With the development of technology, the landscape of education is also changing. Schools or educational institutions should priorities the integration of digital tools, promote a culture of innovation, and focus on the professional development and growth of teachers and staff. In the post, we discuss the use of ICT in education for digital transformation or mobile learning.
The Impact of ICT in Education for Digital Transformation and Mobile Learning
Along with the development of science and technology in the world, there have been significant changes in the education sector due to technological development and social needs. Traditional distance education once relied entirely on the postal service, radio, television, letters, or any other printed study material. One had to wait for months to get the study material. That is not the case today.
Digital transformation has had a profound impact on the field of education and has revolutionized the way of teaching and learning. In today's digital age, there have been epoch-making changes in the field of education in the journey from traditional distance education to mobile education. Mobile education, which is also called m-learning, online learning, digital learning, or e-learning, Currently, it has changed the dimensions of teaching and learning. Our education, which started with Gurukul teaching and learning, today allows students to interview their guru or teaching and learning classmates from any place they want with the help of mobile devices and high-speed internet. They can choose an interactive teaching style, group discussion, presentation, or any other method.
Transforming Education through Technology Integration and Equality
With the development of technology, the landscape of education is also changing. Schools or educational institutions should priorities the integration of digital tools, promote a culture of innovation, and focus on the professional development and growth of teachers and staff. The state should ensure equal access to technology to ensure education for students of all classes and communities while bridging the digital gap. Only then can the state envisage classless socialism.
Digital transformation has an important role in making the future of education brighter. Although there is immense learning potential in mobile education, challenges such as digital infrastructure development, the digital divide, teacher training, the production and management of teaching materials, and data security have not been fully addressed. The state needs to understand the importance of mobile education and pay attention to its expansion to bring mobile education to common citizens and promote their social and economic development.
Revolutionizing ICT Education through Mobile Learning
Breaking the boundaries of physical classrooms and fixed timetables, students can access educational materials, courses, learning materials, and teachers through their mobile devices. Mobile education helps students from different geographical backgrounds, remote areas, home, or abroad engage in uninterrupted learning. It does not discriminate between caste, religion, caste, gender, rich and poor. Mobile education opens the door to anyone who has the will to learn something and has access to digital devices and the Internet.
Mobile education makes it easy to interact seamlessly between students and teachers through video conferencing, share unknown subjects with teachers and friends, and get teaching materials that others have. Through conducting virtual classes and social groups like Scouts, Red Cross, Engineering Service Group, and Swayam Sevak Dal, students can actively participate, collaborate, and exchange knowledge and skills with peers and instructors. It enhances teamwork. Provides a learning environment for the learner. It does not require much physical infrastructure development.
If mobile education can be provided at home, the state fund will also be saved. Students can take morning and evening classes and be employed or self-employed during the day. With this, students can manage their expenses.Not only this, but it also makes the class more interesting, attractive, and interactive. Mobile education provides engaging educational content through multimedia, videos, animations, and personalised learning styles. With the help of educational apps and mobile learning platforms, students can advance their learning according to their interests and learning preferences. For this, cooperation between students, teachers, parents, public representatives, and local stakeholders is required.
Overcoming Challenges for Inclusive Mobile Education
Although there is huge potential for mobile education in the world, it is not so easy to overcome the digital divide. To ensure inclusive education, there is no availability of data to connect to the internet in villages and settlements where the internet does not reach and where there is no mobile network coverage. Geographical, economic, and educational diversity still exists in some countries. Even if the state wants to, it is not possible to immediately operate the service in all places, but it is the responsibility of the state to bring citizens of low economic status to the mainstream of education by cost-effectively providing digital equipment.
For this, the government and concerned organizations should focus on providing technical infrastructure and local resource materials. Teachers and technical staff play an important role in mobile education. To effectively advance teaching and learning, teachers and staff should continuously develop professional skills and receive training in using mobile technology. The training provides teachers with knowledge about the new technologies explored in the digital field as well as self-strength in using those technologies. Sometimes when using a new device, there is a fear of not knowing and breaking it, and sometimes there is a fear of using it wrongly.
Driving Continuous Improvement in Mobile Learning
To harness the full potential of mobile learning, continuous research and innovation in teaching and learning are essential. Studying the impact of mobile learning, assessing learning, identifying teaching practises, and exploring emerging technologies help drive continuous improvement in education. Not only for school-level and college-level students but also for researchers working at the research level, it helps by providing resource material at home. It saves the time of having to carry reports and theses across national and international borders or spend hours visiting the university library. Digital transformation is a continuous process. Research on the effects of new dimensions of technology use in education is still very important.
Mobile education plays an important role in developing professional skills and becoming self-employed for millions of young people who are outside the doors of formal education and anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur. With the help of mobile learning applications, the entrepreneur can find employment opportunities in the country or abroad for vocational training, upskilling, and re-skilling. Some of them have cultivated vegetables by watching videos on their mobiles, while others have made kitchen dishes.
Collaborative Solutions: Digital Divide through Government, Institutions, and Tech Providers
We must not forget that the way forward is to address the existing challenges of mobile education and harness its full potential. Policymakers should include mobile education in the national education policy and also pay attention to its implementation aspect. It is possible to reduce the digital divide and provide citizens with equal access to mobile education through collaboration between the government, educational institutions, and technology service providers.
To ensure the effectiveness of mobile education, quality teaching and learning outcomes should be evaluated. To ensure the usefulness of mobile education, it should be extended to the central, provincial, and local levels. If mobile education can be utilized for skill development and professional training, it can play an important role in addressing the job demand of the labor market through training. Mobile education, which can be conducted across the country with less manpower and less financial burden, is the only way to reduce the digital divide.
Mobile education has revolutionized the way people learn by eliminating dependence on textbooks and teachers. While addressing several challenges in teaching and learning, the state has made equal access to education open to some extent, but the state has yet to do much. To utilize its full potential, the state needs to make concerted efforts to address challenges such as the development of physical and technical infrastructure, the digital divide, teacher and staff training, the establishment and operation of open e-learning centers, and data security. Yes, mobile learning has the potential to empower students and communities alike to transform learning in the digital age, but it is not enough.
To bring the development and expansion of mobile education within the reach of the common people, it is necessary to work in collaboration with its stakeholders to maximize its potential. In this work, the government and private organizations should provide technical infrastructure, physical infrastructure, and mobile devices in an accessible manner to ensure inclusiveness in education. By encouraging the integration of mobile technology in educational practice, policymakers should create a conducive environment for teacher training.
Educational institutions and service providers should adopt strong data security measures and adhere to data security regulations to build trust between students and parents. It should not be forgotten that partnerships with local communities and parental involvement can further enhance the impact and sustainability of mobile education initiatives. Educational institutions should pay attention to the production, distribution, and management of educational materials. Local knowledge and skills should be promoted. For this, an electronic library must be established in every village toll. And only a knowledge-based society can be imagined.
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