Part A: Timeline
Technology has influenced and transformed every aspect of life, and education is not an exception. Hugely, education has kept changing over the years impacted by technology ( Bailey, 2019) . In many ways, education is not the same as the 14th century’s illustration by Laurentius de Voltolina in medieval Italy. Below is a simple timeline showing the impact of education technology on enhancing efficiency in University education. The timeline checks the effects of technology on distance learning over the last fifteen years since 2004:
Year |
Technology |
Impact |
2004 |
Online reading materials |
Reading materials became readily available thus resulting from increasing test scores from students |
2007 |
Classroom computers |
Using computers in education helped in reducing the technology gap in society. |
2008 |
Enhanced distance learning |
Distance learning was introduced, making education readily available. It also taught students on time management, teamwork, and self-learning. |
2010 |
Instruction based teaching models |
This technology helped improve distance learning by reducing the cost of education. |
2011 |
iPhones,iPads in education |
Most students have access to smartphones, thus introducing iPhones to education resulted in fair access to educational materials. |
2015 |
Virtue Environments |
Virtue environments are created for education. These environments helped improve distance learning and make it accessible by any person from everywhere. |
2017 |
Interactive and Individualized Teaching Models |
Instructors and teachers adopted new methods of teaching, which were both interactive but individual-based. These methods helped improve the delivery of education to learners by tutors. The aim is to help a learner gain the required skills and concepts in the best way possible. |
2020 |
Artificial Intelligence in Education. |
AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) have slowly been incorporated in education. The aim is to ensure the delivery of content to students in an enhanced manner. |
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Table Data was got from (Tiki-Toki, 2019).
Part 2: Impact of Education Technology
The main problem in education was the delivery of concepts and knowledge from teachers to students. Diversity and globalization had made teachers' work complicated and handy. Technology can function as a solution to enhance the effort put by teachers in training students ( Kem, 2018) . Education technology can be termed as a timely solution due to the following reasons. Firstly, technology has made education easily accessible to everyone ( Simpson, 2018) . As such, it is easy for students to learn on their direct interaction with teachers.
Additionally, education has made information readily available to teachers and students. Avenues such as Khan Academy, YouTube, and other podcasts have made educational knowledge reachable to everyone ( Bailey, 2019) . This information can be contained in audios, videos, books, and other graphics. Learning opportunities are, therefore, limitless thanks to technology. Technology has also provided opportunities for communication and collaboration among students ( Kem, 2018) . Therefore, students can offer assistance to each other even in distance learning, through social media platforms, or video conferencing. Lastly, technology has made learning more interactive, creating a teacher who is more of a facilitator than a trainer.
Distance learning is one of the crucial education technologies in the modern world. It was first developed in the 18th century but gained widespread use in the 21st century ( Simpson, 2018) . By 2008, many universities and colleges in the United States started offering their courses online. Currently, distance learning is the most convenient form of education. Students do not have to attend physically to classes at fixed periods. Learning has become comfortable and flexible since a learner can take his or her online courses at any time from the comfort of his or her home ( Bailey, 2019) . One major challenge of distance learning is dealing with slow learners. Students that take time to understand concepts may become demotivated or even fail to get the required knowledge on time.
References
Bailey, L. W. (2019). Educational Technology and the New World of Persistent Learning.
Kem, D. (2018). Role of Information and Communication Technology in Open and Distance Learning. Research journal of social sciences , 9 (11).
Simpson, O. (2018). Supporting students in online, open, and distance learning . Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203417003
Tiki-Toki (2019). Educational Technology Timeline in Higher Education: from 1950 to 2020. Retrieved from https://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/8485/Educational-Technology-Timeline/#vars!date=1951-01-21_19:42:06!