How important is technology in schools?

Technology in schools is one of the most pivotal methods of optimising the learning experiences of students. Educational institutions have to constantly adapt to the times as they change, meaning they have to update their technology as much (if not more) as their curriculum or their facilities.

Technology in schools performs a wide range of functions that cement its importance in the dynamic educational landscape. As technology takes over more of our daily lives, it is important that students get the opportunity to interact with technology in the classroom so they can be better equipped to interact with it later in life.

How does technology in schools aid education?

Technology in schools facilitates online learning.

Technology in schools offers students and teachers new ways to learn. With numerous unprecedented events taking place (such as the COVID-19 pandemic forcing teachers and students to conduct their classes from home), online learning is becoming more and more important.

It is important to provide students with access to education resources when they are outside of the classroom for any reason so that they do not miss out when they cannot attend. These resources can come in the form of hardware (i.e. up-to-date laptops/tablets, internet infrastructure, etc.) and software (i.e. online video call applications, a school intranet portal, etc.)

Technology in schools results in an inclusive learning environment.

No two students benefit from the same learning methods, yet they need to all learn from the same curricular material. Technology in schools can address the disparities of the learning experience between students by providing various ways to accommodate the needs of different students.

There are technology solutions that can aid students with various conditions; such as communication impediments, hearing impairments, learning difficulties, physical impairments, sensory processing conditions and vision problems. That way, all students are able to participate in the classroom and learn all aspects of the curriculum without being left behind.

Technology in schools promotes a wide number of important life skills.

Equipping students with technology in schools allows them to interact in ways that enhance numerous really important life skills. These skills include:

• Problem solving, as the use of technology forces students to plan, perform, evaluate and monitor various strategies in order to ensure their effectiveness when paired with technological solutions.
• Subject learning, as technology provides new ways for students to engage their own literacy and numeracy skills.
• IT literacy, as interacting with technology on a regular basis gives students the opportunity to learn the logic behind a lot of IT standard operating procedures.
• Collaboration, as a lot of technology encourages students to work together to solve problems, either together in the classroom or remotely over an internet connection.
• Knowledge retention, as students are fascinated with technology and the potential it has to enhance their learning. If students are more interested in the tasks that they are provided, they are more likely to retain what they learn as a result.

Technology in schools performs functions outside the scope of the classroom.

Technology in schools is not limited to whatever is provided to the students. There are large amounts of staff that play important roles in school, such as teachers, office staff, the principal, etc. Technology aids these people in various ways, such as:

• Streamlining and simplifying numerous school administration procedures.
• Allowing teachers the ability to further cultivate numerous parts of their curriculum to target specific areas such as numeracy and literacy.
• Giving teachers a method to provide information and communicate with students outside of the classroom.
• Support development of teachers as well, by providing them with methods of learning more about their field of teaching.
• Providing all new avenues to transform the teaching and learning process constantly as changes in technology make themselves more readily available.

What technology in schools does Intellischool provide?

Intellischool provides educators and learners with a series of data analytics products. Learning institutions can obtain real-time, relevant data for every member of their community through intuitive interfaces, automated configurations, and advanced analytics.

Albitros is an online analytics platform that can be utilised by teachers, students, school leaders, wellbeing teams, parents/guardians, data analysts, IT admins and school systems in order to provide valuable insights into learning, behaviour, business operations, and more.

Its features include:

• A holistic view of student achievement, achievement and progress is possible due to the consolidation of data sources such as NAPLAN, ACER, AAS and Allwell, as well as teacher judgements.
• The Pulse early warning system monitors truancy, behavioural issues, and overall academic performance and notifies the appropriate parties.
• An understanding of the conditions under which students thrive; based on factors such as assessment methods, learning tools, and even teacher testimonies.
• It has a simple yet powerful user interface that anyone can use regardless of their previous experience with analytics.

Albitros is hosted on the Intellischool Data Platform which provides comprehensive data management tools. By simplifying and automating data processes, such as cleaning errors, storing data on the cloud for analyzing and querying, providing data between apps and services, as well as auditing what apps access and interact with data, these tools simplify and streamline data processing.

The data platform provides:

• Easy data unification so institutions can collate data from a student information system (SIS), learning management system (LMS), Google Office 365, etc.
• Security protocols that allow your data to be accessed and protected based on parameters that you set.
• Workflow automation, integrating tools such as Microsoft Flow or Zapier to allow actions to be automatically triggered.
• Cloud data synchronisation, which synchronises cloud apps with up-to-date data with programs such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365.

If you have any questions, contact us so we can help you optimise your education institution’s data.

Cover photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash.