As technology continues to evolve, education systems must learn to keep up. Over the past few years, educators have started to depend on technology more, but for all the right reasons.
Teachers are incorporating digital technology into their lessons to accommodate various learning styles, encourage classroom participation, and improve collaboration. According to CompTIA, a leading trade association in the IT industry, 9 out of 10 students felt that having technology in the classroom would better prepare them for the digital future. In this shift towards using technology in school, it’s essential to do what’s best for students, teachers, and school districts.
Classroom Technology in Texas
Many schools currently use some sort of technology, but more needs to be done, especially for schools in Texas. The Texas Tribune states that 30% of over 5.5 million students don’t have access to the right technology for learning. For the 30%, switching to virtual classrooms is a nightmare, yet schools are not doing enough to reach the technology standards for their students. It all comes down to these current challenges:
- Teachers aren’t given real-time data: by the time teachers gain access to classroom data, it’s often already outdated.
- Cyber attacks leave school systems vulnerable: teachers are often targets of phishing and ransomware scams.
- Students lack the right resources for remote learning: with this shift to online learning, software and hardware are not up to speed.
- Administrators don’t see the need for more technology: administrators are often out of the classroom.
- More technology means more compliance standards: regulations must be met to ensure secure data and operations.
- Schools have budget limitations: districts must allocate their budgets accordingly.
Schools can start improving technology one step at a time. Many schools and school districts are outsourcing their IT needs to have access to the most updated software and hardware, gain a robust IT strategy, and protect school data and information. The list goes on and on, but that’s enough for now. The next question to ask is: how can you improve education processes with technology?
Enhancing the Education Experience with IT
Schools have endured this journey alone for a long time, but many have started outsourcing their information technology.
1. Information at Your Fingertips: Incorporating wireless networks for schools is the first step to learning. The ability to access online data and establish an internet connection anywhere on school grounds makes allows all teachers to have the ability to teach without experiencing any interruptions. There’s no lag time in communication, whether on campus or at home. Additionally, having collaborative software gives educators the power to communicate with their students, other teachers, and administration promptly. This increases the response time and streamlines the productivity of teachers, giving everyone a smoother educational experience.
2. Eliminate Learning Interruptions: IT security is a big problem for school districts. Cyber-attacks cause major disruptions in schools, whether it’s a data breach or a phishing scheme. However, these breaches are not only initiated by external hackers. Would you believe that students are also causing IT interruptions at school? In a study by the U.K’s National Crime Agency, students as young as 9 years were responsible for these distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS).
These DDoS attacks target school networks, causing disruptions rather than stealing private data. The worst part is that these attacks can be purchased online for as little as $5. This is concerning for schools across the globe, and this is only one example of countless cyber-attacks. Protecting your school’s IT network and infrastructure may seem easy, but seeing how many schools still experience learning interruptions due to a lack of cyber security is concerning.
3. Accessible Distance Learning: As K-12 schools, colleges, and universities set digital, remote learning as a standard tool, several solutions are available to implement without losing the classroom experience. For college students who prefer to work on a public network (in a café or a public library), a virtual private network (VPN) ensures a safe connection over WiFi. A VPN is not an incognito browser that keeps your search histories private – it’s a secure connection that eliminates any opportunity for third parties to download your activity session.
Cloud migration is taking over businesses of all industries, and this advancement is seeping into education. Learning the perks of cloud migration for schools is a step towards improving how students experience education. For example, for students and teachers at school and working from home, using cloud software encourages real-time data and ease of collaboration. This makes learning remotely a replica of learning in the classroom. Go figure!
Our Final Thoughts
Technology is becoming a more integral part of education, and it will continue advancing to help improve education. Implementing technology to streamline operations, increase collaboration, and encourage a better educational environment is making its way to the top of every educator’s list, and we’re here to help make that happen. Parried helps schools, small businesses, and non-profit organizations use state-of-the-art technology while meeting compliance standards, such as HIPAA, FINRA, SEC, and NIST. Schedule a free IT consultation to create and implement an IT strategy for your school or organization.
