INTRODUCTION
Beyond doubt, technology is transforming the world, and with it, every primary sector has a daily impact on our lives. Banking and finance have become 70% e-transactional. Entertainers only need the comfort of their homes, a reliable gadget, and a good internet connection to do their thing. Political propaganda has employed social media to infest the populace instead of convening mass rallies.
The advances have greatly influenced education itself in technology. This has become even more evident with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that has impeded movement and social interaction. Learning continues with teachers still holding classes without the conventional classroom setting. In this article, we examine three ways education will evolve through technology in the next few decades.
1. GOING VIRTUAL
As the years go by, it is becoming more apparent that skills are required, nay necessary to survive and remain relevant in today’s world. Hence, futuristic learning will deal less with academic fields and knowledge while focusing more on practical skills, mostly technology-related skills.
The implication of this will be field experts having the edge over theorists and. There will be a high demand for professionals who have substantial experience and expertise in a particular field to teach in place of those with just theoretical ‘head knowledge.’ For instance, to teach coding, a professional computer programmer will be employed at the expense of a coding lecturer without field experience.
Further, parents will prefer to employ these experts personally for their children. They would want professional tutelage for their wards to increase the chances for more excellent proficiency and practical knowledge.
2. SKILL-ORIENTED LEARNING
This is already in effect as teachers and students can stay in their homes and hold classes. This dispels the need for a fixed venue for learning as proximity to learning is now more flexible than ever. The result of this is a more individualized approach to learning as opposed to group-based education.
The result of this is more freedom for learners. They can modify the content of the learning and the pace that suits them. They are also able to dictate how they want to learn. Virtual reality, augmented reality, and video conferencing are just a few available resources through which learning can occur- both now and in a few decades.
3. NEW CURRICULA AND METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
As courseware platforms will assess students’ capabilities at each step of learning, measuring their competencies through Q&A might become irrelevant. Because exams now only encourage students to cram their materials and forget, a new method involving measuring students’ application of knowledge will be adopted.
Educators will give more practical questions and application projects rather than theoretical questions to assess students' knowledge. The curricula for teaching students will be short, direct, and customizable as students can select what they want to learn according to their strengths. Creating a curriculum that is contemporary, up-to-date, and useful is only realistic when professionals and ‘youngsters’ are involved.
According to the World Economic Forum, half of today’s work could be automated by 2055. This creates the need for technology education and proficiency in required skills for sustainable relevance.
CONCLUSION
Overall, technology has and will continue to influence education (and virtually everything else) for years to come. However, combining the learning sciences with digital innovation, we can leverage the best of what digitally enhanced, and human-driven education has to offer, creating learning experiences that keep pace with the digital skills demanded by the market—in turn, affecting individual lives, supporting businesses and transforming global communities.