How are educational institutes making the most of technology?
How are educational institutions taking advantage of technology to compete and win students?
Technological advances are rapidly changing the way in which educational institutes operate; from campus to classroom. The metal detector has replaced the friendly instructor inactivity to greet you at the school gates; the abacus has gathered dust in favour of the calculator; and the good old-fashioned blackboard seems to be as much a part of the past as the tablet. To be up-to-date with the modern world, educational institutes realize that they must make the most of technology, especially when providing an education becomes a business. Whether it be advertising the institute, deciding when and where the class should be, or the modern technology that today’s classrooms are equipped with, the evidence shows that modern educational institutes are making the most of modern technology to entice students.
Before the birth of the world wide web, educational institutes had to rely on word-of-mouth, advertising in newspapers, at other educational institutes, in newspapers, and at events specifically designed for showcasing further learning institutes such as open days and seminars. Nowadays, each modern educational institute has a website, and links to the websites via other associated websites. These websites not only appeal to prospective students, but are also used as a platform to advertise for teachers. For example, www.ajarn.com and www.daveseslcafe.com are both well known websites where ESL instructors can post there resumes for potential employees to view, as well as browsing the sites jobs page.
Another way in which the world wide web has changed the way in which institutes compete for students is online learning. Universities and colleges in particular a keen to utilize the world wide web and more specifically, e-learning. The typical university student is no longer seen as being a young twenty-something; people from all places and all ages are potential students and the higher learning institutes are aware of this. By using emails and MSN it is now doable for students to correspond with instructors at the click of the button. WebBoards are used as virtual classrooms where students and instructors alike can post messages, have discussions, and upload files. The captivating features of e-learning give students the flexibility to study during hours that suit them from the comfort of their own home or the nearest world wide web café.
However, the traditional classroom can't be forgotten about just yet. The classroom is still the main learning environment for any institute and the technology used in the classroom has come a long way. Most schools are equipped with personal rooms and it is common for there to be a personal in the class for the use of the teacher. Overhead projectors (OHPs) are also used to display images from the personal onto a massive white screen. This feature is particularly useful for instructors who wish to use software such as PowerPoint when presenting their lesson. Wireless microphones are also used in the classroom to wage perceptibility in massive classrooms whilst at the same time allowing unrestricted movement around the classroom.
As technology advances, so do educational institutes, be it in how they advertise, where they wage an education, or the use of equipment in the classroom. A student looking to attend university has no further to go than online in his search. Once there, he will find a multitude of options, including online Master’s degree programs from universities on different continents. The future of the classroom looks promising with interactive whiteboards becoming favourite in current years, podcasts being used by instructors who are technologically adept, and assignments, syllabuses, grades, and schedules posted online can all by found being used in the modern classroom.
