Education system is always changing as teachers try to find ways to change and cope with the new education methods, styles, and setup. Sometimes it is not easy for the teacher to adjust to the new systems. Many teachers prefer using technology in class while some of them do not employ it significantly. There is need to employ technology as early as possible since it helps learning process to become easy and constructive (Nusca, 2013). Technology should be used in education in order to save time, money as well as to ensure that students adapt to effective learning without help from others. The paper seeks to explain how technology saves time when used in education.
The traditional way of teaching is handwriting the information by students with teachers teaching on board with chalk and marker. This takes much time and it is not the best way for students to benefit and learn in the class. Instead of this outdated method, some teachers decide to use tools in technology like PowerPoint computer presentation and sometimes give printouts to students with the class information. Svedkauskaite (2005) explains how technology ensures time saving and other parts of education also:
Technology enables students to learn in ways not previously possible. Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. (n.p.)
When PowerPoint presentation with all the information needed for a class is prepared before the lesson, the students do not have to take notes during the lesson. Also this kind of presentation usually has more details and visual pictures. This is to ensure that the students develop an interest in the area of discussion, which the teacher provides. Of course if students develop an interest in some subject, then they learn faster and remember what they learn. This does not happen in most cases in the classrooms where there are no computers or presentations. If technology tools are not employed, the teacher engages in teaching orally (Healey, 2002). Teaching is quite tiresome as the students get exhausted while listening to the teacher. They, therefore, fail to grasp concepts easily as the information is delivered in a method, which does not engage the students actively. PowerPoint and print copies with the information are important for fast and effective learning.
Another important way, which is helping the education effectiveness with technology, is the fast accessing to information. If students make use of technology devices, which have the information from internet, they acquire first hand data as this information is updated constantly in most websites hence students will access it immediately. According to Rabkin (2013):
Instead of a fixed textbook, once one moves to a digital resource, networked technology enables constant updating. When education is freed from the walls, clock, and calendar of individual schools and the fixity of the single, present teacher and printed textbook, the gains are potentially enormous. (n.p.)
Instead of use big textbook and chart boards in class, technology can improve education so much, because it is easy to move with you and they are fast. Organized and stored information for classes while studying is much easier with technology devices than using textbook or paper and folder like old ways.
Consequently, technology does save time in education from tools like PowerPoint and typing of information quickly and faster than handwriting. In cases where a student has interest in a subject like professional presentation they manage to learn it much better and faster. Also it allows students to always access their information for studying much easier than the traditional way of learning. Internet permits the students to access all the information they need anytime, which they also can store. The information can be easily stored and organized much better while the student use technology tools like laptop and internet. If the student has many papers and books to always keep their study material in it, it becomes difficult for most students to organize and keep their documents safe. Saving time is just one way that technology does help in education. There were some studies, which were made for the students' knowhow in using technology and also to know how much they use it. Some questions were prepared in the study about how much time students saved using technology. Below is given the information to prove how students do save time with education technology:
The study found that 68% of college students who save time using technology report saving two hours or more each day and nearly one in six students (14%) saving five hours or more (Lepi 2012).
The same research study also indicated:
Nearly 3 in 5 students (58%) report that they frequently are unable to complete required reading in time for class and of those, a majority (51%) said they would be more likely to do so if they had digital textbooks that could be accessed on a mobile device, Reader, laptop or tablet (Lepi 2012).
It has become clear how much technology can help in education. This is another reason as to why technology should be used in education.
Following the importance of technology on saving time and easy accessibility as well as retrieval of documents has additional merits. Most students will prefer a method of study which is cheap. Technology offers that merit as the access of information is way cheaper than use of analogue printed materials. Technology saves money in many diverse ways as most parents are not able to afford school fees and in addition spend money on education materials. It is with this reason that most people, if not all, have adopted education technology due to the little amount of money spent in accessing learning materials.
One way in which technology saves money is through online reading. Studying from the internet is more affordable than having to acquire the real copy of notes or booklet (Kolderie, 2009). Many students cannot afford to print out hard copy of booklets sent out to them by the lecturer or print out information needed for their multiple assignments. Though the online reading always has an option for printing, the money required for that is quite an amount and instead of using that on print students can simply search through the internet and read online. Reading online is rather cheap considering the fact that most students have their personal computers; it becomes easy in a WI FI connected spot where internet is easily accessible, as the students do not need to spend any money on the internet. Moreover, in areas with no WI FI it is also cheap to acquire internet connection at a very affordable price which can last for a month or longer (Morrison, 2013). Therefore, printing documents is expensive compared to accessing the same documents online.
In another way technology saves money for teachers. It is through technology that students are able to access information from the internet without the need of a teacher's assistance. This means that less time is needed for a teacher or a personal trainer for some students. In cases where teachers are hired for each and every lesson it becomes difficult for the students to learn and engage in the class work (Mcmunn, 2013). Most schools will save money instead of hiring a large number of teachers for all subjects. Some subjects are better off for students to discuss amongst themselves as well as learn from their own laptops. Hiring a tutor at home is very expensive but with technology, there are open educational resources online which students can use in learning. This way the students will save both time and money which could be used on paying the teacher, as well as the long hours of studying with a trainer.
With technology, most teachers do not necessarily have to teach in their lectures, as they can give the students materials which they can use online for their study. The teachers can prepare a PowerPoint presentation or a word recording for a particular lecture which they post online in the class website (Valdez, 2005). That way, all the students must have access to the website and retrieve the recording for their study. This saves the money that could have been used for paying the tuition fee. Additionally, the teachers can provide videos where they explain a certain topic to the students, without a need to pay for a class. Creating a blog is also very beneficial since it saves money, as students simply read their notes from their teachers' blog. It is, therefore, affordable to access class information online than paying the for the tuition fee where the students have to go to class (St. Louis, 2003). Students save money that could be spent on fuel to reach the school, especially in cases where students live far from the school. Likewise, money is saved as the students do not necessarily have to pay for an exam fee. Most teachers give their students online exams to save them the time and money of doing the examination in class.
Technology is also important as it helps the students adapt to self learning. Technology means access to information from the internet and this can be done anytime by anyone without much effort (Harris, 2013). One simply needs internet connection and a laptop/computer. The students use their laptops to study on their own, as well as studying with others who might be their classmates in a group work. Self learning is crucial as students do not necessarily need to be dragged behind in class, as teachers must go with the pace of the slow students. With self learning students go by their pace and can achieve more. All students have different paces of understanding thus teachers always spend a lot of time on each student.
Self learning is important as students spend enough time on books other than during class lectures. Use of technology where the students take time to study online gives the students more time to learn alone, as they feel that they have a responsibility to learn on their own (Coughlan, 2009). Learning during classes is important, however, it may encourage laziness, as students see no need to spend time on their studies after school. With the internet and self learning, the students dedicate more time on studying, as compared to when they have a tutor in ever subject. Self learning is more constructive than learning through a tutor in a class. Self learning increases individual space and this leads to more time on constructive studies. Self learning gives the students more time to study a topic which they have no clear understanding repetitively.
Learning without needing the help from others increases the opportunity for learning more. Self learning separates the student from the rest of the class including other students and the teachers. During class session most students happen to be passive as they are always receiving instructions from their tutors as opposed to self earning where students spend time actively going through documents on the internet (Gahala, 2005). This active studying provides a platform for wide study by the students. The idea of learning other than teaching comes in through self learning as students take their time to have a deeper understanding of a topic as compared to class work where they simply listen to the tutor teach. Students cover diverse topics while surfing through the internet other than the topic from their tutor as well as ensure the credibility of what their tutors teach.
Additionally, online assignments and peaking alone ensures students learn better alone. Assignments are mostly done in groups whereby students are always in a rush to simply finish and hand in the assignment for marking. Conducting online research alone provides a wide coverage of the students in a bid to acquire the correct information for their assignment (Arnett, 2013). As they go through large documents from the internet, the students get a clear understanding of the topics and it ensures learning other than simply completing an assignment.
In conclusion, technology saves time, money and ensures that students learn more in their specific courses and subjects. Time is essential so as to help the students cover complete syllabus before the end of the semester, when they later have to pass their examinations. Surfing through the internet and acquiring learning resources online saves time. In addition, the money spent on education technology is not much; consequently, parents and students save money on books and printing of documents (Weldon, 2013). Through technology, students engage actively in studying more and getting diverse information. Students develop deep understanding of topic, and thus learn more. It is with this reason that all schools and students must settle in to education technology.
