It’s a common belief that technology was developed to simplify our lives. I feel that technology has both beneficial and negative impact on education, thus as a teacher, I have mixed feelings about people using it all the time.

How Technology has Impacted Education 

1. Self-Learning 

I remember when smartphones and internet connections were not as common in schools. When I was younger, my teacher or trips to the library—which wasn’t even in my neighborhood—were my main sources of information. Anyone can now acquire information by themselves thanks to the wealth of knowledge available on the internet. Information is easily accessed through blogs, online books, educational and websites.

2. Self-Paced Learning 

Self-paced learning is the ability to learn in your own time. Technology has provided us with access to information any day , any time. No longer do we need to worry when we don’t fully grasp a concept in class or complete all our assignments all at once as we can always access information when we need to. 

3. Limits Critical Thinking 

While technology has its benefits, I’ve observed that it’s also had a negative impact on the students I have taught. One of the negatives I have observed is the decrease in critical thinking skills. Students no longer attempt to figure out answers, as it’s easy for them to head straight to Google, Alexis or ask Siri. 

4. Decrease in Proper Communication Skill

Another negative impact that I have observed technology has on education is the decrease in proper communication skills. Individuals spend so much time on their devices that it causes somewhat of an isolation. This then results in a lack of ability to properly function in the wider society.

Conclusion

Technology does have a positive impact on education; however, scheduling regular technological breaks can help with limiting our dependency. 

The process of thinking back on and assessing your own work is called self-assessment. Self-assessment is a necessary component of one’s learning experience. Instead of waiting nervously for a parent or teacher to grade their work, students actively participate in the process of providing feedback to themselves. Below are five benefits of self-assessment. 

Develops Integrity

In my experience as a teacher, when students self-assess, they are genuinely rather candid about their strength and weaknesses when they contrast their work with a set of standards or the work of another student. They may recognize that lying to themselves will not benefit them in the long run since it will limit their ability to grow from their error.

Focuses on Development and Not Grades

Through self-evaluation, students can put more emphasis on growth than grades. Students will concentrate on identifying their skills and limitations as well as how to turn those flaws into assets.

Improves Understanding

Through self-evaluation, students can better grasp the material and engage with it on a deeper level. They are able to maximize their learning potential as a result.

Improves Independence

By evaluating themselves, students can stop worrying about getting a passing mark and start concentrating on their own skills. The ability to recognize issues, the significance of resolving them, and coping mechanisms will all be taught to students. For experiences in daily life, these abilities are necessary.

Promotes Leaning Engagement

The majority of students consider the academic portion of school a burden to be honest. As soon as a session ends, they quickly pack up the books and activity sheets, releasing a sense of weight. Now all of their attention will be on the game they’re going to play after school or the best buddy they can’t wait to talk to. But kids can actively participate in their academics through self-assessment, just as they can actively participate in other activities. Pupils will realize that they are responsible for recognizing and correcting their own mistakes as well as for relying on their parents and teachers for their education.

Spark Creativity

According to story scientist Angus Fletcher, human intelligence stems from our capacity for story narrative—that is, from our ability to strategize and plot in order to solve problems creatively. Stories activate all of your brain’s functions. We can open parts of our brains with stories, accomplishing tasks from creating to emotionally healing.

Inspires Imagination

At times, life can be challenging for us, but we all require some time away from our everyday responsibilities. When you read, you have the power to enter a completely different universe and escape reality, all through the use of your imagination. You can travel to a new location and momentarily escape reality.

Enrich Communication

An avid reader can expand their vocabulary by being exposed to new terms through reading. You can improve your capacity to form sentences correctly by reading, which makes you a more effective communicator. We also encounter various writing styles through reading.

Discover New Information

You increase your knowledge by reading books, whether they are non-fiction or fiction, as they expose you to new material that you were not previously aware of. You can learn new things by reading health books to company startup manuals without having to travel far.

Explore the World

Through reading, we are exposed to many locations, cultures, and experiences. By immersing oneself in a book, we can traverse the world and experience various rituals and festivals. Various tribes and individuals reveal more about their past events and current situations for us to discover within a book, magazine or even a blog post.

Be Entertained

Have you ever read a book and laughed so hard at anything a character did or said? It’s true that reading may be really entertaining. You can enter a new universe through a story. An engaging novel provides good entertainment.

Reading doesn’t only include the ability to identify words; it also entails the ability to comprehend sentences. In order for effective reading to take place, there are specific steps that should be applied to the reading process in order to experience reading success. Steps to reading success can be viewed below. 

Previewing

Have you ever gone to a library, for instance, and turned the pages of a few books to see what was inside before selecting one? That is how previewing works. You quickly scan the content to get a general understanding of the text’s topic. You can skim the content for important words and images to get a sense of why you are reading it.

Why is it crucial to preview a text ?
According to research, previewing a text can help you understand it better. It enables the reader to get themselves psychologically ready for what they are going to read.You can preview a text both before and after reading. By previewing a text, you can examine the information you already know and want to learn about a subject.

Included among previewing strategies is:

• KWL-What I know. What I want to know. What I learned.
• The 4 P’s – Purpose, Preview, Prior Knowledge, Predict
• Sq3r strategy -Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review and Reflect

Predict
A reader is speculating on what they believe will happen next when they make a prediction while reading. Without even realizing it, most readers make predictions on a regular basis. Imagine seeing an animal-themed book next to a man holding a pan in his hand while sporting a jumpsuit and cap. We instinctively assume that the book is about a farm and that the man in the jumpsuit is a farmer even before we have read the title or the contents. Skilled readers also frequently predicting what will happen next after finishing a chapter.

Anticipating aids in maintaining the reader’s attention during the text. It creates curiosity since readers will want to keep reading to find out if their prediction came true.

How to Teach Children to Make Meaningful Predictions

• Explicit Prediction Instruction -T chart Organizer 

• Before, During and After Reading Task 
• Illustrate the Ending 

Question
Posing queries to oneself while you read encourages active engagement with the content. By posing queries like who, what, where, when, why, and how, the reader remains engaged with the material. Prior to, during, and following their reading of a piece of writing, students ought to pose questions. Readers ought to:
1. Question the author
2.Question the text ( characters, settings, plots)

Infer

The act of drawing conclusions, as we read, is referred to as making an inference. When we infer, we are basically reading between the lines. We infer by making a prediction, coming to a conclusion, or generating new ideas.

Let’s say your friend watches Tuesday night football at his cousin’s house every week. If someone asks you about the location of your friend on a Tuesday night, you will infer that he’s at his cousin’s house watching football. You would use your prior knowledge of his whereabouts on a Tuesday to form a conclusion. The same way in which you would use prior knowledge to make an inference about your cousin’s location; it’s the same way we can use prior knowledge and textual information to make critical
judgments, draw conclusions, and form interpretations of text while we read.

Connect
When a connection is made to a text, it allows us to understand how the characters feel.
This will allow us to be more engaged while reading. We can try to make a connection to a text by identifying the author’s objectives and asking ourselves what the story means to us? For example, if you are reading a text about cricket and you have never played a game of cricket, you can make a connection with a character in the story who has never engaged in the game, or if you are a great cricket player, you can make a connection with a character in the story who already knows how to play cricket. 

Summarize

When you summarize, you condense what you’ve read to its most crucial points. When reading, pay attention to the major points and significant details to assist in creating a summary.

Review

The last step in the academic reading process is reviewing. The information was ingrained in your mind by all the previous reading strategies you employed. Reviewing ensures that the information is retained and helps to cement it in place for future use.

Play is fundamental to a child’s development. As an educator, I have observed children’s inability to engage in play due to their workload, which includes educational pursuits and chores. I’ve witnessed the oh-so familiar conversation between child and parent, with the parent firmly telling their child, ” You play too much”, while I stand on the sidelines thinking, that children are not playing enough. Throughout the years, research as shown that children actually learn through the art of play.

Why is Play Important?

Play Aids in the Development of Problem Solving Skills

I can recall numerous occasions when my friends and I would solve problems while we engaged in play. We would create different items needed for a specific game using anything we could find around the environment. From empty juice boxes to empty pans, we sure solved our problems without adult guidance. That’s how play works. It allows a child to development their critical thinking skills without feeling pressured to come up with solutions for the problem at hand. The next time you observe a group of children playing, take the time to carefully observe the problems that arise in the game and how they quickly go about solving them. 

More Play Equates to less Stress

Studies show that when we laugh or engage in a fun activity, our bodies release endorphins that promote a feeling of well-being. Studies have also shown that children are experiencing increased stress; thus, children do need to engage in regular play to lessen their chances of becoming overwhelmed. Therefore, more play equates to less stress. 

Play Fosters Proper Communication Development

While children engage in play, they communicate with the individuals they are playing with. This allows them to develop effective communication skills as they are practicing the art of proper listening and speaking.

To conclude, as stated before, play is fundamental to a child’s development. Parents are encouraged to include organized and unorganized play in their daily routine. Do remember that all work and no play make Jack and Jill dull.

A balanced diet aids in not only the proper physical development of a child but also proper cognitive development. Good nutrition can positively impact students’ behavior and academics. 

Nutrition and Brain Function

Studies show that B vitamins such as niacin and thiamin help the brain metabolize nutrients for energy and aid in the protection against dementia. 

B vitamin deficiency can result in a lack of brain energy, which can in turn negatively impact one’s ability to learn. Therefore, consuming foods that contain the nutrients needed for proper brain function is vital. Studies show that the best brain foods include the following:

• Green, leafy vegetables. According to research, consuming plant-based foods may aid in cognitive decline. 
• Fatty Fish. Fatty fish contain vitamin B12. A low intake of B12 can speed up brain ageing, which can result in memory loss and brain shrinkage. 
• Berries. A study conducted among people who consumed blueberries showed that they experienced improvements in memory and attention to required tasks. 
• Walnuts. Walnuts are filled with omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, and other nutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which help to improve brain cells. 

Proper Nutrition Makes Students Healthier

When students receive the nutrients they need to remain healthy, this will result in fewer sick days. Students will be less likely to be absent from school. Fewer sick days means that students will be able to attend school regularly. 

A balanced diet plays a key role in a child’s development and educational accomplishments. It is our responsibility as a society to ensure that our children consume the adequate nutrients needed for proper development. 

I’m sure you’ve heard how sleep is important, but what is the importance of sleep? The Oxford Learners Dictionary defines sleep as the natural state of rest in which your eyes are closed, your body is not active, and your mind is not conscious. Adequate sleep is essential to children’s achieving their highest academic potential.

Benefits of Sleep

Build Immunity

Over the years, researchers have been actively investigating the correlation between sleep and better health. Some researchers have concluded that sleep and our immune system are connected. A proper sleep schedule strengthens the immune system. The immune system needs to remain strong in order to properly deal with threats and injuries when they arise. Therefore, adequate sleep is necessary for a strong immune system.

Sleep Helps Us Make Sense of New Information

Have you ever had an issue understanding something but ended up comprehending it after taking a nap? Studies conducted concluded that while we sleep, our brains actually process complex information. So, our inability to retain or learn the formula for that new math concept or anything new in general might be linked to sleep deprivation.

Rids Harmful Toxin

Studies show that while we sleep, our brain gets to work clearing out harmful toxins.

Proper Sleep Helps Us to Make Good Decisions

I don’t know about you, but when I am tired, I find it very difficult to think critically. When we are drowsy, we are prone to making errors. A good night’s rest allows our brain to think critically during our waking hours. 

Sleep is an important factor in living a fulfilled life. I strongly believe that it is important for us to include adequate time for sleep in our daily schedule. I hope that within our busy schedules, we will remember to make time for sleep, as now we are familiar with the importance of sleep. 

Studying is the method by which we learn. You can employ a variety of study strategies to help you become more productive. Below are 6 types of studying.

Rote Learning 

Rote learning is the process of memorizing knowledge through repetition. For instance, we can repeatedly read or hear the definition of a term until we can write it down or recite it from memory.

Summarizing

Finding the key points in newly acquired information is the act of summarizing.

Composition

One of my favorite methods of study is composition. To help you understand the material you are studying, you might write or type a composition. You can also practice how you will finish an examination. 

Recall

You can repeat knowledge to recall it. After gaining new knowledge, you can complete recall by describing a topic to friends or family that you learned—whether from a book, online, or classroom setting.

Cramming

Cramming involves quickly trying to commit a large amount of information to memory. People do not always learn effectively by using the massed practice study approach, even though many have found success in their exams with this method. We may not retain the knowledge gained, and real learning may not occur for us.

Mastery  Learning 

One should grasp a concept completely before moving on to learn another .

A previously mentioned, you can employ a variety of study strategies to help you become more productive. Each learner, however, may not benefit equally from the same strategy. I advise experimenting with several study methods to determine which one is most effective for you.

We must study in order to acquire and retain knowledge, which will help us develop personally and professionally. Studying will assist us in acquiring the abilities necessary to contribute to society. We can use the 6 types of studying strategies mentioned in the essay to improve our lives.

Supporting grade 1-6 students in their online learning journey can be a rewarding yet challenging task for parents. As children adapt to virtual classrooms and remote learning, parental guidance and involvement play a crucial role in maximizing the effectiveness of online education. By implementing tips, parents can create a supportive and conducive environment for their children’s online learning. Here are several tips for parents to support and enhance their children’s online learning experience:

1. Establish a Designated Learning Space: Set up a dedicated and organized learning space for your child. Ensure the area is free from distractions and equipped with necessary tools, such as a computer or tablet, textbooks, and stationery.
2. Establish a Routine: Consistency is key. Create a daily schedule that includes regular class times, breaks, and study periods. Structured routines help students stay focused and motivated.
3. Be Engaged and Communicative: Stay informed about your child’s syllabus, assignments, and any upcoming assessments. Communicate regularly with teachers and attend virtual parent-teacher meetings to understand your child’s progress and any challenges they may be facing.
4. Encourage Active Participation: Encourage your child to actively engage in online classes. Encourage them to ask questions, participate in discussions, and complete assignments on time.
5. Supervise Screen Time and Breaks: Monitor screen time to ensure a healthy balance between learning and breaks. To avoid weariness, promote physical activity and engage in hobbies unrelated to screens during pauses.
6. Provide Support and Encouragement: Be supportive and offer encouragement. Praise achievements and provide assistance when needed. Encourage a positive attitude towards learning and offer emotional support during challenging times.
7. Foster Independence and Responsibility: Gradually encourage your child to take responsibility for their learning. Guide them on time management and organizational skills to help them become more independent in their studies.
8. Utilize Additional Learning Resources: Explore online learning platforms, educational apps, and supplementary resources that align with the curriculum. These resources can provide additional practice and aid in reinforcing concepts taught in class.
9. Promote Healthy Study Habits: Encourage good study habits, such as note-taking, active listening, and reviewing material regularly. Teach effective study techniques that can aid in retaining information.
10. Celebrate Achievements and Progress: Acknowledge and celebrate your child’s achievements, big or small. Positive reinforcement can motivate them to continue putting in effort and performing well.

By implementing these tips, parents can create a supportive and conducive environment for their children’s online learning. The involvement and guidance of parents play a significant role in ensuring that grade 1-6 students thrive and excel in their virtual learning journey.