Bean bags, office chairs and bunk beds may be slowly taking over the traditional classroom desks thanks to virtual learning. However, the need for a public school system will be around for many years to come for those students who are not able to take advantage of online schools or whose district has not embraced the idea yet.
Regardless of where or how you or your child attends classes, however, one thing is certain. Technology is playing an increasingly important role in the modern classroom experience.
With so much emphasis being put on new and improved ways of doing things, and the technology that makes those advances possible, it has become more important than ever for schools to offer adequate opportunities for learning that technology.
Going Beyond Smartboards
Smartboards have been a huge rage in the education world in recent years. Many schools have added smartboards to their classrooms or have replaced whiteboards altogether with the new technology.
These ingenious tools allow students to receive a richer learning experience than was possible with chalkboards, whiteboards and overhead projectors combined. But technology in the schools doesn’t stop with the implementation of new gadgets — it must go far beyond that.
Many school systems are beginning to rely more and more heavily on students using technology at home to complement or complete in-class assignments. V-Math Live, for example, is a website designed for grade school students to sharpen and perfect their math skill, whether by completing modules or playing fun games against students in the same grade level from all across the nation.
And that’s just the beginning.
Technology for Teachers
There are literally hundreds of educational websites schools and students can use to enhance the learning experience. But what of the teachers who work so hard to mold and shape the minds of our next generations? C
lass management, grade management and lesson plan organizing solutions are getting a facelift too. A new solution known as Learning Management Systems, or LMS, is beginning to infiltrate public school systems, and it’s about time.
LMS are something like a social networking platform, but with a focus on education. They allow students, teachers, administrators and parents to all have access to what’s going on at school, from projects and assignments to grades and behavioral information. These systems even allow children to form virtual study groups, or simply reach out to their peers for help and support with a particular subject.
If handled correctly, LMS could become the Facebook of the academic world.
What Parents Can Do
With the vast use of technology in everyday life, it’s hard to imagine a child who is not at least a little familiar with how technology works. However, giving your children the opportunity to explore and learn about online technology may be the single most important thing that parents can do in the near future to help their children succeed academically.
Today, knowing how to navigate proficiently online is as important to a student’s learning as understanding the basic concepts of math or reading. Give your children plenty of support and room to grow as a new phase of education blossoms in the technological age.
