The classroom of today looks very little like the classroom of two decades ago. Technology in the classroom has changed the appearance and function of the modern classroom, and according to a recent Alliance for Excellence in Education report, these changes are for the better. New teaching technology is allowing educators to more easily and effectively reach at-risk students, and understanding the changing nature of the modern classroom will help leaders in education prepare for the future.
Components of Digital Learning
In the modern classroom, technology merges with context to create learning outcomes. Technology includes not only the actual physical technology, but also the infrastructure required to run it and the access the students have to use the technology. Context includes the learning community created in the classroom, the learning goals set forth by the instructor, or the technology and the learning activity that the student is performing on the technology.
These two factors interact with the learner and his or her characteristics. Together, they merge to create a digital learning environment or a traditional environment where digital learning is part of the overall learning ecosystem.
New Teaching Technology - Changing the Learning Landscape
Technology is changing the learning landscape by making it easier to create interactive learning activities and helping students reach mastery of their learning goals. Students are becoming increasingly engaged in the material they are learning when they have access to technology. New teaching technology helps create a better learning community, giving students and instructors alike the tools they need to communicate both during class and outside of class in an effective, low-pressure way.
Technology is not, however, replacing the instructor. It's making the instructor's job more effective and, in many ways, easier to perform. Educators in the modern classroom must find ways to learn and embrace new technology, so they can reach students more effectively.
Echo360 is an ideal resource to effectively reach students at all levels. With tools for flipped classrooms and interactive lectures, the Active Learning Platform has all of the tools necessary to embrace new teaching technology effectively.
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