It wasn’t long ago when students would run around the house and scurry through the kitchen table looking for books, pens, and notes to organise their school bag for the next day’s class. Thanks to modern technology for Ed-tech tools, now all students need to carry is their iPad and Pendrive.
Despite the buzz around Smart classrooms, it took a global pandemic for educators to realise its significance in today’s education system, be it for offering assignment help or conducting online lectures.
Billions of students, teachers, and parents have turned to intelligent learning tools or ed-tech devices to bridge the learning gap caused by the sudden lockdown across the globe.
So, what are the essential ed-tech tools students need to pull off remote learning or distance learning and create an engaging learning experience?
- Digital Learning Gadgets
Remote classrooms have emerged as a true saviour for both learners and educators. With modern gadgets like laptops, tablets, iPad, and other similar devices, students and teachers do practically everything – researching, studying, or interacting using these devices.
Such devices bring the classroom home and create a more expansive learning space for the students. Students can attend classes, participate in class events, and submit assignments with the help of their digital devices. Teachers, too, are greatly dependent on these tools to ensure a comprehensive learning experience for students.
- The Whiteboard
An Interactive Whiteboard has replaced the traditional blackboard and emerged as a critical digital learning Ed-Tech tools. A digital whiteboard offers similar functionalities to a regular whiteboard, but the latter comes with many additional features.
For instance, teachers can create a visual representation of different lessons to simplify students’ comprehension. This feature is fun for students, especially for learning different science and math concepts.
Even though many teachers find it challenging to write with a mouse, it can become more manageable with a drawing pad. Not only does it make typing faster and easier, but you can also add videos, photos and create mind maps. Plus, it allows you to collaborate with your students on the whiteboard and indulge in different activities.
- Latest Charging Device
Modern Ed-Tech tools won’t work without modern charging solutions. So, both teachers and students should have convenient access to the latest charging cabinets and carts.
All the latest charging gadgets are made of high quality materials, suitable for use in classrooms of various sizes. In addition, high charging solutions such as intelligent charging ensures the safety and longevity of different ed-tech devices with quick and optimal charging and protecting them from overheating.
- Learning Applications
Education apps need no introduction in today’s time. Apps are no longer restricted to playing games or shopping online. Instead, it has become a significant source of study material for all students.
Smart classrooms utilise these apps to integrate regular lessons with modern technology and make them easy to understand in a remote learning setting. Modern whiteboards or interactive flat panels (IFPs)allow educators to use the operating systems to download different applications and utilise various functionalities planning, scheduling, and managing remote classroom activities effectively.
- Virtual Learning Platforms
With smart classrooms, educators try to replicate traditional in-class experiences so students can synchronise digital learning with a face-to-face learning experience. So, for example, students would access standard study modules and audio lessons without compelling video conferencing platforms like Skype, Zoom, and Webex.
Choosing the right video learning platform based on the size of your virtual classroom can ease students’ learning experience in the intelligent classroom setting. Therefore, hybrid classrooms like Zoom, Skype, and Webex offers educators a range of additional features like annotating, screens sharing, recording, and breakout rooms to keep things interactive for students.
- Good Presentation Ed-Tech Tools
Presentations are a critical part of learners’ academic curriculum. Innovative classroom tools like visualisers or document cameras are now in-demand for their high-quality video presentation features, which includes options like zoom, connectivity, audio-visuals, and so, necessary for gaining innovative classroom experience.
Presentation tools allow teachers to showcase study materials and bring textbooks to life so students can become more indulgent, discover new perspectives to learning with different functionalities, and never feel isolated in a remote learning setting.
- Digital Textbooks
A shortlist of ed-tech tools is incomplete without the mention of online textbooks. One of the challenges that most students face in traditional classroom learning is the number of tangible resources they carry, including books.
Of course, there are certain benefits of textbook resources, but online textbooks have reduced students’ burden. While digital textbooks are a crucial tool in students’ virtual backpack, it also reduces students’ monetary burden.
Students can subscribe to different digital learning sites or even rent digital copies of study resources to reduce extra expenses on books. In addition, many digital textbooks are developed in an interactive manner adhering to the relevant coursework guidelines and including various additional learning resources such as quizzes, practice papers, tutorials, and more.
Conclusion
Education technology has transformed an individual’s perception of learning. Using suitable ed-tech tools, educators can enhance learners’ knowledge and problem-solving abilities and speed up teachers’ work processes.
However, with the sudden shift to the remote learning model to contain the Covid-19 virus outbreak, the market has been flooded with ed-tech tools. As a result, educators, parents, and students are spoilt for choices, and it’s easy to get carried away with options.
Therefore, an educator or a tutor needs to analyse the requirements of his smart classroom and select tools that make the experience of virtual learning fun and engaging. Rather than wracking your students’ brains with complicated mechanisms, pick devices that make students learn better and help you set up the system quickly – a win-win for both of you!
