How Technology is Helping to Cater to Individual Needs in Education

Over the past decade, technology has helped to improve society in many exciting ways. In education, new technologies are helping schools individualize learning experiences to the unique needs of students. Understanding how technology is helping educational institutions achieve these aims can give one more perspective on the ways that education is evolving in today’s world. 

Here is how technology is helping to cater to individual needs in education. 

Digital Learning and AI Is Helping Craft Personalized Lessons

Digital learning covers a broad range of learning experiences and techniques. In essence, it refers to any learning activities students engage in through the use of digital technology such as computers and tablets. Though digital learning has been around for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic helped make it a more normalized means of learning for students across the country. 

In some instances, schools utilize AI-powered software to help personalize lessons for various students. This benefits schools in several ways, helping them achieve their aim of teaching students more effectively while also lessening the burden of individualized learning on staff. 

Essentially, AI-powered software is used for personalized learning records student activity when they are engaging in academic activities. This includes where particular students are excelling in their academic pursuits and where they’re falling behind. Based on this information, the AI-powered software is able to tailor educational activities to specific students based on their preferences and learning styles. Ultimately this can result in students having an educational career that meets their specific needs and helps them achieve optimal learning outcomes. 

Unfortunately, though they are being used in some capacity, these technologies are still in their early stages of development. However, many in the industry are hopeful that this technology will both evolve and become normalized in educational institutions in the near future. 

Prioritizing School Culture to Better Meet Individual Student Needs

School culture is an idea that’s become more prioritized over the last decade. Though the term is broad and refers to many factors, it essentially means the atmosphere in a given school and includes the attitudes of students, their families, teachers, and other school staff. 

Traditionally, many educational institutions have taken a narrower approach to education, focusing solely on studying and academic results. School culture widens this approach by acknowledging that how students, their families, and school staff feel can have a significant impact on the academic achievements of students. 

In particular, school culture puts an emphasis on creating an atmosphere where teachers are able to excel in their duties, thereby boosting student learning outcomes. 

The more comfortable and happy teachers feel, the more they’ll be able to take the needs of individual students into account when teaching. As a result, prioritizing school culture has the power to help teachers meet the needs of individualized students and personalize their learning experiences. 

Recently, teaching students how to properly utilize digital technology has become an important part of school culture. This is because many students have had adverse mental health effects as a result of engaging in social media and other unhealthy online activities. A focus on school culture makes it a priority for schools to help students learn and understand how to utilize digital technology in a healthy manner. 

As a result of these priorities, schools are able to use technology, such as digital learning, in more meaningful ways. Ultimately, these technologies can be used to further personalize education for students, ensuring that each individual student has all the resources they need to succeed academically. 

This being the case, prioritizing school learning can help students become more adept at utilizing technology to help them thrive academically and further personalize learning. 

Gamifying Education to Help Certain Students Thrive

Historically, education has been conducted in classrooms with teachers instructing and students listening. While this method works fine for some students, others have trouble internalizing information when they’re not feeling actively engaged. Thankfully, educational technology has found a solution to this problem through the gamification of lessons. 

Essentially, the gamification of lessons involves crafting digital games that students can actively participate in. Ultimately, by completing the game, students should learn the ideas and facts associated with certain lessons. Though this may seem inconsequential to some, this marks a significant shift in the way students are able to learn. 

For students who struggle with listening and reading, learning through games is a way that education can be personalized and tailored to their needs. As such, it offers a means for masses of students to experience better learning outcomes as a result of their personal preferences being met in education. 

While games aren’t currently being used in all schools in the nation, the promise that they’re showing indicates that this form of learning will become more popular in the very near future. 

Technology is Helping Educators Personalize Education

As time goes on, it becomes more and more clear that the one-size-fits-all approach traditionally taken by educational institutions is flawed. Thankfully, the utilization of technology is helping schools personalize education and meet the unique needs of individual students. 

It is more than likely that individualized learning will become the status quo in education in the near future and each student will be able to learn in the specific style that meets their individual needs.