Emerging Issues in Technology: Digital Education
Introduction
We have entered an era in which students are exposed to digital technology. Digital technology is significantly changing learning and teaching (Perrotta, 2013). Until recently, traditional education is still practised in some schools whereby students attend classes in person. Traditional education benefits students with little or no technological knowhow and access. With the rise in technology, traditional education is fading and getting replaced by digital learning. Nearly all educational institutions are evolving as education technology continues to grow. Digital education revolutionises the way students learning are facilitated (Arkorful & Abaidoo, 2015). Perhaps, no sector holds more potential for change than education as far as technology is concerned. The aim of this essay is to explain the effectiveness of digital education as opposed to traditional educational methods of acquiring knowledge as portrayed by educators and learners in the academic environment.
Digital Education and Traditional Education
Learning and teaching in traditional schools, from kindergarten to universities fundamentally benefit from digital technology that establishes advanced pedagogical methods and enables easy access to diverse quantities of educational content (Buckingham, 2013). Instances of transformations that capitalise these potentials are planned online network, PowerPoint presentations, and extension of classroom dialogue through class blogs which allow teachers to offer high quality education and advice to the learners. Research has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that digital education provides excellent opportunities to students whose rich educational content exceeds traditional classroom norms and enhances their ability to progress both academically and professionally.
Digital and visual learning is the most popular mode of study all over the world’s higher institutions of learning. Digital education involves e-learning programs in which teachers transfer knowledge and skills to students using computers and internet-enabled devices. The most useful e-learning applications in academics include computer-based learning and web-based learning that involve extensive digital collaboration (Arkorful & Abaidoo, 2015). Teachers deliver their content to students through the internet, website, intranet, videotapes, and extranet. Digital education equips students and lecturers with developed methods of gaining and transferring knowledge. Visual learning has also been enhanced through the introduction of digital literacy. Study content and texts are shared using colourful images and pictures, and this greatly helps the deaf understand the content by viewing the images.
Also, digital education has introduced a significant change through which students gain knowledge, competence, and useful skills for their future professions in this increasingly competitive and digital world. Online learning equips students with appropriate digital research skills. Access to the internet has been the primary contributor to success in digital education. Students cope with massive amounts of information that require searching, categorising, refining, and understanding as per the course context (Buckingham, 2013). Through digital education, students get access to digital content shared by their moderators over their smartphones, laptops, desktops, and iPads. Unlike traditional education, technology acts as the tool; and not the instruction in which academic content and information are delivered to learners.
Unlike traditional learning, digital education creates flexibility of learning under which the pace and mode of learning are altered and heightened. The advancing utilisation of blended learning provision, online, and distance learning courses is giving students choices of integrating their education with other life aspects such as jobs. Digital education facilitates smooth transfer of information and course materials such as test scores, homework, and study materials from lecturers to students (Perrotta, 2013). Students are always updated with new information and contents added by instructors through their online portals.
Additionally, digital educations enable learners to exercise control over time, place, and career path. Unlike in the traditional mode of education, digital learning is unrestricted to the school day. The internet of things and innovation of smartphones and iPads together with internet access gives students the advantage of learning any time. In traditional learning, education was restricted within a classroom setting an aspect which education technology has changed. The access to internet devices has made it possible for students to learn from anywhere even outside the classroom walls (Perrotta, 2013). Also, digital education provided adaptive software that enables students to learn in their style made unique by technology.
Summary of Opposing Views
In contrast to digital education, some people still consider traditional education more effective model of learning and teaching. The opponents of digital education argue that teaching and learning are open to all and that diversity of social interactions is more encouraged in traditional learning when compared to digital learning (Al‐Qahtani & Higgins, 2013). They argue that traditional learning enhances diversity in teaching within a classroom setting whereby students freely question educators any concerns and get a first-hand response. Further, the argument that traditional education settings allow students to know each other in an easy manner is also brought to consideration by the proponents of traditional learning. They also argue that students who value campus experience are better suited to join traditional campuses since it offers a more diverse atmosphere as opposed to e-learning experiences. Further, they argue that the use of internet in digital education exposes students to risks of immoral and unethical behaviours (Al‐Qahtani & Higgins, 2013).
Response to Opposing Views
However, traditional education has many weaknesses when compared to strengths of digital education. Unlike traditional model of learning, digital education enhances student versus teachers’ interaction through an online portal especially when they are outside the classrooms. Online lessons enable students to interact and consult with their colleagues anytime from any place and get a prompt response as desired (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2016). Recently, the number of students per class has been increasing to a capacity that lecturers cannot interact freely with learners in the class. Digital learning comes to rescue this menace by creating an online platform through which students educators interact with learners and respond to their questions freely over the online portals.
Unlike traditional education, digital technology provides educators with of in-class techniques. Traditional education allows teachers to use the board when teaching students leaving no room for clear demonstrations of their content. However, digital education allows moderators utilize in-class technologies, online materials, and learners’ smartphones to demonstrate the content they are teaching and this greatly cultivates students’ level of understanding the lessons (Perrotta, 2013). Such demonstrations are done through PowerPoint presentations making it more flexible for educators to pass their content more practically.
Although traditional education offers lecturers and learning materials to students, this is not sufficient learning environment for all students. Digital learning provides more tailored learning experiences to students that is impossible in a classroom setting (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2016). Online learning facilitates distance learning in which students take classes as they work on a full-time basis. For example, MBA and MSc faculty students benefit by learning from first-rate online tutorials irrespective of their location; this is possible across the globe. To this extend, education technologies allows learning to take place in distant. In this regard, digital technology removes any barriers to accessing learning environments.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
There has been a significant shift to digital learning from our traditional forms of education. While change is inevitable, education technology changes have made educational institutions transform and shift from traditional to digital means of education. Digital education facilitates e-learning, visual learning, and distance learning to students. Although some people still prefer traditional education, digital education is incredibly the best approach to adopt. Digital education increases students’ ability to study as they maintain their personal and professional lifestyles. Therefore, all educational institutions should adopt digital learning given its numerous benefits to both learning and teaching exercises; which form the core agenda of every academic institution.
References
- Al‐Qahtani, A. A., & Higgins, S. E. (2013). Effects of traditional, blended and e‐learning on students’ achievement in higher education. Journal of computer assisted learning, 29(3), 220-234.
- Arkorful, V., & Abaidoo, N. (2015). The role of e-learning, advantages and disadvantages of its adoption in higher education. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 12(1), 29-42.
- Buckingham, D. (2013). Beyond technology: Children’s learning in the age of digital culture. John Wiley & Sons.
- Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2016). Higher education and the digital revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, social media, and the Cookie Monster. Business Horizons, 59(4), 441-450.
- Perrotta, C. (2013). Do school‐level factors influence the educational benefits of digital technology? A critical analysis of teachers’ perceptions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(2), 314-327.