By Vijay Kumar Agarwal
Technology has reshaped the entire landscape of preschool learning in this era. For the past few decades, television has played an important role in attracting the attention of young individuals, which evolved into computers, which have now further evolved into mobile phones and tablets. And this evolution does not seem to stop any moment soon.
A large portion of the preschool curriculum is delivered through illustrations. Today, by the virtue of technology, the teachers can easily access various resources across the internet to demonstrate these illustrations to the preschoolers using which, they get to learn things much more clearly and intellectually. Comprehension, through these advancements, has no longer remained an enigma for children today.
Benefits of Tech In Education
- Remote Learning
Technological advancement has made learning possible across distances. One doesn’t need to worry about commuting for pursuing a particular course from foreign universities, and can do so easily by the aid of a desktop or a personal computer at the ease of staying indoors. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 also witnessed education being delivered remotely through these applications and tools.
- Access to Multiple Resources
Today, teachers and students can access a number of resources in relation to teaching and learning. The evolution of e-books is another watershed in this matter. These digital books are easily accessible, portable, convenient to read at one’s ease, cost effective, less space consuming and allow extensive cross-referencing across sources. These are saved from the trouble of being reprinted over and over again.
- Storage of Academic Records
Earlier, educational institutions used to dedicate thousands of shelves for storing their academic records. The advancement of technology has made it convenient for teachers as well as the institutions to store large amounts of records, even in the preschool landscape, in the economy of sizes. These records are now digitised and stored efficiently in computers thus slashing down the storage issues.
- Working in Collaboration
Technology has made it possible today not only for kids but literally for everyone to collaborate with others on various platforms for various purposes. In terms of education, working in a collaboration brings one very near to observing others and learning their strengths and ways of doing things efficiently. This promotes mutual growth, allows their creativity a wider canvas, and makes them au courant.
Tools to Employ In Preschool Education
- Interactive White Boards
Of the significant advancements that have taken place, the evolution from greenboards to smart whiteboards has been stupendous. Through these interactive smartboards, children learn the concepts steadily with an active two way virtual communication. These boards simply do not appear to them as dead objects; but rather a living thing, which helps these young children pay absolute attention to what’s being taught.
- Tablets and Touchscreen Devices
The active involvement in the usage of tablets and touchscreen devices has made learning an adventure. These gadgets and devices prepare the children for the digital future which lies ahead, eliminate the monotony of textbook learning, stimulate their minds to engage actively, and make things seem less difficult with a smart presentation that also aids in the mnemonics.
- AR and VR Gadgets
These gadgets provide the young children a completely virtually interactive way wherein they visualise the concepts in a three dimensional sphere. This improves communication between humans and technology, eases comprehension, improves the motor skills of children, and overall results in the enhancement of their personality. Some of the apps like Blippar and Quiver offer the aforesaid virtual interaction.
- Modernised Gamification
Gamification implies adding the mechanics and principles of games to those areas which fall in non-game contexts. In the educational sphere, this involves adopting reward systems, interactive games, group challenges, promoting role-playing instances, integrating physical activities and a lot more. Their main purpose is to promote a sense of competitiveness, invite active engagement, and make learning an enjoyable journey throughout.
- Digital Microscopes and Magnifiers
These tools allow the children to explore the microscopically ambiguous world on a larger canvas through digital means. Some of the main purposes which it serves is to bring the children closer to nature, explore its wonders, stimulate a scientific temper in their minds and overall make them technologically adept.
Handle with Care
It is in the best interest of children that they are equipped with all the requisites of keeping pace with changing trends of technology in this digital world. However, there is barely an invention or an advancement that may only have either pros without cons or vice versa. The parents and teachers must necessarily take the plunge of making their children aware of the Don’ts of technology. There should be a modulation. The excess of anything is surely not a cherishable sight to witness. Likewise, technological tools and applications ought to be handled with restraints that no learner should be allowed to supersede.
With so many advantages at hand, there also lie certain crucial responsibilities that an educator must cater to. With such limitless diversity as technology possesses, it is for the educator to decide what all things should go in for the benefit of children, and what all needs to be kept from them. The preschool period happens to be a very sensitive age. In it, it becomes fundamentally important that the children, if they are made familiar with the advantages of tech, should at the same time be made familiar with its disadvantages to avoid entering into those areas.
The author is the founder and CEO of Makoons Group of Schools.
