EdTech refers to the introduction of information and communication technology into the classroom to create a holistic learning experience. At Hexacta, we collaborate with industry experts to provide innovative tech solutions to EdTech platforms.
Technology has changed and influenced every aspect of our lives, from the way we communicate to the way we work, play, or shop online. It is only natural that the advancements in digital technology are also creating game-changing opportunities in the world of education. The term ‘EdTech’ is derived from a combination of the words’ education’ and ‘technology’ and refers to the practice of introducing information and communication technology tools into the classroom to create a learning experience that is inclusive and individualized.
EdTech or e-learning involves the application of hardware and software designed to enhance teacher-led learning in classrooms and improve students’ education outcomes. According to The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), educational technology can be defined as follows:
“The study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources”
It went ahead and denoted instructional technology as “the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning.”
In classroom learning, EdTech comprises interactive projection screens, whiteboards, digital note-taking tablets, and student response systems. EdTech is opening up new possibilities for teachers, enabling them to enrich and stimulate young minds. It has simplified the lives of both students and teachers and offers immense benefits due to its cost-effective and time-saving nature.
How Is EdTech Changing Classrooms?
EdTech is revolutionizing the traditional classroom by integrating technology into routine learning activities. It helps teachers, students, and management to redesign the teaching environment and enhance the learning experience. Because of EdTech, learning has now become a 24*7 process where students have access to learning materials round the clock. The courses, certifications, and learning modules made possible by EdTech are drastically different from traditional methods. Educational institutions have streamlined classrooms with the assistance of technology, making them more inclusive and student-friendly.
EdTech has made inclusive learning feasible by bridging the communication gap between teachers and students. In an age where students are immersed in technology, the evolved classroom has become an extension of the students’ daily lives. Learning with the help of familiar devices adds a new dimension to the teaching-learning process and ensures a better understanding of concepts among students.
The Benefits of EdTech
Technology has changed many significant aspects of learning. With innovations like real-time data and student behavior analysis, the roles between students, teachers, and parents have been transformed. As EdTech leads to better student engagement, teachers can devise new opportunities to support each student and adopt flexible teaching styles. Parents can get more involved in their children’s education because of EdTech tools, thus making learning a holistic and connecting experience. Technology allows for better collaboration by bridging the gap between teacher and student and provides them with a way to communicate and interact. It boosts creativity and generates a comprehensive learning environment. Here is a list of advantages of educational technology as seen by students and teachers.
Benefits for Students
Self-paced and Personalized learning
One of EdTech’s greatest benefits is its capacity to provide personalized learning at a speed that is convenient for every single student. Teachers have the option to record video lectures that the students can access as per their suitability. The students, on the other hand, can pause and reflect on the lesson being taught and listen to a lecture multiple times before moving ahead. This ensures that they can fully understand the concepts being taught.
Increased Student Collaboration And Engagement
The technical tools at our disposal today make it simpler to complete group projects and assignments. From online presentation makers and study groups to text processors and spreadsheets, EdTech fosters collaboration and encourages constructive conversations. Online study tools and apps offer a unique setting and a focused environment where students can engage in group activities from home and stay connected with their team via the internet. As learning becomes exciting and interactive, it leads to an increased attention span resulting in better engagement.
It Makes Learning Enjoyable
Today’s students are tech-savvy and are inclined to spend a good chunk of their time online. This interest can be harnessed into something purposeful, like making online learning an enjoyable experience. The inclusion of technology like digital whiteboards, tablets, laptops, projectors, and video conferencing technologies turns the classroom into an exciting place and boosts students’ interest. There are many educational games and apps that have the potential to get students inspirited about studying by turning the learning process into an exciting and interactive game.
Benefits for Teachers
Enhanced Teaching Practices
Technology has enhanced teaching practices by improving their instructional value and making them more efficient for teachers and students. It has made implementing and maintaining challenging educational practices possible.
As a result of advancements in educational technology, lecturers now have the option of incorporating multimedia elements such as audio and video as well as visual aids and student-centered activities into their lessons. This makes learning fun for students and enables teachers to go ahead with the lessons without the worry of students getting distracted.
Saves Time and Resources
With the help of EdTech tools, teachers can develop lesson plans effectively and directly into their online courses, thus reducing the time spent on preparing lesson plans each day. Grading and data collection become more efficient and quicker as online tests can often be graded and recorded automatically via online teaching platforms. Educators can also access free teaching materials online and go paper-free.
Encourages Blended Learning
EdTech supports blended learning options by providing the opportunity to produce online videos in place of lectures so that students can learn the basic material for each unit independently and at their own pace. As a result of methods such as flipped classrooms, teachers can spend more of their class time interacting with students and working on problem-solving skills.
Hexacta’s Contribution to the EdTech Sector
By working alongside industry experts with leading-edge engineering practices and infrastructure services, Hexacta aims to curate a wholesome educational experience. Technology can never replace great teachers, but we at Hexacta firmly believe that technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational. We also understand that the EdTech landscape is constantly changing and evolving, and for this very reason, Hexacta aims to provide consulting and developmental services for the different efforts of consolidation and expansion of EdTech platforms.
Like all infrastructure, EdTech needs a strong, well-thought-out strategy to intelligently harness the transformational power of technology for inclusive learning. And good access to high-quality resources is a key element of any sound digital strategy. We have strategies in place to support the creation of platforms that improve students’ abilities, particularly those that are crucial for success in life and the workplace, such as creativity, teamwork, and critical thinking.
Our work as technology partners has served as a great contribution to a variety of cutting-edge EdTech solutions. Together with our clients, we operate on different business goals in a decentralized but synchronized way to bring about an innovative and agile work process. With the adoption of leading-edge engineering practices such as test automation, continuous delivery, and feature flags, we understand the EdTech framework and provide infrastructure services, including monitoring security, containerization, and automation, to enable innovative EdTech projects to attain their maximum potential.
The Pandemic’s Effect On EdTech … And Where We Come In!
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted education all across the globe, affecting over 1.6 billion students. Many countries implemented remote learning as a remedial measure. The responses to handling online education evolved along with the pandemic, with school closures on a global scale having accelerated the use of education technologies.
EdTech has played a pivotal role in ensuring continued learning despite schools being under lockdown, thus opening new opportunities for delivering education on a large scale. Covid-19 forced the world to stay home and showed us the importance of online education in teaching and learning. The pandemic accelerated the need for technologies that enable personalized learning outside the traditional classroom. Since then, conventional, in-person education has been jeopardized, with almost every institution having to rely on EdTech platforms to provide continuity to the educational process. As a result, these platforms experienced a vertiginous increase in demand and usage.
At Hexacta, we recognize and enhance the ability of EdTech platforms to make blended learning possible. Our strategy to meet such a challenge involves improvements by Hexacta’s engineering teams, fixing new issues arising from the massive increment in use, as well as responding to new requirements to support fully remote education. With active monitoring and focus, new features, and integration methods, our engineering team is proactive in handling the challenges of rapidly increasing usage.
The Covid-19 pandemic has radically changed the concept of ‘classroom education.’ With the integration of advanced EdTech, classrooms of the future will evolve further. According to experts in the learning and education sector, educational technology is only set to grow. Researchers maintain that over the next decade, businesses will leverage technology to create personalized learning experiences for students. EdTech aims to make education accessible to everyone, and a robust digital education framework will be a crucial part of the future. With its enormous potential and far-reaching effects, the expanding EdTech sector will be crucial in ensuring that students acquire the knowledge and abilities required to succeed in the digital age.
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