Teaching and learning with technology is the way to go, the future of education is bright. Technology is playing a big role in changing how we learn and access educational material. The use of technology in education and classroom has increased students’ interest in learning; technology makes the learning process friendly, easy and interesting.
Today, many student use technology to learn various subjects, their is no limitation on how much a student can learn with technology, because technology empowers them with tools to teach themselves without need of a tutor. Shy students use technology to engage in educational discussions which helps them learn more.
Due to the increased advancement in educational technologies, students in remote areas and developing countries have also got a chance to study professional courses using the internet. Online education is on the rise, many universities and colleges have started rolling out online education plans for their students, this process has opened educational boundaries and it has also helped in improving students grades.
Another controversial learning technology being used by students to learn is a cell phone. Many educators and parents have debated on the use of cell phones in the classroom and learning process, but, in my point of view, these devices have helped students learn from anywhere, students can record and share lectures using cell phones, students can access educational material using mobile applications, students can download and listen to audio books and notes. This means these small gadgets have contributed something positive in our learning process.
Today, on UseofTechnology, I want us to look at some new learning technologies which students can use to improve on their grades.
1. Language Zen Looks to Shake Up Language Learning with Indiegogo Campaign
What if software tailored language lessons to meet your specific needs? That’s the question that drove Ofir Geller, a graduate student in social psychology at Tel-Aviv University, to develop Language Zen. Inspired by his work in psycholinguistics, Geller built the adaptive program to match the way the human brain learns languages. In his design, Geller also emphasized practical vocabulary: Language Zen data-mines thousands of media sources to determine which words and phrases are most widely used in everyday speech. In other words, Language Zen meets you where you are.
“It’s like having a personal tutor who is totally in line with everything you know and everything you don’t know,” says Micah Greenberg, another member of the Language Zen team who’s spearheading a $30,000 IndieGoGo campaign to support the completion and launch of the program.
There are many players in the $53 billion language learning software industry. But Greenberg says that Language Zen represents a huge step forward in the way computers and the Internet can be used to teach foreign languages. “Language Zen approaches language learning from lots of different angles,” Greenberg notes. “There are the core lessons based off of data mining, but you can choose to dive into niche modules to learn a specific set of vocabulary, and the program also uses music and other media to keep lessons fun.”
Up until now, the team has completed most of the back-end structure of the program, including the architecture of the database and the primary development of the algorithm. If the IndieGoGo campaign is successful, the Spanish language program is set for release in January of 2014. This will even include material geared toward a younger crowd, complete with lessons based on Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer.
Asked about his inspiration for developing Language Zen, Geller explained that he wanted to improve upon what was currently available in terms of language learning software. “I didn’t see any programs that were using the power of the computer and the Internet to bring psychology theory into practice in full force. You would see some good implementations here and there, but never complete, and never with the users’ preferences in mind. I wanted to make a program that people would trust to make the best use of their time, a program that adapts to the user, not a program that makes the user adapt to it. And I also wanted to have the material emphasize practicality, so that the user could be talking in the real world as fast as possible.” Learn More Here……..
- 2. Chegg:
Students you can improve on your grades with Chegg. Through their study a week program, students can post questions on any subject and get answers from experienced educators on Chegg. You can also be in position to rent or buy text books at an affordable price. Chegg will also enable you to review various courses and also create lesson plans online. If you need study aids, chegg will provide you hand-picked content designed to guide you and study smarter. It is a great platform for students who want to learn with technology. Try out Chegg’s learning technology and see if it can help you improve on your grades. Learn more here……
- 2. khanacademy
This is one of the best learning technologies online. Students take advantage of khanacademy’s extensive video library which features over 4000 educational videos on popular subjects like math, English, algebra, chemistry, physics and so much more. All video lessons uploaded on khanacademy are created by experienced teachers and educators, so as a student you will have exposure to rich educational video content which will help you improve on your grades.
Students who have problems with learning math, you can use khanacademy’s adaptive assessment section to practice math at your own pace. Learn more about khanacademy learning technology from here…..
- 3. Livemocha
Learn English and other languages online using Livemocha. Students can learn to write and speak any language; you will get assistance from Livemocha teachers. As a student, it is good to learn more than one language; this will increase on your opportunities across boundaries. Livemocha will enable you explore and practice different languages with millions of people. So don’t get stuck or lose a job opportunity simply because you don’t know the language being used in that community, join Livemocha and learn more languages. Try it out today from here…..
- 4. Codecademy
Learning how to code has never been easier, but due to the increasing demand of professional coders in the IT industry, codecademy has decided to create a platform which can teach anyone to learn how to code. Coding lessons are provided for free, so any one with interest of learning how to code can join and start practicing. Students who use Codecademy learning technology can be in position to create websites, fun games, mobile applications and much more. So this is a great opportunity for you to improve on your skills and also increase on your chances of being financially independent in the future. Join Codecademy for free from here…..
- 5. NoodleTools
This is one of the most essential learning technologies every student should try out. NoodleTools is a web platform which provides students with tools to help them during the research process. Students can use NoodleTools for note-taking, outlining content, citation, document archiving and so much more. NoodleTools has introduced Peer Review Mode feature which enables students to view a partner’s work, which helps students revise with their friends and also improve on their work / grades. Try out NoodleTools for free today and see if it can help you improve on your grades. Learn more here….
- 6. tutor.com
If you’re a student, you will agree with me that doing homework by your self at home is a challenge, some times you can get stack and no body at home can help you out. But all this will be history; TUTOR is a new learning technology which provides on demand homework help and tutoring services to students from all parts of the world. Tutor has active online educators and teachers who are willing to help you out in any subject. Start getting better grades by subscribing with tutor.com, get access to experienced educators, no appointments needed, you can study from anywhere. Learn more about Tutor learning technology from here…..
- 7. Scribd :
This is a digital library which allows educators, publishers and students to publish, discuss and discover rich content. As a student you can use Scribd for research purposes. Internet has billions of content, but most of this content is not relevant, so you need to depend on approved content published by experienced educators and fellow students like you. Scribd is a free platform; you will find lots of free electronic books, PDF files, documents and educational magazines. Try Scribd learning technology today and improve on your grades. Learn more from here….
- 8. Piazza
Students, you can use Piazza platform to ASK QUESTIONS, ANSWER QUESTIONS and DISCOVER educational content. Piazza is a free educational platform which is being used by thousands of instructors and students. Teachers or instructors can create virtual classrooms on Piazza and students can search or join any class. As a student, you will have a wide range of classes you can join, this will expose you to great educational content which will help you improve on your grades. You can use your course dashboard to manage course information, course resources and announcements. In your course resource you will find materials like homework, lecture notes, assignments and essential educational links. Join Piazza for free from here….
- 9. Wikipedia.org
This is a free encyclopedia which features billions of educational content, this content can be edited by anyone, which means that the community takes the responsibility of ensuring that content published on Wikipedia is up-to-date. As a student, you will find lots of educational content which you can use in the learning process, educational topics ranging from English, math, physics, science, history , geography, economics and so much more are being published and edited every day. Wikipedia is free and it can be accessible from any device. So if you want to learn about anything, Wikipedia is the best place to go. Try it now today from here…..
- 10. TED Ed:
TED makes education and the learning process interesting, they feature educational videos created by educators and instructors. As a student, you can use TED to discover rich educational videos; content is organized in form of categories to make it easy for you to discover cool educational videos. Some of the most popular categories include Arts, Business and Economics, Design, Engineering and Technology, Health, Literature and Language, Mathematics, Philosophy & Religion, Science & Technology, Social Studies and so much more…….You can share these videos with your classmates on Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. Improve your grades this year with approved educational videos. Try out TEDEd lessons for free from here….
- 11. Youtube.com/education
Youtube has created a dedicated section for education, via Youtube.com/education; you will find many educational channels created by experienced educators and instructors. As a student, you can learn just about anything, Channels featured on Youtube Education include Business, University, Primary & Secondary Education, Lifelong Learning, Science, Engineering, Mathematics and so much more. Youtube is a free platform and it can be accessed from any device, so you can improve on your individual learning skills by using educational videos published on Youtube.com/education. Try it today from here…….
