Technology’s Effect on Education

Overview

No matter where you are from, education is something that is highly sought after worldwide. Initially, thought of as only accessible in certain parts of the globe, but is now easily accessed from any part of the world. Technology has made it possible to acquire education without the need of extensive travel to overseas nations.

Yemen is no exception to this rule. There was a time when university education was just an extravagance which very few wealthy individuals had access to. Only those with deep pockets and those who could accept "western" education as it was coined could enjoy this lavishness. Many people thus could only afford to complete their secondary education. However, there were technical institutes or colleges that offered hands-on training with little international correspondence training.

Improvements brought on by technology

With the introduction and development of technology;

Education is now readily available to most of the general public. With the efforts of the government to improve education systems across the board so as to incorporate international standards of the learning experience, it is safe to say that we are headed in the right direction. For any education system to be termed successful, the students that are enrolled need to be able to use the knowledge they gain while class in their day-to-day lives. This is termed as practical education.

The truth is that if we don’t embrace the changes that are happening in the world, we can only go so far. It’s important to challenge our minds as we learn and implement the technology in the various aspects of our learning experience.

Technology and more so, IT, has taken root in our education system. The most common area that has been improved is the carrying out of classes online as opposed to having residential or on-campus classes. It has proven to be the epitome of the phrase, "learning outside the box".

Online classes have been especially helpful to individuals who are involved in other avenues of life that don’t allow them to be in a classroom setting. For instance single mothers, who have a day job to support their families, opt to take online classes that are available according to her schedule. She is able to cater for her family and yet enroll to her classes which she can take while she is home. This need for university education has been well-filled by the numerous schools; both locally and internationally, have provided a means for individuals to further their education.

Technology has improved the education sector is by availing resource for research for various entities online. Many lecturers have adopted new strategies of studies to educate the students filling in the classroom halls. Authors of various educational books are opting to provide their books as e-books to make them more easily accessible to anyone with internet connection. These e-books offer the same and sometimes even more information than the tradition paper books.

Apart from this being a plus to the educational front, it is also a major advantage to the environment as less books are published thus less trees are cut down.

Conclusion

Inasmuch as there maybe some negative impacts of IT and technology, the role it has played in education is undeniable. It has transformed the way education in Yemen is conducted while exposing the talent therein. It is the hope of many that the government and its people will continue to embrace technology in order to achieve some of the goals set for the education sector.