The present times have seen all forms of industry capitalizing on the benefits of technology. Those who cannot eliminate the ‘human element’ have found alternative ways of performing certain tasks that are technology-based. From agriculture to medicine, house maintenance to cooking – technology is optimizing performance everywhere, and the education sector has ensured that it does not lag behind.
In the world where technology-driven benefits abound in all sectors, online learning resources are revolutionizing the academic structures. Here are some of the top benefits of using these resources.
1. Initiating The Process Of Learning From A Young Age
A child as young as 6-8 months, once capable of grasping objects, swiftly learns to maneuver a smartphone or tablet for the sake of entertainment. In parallel, the process of learning is also initiated by providing the child with exposure to new images and sounds. From learning nursery rhymes to games involving shape/colour/sequence identification and recognizing letters and numbers, children are welcomed to the world of education through educational apps. You can read here to learn more about 350 of the best educational apps designed particularly for young children.
2. Combining Learning With Fun
Most educational apps are designed in such a manner that the user regards it more as a game instead of an instructional medium. This is very beneficial for young children and especially important for children with learning disabilities or attention deficit disorders. Mickey Mousekatool is one of the most popular gaming/educational online learning resources for children with a variety of games and features that cater to many domains of children’s cognitive development.
3. Wide Variety Of Subject-Based Learning Options
Online learning resources encompass a wide range of subjects and learning abilities. Almost every skill or ability that you can imagine in the way of education has been selected as the basis of a need-specific academic learning aid, or otherwise it is integrated as one of the components in a general learning resource that offers multi-disciplinary academic training.
There are certain games that focus on mathematics and science, as these are often tricky subjects for most children and they lose interest as they move up in the grades. Then there are other language-based learning resources, which aid in learning new words, improving spellings and pronunciation and even offer multi-language translations so that children can learn a new language altogether in a fun, organized manner. Geography and history also have many apps made for them, which offer various levels of learning features depending on the target level of students the app is marketed for. Creative arts and drawing is another popular academic division with apps like Art of Glow and Color Wheel (available on iOS and Android, respectively). Users of the Life of Art app explore a museum in the most educational way, use technology to understand the history, origin, and all about every object displayed in the Getty’s museum. It is a prime example – and one of the top apps – in the multi-learning category, which combines historical learning with artistic creativity and general knowledge learning to provide a wholesome learning experience to its users.
4. Large Selection Of Skill-Based Learning Resources
When it comes to younger children, projecting a learning tool as a game is the best way to catch their attention. For instance, a game that is designed about a bakery chef involves the correct identification of shapes (by selection of cake moulds), teaches counting (identifying the number of layers of icing required), teaches pattern recognition (by correctly following the order of ingredients that will be added in the mixing bowl), learning about different kitchen tools and at the end of the game, leave the young user well-informed about the process of baking a cake.
5. Imparting ‘Soft’ Lessons For Character Building And Personality Growth
Many educational apps designed as games also teach, impart crucial life lessons to the children regarding sharing, helping others and being kind to them, embracing diversity by featuring characters from a variety of racial/ethnic/national backgrounds. Other soft lessons also include: clearing up after oneself, the importance of maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen, throwing trash in a bin, recycling, being kind to animals, etc. These add-on lessons often carry some of the most crucial lessons for a child’s personality development and subsequent character growth.
6. Developing Confidence
One of the biggest advantages of online learning resources is that those children who tend to have a shy demeanor and are prone to sitting quietly in the classroom instead of actively participating in the activities and risk impeding their learning process, can now utilize an alternative mode of learning. In the presence of their family members, they can enhance their learning and the subsequent positive feedback they receive – both from their relatives and the game – can serve the purpose of boosting their morale. For example, most games offer positive comments like: Great job!, Well done!, You were fantastic, Amazing performance, etc. Also, the screen often times burst into celebratory imagery like flying balloons, a clapping audience, high-five or thumbs-up sign that further reinforces the a child’s self-esteem and makes him/her more confident about speaking up after s/he has received such support and uplifting feedback from their gaming apps.
Moreover, in certain cases a child who is shy in the classroom may very well be shy at home too. But these games which are played in their own private time can slowly have the effect of gradually building up their morale.
7. Serving A Wide Age Range Of Students
Educational apps are available across a variety of levels, including apps for high school students. Spanning across a wide array of disciplines like chemistry, physics, advanced mathematics, computer programming, astronomy, music, world history and many more, high school students can access new found portals of learning for themselves through their mobile phones and tablets. You can read more about the top apps for high school level students here.
8. Available On A Variety Of Platforms
Most apps are available on multiple platforms, though there are some which are specifically developed for Android and/or iOS platform only. However, as a particular software gains popularity, it soon comes out with newer editions that have a multi-platform functionality.
9. Apps Available For Free Download
Most educational apps are available for free download and everyone can easily use them. Some have a premium and basic membership, with the former offering extra features for a monthly/annual surcharge while the latter is available for free usage by all.
Educational apps have amassed such immense popularity in the academic field that they have moved on from generic, overall-learning-improvement apps to need specific software applications. As their popularity grows, it is hoped that one day every child in this world can be provided with the opportunity to learn, regardless of their life’s circumstances, and fulfill their dream of getting an education.
After completing her PhD. Degree in IT, Karen Donald has worked with one of the popular hosting company in San Francisco. She is also contributing services in Best Essay Writing. She is passionate about the latest technology and she is also a tech geek.