Technology in Education

By: Austin S. 

Online Learning by LeanForward If 
on flickr.com under CC By-SA 2.0

Today, technology is changing the way we live. Rather than going to the library to read books for research, we need only to search the Internet for the information. Technology is changing every aspect of our daily lives, including education. NCVPS is a great example of the role of technology in today’s education. Technology is giving students the opportunity to learn beyond standard curriculums, practice and study in new ways, gain clarification on different topics, and even to accelerate their education through different courses. 

With technology, students can take courses they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to take. For example, if someone wants to learn Mandarin, he/she can take the NCVPS courses for Mandarin, while the language is not typically offered in public high schools. If a student wants to take an AP class that is unavailable at his/her face-to-face school, he/she can take the course through NCVPS. Online courses also allow students to accelerate their education. For example, an eighth grader can now take Math 1 and Math 2 in the same year through online courses, while most middle schools only have Math 1, and some don’t even have that option! 

In addition to providing the opportunity to accelerate education and providing new opportunities to take different courses you otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to take, technology is helping students find effective ways to practice their newly learned skills and to apply newly learned information. Some great tools include Khan Academy and Quizlet. These tools also help students study the material taught in their courses. Creative students can even use technology to develop their own study tools! For example, a student can create a quiz game through Scratch by MIT, an extremely straightforward programming language that consists of blocks with English phrases on them. Students can also utilize tools that have already been developed for such games, including Kahoot and Quizizz. In the past, students had to use worksheets, handwritten notes, and problems that were created by either them or their friends or family in order to study for their upcoming tests. Now, technology has made studying exciting for some by providing competitive games designed to practice their skills. 

Scratch 2.0 Screen Hello World.png by DevinCook on
Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 2.0

Finally, technology allows for helpful programs such as the NCVPS Peer Tutoring Center to exist. The PTC gives both students and tutors new opportunities to learn and apply the material learned in their classes. It allows tutors to help students in their education, to learn more about technology through videos designed to give troubleshooting tips, and even to write articles such as the one you are currently reading through TutorTalk! The PTC also gives students the opportunity to ask their peers about topics in their courses and to gain clarification on confusing questions that they missed on an assignment. The PTC is an amazing program that should be utilized before it becomes unavailable for you to use. If you have any questions in your course, I would encourage you to go to https://ncvps.upswing.io, login, and find a tutor to help you understand the material you are learning. Technology provides incredible convenience for seeking clarification on topics addressed in your courses, both online and offline. 

Technology is shaping our lives, including in our education. Technology is providing opportunities at an unprecedented rate! Students can accelerate their educations through online courses, take classes that are not provided at their face-to-face schools, practice new skills and application of information through online tools, and ask peer tutors questions to gain understanding on specific topics through the NCVPS Peer Tutoring Center! Technology is powering our modern world in more ways than can be counted; it impacts every aspect of our lives! All of this starts with education.