Compared to anytime in the past, the recent years have bought in so much advancement in technology and the internet is a major player, directing all these changes. Social media networks, like Facebook and Instagram, have enabled effective communication to a level that is unheard of in the past. People are now able to access nearly everything on the planet in just a few clicks with the help of the internet and their smartphones. This has fundamentally changed various industries forever. The most important of which is education.
E-learning is the way forward in the education sector. Offline, traditional methods of education are losing ground. People are used to getting quicker and faster results with everything else, and are expecting the same when it comes to developing new skills. For a lot of us, e-learning has helped democratize the education process. Learning is a lot more affordable, fun and accessible to everyone. You can study and finish a course without the need to attend a traditional university. Even aspiring teachers can take masters in tesol right at the convenience of their home. Premier institutions like YALE, MIT and LSE, are a lot more accessible. Instead of paying for the whole degree, people can now choose specific courses they are interested to learn.
3 Major Tools for E-Learning
E-learning is a way of learning and there are three different types of tools that can help you with that.
Apps
Apps can help turn the learning process as simple as playing a game. Apps can create innovative information channels in the form of video and interactive streams that boost the hand-eye coordination and enhance the Intelligence Quotient. Gamification of these apps by employing trophies points, badges and leader points provides the incentive to continue your progress when it comes to learning the key lessons or topics. Apps such as Byju’s learning are pushing the frontiers on this.
Websites
Content Management Systems (CMSs) and Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have revolutionized the way we learn using websites. They help students learn by interacting with different learning programs. Websites powered through these systems offer a centralized source of learning with added functionalities such as tracking and reporting. Khan Academy is a good example of such websites.
Wearables
These are the tools that are on the “more futuristic” end of the spectrum. The learners will be able to interact with subjects in a natural and dynamic way, with the help of 3D and real-time simulations. The learning process is immersive and provides an incredible experience to the learner. Apple Watch is being used as a learning tool by various people.
Current trends in Education
All the changes that is happening in e-learning is based on the listed tools. Based on the current trends and the projected development of these technologies, it is safe to say that, eventually everyone in the world will be able to learn without barriers.
One service that I came across recently that is trying innovative ways in the education sector is Lingoda. This online language school uses the power of technology and combines it with the emotions and experience of human teachers. Lingoda is an online language school that helps you to learn Spanish, French, English and German. One of the main advantages of an online learning is its flexibility: Lingoda’s students can take classes 24/7, whenever they have time, mood and motivation. At the same time students are taking lessons from the real teachers who are ready to guide and explain the difficult moments.
The courses are based on the pre-designed CEFR course structure, so it is a lot more standardized than other online portals. Personalized lessons to help your progress with respect to your goals and interests are also available.
This is a new way of pushing e-learning forward by combining technology of the future wherever necessary with the familiarity of traditional methods to make learning easy and effective, while making it accessible to a larger segment of people. The concept of a blended learning (which combines the technology and the involvement of real teachers) would stay as the trend for the next few decades.
I hope this article was useful for you to learn about E-Learning methods. If you have any doubts with regards to this, let us know through the comments and we will be glad to help you out. If you have any suggestions regarding how we can improve the article, let us know them through the comments as well for us to improve.