool is role-playing games, which are great for teaching topics such as history, science, or math by allowing students to immerse themselves in the topic and experience it from a first-person perspective. In addition, a growing number of educators are using content-based video games as tools for gamification. While gaming in education is more common in K-12, using educational games in higher education is still rare. However, there is an emerging pedagogy and a growing library of games designed specifically for learning purposes in higher education.
