How to use modern technology to maximize student potential
Compared to conventional teaching approaches, virtual reality solutions might lead to better learning outcomes.
We now have access to pre- and post-COVID academic data, allowing us to gauge the global scale of learning loss. Math and literacy test results show that significantly fewer students are succeeding in essential subjects. According to a recent study, many older children won’t fully recover from the pandemic learning loss for at least five years.
1.We haven’t improved learning if all we do is switch textbooks and worksheets for digital texts and portable document files (also known as PDFs). Instead, we’ve just worked out how to spend more money on the same old thing.
Hundreds of kindergarten through grade 12 classrooms, as well as university lecture halls, during the past ten years in many nations. Many remained trapped in a time capsule, even amid the institutions and nations that were technologically advanced.
frequently observe students doing one of the following: typing in a word processing program (keyboarding is still taught in most curricula); typing text into presentation slides and pasting images from the internet; or reading, watching, and possibly responding to multiple choice questions in web-based content produced by a publisher.
In order to provide significant academic results, it is our obligation to rethink the ideas of teaching and learning while implementing the finest methods.
Historical comparison of passive and active learning
Edgar Dale, an educational researcher, published his now-famous Cone of Experience in the 1960s.
2 He was attempting to make the point that learning by passive means, such as watching, listening, or reading, produced subpar learning outcomes.
He asserted that the learner is more likely to understand the concepts quickly and retain the information longer when they are more actively involved in the process, such as through conversation, simulation, or teaching others.
Which teaching approach is better for students?
fourth-grade year at Long Island, New York’s Rushmore Elementary School believe that many people reading this article had similar experiences in their classrooms. What did a normal school day entail?
We read from textbooks, the teacher lectured us in front of a chalkboard about a particular subject, and on good days, we might get to view a filmstrip or movie.
Let’s fast-forward to a classroom with plenty of technology before, during, and after COVID. How has technology altered this education?
• In front of an interactive flat display, teachers continue to speak to their pupils. Alternatively, the students can see previously recorded lectures produced by teachers.
Students read from digital textbooks, with the option of watching YouTube videos on a good day.
Now, if we were to contrast these teaching and learning methods from the 1970s with those used today, we would see that many of the methods define learning as a passive experience for the student. We still engage in the same behaviors Dale identified at least 50 years ago as having the worst effects: listening, reading, and watching.
However, we still rely on analog learning while having pricey technology to complement these tactics with digital tools. This continues to be the issue’s core when schools make big investments in technology without seeing any increase in academic results.
Active learning techniques in the classroom
If we revisit Dale’s teachings, we can see that more active teaching and learning strategies, such as Learning by Doing, give students the ability to grasp the relevance of the material while processing it in a very different and more efficient manner.
Fortunately, there is a technology solution that is built on the foundation of digital pedagogy, creating the conditions for quicker learning and better outcomes.
There is a four times faster way to train pupils than there is using conventional methods, according to recent studies involving large organizations.
3 Furthermore, because to hands-on simulations, students are noticeably more confident in using the abilities they have learned. Why are VR learning experiences so much more effective than more conventional analog teaching techniques?
• Students perform intentional experiences that aid in their understanding in more concrete ways rather than attempting to digest abstract ideas.
• By allowing students to see the correlation between correct and incorrect responses, VR deepens their grasp of the subject. Even when they make a mistake, they learn from it.
• VR increases learning’s emotional relevance by allowing users to directly experience lessons.
How VR may enhance educational outcomes
Imagine the opportunities for the upcoming generation of kids if VR can be used to teach skills like those in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). Early adopters can no longer be the only ones using VR as an occasional game or classroom activity. If included in the core curriculum, we can assist more kids in mastering subjects like literacy and math, which continue to be difficult for many countries.
The effectiveness of VR use in math training was highlighted by a recent study by WestEd, carried out over the 2022–2023 academic year.
4 In comparison to the control group of students, students who supplemented their education with VR content from publisher Prisms of Reality had an 11% increase in test scores.
But when we broaden the concept of the learning environment and what may and should take place in classrooms, we create countless opportunities. Many innovative advancements that Qualcomm Technologies is assisting in shaping for future generations include immersive VR simulations, drone and robotic technologies, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. These technologies have the potential to change teaching and learning.
Our motto, “Engineering Human Progress,” expresses our aim to contribute to the transformation of education in classrooms all across the world. With more than 1.6 billion students worldwide, education will continue to be the most valuable natural resource for the future of our planet.
