As technology advances and becomes increasingly widespread in our everyday lives, it is inevitable that education will be shaped more and more by IT equipment and technological breakthroughs.
The fact that technology can influence the education field to an unprecedented degree cannot be disputed.
New teaching methods to enhance learning
One of the main ways in which iPads will undoubtedly be used in education is through their ability to inspire through new teaching methods currently unavailable in traditional practices.
The three main areas of learning acquisition have traditionally come from visualisation, listening and cognitive engagement in activity and, at the moment, each of these areas are kept separate from each other.
However, all three of these can be utilized on an iPad sometimes simultaneously and, due to the interactive nature of these items, the equipment can prove to be a real dynamic and engaging learning tool going forward.
iPads will allow for fast and efficient access, for both students and teachers, to huge pools of information and will negate the use of dozens of textbooks having to be handed out per class.
No more expensive textbooks
Textbooks will also be made to look obsolete as iPads are able to give an unique visual dimension to learning unlike inert textbooks and can stimulate knowledge acquisition in new ways that traditional teaching methods perhaps could not.
Another example at how iPads could shape the future of education is in the way they can be moulded to create a customised learning approach; traditional textbook methods have a “one size fits all” approach and, sadly, the same size does not in actual fact fit all students learning needs.
The very nature of learning should be towards helping to enhance a student’s learning capacity and understanding of a subject which could only be improved through new measures which can be tailored to each child’s needs.
iPads are also practical as a teaching tool in a way many other computers would not be.
On average they have a ten hour battery life, which is more than ample for a school, college or university day, can be used either sitting down or standing up and are easily transportable from one class to the next due to their extremely light weight.
Due to this not only are they more compact than carrying around a multitude of text books.
iPads will also dispense with the old classic excuse for forgetting assignments – it would take a student of some gumption to say “My dog ate my homework”.
About The Author
