Thirty or forty years ago, the internet was a dream for some forward-thinking individuals. Today, it plays a major role in the daily lives of people around the globe, and it’s difficult to imagine life without it.
One area that has seen major growth over the last several years is digital education. It was once hard to imagine learning solely online, but the rate at which digital education is growing means that it’s an option for almost everyone nowadays.
So what is digital education? And what are the benefits of digital education? Read on to find out the answers to these questions and more!
Digital Learning: What Is It?
So, what is digital learning – and what are the advantages of digital education?
Digital learning or education is simply a way to learn that employs new methods and technologies to present information. It’s a rapidly growing area of education, and while face-to-face learning may never be totally usurped by this method, its growing popularity means that it’s important for parents to understand what it is and what advantages it has for you and your family.
Some of the advantages of digital education include:
- Personalized learning – The way that digital education is set up allows for teachers to cater their curriculum and plans to individual students. Adjustments can be made to the trajectory of the learning based on how well the student is progressing. With digital education, the teacher can format their class based on individual needs, and it’s easier to provide feedback to individual students along the way.
- Access to a lot of information – Technology allows students to have an abundance of information at their fingertips. You can search on Google and get tens of thousands of results in a few seconds. Digital education harnesses this wealth of information for students and helps them to use it more effectively. It also provides opportunity for teachers to show students how to be objective when searching for information online – because, as we’re all aware, you have to be selective about your sources on the internet!
- Lessons engage students – In a traditional classroom, students listen to the teacher, take notes, and fill out worksheets. It’s a model everyone is used to – but it doesn’t always work for all students. In digital education there is a wide variety of methods that can be used for learning, such as video content, audio content, and imagery, which can be used in lessons to help deepen the student’s understanding of the material. Sometimes software such as games is also used to help reinforce topics, which can make digital education more engaging and fun for a lot of students.
- Builds accountability – Students may feel more ownership of their education when learning digitally. For example, if they have a question they want answered, they will understand how to search online for the answer themselves, instead of simply asking the teacher. This involves them in the process and helps to give them more satisfaction in the learning process, as they’re more fully engaged.
- Flexibility in learning – Today’s ever-changing world requires us all to be a bit more flexible – and learning how to be flexible in education is a great way to start down that path. When it comes to digital education, using different types of software and programs tailored to the student is also a flexible feature that can help students get the most from their education.
- Timing – Many different digital education platforms have an option for recorded lessons, which is something many students love. Not only does it allow them to go over something they may have missed, it also allows them to repeat parts of lessons until they have a proper grasp of them.
- Resources available any time – When it comes to digital education, the resources students need are available to them any time of the day or night, not just during school hours. This means that if a student is more productive in the evening, they’ll have access to the same resources as a student who is more productive first thing in the morning.
All of these things add up to answer the question: why is digital learning important? It’s important because it allows students to learn effectively and at their own pace – often in ways that traditional education doesn’t enable.
Advantages Of Digital Resources
Digital education is centered around one very important thing: digital resources. This has a lot of advantages for students, including:
- Improvement of technology skills
- Increase in motivation to use technology they may not be familiar with
- Understanding of how to use technology to their advantage in learning
- Helping students keep up in school if there’s inclement weather or they’re home sick
- Practicing reading and typing online helps prepare students for online standardized tests that may be important later, such as SATs or ACTs
- Time-saving – teachers don’t have to prepare and pass out physical resources; they’re all available for students online
- Better for the environment – uses less paper
Digital resources are the future, and it’s an area that’s only going to grow. Students who learn to harness these resources now have a big advantage over students who don’t.
Is Digital Education Better For Students?
So, is digital education better than traditional education? As with most things, it isn’t one-size-fits-all – digital education is a better option for some students than others. Some students thrive in traditional classrooms while others don’t, and it’s important to recognize that the more options we have for students, the bigger benefit to everyone in the long run.
Featured image by John Schnobrich on Unsplash