EdTech is the fusion of technology, tools, curricula, and material that improves teaching and learning methods and serves the overarching objective of raising/improving learning outcomes. Computers, video conferencing, and even artificial intelligence may be utilized to complement teaching and learning. AI can transform the educational landscape by improving student learning outcomes, assisting educators, and providing more individualized learning options for pupils.
Customized learning solutions, ideation, adaptive learning, special needs education, multilingual education, gamification, and immersive learning are a few ways AI may change the classroom. The introduction of ChatGPT, Google Bard, Midjourney, and Canva’s magic features is rapidly transforming our way of living. These innovations are redefining the way we work, learn, and communicate. These features can make learning more interesting, entertaining, and memorable.
Technology today forms a significant component of the modern learning experience. Integration of technology in course design helps to create a more engaging learning environment for students. Technology can help teachers to present subjects in more interactive and creative ways. Gamified learning, digital field excursions, generating digital material, reviewing, and critiquing websites, video/multimedia lectures and presentations, and many more techniques are just a few examples for integrating technology into the classroom.
However, though this integration helps most stakeholders, including administrators, instructors, students, and the larger education ecosystem, it also comes with several drawbacks as integrating educational technology into the classroom is not always simple or effective. Many instructors have challenges that keep them from locating, installing, and using technology that might improve the quality of teaching. The following are only a few of the biggest obstacles:
- Limited or inconsistent access to computers, software, and an internet connection is one of the major challenges, especially for a developing country like India. Access to personal computers, laptops, notebooks, and other related technology is limited among students. In India, just 11% of homes have access to computers. According to research, at least 55% of institutions do not have computer laboratories, and 66% of schools do not have internet access. These figures demonstrate how challenging it is to acquire access to technology and use it in the classroom to improve teaching and learning.
- The second hurdle is that most instructors are unfamiliar with or uncomfortable utilizing technology effectively. The lack of emphasis placed on teacher preparation, skill development, and continuous professional development (CPD) is an additional factor. Although NEP 2020 has tried to address this by mandating that teachers complete 50 hours (about 2 days) of CPD and other progressive requirements, it would still take a tremendous amount of work to get all teachers up to the necessary levels for effective technology integration in the classroom. The “double innovation” problem makes matters more difficult by requiring teachers to spend more time preparing for both the subject matter they will teach and the use of technology to do it.
- While AI can transform education, it also poses many risks to society. Lack of emotional
- intelligence and less interpersonal connection may occur, which may cause socialization issues among pupils. It may also weaken the critical thinking capacity of pupils. AI has a finite amount of information and pushing it over its bounds can have unintended repercussions.
Principal,
J.D.Birla Institute
Despite the difficulties, it is understood that using technology in the classroom offers many advantages. It eliminates the alleged time and space barrier between professors and students. Students can learn from an instructor even from the most remote places.
More students can communicate with the top professor in a certain subject or area across time zones and boundaries. For instructors, having access to digital simulations, models, and audio-visual aids makes it much easier to communicate even the most challenging and abstract ideas to their students.
