What will change with EdTech?

The use of technology transforms learning and enables teachers to raise students’ abilities effectively. The key is self-independence which became the foundation of students to learn further. This transformation also redesigns the learning flow.

Various use of digital technology in education

Although the use of digital technology is advancing, learning methods differ from traditional classroom styles to individual learning and collaborative learning. It is necessary to think about what kind of learning will be designed while utilizing technology and to select the most suitable tool according to the purpose. Another perspective is the difference between synchronous type and asynchronous type. The synchronous type includes group learning using an online conferencing system. While everyone shares the same space and has a sense of unity, it can be burdensome for both teachers and students when conducting for a long time. On the other hand, the asynchronous type has digital drills that can be studied individually, and students can learn at their own pace. To leverage digital tools to enhance students’ learning, it is important to understand each characteristic and create the best mix.

Nurturing self-independence with personalized learning

One of the key transformations by using digital technology is a shift from group learning to individual learning. Individual learning is effective to nurture self-independence because the agency shifts to students. By building on their own successes in learning and completing assignments on their own, students can develop independence, which in turn allows them to learn more and further improve their academic skills.

To raise self-independence, the personalization of learning is key. To learn independently, students need to learn the content that matches their abilities, otherwise, students would give up learning. The use of technology enables teachers to assign different learning paths depending on each student’s level of acquisition and learning speed, and also changes the level of learning contents adaptive to the level of each student. By learning the right level of content at the right pace, students can accumulate learning step by step and proceed with learning by themselves. Also, if students do not achieve a certain level of acquisition, they can repeat as many times as they need to solidify their basic skills.

Leaning flow to develop academic ability with independent learning
Understanding, Mastering, Utilizing

Besides the shift to individual learning and nurturing independence, it is important to design the learning flow to acquire academic ability, and ensure the learning plan includes all elements in the flow. Digital technology can also enhance each process.

Understand

Have a clear and systematic understanding of fundamental concepts.

E-learning can use various approaches such as video, animation, and audio sounds so that students can be attracted and comprehend deeply even about the new concepts.

Master

Practice what students learn by using drills.

Solving questions by students themselves is important to ensure each student’s acquisition of abilities. Digital drills usually have more questions than paper-based to enable them to practice more, and automatically mark answers to decrease the workloads of teachers.

Utilize

Conducting the test to ensure whether students apply what they learned.

E-learning materials can support teachers to create, conduct, and mark tests.

Making learning fun with gamification to raise motivation

Motivating students for learning is one of the challenges that many teachers face while it is the foundation of learning. There, EdTech can turn the learning into game-like to make the learning fun. “Gamification” means the application of elements of the game in various contexts. Examples include collecting points and badges, competitions through ranking systems, and the use of avatars. With such elements, students can engage with learning as if they enjoy the game and are motivated to learn further. This approach is effective especially for those who hesitate to learn by themselves. In this way, EdTech can contribute to making learning more fun and raising motivation.

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Importance of “Education Continuity Plan”

Experiencing the long term of school closure by the pandemic, it becomes more important to take the necessary preparation to continue to provide education to students. This can be used for any other emergencies such as natural disasters and terrorism. This necessary preparation is named “Education Continuity Plan”. For the “Education Continuity Plan”, the key is how to prepare for home-based learning. This requires the preparation among all stakeholders, students, parents, teachers, and schools, from the ordinary situation. To continue learning smoothly, developing digital literacy and independent learning during normal days is also important. In response to the pandemic, schools that already have introduced e-learning before the pandemic shifted smoothly to home learning, and students could continue to learn.