Innovative technology brings new opportunities. Since its birth, digital learning has been primarily geared towards and available to students in higher education. As technology has progressed, teachers of all ages have spoken. The consensus? The time is here for K-12 learning objects.
Learning Objects: What’s In It For The Teachers
K-12 teachers are the leaders when it comes to early education. Their choices make an enormous difference when it comes to learning outcomes, and with good reason. The younger the students, the more time teachers must spend directing and holding attention, resolving conflict, and guiding behavior. Teaching and evaluating students with a vast range of abilities is a big challenge!
Incorporating learning objects into K-12 classrooms enables teachers to customize instructional materials, break up demonstrations with interactive screen-time, and subtly assess progress. Hybrid activities can also approach learning from multiple angles, upping retention and interest. For example, a classroom of fifth graders can watch a 5-minute, interactive video about fractions, followed by a hands-on activity to recreate the concepts learned. Reusable learning objects can be adjusted to apply to a wide age-range, providing the most bang for your buck.
Learning Objects: What’s In It For The Students
Today’s kids are more tech-savvy than ever. Even the youngest of children has likely already played on an iPad or smartphone. Most kids think of technology as fun time, not study time. By bringing digital learning into the classroom, kids are given the opportunity to learn in a fun, constructive, and interactive way.
Digital learning is proven to increase motivation and student engagement. Many young students juggle multiple afterschool activities which makes concentrated homework time a challenge. Being able to learn in short bursts is invaluable to the next generation of learners. If a student is academically at risk, low-pressure online assessments bring rapid awareness to both parents and teachers. Similarly, students who excel easily can be offered more advanced challenges to repel boredom.
While tablets are fun, screens are not just for games. Nearly every job requires basic computer skills and technological competency. By learning in a digital environment, students will be tech-savvy when they later enter higher education and the job market.
Preparing for the Wave of the Future
When it comes to creating reusable learning objects for the K-12 market, different considerations apply than those targeting higher education. For successful usage by K-12 educators, there must be enough learning objects produced to use them consistently across multiple subjects. Careful research must be devoted to learning what teachers want and need, and design must be customized for a younger audience. Last but not least, learning objects are useful if teachers can’t find them. Each learning object must be accurately described so that teachers can find the right learning object at the right time.
In education, there is no “one size fits all”. When teachers can participate in the creation of their courses, they’re able to build a learning experience personalized to individual students.
Using a high-quality authoring tool like Gutenberg Technology’s end-to-end publishing platform gives content creators the flexibility to seamlessly create content on the web, smartphones, tablets, and more. The simple to use authoring tool is one of the best ways to create custom content to offer students of all ages the best possible learning experience.
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