The term educational technologies refers to the use of technological resources to improve teaching and facilitate access to education.
If we analyze current education, we will see that institutions, teachers and independent professionals are increasingly connected, making use of these educational technologies to transmit knowledge and improve the learning of their students.
To tell the truth, in a time of popularization of the Internet, technological advances and ease of access to information, we cannot continue with the same teaching methods of years ago.
For that reason, if you are interested in the subject, enjoy this post. We are going to show you some technological resources to improve your online classes.
The evolution of education
When we talk about evolution in the educational area, we usually associate it only with the use of the Internet and the computer. However, we need to also keep in mind the advances that occurred before online technologies.
If we go back in history, we will remember that we had a completely verbal teaching and learning method, in which teachers and students did not have any other tool, apart from speech, for the transmission of knowledge.
Later, with the arrival of the blackboard, the chalk and the eraser, the situation changed.
The teaching of the lessons began to be simultaneous and the students began to enjoy the benefit of seeing and writing what was being taught, which greatly facilitated the assimilation of the content.
Over the years, books and notebooks began to be used and the blackboard was modernized, until it reached the model of writing with markers.
The emergence of radio and television also caused transformations in education. The institutions began the use of some films, videos and programs for the classroom with the idea of discussing issues pertinent to the subjects and dynamizing the .
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However, it was the emergence of the computer and the Internet that further expanded the range of options for teachers, who began to have access to new resources to transmit knowledge.
Projectors, for example, made slide presentations and other visual content possible, and are still often used to enrich lessons.
With increasingly advanced and accessible resources, education began to incorporate new tools into the pedagogical environment.
Today it is common to find classrooms equipped with at least one Internet access point and one computer.
In addition, the number of students who carry smartphones, tablets and laptops for classes does not stop growing either.
The use of educational technologies has become, therefore, essential for institutions and teachers who seek to offer the best for students. They serve to transform the teaching-learning space into something more modern, dynamic and interactive.
The study of educational technologies
The science of educational technology seeks to understand the influences of technological resources in education and understand what are the most efficient ways to use them in processes related to learning.
Today’s students do not learn like the students of that time when classes were only verbalized, without any visual resource.
We live connected, absorbing and interacting with content, images and audio, exposed to thousands of stimuli every second. It would be naive to think that in the classroom we could disconnect from that reality and remain in a rigid and unidirectional format of education.
From a pedagogical perspective, educational technologies make it possible to facilitate not only the transmission, but also the acquisition of knowledge.
The goal is to transform the content into something lighter, easy to access and consume, so that students can assimilate everything that is being transmitted.
The use of technology within the educational environment also serves as a mediator for the construction of knowledge, since it connects teachers, students and content in a way that is not always possible in offline teaching.
Although the application of technological resources in education is relatively recent and is constantly being improved, educators have already perceived the benefits they provide for the learning process and have begun to adapt their methods to include them.
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Relationship between educational technologies and distance education
It is impossible to talk about distance education without thinking about educational technologies.
Distance education would not be possible without the advancement of technological resources that enable and facilitate the exchange of knowledge regardless of physical barriers.
If before distance education was a little known reality, used by few institutions to offer some virtual subjects to their students, today the reality is already very different.
Institutions and educators are investing in distance education to offer complete courses and totally transform the methodology of education and learning.
We cannot say that the face-to-face model is outdated or that the day will come when it will be completely obsolete.
However, educational technologies have opened up a world of new opportunities for those who want to acquire knowledge and need to access it easily and quickly.
13 educational technological resources that will help you
There are several resources dedicated to helping those who work through online classes and offer their content with quality and practicality for students.
These are the main options:
1. Discussion forums
A good class is not defined only by the content transmitted, but also by the relationship created between students and teachers and by the possibility of interaction between them.
Many people think that this change stops happening in the . However, it doesn’t need to be that way.
The discussion forum is one of the most important educational technologies for EAD, precisely because it takes the communication space from the physical to the virtual environment.
Through the forums, students can express their doubts, ask for help, share knowledge and interact with their colleagues and teachers.
Of course, for the forum to fulfill its role effectively, the teachers also need to be active.
This is the environment for answering questions, sharing supplementary materials, trivia, and various other pertinent information that encourages student engagement.
2.Tests
This is an interesting tool not only to assess learning, but also to make it more dynamic and interactive.
The , even when they do not have the objective of scoring the student in a certain subject, acts as a stimulus for constant improvement.
In general, these quizzes are made up of multiple choice questions and the teacher can choose to show the correct answers at the end. That way students check and understand where they are going wrong.
Likewise, it is possible to mark the student symbolically and leave messages that explain their performance in that test, congratulating them or encouraging them to resume their studies to improve their score.
3. Videos
Most of the online courses that we currently find are carried out in , due to the ease they provide to explain the contents in detail and demonstrate the step by step of a tutorial, for example.
Also, videos are a great way to create a closer bond with your audience.
Instructors can add various resources to make the material more interactive, such as surveys, quizzes, and assessments. That way the students have the possibility to respond in real time by clicking on the video content.
This interactivity works not only to increase student engagement, but also to keep all content in one format, which helps reduce distractions.
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4. Infographics
Surely you have already noticed that one of the trends in the digital environment is the use of .
People have bet more and more on this type of visual content to transmit knowledge, since they are basically made up of images and texts that are both striking and objective.
This makes it easier for people to consume that content and absorb its information.
The use of this format in your online classes is a way of synthesizing information, mainly statistical data, which is generally more difficult to understand.
In addition, well-made and interesting infographics have a great chance of being sent by students to other people, since they are attractive, easy to consume and can be shared.
And why is it interesting for a teacher who teaches online?
The more people know about your authority in your niche, the greater your chances of attracting new students and gaining space in the market.
5.E-book
Another alternative to transmit knowledge are digital books.
This format is often chosen by teachers who have difficulty expressing themselves in front of cameras and prefer written communication.
However, they can also be produced in conjunction with other formats, such as video and podcast add-ons.
It requires a low financial investment, since it is mostly written material and therefore uses few tools.
Another benefit is that the student needs to download it only once and can access it at any time, without having to connect to the Internet again.
Anyway, the topics covered in an ebook are more extensive and detailed, but that doesn’t mean they need to be exhausting and boring!
To create an interesting ebook, add images related to the topic addressed, use language that is appropriate for the audience, and share content that really adds value and holds readers’ attention.
6. Templates
Another way to use educational technologies in your favor is through the creation of templates.
The template is a structured page that will be followed as a model in the creation of a certain type of content. It is formed by the set of necessary files intended for the person so that he can add information and edit what is necessary.
Depending on the topic of your classes, you can create a model template for your student to follow while creating their own product.
If you teach subjects related to financial management, for example, you can create spreadsheets so that your students can organize managed data just as you have taught.
This strategy, in addition to serving as an incentive and facilitator for students, serves to advertise your brand, since the templates can (and should) be created with your visual identity.
7. Webinars
As the name itself already…
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