The COVID pandemic has forced schools to get creative about how they keep their students informed and educated. Digital classes have become the go-to solutions for most education centers. However, a lot of teachers needed to go above and beyond to ensure kids can get on with their lessons. Some teachers have organized safe-distancing classrooms in a variety of locations for children who couldn’t have access to digital technologies.
Teachers have also driven through the neighborhood to offer individual tutorials to children in difficulty, from the safety of the driveway or the garden. Needless to say, teachers have been finding ways of making lockdown work for their students.
Some families are also receiving financial support to encourage digital education. As such, online classes have become the new normal. For teachers who have been promoting digital education for many years, now is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of computers in and outside the classroom.
Digital Learning Can Support Each Individual Student
It makes no doubt that digital programs can create a new approach to learning. Tools such as Duolingo, for instance, have been relying on the gamification principles to encourage users to brush up their language skills and progress day after day.
With over 300 million users worldwide, Duolingo demonstrates that digital gamification is the best motivation. Similar tools are available for the classroom, such as the Typing programs for middle school that use gamification and analysis to create an individual program for each student. The process can not only motivate kids to learn but also offers guidance through the curriculum, ensuring no student is left behind. It’s a fantastic way for teachers to diversify the lesson content to customize it for every child.
Digital Learning Can Provide Engagement
As essential as education is, learning can be dull, depending on a child’s interest and the topic of the lesson. Ultimately, it is the role of a teacher to develop interactive and playful environments to engage students in the classroom.
And this begs the question of how to introduce digital technology in a fun context. Indeed, teachers would be hard-pressed to find a child who doesn’t appreciate video games.
Using video games as a way of promoting engagement can help conquer even the most challenging classes. The teacher could divide the class into groups and task each group with a gaming mission, for instance. While the game can be used as an educational tool, it also provides an appealing introduction to the lesson, encouraging children to be attentive and engage with the core subject.
Digital Learning Is Integral To A Modern Lifestyle
Last but not least, schools should prepare kids for future professional life. The skills they learn in school are integral to their career progression, such as counting, reading, or making a presentation. In a world where digital skills are taken for granted, it appears essential for schools to brush up their digital offering. There is no denying that no school can teach children how to become digital data analysts or social media managers. But the modern curriculum needs to include essential basics: social media usage, how to use search engines, or even how to use videos online.
The pandemic has helped schools to embrace digital technology and consider new ways of delivering lessons safely. In a situation where computers have become an acceptable part of the school scene, teachers need to seize the unique opportunity to grow the digital offering and help children develop their skills.