Beyond the Grade: Enhancing Education Through Video Assessments

As the world of education is evolving fast these last few years with the growing use of technology in and out of the classroom, educators benefit from a valuable opportunity to rethink their teaching practices to provide students with a better learni...

Education: The 4 barriers to adopting new technologies in the classroom

Laura Schmitz by:Laura Schmitz on: March 12, 2019

New technologies are undeniably present in our daily lives, and can represent a real help for many of our everyday tasks. However, this is not always obvious in the field of education. What are the 4 biggest barriers that education faces in adopting new technologies?

 
The cost: One of the biggest obstacles is the cost. State-of-the-art technology often requires significant investment, and as some technologies become obsolete in a few years, it is not surprising that low-budget schools are cautious about such investments. However, investing in automatic lecture capture systems, for example, can ultimately prove profitable in the long run. Equipped with advanced tools, students will be attracted by these institutions, their chances of success will increase, and the university will be able to accommodate more students at lower cost (remote student, disabled …)
 
Lack of Training: Schools need to invest time and money in educational technology initiatives to achieve results. Even if teachers have access to learning technologies, sometimes they do not receive the necessary training to exploit these technologies. Technical training is particularly important for teachers because many of them are not “digital natives”.
 

Resistance to the adoption of new technologies: The third problem is the lack of training and technical knowledge, many teachers and administrators refuse to adopt new technologies in the classroom. It is understandable that time-sensitive teachers are afraid of adopting new classroom tools, especially if they lack support at the school level.

 
Insufficient internet access: The biggest problem is the lack of Internet access. According to the Sprint Business survey, over 16% of teachers report that their school district does not provide regular Internet access for students. This is a major impediment to the adoption of these new technologies.

 

How is a day in a school with no digital equipment?

 

How is a day going in a school where teaching is connected and learning is active?

Before class

The teachers prepare the classes in advance.

→ Little flexibility and no possibility to prepare the students to the lecture (Blended Learning).

professeur-preparation-cours

 

 

Teachers share video recordings and quizzes for the next class, and open the online forum on these contents.

→ The interaction between the students and / or the teacher can be done and thus ensure an active preparation for the lecture.

→ Teachers can assess misunderstandings and questions to best prepare their class.

During the class

Students arrive at the course either without special preparation or having received a document by email from the teacher.

→ Students are not conditioned to receive the information if no document has been made available. And if a content has been sent by email, it may not have been consulted beforehand.

The course is going on, students must take notes / understand / follow the course / ask questions in case of misunderstanding.

→ This situation does not take into account pupils in particular situations and may disadvantage some (handicap, geographical location). The shy students will not dare to intervene and ask questions. The odds are not equal to all and learning is mostly passive.

 

The teacher gives a course that is recorded in video and broadcast live online. Social learning tools are available (forum, quiz, flagging).

→ Distance learning students can take the course and even participate.

In class, the most shy students can participate, and everyone can study at their own pace.

élèves-à-distance

 

After the class

After the class, students review their notes and share notes.

→ The students all learn at a different pace, here the methodology does not fit everyone.

student-share-lesson

 
 
The video of the lesson is available to students online. The teacher studies the statistics and offers a follow-up of the class to the students.
In conclusion, there are some barriers that remain in the adoption of new technologies within schools. However, the evolution of learning methods and needs will undoubtedly exceed them by an easier access to adapted digital tools. Discover UbiCast solutions to support you in the digitization of education.

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