Part II: Online Continuing Education & Classroom Technology Integration
Last week we explored the evolution of education from turn-of-the-century 1900s to the present, and we discussed some of its effects on how education is delivered today. This week, we’re going to move through the rest of the infographic (called ‘The Future of Online Schools’ from onlineschoolcenter.com), and examine how classroom technology integration has impacted continuing education as well as the types of tools and techniques being used in today’s classrooms to increase student engagement.
Source: OnlineSchoolsCenter.com
Online Continuing Education
Virtual courses for postgraduate adults have been widespread for quite some time now, evidenced by the statistic that 95% of higher education institutions offer online classes. But the format changing from books to screens isn’t the only shift: now even choosing a major is becoming less of a priority, as the benefits of project-based learning become apparent.
The virtual format is all too familiar to providers of graduate-level professional development, which often have courses ranging from completely online, to locally facilitated throughout a certain geographical area, to a blend of the two, where a course may have an online component and only a couple of face-to-face sessions.
Gamification, Virtual Reality and Digital Tools in the Classroom
Through the introduction of game-based philosophies in classroom technology and instruction, the mechanics of goal-setting, collaboration, and interaction have shifted. This Edudemic article titled “How Game-Based Learning Can Help Students of All Ages Learn,” brings psychology into the fold to support game-based learning’s rightful place in modern education.
More: Game Based Learning with BrainPop’s GameUp
Continuing education providers, like Eduspire, are exploring ways to deliver these concepts to educators focused on tech integration. Eduspire offers two popular courses that investigate and analyze the concepts of game-based learning in education, Game-Based Learning, and Gamification in K12 Education.
More innovative tech integration courses from Eduspire: Creating Effective Video for the Classroom and Creating the Technology Infused Classroom, to name a couple.
The rest of the infographic talks about creating an alternate reality in the classroom, taking students on virtual field trips with Google Expeditions, and using distance-learning inside the real-world classroom to add another dimension to traditional classroom practices. Read our own Jeff Mummert’s blog post about his experiences as an early adopter of such technologies, Explore Future Frontiers in Educational Technology, and take a look at the course he developed for that very purpose, Exploring the New Frontier in Educational Technology, which takes a look at virtual tools and concepts like Google Glass, Internet of Things, Learning Analytics, Augmented Reality, 3D Printing, and more.
More: 6 Exciting AR Apps for Student Learning, by Edutopia
As if all this isn’t enough evidence that the future is now, the journey of e-learning and virtual education is only going to get more exciting as additional advancements in classroom technology become available and students continue to inspire teachers to evolve and adapt, challenging them to find new ways of teaching that are relatable, relevant, engaging, and still aligned with state curriculum standards.
Have you embraced the future in your classroom? Join the conversation and let us know which technologies you’re a fan of by commenting on this post.
Would you like a to be featured on our blog? If you’ve taken Eduspire courses and would like to share a success story of how you’ve implemented what you learned into your classroom, click here to answer our brief survey – we’re always looking to expand upon the great feedback we receive from course-takers like you, so let us highlight your experience!
