Digital Learning Is Revolutionizing the Classical Concepts Of Education
Digitization is changing the world of learning, and modern education can no longer deviate from the concept of digital learning. As in industry, technical education and vocational training are also in a continuous process of transformation.
Digital learning is not only changing the skills individuals need to pursue a career in technical education or training. But also how educators teach these skills.
Therefore, technological progress creates many innovative ways of learning; these together with modern pedagogical learning concepts, open up new opportunities for the education sector.
What Does Digital Learning Mean?
Digital learning refers to learning with the help of digital media and technology. Although the term is used in the field of education, learning is still a cognitive process; that is, a process in the brain that is by no means automatic. The idea of being able to download knowledge directly into the brain’s memory may seem tempting, but so far it remains only wishful thinking.
However, remote learning media can not only make learning more fun, but also help achieve desired learning goals faster and more sustainably.
This includes not only technology but also learning strategies.
One thing is clear: digital technology in education should not be an end in itself. Instead, they should be dedicated to achieving clearly defined educational goals. Therefore, there must be a pedagogical concept that integrates favorable standards to take full advantage of the potential support provided by digital learning.
Why Is Digital Learning Growing in Popularity?
Currently, our world is growing rapidly in terms of the volume of information. The technology in our hands evolves every day, but that does not mean that it is being used effectively and sparingly.
The speed of change in the economy, technology and communication, to name a few, forces us to live fast-paced lives without knowing what our goals are.
In education, we are progressing towards a world that is becoming increasingly technologically saturated and centered on digital learning. This involves utilizing digital tools in the learning process, where educational platforms provide students with digital content and digital facilitators guide them to understand and learn the subject.
Over the years, this method of learning has gained traction for a variety of reasons:
- Students can access educational content at any time through digital devices with an Internet connection.
- It is totally inclusive. People who are unable to travel to face-to-face learning due to a physical disability have the same opportunities as those who do.
- Safety is an important factor, especially when weather, traffic, and many other factors can determine whether it is safe to get to school. As a result, it becomes a real possibility for many to get an education in a safe place.
- Avoiding the relocation of research centers can reduce investment in time and costs. Especially for someone who works and has a few hours to study. Remote learning options fit like a glove because you can get content anywhere, and many platforms even allow you to view content on your device without an internet connection.
- The speed of communication on the Internet makes getting content much faster. Information changes quickly, so digital content changes much more easily than traditional education.
Who Benefits from Digital Learning?
This learning style benefits everyone. Today, young children have electronic devices integrated into their lives and can use them at will and indiscriminately. One way to support and maximize this content is through digital education.
Young people entering high school or lower grades have a good knowledge of technological tools, so it is common practice for them to use them for homework, and research.
However, it is important that they learn to differentiate and distinguish, in the world of information in front of them, what is relevant content.
Many courses on educational platforms are of high quality; they just need to learn to choose the one that suits their age and needs.
For young career graduates who need to specialize in a subject outside of the college curriculum, or in a highly specialized field they are entering, independent digital learning is an excellent choice in terms of time and finances.
Many companies that need to train employees in specific areas and do not have space for a large number of people can turn to digital learning by distributing online courses using digital resources and content.
The digital learning opportunities available on the Internet are endless. This gives us a very powerful tool to get a high-quality education with a lot of cheap or even free content.
There are no excuses; we can study what we want when we need it, safe in the comfort of our own space.
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Education?
The fact that classes are held remotely has caused speculation by teachers and students. This about their effectiveness in the learning process. With the development of technology, virtual education has advanced and has some characteristics of its own.
Here is why it is interesting to know the benefits of virtual education:
- Instant access to information sources.
- Comfort in time management and flexibility in the learning environment.
- Geographic location does not matter.
- Countless educational opportunities.
- Access to materials 24 hours a day.
- Variety of learning resources, including videos, graphics, and other visual content.
- Save of time and money.
- Classes can be replayed as many times as necessary.
- Participation in chat rooms, with Zoom, Google Mee,t and more.
On the contrary, the disadvantages of this teaching method can be summarized as follows:
- Difficulties in concentration.
- Recognition of degrees obtained abroad.
- IT tools are necessary for connectivity in virtual classrooms.
- Negative impact on socialization.
- Passivity, underestimating the true meaning of the method.
- Lack of a complete learning structure.
- It takes much more persistence and discipline than face-to-face teaching.
- Delays and inefficiencies due to errors in technical means.
- Lack of routine can lead to a lack of control.
Challenges of Virtual Education
One of the main problems with virtual education is singularity. There is still a strong belief that this is a poor quality and mediocre form of presentation. Obviously, this is a completely false statement, as the number of degree programs offered has grown exponentially, especially graduate programs. This has allowed the participation of a large number of people who otherwise would not have had access to education or better training.
The challenges in obtaining normal development can be summarized as follows:
- Quality
In this regard, it should be noted that virtual education has the same quality as face-to-face education. In fact, it presents a real challenge for those who choose to start or continue their studies in this way. This means more concentration, a desire to learn, discipline, organization, etc.
- Scope
Success in reaching more students as a target market will depend on the quality and availability of Internet connectivity tools and the financial resources to pay for them. This gap is very important in developing countries.
- Adaptability
The impact of the pandemic shows the inability to adapt quickly enough to changes in the environment. The delay in changing digital learning strategies points to insufficient training of human resources, lack of adequate technology at home, and in the classroom, rigidity of platforms and virtual classrooms, speed and capacity of servers, etc.
- Organizational culture
This aspect is very important since it is the determining factor of success or failure. The willingness of learning members to implement and support change is a strategic issue.
Adapting to Changes
Using information and communications technology (ICT) and starting with appropriate learning models, conditions and opportunities that allow students to learn at their own pace need to be developed. So that they can interact with teachers and their peers, and learn.
To achieve this, they need to develop skills and gain experience. Environmental or learning environments, that respond to the need for face-to-face interaction and facilitate access to educational resources, must be used in remote education.
Essential elements of the work environment would be:
- Design infrastructures to promote meaningful learning by integrating learning resources that ensure success. Institutions offer this learning content. Taking into account various social and work needs, with the aim of developing knowledge, attitudes, and values in students.
- Plan the learning process. The plan clearly outlines the learning activities. As well as learning strategies, resources to be used (support materials, technological and communication resources, etc.). And evaluation criteria and strategies, and feedback activities to achieve the established goals.
- Learning resources encompass instructional materials in various formats and technical elements that support the interaction between instruction and content to be addressed during digital learning.
- Communication: It is one of the basic elements in the teaching and learning process that occurs between both teacher and student and between students.
- Learning Assessment: The process of determining a student’s level of proficiency in relation to established learning objectives. Evaluation is systematic and runs through the entire process.
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