National Education Day: How Digital Learning is Changing the Future of Education

With approximately 260 million school enrolments, India has one of the largest K-12 education systems in the world. However, when it comes to learning, more often than not, our system is still driven by a fear of examinations, rather than the love for learning. The overall approach to learning is still anchored towards training children to answer questions instead of encouraging them to ask questions, and nurturing the curiosity of a child is getting lost in the process. 

The good news, though, is that with the advent of technology, internet penetration, and increased adoption of smart devices, now is the best time for a massive shift in the way learning is approached. 

Digital learning today allows a combination of teachers, video lessons, and interactive games to create a learning experience that is more engaging than ever before. The use of digital learning methods can help make complex concepts visual and contextual, which will help students understand not just the “What” of learning, but the “Why” and the “How” as well. 

Having worked with products aimed at enabling students to become better learners, here’s how technology is transforming the very core of how children learn:

Visual becomes mainstream

Studies show that children extensively use their senses to learn, in which the sense of sight accounts for 75%. “Where is that car going?”, “What does our cat eat?”, and “How did the sun come up in the morning?”- questions that children ask are often about what they see around them. Digital mediums today can offer children so much more clarity on what they are learning. They allow children to build connections to concepts by actually watching these ideas come to life. Great video content also helps students retain what they learn for life, moving away from the need to memorize for exams and eventually forget.

Teachers enable digital learning 

While digital methods play a crucial role in enhancing a student’s learning curve, it also owes its effectiveness to the teacher’s involvement in catalyzing that learning. Having been both a teacher and a student, I have experienced both sides of the learning relationship. Through this experience, I have come to realize that technology actually makes me a better teacher. The aid of digital mediums helps me explain concepts easily, effectively, and engagingly, while still giving my students a teacher to relate to. This makes the entire learning process interesting, interactive and personal - a crucial element for its effectiveness. 

Gamifying learning for more participation

According to a report by Smoothwall, a staggering 96% of teachers believe that digital methods of learning have played a valuable role in creating a positive impact on the way children participate and learn lessons- All thanks to the gamification aspect of digital learning. Incorporating game elements in education can motivate students to understand better and can strengthen their concepts. Add a game to a child’s lesson to play with the concept,  and you will immediately see that it cuts down boredom, increases attention spans, and enables better retention of knowledge.

Digital learning methods have the power to unlock the potential inside every single child. By making content more engaging, personalizing the pace of learning, and making learning more participative, digital learning can make children lifelong learners. This will ultimately equip children to face the challenges of flexibility and adaptability that will be integral to the workplace of the future.