Change is inevitable. Technology has changed the world for a long time, most notably affecting the Education industry in a positive way and reshaping the teaching Learning process. The 21^st century learning has brought a paradigm shift from teacher centered to student centered learning. Infact, education is made more interesting, impressive, and interactive by integrating with the technology. This integration of technology with learning explores the various possibilities of knowledge utilisation for the betterment of the students as well as the teacher’s fraternity. Technology provides the pupils an effective way to communicate, collaborate, and concentrate; rather the distance between information and students has been much shortened and bridged by information technology.

Learning Management Systems, Social Media, and Personal Learning Environments act as the pillars of educational technology. Now let me highlight how exactly the technology is transforming higher education:

• Accessibility & Flexibility – Accessibility is sort after for easy and effective learning. Education is no more limited within four walls of the classroom. Integrating Technology into education has become a boon for pupils by enabling the playing field to be leveled. Now education has become more accessible to rural areas, towns, and cities. The students are exposed to teachers across the globe just in front of them virtually. More importantly, pupils with disabilities benefit from technology since it increases their independence and helps them to learn without the constant supervision of their teachers. The blended approach of education not only saves much time for teachers but also enables the student to learn at his own pace. Also, each and every student’s activity can be monitored with ease.
• Communication & Collaboration – Communication is the first step for any student to excel in his academic career as it diminishes the gap between the student and the teacher. The online mode of education has paved a pathway for each and every pupil to connect with their teacher more easily than that of the traditional way of education. E-learning via G-Suite and others are encouraging teamwork as well as individual growth. Research is being carried out like Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) hoping to bring about a revolution in analyzing the data, automating the assessment tools, and personalizing the learning platforms.
• Online Resources & Tools – 21^st century students are exposed to an ocean of resources in the form of e-books, videos, images, documentaries, digital library, articles, journals, and blogs for both teaching and learning process. The various tools include podcasts, gadgets like laptop, mobiles, I pads and tablets, power point presentations, communication tools, and content organizing tools.
• Personalized and fun learning – Not all students have equal learning abilities. Personalized learning is an educational strategy that tries to tailor learning to the strengths, needs, skills, and interests of each student. Each student receives a personalized learning plan based on what they already know and how they learn best. Different learning styles, such as visual, aural, tactile, and social, can assist pupils in learning according to their ability. Adding little bit game further draws the student’s attention towards learning. Different apps like mentimeter, kahoot, and quizlet are available for fun learning.
• Reduction in paperwork – Every educational institution now has computers with installed software and programmes that are connected to high-speed internet. It allows them to focus on enhancing academic productivity and minimizing paperwork. Students’/ teachers’ information, administrative details, logistics, attendance, fees, test and examination details, curriculum, content, and other activities are all aided by these technologies. All of the tasks can be done automatically, eliminating the requirement for manual labour. Owing to the development of these technologies, teachers can record lectures digitally and share them with students instead of spending too much time preparing notes and delivering lectures on the blackboard.

Conclusion:

Education is nothing but teaching the students about the arena of concepts that they have not learned yet. Integrating technology into education is like embarking on a journey into modern invention, where the teacher serves as a guide during the trip. He also explores the various areas of growth both for himself and the young minds, thereby playing an important role in developing the nation.

About the Author:

Dr. C. Ananda Vayaravel is a passionate teacher for medical and paramedical students; with an educational excellence of 21 glorious years. 23 national and international publications together with eight patents add to his credit. Top 10 Principal of the year, Best Academician, Best Writer, Best Researcher, and Best Educator are his accolades; being appreciated for empowering the students nationally. He also serves an editor and reviewer in many peer-reviewed journals. Currently, he is the Professor and Principal of Sri Venkateshwaraa College of Paramedical Sciences.

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