The worlds of technology and education have changed quite a bit in the last few years, especially in the post-COVID-19 world. With AI, VR, and various other forms of technological advancement finding their way into every aspect of our society, eventually they will come to play an important role in the classroom as well.

Schools and teachers have been preparing for the overhaul of the education system that will be needed in order to make sure that students get the best learning under these conditions, and they’ve already been adjusting to where technology is now and how it can support them in their schools and their teaching.

Most classrooms today have interactive whiteboards, visualizers, laptops and/or iPads to aid teachers in the classroom and to further the learning of students. But now we need to look into the future and where technology is going to ensure that teachers and students are prepared to take on the changes coming their way.

What changes are on the way?

There are several large technological advances that are going to rapidly revolutionize the field of learning, and it is well worth the time to break those down in detail. They are an increased reliance on online learning, the increased use of artificial intelligence, and the use of virtual reality.

 

Online learning

This is the easiest thing for teachers and schools to continually adapt to because online learning in some form or another has been used for years. Whether it is teachers recording lectures or lessons in order to have students learn on their own time, uploading homework assignments or digital textbooks for students to complete their work on, or directing students to online resources for things that the classroom lecture hasn’t covered, online learning is a massive benefit for students and a great tool for teachers.

With the pandemic and the changes where learning was mostly done through video calls online, many teachers taught their lessons without ever seeing their students in person. Online learning will only become more relevant for students and teachers, particularly for older students or for younger students in a self-directed environment.

Schools are investing more into technology to ensure that online learning can be done in a swift and simple manner where it doesn’t even feel like you are out of the classroom at all. They want to make sure that neither students nor teachers deal with poor internet connections or desyncs but rather with a smooth tech experience that will help everyone learn and grow.

Finally, online learning allows for a deeper one-on-one connection with your students because you can create lesson plans and upload lectures and perform the other tasks of being a teacher much more easily. You can also spend more time talking to students one-on-one and answering questions from the class as well as facilitating and moderating discussions between your students.

While it might seem like online learning had its place during the pandemic, it is still a useful tool that can help every single student feel connected when it is used correctly. So don’t hesitate to incorporate the benefits of online learning into your lesson plans.

Artificial intelligence

While AI as an emerging technology does have some downsides and potential risks that we will get into later in this section, many schools and teachers are starting to incorporate various AI programs into their lessons plans and classroom environments, and this will only continue to become more and more popular as the world of AI continues to grow and change.

One of the most interesting ways that teachers are using AI in the classroom is for behind-the-scenes work – for example, creating email templates for weekly newsletters, generating report card comments, and making lists for students to pick from. There have been plenty of templates or online generators in the past, but AI is often much quicker and requires a lot less tweaking and time spent on the teacher’s end. This means more time can be spent working with the students.

Teachers also can use AI programs instead of textbooks to write lesson plans and tailor those lesson plans to the specific scenarios of their classrooms. For example, if they have an advanced part of the class as well as a basic part of the class studying the same topic, they can get AI-suggested activities that will be tailored to both groups.

Additionally, AI can be used to support the students as well, and one of the things that many teachers are working on is teaching their students how to use these various AI programs responsibly. Not every AI program is the best, and many of them make mistakes or have their text sound “robotic.” By showing the flaws of the AI to the students, not only are teachers discouraging plagiarism, but they are also outlining what can be corrected.

This is one of the points that teachers need to focus on with all types of online technology, not just AI. Teachers shouldn’t simply teach students how to use AI from an educational standpoint but can also show them how the benefits and drawbacks of AI can impact their day to day lives. Artificial intelligence is only going to get more and more prominent in the world as the future marches on, and the more that students learn about it and other technologies from a trusted teacher, the better off they will be in the future when they need to use these types of technologies for their jobs and for their daily lives.

Using AI To prevent plagiarism

Plagiarism has been the tool of the people for as long as the idea of taking someone else’s work and putting it as your own has been around. There have been countless tools in the education system that have been used to define what plagiarism is and to put a stop to it. AI has been something that some students have used to try to get out of doing assignments, and it is something that teachers need to watch out for. However, AI can also be used to prevent plagiarism by teaching students the inherent flaws in AI and how it can be used as a tool – the same as everything else on the internet.

As more teachers step away from the “AI is inherently good” and “AI is inherently bad” fields of thinking and recognize that AI is a tool just like everything else, they can teach students how to use it effectively without turning to dishonest academic practices.

Virtual Reality in the classroom

Virtual Reality (VR) is a field of technology that has fantastic implications for the education system. Why learn about history from a textbook when you can see it with your very own eyes? When you can hear historical speeches and stories right from a character’s mouth? When you can touch and interact with molecules and cells and other parts of the body?

It’s an interesting way to bring the environment you are trying to study to life in the classroom. The world of VR and Augmented Reality (AR), are all wonderfully immersive places that can not only make what you are learning feel real but can also spark the imagination of the students to take their learning into their own hands.

It can be a great way to make traditionally book-heavy curriculums and lessons exciting because students can touch shapes with their own hands and look at them from every single angle. They can explore 3D worlds, buildings, and locations with their own eyes, and they can ask deeper questions based on what they see with their own senses and not just based on what they read.

Teachers are starting to put together plans in the classroom in order to take full advantage of VR technology and using it as an addition to social lesson plans with human interaction. Being able to guide students on the path without them getting off topic is a real skill that teachers will need to learn about, but if they can balance the use of VR with traditional learning, then their students will be better equipped to retain information. And they will be much more excited to learn about these topics as well!

Teachers are preparing to better educate students by educating themselves 

One of the things that every teacher strives to do is to prepare their students to thrive in the world of today, but what about the world of tomorrow? In 50 years, the students that you teach now are going to have to face off against the problems of the future – some that teachers can understand and others that they can’t even conceive of.

In order to prepare students for the rapidly changing culture and world of today, as well as everything that will change them in the future, teachers are the ones who need to go back to school. One of the best ways to study and prepare yourself to take on this new world of education is to get a Doctorate in Leadership (Ed.D.) Educational institutions such as Marymount University provide in-depth, academically rigorous qualifications all from the comfort of your home so it can be fitted around your lifestyle.

An Ed.D is a degree that allows you to take on academic and administrative roles in various forms of education including both K-12 education as well as higher forms of teaching such as college education. In order to apply for a Doctorate in Leadership, the teacher in question needs to complete a master’s degree from an accredited institution in their region.

They will need to have a 2.75 GPA or higher and at least three years of professional work experience that relates to their professional goals. To get a Doctorate in Leadership, they do not need a GRE or GMAT.

Before they apply they will need to have a phone interview with an admissions advisor and also submit several documents. These include official transcripts, two professional references, a professional essay, and your resume. Then you can take the course from whichever university you choose, and once you get your Doctorate in Leadership, then you will be more equipped to take on the leadership roles that come with being a teacher.

Don’t ever be afraid to go back to school and seek a higher education or courses from a university, because the more you learn, the more you can teach. And perhaps you will be able to empathize with your students as you both face the same struggles of being a student in today’s world.

Don’t be afraid to use the technology yourself

Any good teacher will tell you that you shouldn’t try to teach anything you don’t 100% know about yourself. This includes things like AI, VR, and other advances in technology. While the degrees and the fancy educations will work to your advantage in the professional setting, in the personal setting you need to ensure that you are as competent with the new technology as you are asking your students to be.

This won’t just ensure that you are able to handle any disconnects, power issues, or connection problems that will always plague your lessons right when you don’t want them to be plagued, but it will also make sure that you know how best to help your students. By taking the time to learn how your VR headset works by hopping into it yourself, or learning about the benefits and drawbacks of AI by asking a bot a few questions and testing it, you will not only be able to talk to your students from personal experience, but you will also have fun yourself.

And having fun is one of the most important things that you can do as a teacher. No matter what you think about the advances of technology in today’s world, it’s impossible to deny that seeing all these things that were once science fiction becoming reality is pretty cool, especially if you’ve been a technology-loving person yourself!

Teachers will need to relearn how to connect with students

Of course, while technology is an extremely important item to have in the classroom, and this and upcoming generations of students need to have technology in the classroom in order to remain engaged, teachers can’t forget that school is a social place. Additionally, the relationship between the teacher and the student and those between the student and other students can’t be forgotten about just because there are a few computer screens in the way.

You need to make sure that you are still taking the time to get to know each student, understand each student, and allowing for students to talk to one another and come up with their own ideas – not just the ideas that the computer tells them about. Having this technology and knowing how to use it is an important skill for any teacher, but knowing how to balance its use with traditional lesson plans is something different entirely.

Even with online learning where you never see your students in person, make an effort to enhance student engagement with both yourself and one another. Get to know each student, learn about their likes and dislikes and how they best learn, and encourage your students to talk to one another online or in person.

Even in today’s digital world, the impact that a teacher will have on their students can never be questioned, and a good teacher is always going to be remembered.

Don’t be afraid to make this a learning experience

From AI, to VR, to online learning and more, teachers and students alike are going to have to spend a lot of time learning about how to make these technologies work in the classroom, as well learning about the place these technologies have in the classroom alongside more traditional methods of learning.

As a teacher, you will need to put on your learning cap and learn alongside your students, but remind yourself that it can be fun and a lesson in itself. For example, if a lesson plan falls apart due to connectivity issues, you can teach your students how to cope with frustration and failure as well as the importance of knowing what to do when technology doesn’t work, or the internet goes out. That is a very real lesson that everyone will need to learn.

It can be scary to incorporate the rapidly-changing technology field into the education system, but it is important to ensure that you take those steps and do your best as a teacher to modernize learning and education. This will allow you to make sure that your students are well prepared to learn what they need to know for both the present and the future.