How Technology Trends Alter The Education Industry
Technology has managed to enhance just about every facet of our day to day lives. From the ability to watch our favorite shows at a desired time to the fact that you might be reading this article on your phone; our lives are clearly more convenient as a result of technology. Trends in technology are also having a tremendous effect on the education industry as evidenced by the size of the eLearning market. Some of these trends include streaming, crowdfunding, and Augmented and Virtual Reality.
1. Streaming
Streaming is something that has taken the world by storm and education has not been left out of this growing trend. Social media platforms have become more and more popular as a result of their live streaming capabilities. Educators find themselves using these platforms to speak about key topics and have their followers interact with them in a live interactive space.
Streams are popular as a result of real-time and interactive atmosphere which they provide. A live stream essentially places you in a classroom environment on the internet. You can watch the instructor carry out their lesson in real-time and then ask questions or interact with your peers during the broadcast. While there are quite a few places, even in traditional universities where lesson plans and recorded videos are used to teach classes, they do not offer the same benefits available with streaming.
2. Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is one of the trendiest ways to raise money for a project or company in the 21st century. The education sector is benefiting greatly from crowdfunding platforms as they provide a means for projects to come to fruition. In many instances, education is being transformed into a niche industry. It is no longer one size fits all, as educators are realizing that students excel at different things and some may learn faster or slower than others, with no general consensus that fits everyone perfectly.
Crowdfunding allows for many niche projects and specializations to be created. It also allows for teaching methods to be adapted to suit different learners. It is impossible for one education funding budget at any level to fulfill the needs of everyone, this is where crowdfunding can help. With the increase in technology, coding, for instance, is becoming more widespread. Crowdfunding provides a way for projects which focus on different niches to be carried out, without having to draw on funding resources set out for other tasks.
3. Augmented Reality And Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are not just cool ways to play games or watch movies, they have important educational functionalities as well. Through the use of Augmented Reality, technology students can look at virtual 3D models on a 2D space to help enhance their learning capabilities. Augmented Reality can be used to make interactive presentations and models without having to sit down for hours creating a physical model. This can be especially useful in science and engineering classes where students use models to demonstrate certain capabilities of a product.
Virtual reality has an important space in the area of educational training. Rather than having to run through a training simulation on paper or a computer, these simulations can be run in a Virtual Reality space. This can place the user in the exact conditions which they would experience, and a better judgment can be made on their capabilities.
Conclusion
The trends affecting the technology industry including streaming, crowdfunding, and Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are not limited to the tech space. The education industry is also being affected by these trends and they will no doubt continue to improve the industry overall.
