A Digital Revolution in Education Using Tech Tools and Devices

Abstract

Technology is the beacon of light in the world of education and bewitches almost everyone towards it including learners, teachers, and content creators. Education is no exception to missing the tide of technological change which navigates the learning world with a sea of innovations and ideas. In the current scenario, a kid even before joining primary school can operate modern gadgets with more ease than the older generations. Smart Phone is one such gadget which provides mobile telephony, entertainment, sports, news, games, and numerous multi-purpose applications for the young and elderly. Today’s tech-savvy generation adapts quickly to newer methods of teaching and learning modes faster than their predecessors. This paper discusses the recent innovations in education and modes of learning, tech tools, and digital platforms that make learning simpler and effective for both the teaching and student fraternity.

Keywords: Tech tools, e-learning, mobile learning, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, Chabot

Emerging technologies are designed to facilitate individual learning through assisted discovery, and provide effective learning through hands-on experience. Through online e-learning portals, students can enroll in the courses which were run by subject experts and get certified after passing out in the relevant exams. For learning a new language, there are online e-learning web-based applications for practicing foreign language skills with native speakers. Practicing the speaking skill in a foreign language with a native speaker will be more beneficial for the learner to grasp the language easily. Educational materials are a part of those applications along with the live audio-video feed between the participants.

Integrating innovative technology during classroom practices inevitably demands teachers to acquire new technological and pedagogical skills. It is argued that to appreciate the potential and limitations of online education, we need to trace the issues that bind online education with distance education. Distance education also plays an important role in broadening educational access and increasing higher educational opportunities. The success, however, for any distance education initiative relies on a critical and core resource, namely having participating faculty who provide quality instruction. Students can use Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), an online platform where anyone can enroll in free online courses. MOOCs provide the cheapest and easy way to learn new subjects or skills.

Students have become increasingly interested in the learning benefits that apps on mobile devices bring. According to the relevant research, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) can not only enhance students’ English ability but also increase students’ learning motivation. Seemingly, it is helpful and efficient for college students to use mobile devices to learn English by themselves. Mobile apps like ‘Improve English: Vocabulary, Grammar, Word Games’ aims to help the learner to learn and improve English as well as practice Math in an easy and interesting way. This app provides courses that are centered on English vocabulary, grammar, idiomatic phrases, commonly confused words, phrasal verbs, Math tips and tricks, ratio and proportion, progression, averages, percentages, etc. The platform also works on scientific algorithms specifically designed to help the learners to improve their English and practice Math efficiently. The vocabulary builder in the app consists of easy, intermediate, and advanced levels which can help the learners to achieve high scores in the entrance or competitive examinations like CAT, XAT, NMAT, GRE, GMAT, IELTS, and TOEFL. The app also features interesting games to improve one’s English language skills like words checker, space pursuit, fly high, reader's digest, echo, jelly fizz, panda’s trail, sea voyage, word maze, spell safe, polarity and words race. These games focus on improving the learners in the areas of vocabulary building, reading comprehension, spelling, and grammar.

While Outcome Based Education is gaining momentum worldwide, usage of multimedia aids like LCD projectors and Bluetooth speakers inside the classrooms are now used by teachers to conduct activities. Emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning are next in line to create changes in the field of education in the near future. AI is primarily used today in education to help improve skills and testing systems. By merging with the best characteristics of teachers and machines, the vision for AI in the educational sector will bring out the best outcome for students.

Machine Learning can be used to present personalized content for a learner to learn at their pace. Machine Learning is a part of AI which includes software and applications to find out the patterns, to make predictions, and to apply the newly found patterns in the system for improvement. A Chatbot is an artificial intelligence (AI) software that can simulate a conversation (or a chat) with a user in natural language through messaging applications, websites, and mobile apps or through the telephone. It is an advanced and reliable device where interaction happens between humans and machines. But, it only represents the natural evolution of a Question Answering system connecting Natural Language Processing (NLP). Framing responses to questions in natural language is one of the most common examples of Natural Language Processing that is applied in many companies in their end-use applications.

The data speed of 5G technology is nearly 1000 times faster than 4G internet service. Learners can download 4K videos, files, applications, and images in a jiffy instead of minutes of waiting time. 5G can give better access to the internet, smart devices, and e-learning digital platforms for the students and the schools that are located in remote locations. Since 5G can achieve a transfer of high-quality videos and a fast connection to the internet, it can extend the technical usage of AR and VR. In the future, history, biology, science, and geography classes can use AR and VR to describe and exhibit landscapes, figures, and parts of the human body, bringing a novel method of teaching. Thus, the use of tech tools and devices in education will surely enhance the knowledge of a learner and impacts a truly developed society in all disciplines. With the help of 5G internet connectivity, it is expected that it will be more accessible to the learners through the usage of smart devices and computers in tomorrow’s real or virtual classrooms.