AI-generated summary
The Next Web highlights seven technological advances that are revolutionizing education by enhancing how students learn both inside and outside the classroom. Among these innovations, 3D printers enable hands-on learning, fostering problem-solving skills and creativity through easy-to-use digital manufacturing tools. Gamification applies game mechanics to educational content, creating interactive environments that boost student engagement, exemplified by games like Minecraft. Virtual reality offers immersive experiences, allowing students to explore complex subjects such as biology and architecture with tools like Google Expeditions, which provide virtual field trips to distant locations.
Additionally, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from prestigious universities deliver comprehensive learning experiences worldwide through videos, forums, and exams, with initiatives like the Bankinter Innovation Foundation promoting innovation via MOOCs in Spain and Portugal. Skype facilitates language learning by connecting students with native speakers globally. Big data analytics personalize education by helping teachers identify students’ learning challenges and tailor feedback accordingly. Lastly, tablets like iPads and Chromebooks promote inquiry-based learning, shifting classroom dynamics so students take charge of research while teachers guide the process, resulting in greater engagement and knowledge retention. Collectively, these technologies are transforming education, making learning more interactive, personalized, and accessible.
The use of these technologies in education is changing the way we learn.
According to The Next Web (TNW), there are seven technological advances “that are dramatically transforming how we learn, both inside and outside the classroom, helping to change education for the better.”
The use of these technologies in education is changing the way we learn:
1. 3D printers
Digital manufacturing, and specifically 3D printing, allows learning by doing. An experiential education that “makes it easier for children to develop their problem-solving skills”. TNW notes that these “offer an incredible opportunity to learn the basics of engineering and design with Wi-Fi integration with the technology we use every day.” In addition, they are easy to use, which makes them “a fantastic and surprisingly simple tool to spark imagination and learning”.
2. Gamification
Also known as gamification, the concept refers to the application of game mechanics to non-gaming environments. Gamification has its origins in video games and has become popular in recent years. TNW cites as an example the well-known Minecraft, a game that has been used to teach everything from history to reading comprehension. “By creating an interactive environment with clear rules and objectives, digital games foster a more active learning experience, better suited to capturing students’ attention.”
3. Virtual reality
Immersive education is one of the applications of this technology. It has already been implemented in many schools in Europe and the United States, “especially in subjects such as biology or architecture, where interaction with images can greatly improve the learning experience.” There are also tools such as Google Expeditions, which allows teachers to share with their students or assign them exploration tours (for example, to the surface of Mars or the coral reefs of Australia).
4. Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
It is well known that many of the most prestigious universities in the world – such as MIT or Harvard – offer free courses on the internet open to a global and massive audience. These are the so-called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). These courses use tools such as live or delayed videos and videoconferences, real-time discussion forums, tests and exams “to provide a complete learning experience,” TNW highlights.
The Bankinter Innovation Foundation, through its Akademia programme, offers Moocs to promote innovation in Spain and Portugal.
5. Skype
Although the tool itself is not new, it does admit new uses. “Because Skype allows you to easily communicate with people around the world,” TNW reports, ” many companies have launched language learning services that connect students directly with a native speaker.”
6. Big data and personalized learning
The analysis and processing of massive volumes of data (big data) allows you to keep track of everything. TNW cites, for example, how
7. Tablets
TNW cites tools such as iPads or Chromebooks, which “are promoting inquiry-based learning in classrooms.” He notes that its use has inverted the entire classroom experience: instead of the teacher managing everything, students are in charge of their own research, and the teacher facilitates the experience. This has advantages such as the advantage that students “become more engaged and have a greater probability of retaining what they study.”
