Teachers in the pre-technological era didn’t have many tools to enhance their teaching process. They depended mostly on the blackboard and chalk. Teachers -being the primary source of information- stood at the center of the room, delivering lectures while students passively received them. 

However, in the technological era, classrooms transformed from teacher-centered to student-centered ones.  A student-centered classroom means that the learning responsibility lies with the student; the intention is to allow the students to come out of their shells and help them become independent learners. 

After teachers had many technological tools at their disposal, the learning process now could be fun and informational for the students by engaging them and giving them a sense of autonomy.

Technology hasn’t only changed the way teachers deliver their lessons and how students learn; it has also resulted in easier access to information, easier retention, more storage of information, and better presentation of information. Teaching became more interactive, knowledge became easier to share, and students became more interested in learning. It also has challnged space and time limitations.

Technology Used In The Classroom

When we talk about technology in education, we mean all types of technology that are used to enhance the learning experience. Here are a few most used technology tools in education:

• Electronic Whiteboards
• Desktops and Laptops
• Projectors
• Virtual Field Trips

The role of technology in the field of education is four-fold: it is included as a part of the curriculum, as an instructional delivery system, as a means of aiding instructions, and also as a tool to enhance the entire learning process. Thanks to technology; education has gone from passive and reactive to interactive and aggressive. 

Easy Access to Information

The internet search engines are a source of immense information. They are now used as an effective tool for searching information. All this is made possible in just one or two clicks. Both teachers and students benefit from this.

Wikipedia is the ideal example, around ten years ago, it didn’t even exist. Now, it is by far the world’s largest online encyclopedia. It has around 2.5 million entries: instantly available, free, and on the Web. All are contributed for free by more than 75,000 volunteers. Wikipedia provides an excellent platform for cooperative sharing.

There are also online forums where subject experts can meet and discuss subject-specific topics, review the syllabus and plan assessments to enhance the process of teaching. Teachers can impart customized education to cater to the different learning abilities and needs of the students as each of them has a personal learning style, almost as unique as one’s fingerprints. Any skill can now be taught online, from beginner level to mastery. Good teachers and multimedia experts can tailor such instant learning programs to individual learning styles and in individual modules.

Easy Storage of Information

Due to technology, data storage has become much easier. It takes a few seconds to type out or copy-paste loads of information. A small pen drive can store large amounts of information. So, managing records online has become easier. Computers enable better and strong storage of data compared to managing hard copies.

Teaching has become more interactive.

Visuals (images/videos) always have a strong appeal compared to words. Using projectors and visuals to aid in learning is a great technological use. Top institutions around the world now rely on the use of amazing PowerPoint presentations and 3D projections in order to keep the learning interactive, interesting and make hard-to-understand topics easier to be grasped by students’ mind. Students like to see visuals and something that entices them to think rather than just read words.

Today, animation has replaced the traditional PowerPoint presentation. A lot of eLearning platforms offer classes where a teacher teaches with the help of live animation and not a static PPT. The concept of interactive learning rather than one-way learning is prevailing. 

In the next few years, augmented and virtual reality applications are believed to be the next-gen teaching techniques used in education, as they can make the learning process extra fun and useful.

Augmented Reality uses the environment around it and overlays the animation or any form of information on it. Technically, it adds more to the reality. One of the biggest benefits of Augmented Reality application development is that it doesn't need any dedicated device for display. Due to these benefits,  the technology becomes mainstream of the fourth industrial revolution.

On the other hand, Virtual Reality exists in an entirely artificial environment. So, to develop a VR app, we first need to establish an environment and then build animation around it. Opposite to what its name entails, Virtual Reality seems much more real compared to Augmented Reality, but its downside is that it needs a VR headset to run any of its application.  For more explanation about AR and VR you can check this youtube video

Removed Space & Time Limitations

There are different online education programs available that have added a new dimension to education. Students and teachers can be a part of one virtual classroom. Some universities offer online educational programs where students and teachers can interact with each other through the internet. There are online libraries with books, journals, encyclopedias, etc. where students can access various resources, highlight, save and use the soft copies.

Online degrees now have become a very common phenomenon. People wish to take up online courses for their learning and certification. Top institutions offer amazing online programs with the use of various applications and internet applications. This is a concept that will continue to rise as it gets more support and awareness. The online degree scenario around the world is more popular among students who work and look for flexible studying programs.

All things considered, technology has had a significant impact on education. Some may view this impact as positive, and some might say that this impact was negative at most. At the end of the day, we know that the use of technology is inevitable. However, it’s in the hands of teachers and students themselves to decide how much technology they want to incorporate into the learning process.

To summarize, we can conclude that the benefits of technology in education are:

• Enhanced Teaching and Learning
• Improved collaboration
• Eliminated Geographical Limitations
• Made students more eager to learn
• Helped students with busy schedules, freedom to work at home on their own time.
• Trained students to learn new technology skills they can use later in the workplace.
• Decreased paper and photocopying costs, promoting the “green revolution”.
• Created a more engaging learning environment
• Made self-paced learning possible 

However, there are still some drawbacks of using technology in education which are being enhanced to be eliminated by time such as:

• Declining Writing Skills
• Increased Incidents of Cheating
• Lack of Focus

Many experts and experienced practitioners say that, due to increased technology in education, students' imagination is affected, their thinking ability is reduced. Sometimes it’s time-consuming from the teacher’s point of view. It can also be costly to install such technology and there can be health issues too when used excessively.