These days we often end up asking ourselves how important is technology in the education field, and with this article we want to explore how impactful is technology in education in the Cayman Islands.
It is crystal clear that technology has an impact on our daily life and it affects how we live, the way we interact with other people, how we work and play, as well as how we learn.
First of all, kids are engaging with technology outside the classroom all the time, they like to be interactive and learning through technology has become part of their lifestyle. It also helps students stay engaged.
Today, there are plenty of online resources that can help students learn at their own pace by playing games or by doing different activities designed to make students decode words or solve word problems, for example.
Some websites, such as Khan Academy, even provide full lessons of many topics from different subjects, so students can pause and come back any time they want if there is something they did not understand, which is extremely helpful particularly for students who need more time processing information.
Looking at the role of technology in education here in the Cayman Islands, many schools are currently implementing technology in their classroom. For example, Cayman International School includes the usage of tablets in their educational curriculum since their early years. Also, students can log in to the school portal where they can see their tests and homework and they can submit their assignments online. By using technology, students actively participate and become responsible for their own learning.
Moreover, there are many ways teachers can take advantage of technology as well. For example, technology allows professors and teachers to have access to students’ progress so it becomes easier for them to analyse the data provided and make the necessary changes to help those students that are struggling. Also, educators around the world are able to connect, learn and collaborate with each other.
Furthermore, education is changing quickly and every year the number of courses and degrees offered online continues to increase, and the Caymans are no exception. During the 1990s, the availability of online classes increased substantially due to their popularity and the spread of the Internet. Now, there are even several schools that do not have a physical location and are completely online. More people are choosing to take courses or to obtain their degree online, as it is convenient and it allows them to have flexibility.
Lastly, technology has an impact on what careers our students will learn. With the emergence of social media and the importance of the Internet in our lives, many studies suggest that the jobs of the future will have technology as their common denominator. More and more people are choosing careers related to technology, such as Digital Marketing, Website Design & Development, Software Development, and Digital Content Specialist, just to name a few.
To summarize, students can use technology to learn at their own pace and to become responsible for their own learning. Teachers can take advantage of the many resources that the internet can offer so educators around the world can collaborate with each other.
Also, teachers can see students’ progress more easily and in a more effective way, when technology is used properly. Most students today have been using mobile devices to play and learn since they could crawl, so it only seems logical to align today’s classrooms with the way that students are used to learning and that will prepare them for the future.
Providing students with the proper tools to actively participate in their learning ensures that the responsibility for learning is not just on teachers. Thanks to technology, students can play a bigger part in their own learning than they might realize.
It will be indeed interesting to see how technology in education will evolve in the Cayman Islands during the next years, the outcome could be surprising!