The Importance of Digital Tools in Education
Over the past decade, education systems have completely changed. Teachers too have changed their teaching methodology owing to the influx of online/digital tools. Though digital tools have been around for quite some time now, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant shift. With schools and colleges being closed for extended periods of time, educators had no choice but to adopt a new method of teaching. E-learning became the order of the day. Today, there are an array of online platforms available to share resources, send out teaching lessons, and assess and manage day-to-day activities of academic institutions.
Initially, there was a bit of hesitation to switch to a new form of learning. However, educators soon realised that digital tools are transforming the traditional learning environment for the better. Students studying visual arts and design programmes got more opportunities as online courses, learning platforms and digital tools had to be made more interactive and engaging with multimedia content.
Benefits of Adopting E-Learning in Education
Personalised Learning Experience
A major setback of traditional classrooms is that the learning is not personalised. Digital learning solves that problem by catering to individual learning styles and preferences. Most learning platforms these days are backed by AI algorithms which analyse a student’s progress and tailor content for them accordingly. Educators have found this extremely helpful. When learning is personalised, students stay engaged and motivated.
Interactive Learning
One reason students are responding well to digital tools is because it provides an engaging learning experience. Students can access a vast amount of information in the form of e-books, online courses, videos, tutorials and so on. When learning is fun, they’re keener to learn. In fact, game-based learning tools are said to improve a student’s progress. They tend to grasp better and the output in their exams is better too. Animation and multimedia colleges are teaching their students how to use multimedia elements in e-learning videos, interactive simulations and educational games. This enriches the student’s overall learning experience.
Global Collaboration
In a traditional classroom setup, learning is restricted. Students only get to learn from one particular educator. When schools, colleges and other educational institutions foster global collaboration, students get to learn from teachers across the world. Virtual classrooms and online collaborations make it possible for them to engage in discussions with experts. This considerably expands their horizons and even urges them to consider going abroad for higher studies.
Cost-effective
Digital tools make learning accessible to one and all. Plus, with initiatives like Digital India; internet connectivity and WIFI access is there almost everywhere. Digital tools have reduced the reliance on physical resources too such as textbooks and other learning materials. Besides saving costs, this also aligns with environmental conscious practices. Children in remote villages too are harnessing the power of YouTube and other social media channels to gain access to information.
Popular Digital Learning Tools
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
The term is quite self-explanatory. Learning management systems are software applications that automate administration, tracking and reporting of training courses and programs. In layman terms, they are also referred to as virtual learning environments for distance learning. Through a learning management system, teachers can provide digital learning content to students and they can access it anytime as long as they have the internet. LMS also fosters collaboration and communication as people can support each other’s learning process.
Video Conferencing Tools
Video conferencing tools need no introduction. Besides communicating with one or more individuals via audio and video, they offer a lot more features. For example, screen sharing, data storage and exchange, scheduling and management. Video conferencing tools are used by everybody these days and not just educational institutions.
Document Collaboration Tools
When an educator is teaching a student a new concept, there are times when they may want to rephrase a sentence. Document collaboration tools make this possible even in distance learning. They allow several people to work on the same document at the same time. The participants can see the changes being made in real time. Google Docs and Dropbox Paper are tools that allow document collaboration. This considerably improves productivity.
Game-based Learning Tools
In today’s day and age, in order to motivate learners, game-based learning is gaining immense popularity. Video games contain various multimedia elements that make learning highly interactive. It also promotes critical thinking. Research suggests that using games as part of the learning procedure fosters social and emotional learning, and increases student participation.
Conclusion
Though we’re at the peak of digital transformation, the goal of education is to empower every individual. The benefits of e-learning extend beyond convenience and accessibility. To ensure more people have access to digital tools, it’s important to address the limitations and fears around them. In remote places, a lot of people are still hesitant to use online tools. Strategies need to be laid out to mitigate fears and make every person embrace online tools and new technology.
When you pursue a visual arts degree programme from Vogue, you can use your creativity to create any form of content, e-learning videos, multimedia and learning resources.
