We are living in a digital age which means that we use, share, communicate through and develop technology every day, already from a very young age. However, only a few develops technology. Technology is changing fast which means that even young people need to be highly skilled in its use. We need our children to learn good technology skills so that they can participate in a technologically sophisticated society. They need to have the knowledge and the confidence to use technology at school, at home and later on at work. Children today are born into a digital world where tablets, smartphones and laptops are a reality. Why should the school be any different? In our opinion it shouldn't. The school should reflect our children's reality, and keeping up with the changing world, technology and educational solutions in kindergartens and schools should be a necessity.
Technology and related skills are not only necessary in today's digital world; they can also be beneficial. Research shows that using technology in school and making it a part of the curriculum enhances learning. Below you can find some of the benefits of using technology in schools:
Better monitoring of learning – Digital solutions enable teachers and parents to follow children's individual learning process online and in real time. This is a very important feature for the teacher. By following the learning process and receiving statistics of a child's learning, the teacher gets more specific information about what the child is struggling with. This way, the teacher can offer guidance to the child when it is most needed and help the child on an individual level. This in turn makes learning and the provided support much more effective.
Learning at their own pace – By using digital solutions children get the chance to learn at their own pace. Learning can often be brought to a level that is suitable for each child. Nita Kuutila (Kuutila, 2016), who holds a master's degree in English language, has been researching self-paced learning. Her research show that self-paced learning deepens the learning and the child doesn't need to worry about falling behind in the learning. We are all individuals and we have our own way of learning.
Learning is more fun – Children might feel that learning is much more fun when technology is integrated into it, and that is exactly what learning should be! By using digital solutions and technology, children have a very active role in their learning process which makes learning much more effective.
Preparing children for the future – By now it should be obvious to everyone that digitalization is here to stay and that we need to prepare our children for a technologically advanced future. Technology and digital solutions are a part of the modern school.
Learning improves memory – Digital learning solutions supports memory while using different senses. You can for example develop your memory by playing a digital memory game. We also remind you that multilingualism develops memory itself, digital language learning will do the learning more effective.
Kuutila, N. (2016). PERSONALIZED LEARNING IN ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION
Nuutinen. (2003). Miten aistit vaikuttavat oppimiseen