What is Blended Learning?
It refers to the combination of face-to-face training (with teachers in a classroom) and online education (courses over the Internet or on other digital formats). Blended Learning is therefore a hybrid system of learning that mixes these two systems together.
The idea behind this teaching method: To step back from the dichotomy there is between the classroom and the computer. According to those in favour of blended learning, it’s not a question of committing to one or other system, rather it’s about benefiting from the advantages that both methods of learning offer. The key is in finding the right mix and in not abandoning (due to long-standing inertias or the latest trends) either of these two teaching methods.
This methodology has become the best ally for the education sector in the middle of the second wave of Covid19. Undoubtedly, face-to-face classes are of great importance for the formation of cognitive, physical and social skills of children, create opportunities and balance social inequalities, since they are not only based on instruction, but also on socialization and conflict management. But in addition to the fact that all sectors must adapt to the pandemic either due to imposed confinements or limitations in non-essential activities such as extracurricular activities.
We must also take into account that the way of learning has changed radically, the incursion of new technological tools in the educational area has forced us to rethink the way in which students acquire their knowledge and in this e-learning is breaking all the barriers, digitization is a reality and children should not be oblivious to it or make arbitrary use. The key to successfully blended learning methodology lies precisely in being able to obtain the best of the two worlds.
However, to adapt this methodology to the preparation of students for the future world that they will have to face, a continuous update is necessary. Although it is true that the face-to-face part at the level of impartides knowledge and teaching methods do not change drastically in a few years. The same does not happen with the digital field. As new technologies evolve, e-Learning is changing and meeting the new needs of users, adapting to market demand. Online teaching has reported extensive growth through very diverse forms and expressions. What are currently e-Learning trends?
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence can help in the creation of highly customized training paths through the use of data analysis. Students can have personalized tutors helping them in their online training. These teachers will be available 24/7 and easily accessible on any device. With the integration of Artificial Intelligence, there will be smoother interaction between students and AI teachers for an overall improved online training experience.
Digital ID
Now the user has absolute ease to manage his online reputation himself as well as the creation of different digital identities in a virtual world. This, in turn, has become one of the network’s privacy, trust, and security issues. In order to protect data as safely as possible, to prevent breaches in school data, to ensure that the student’s truthfulness and reliability, to attend a lesson, take an exam or to graduate, teachers adopted several solutions to verify students’ identity via videoconference tools.
Teachers prefer oral examinations than written tests so to recognize student identity and to be sure that the exam is carried out by the student themselves with no external help. Some professors ask students to prove through videoconferencing that they are not surrounded by other people or have school material under the laptop or any further factor that could compromise the exam. A digital identification solution for educational institutions that documents and verify, and provides simple, secure, accredited access to IDs. It can be used in several ways, including by video identification at the beginning of a video class, exam, etc.
Mobile learning
Mobile phones have increasingly become an extension of our bodies. Its close proximity almost 24 hours a day makes it an exceptional training vehicle. Trends indicate that mobile learning will increasingly be a central element in training processes. Among its outstanding benefits: Access anywhere and at any time, updated content, stimulates creativity in students, engages and motivates the student to access online courses. Nowadays smartphones are a fundamental part of our life and in this case a cornerstone in blended learning.
Extended Realities AR, VR, and MR
In the coming era, students can expect a better learning experience through the introduction of AR, VR, and MR. A large portion of learners prefers to have information displayed as opposed to reading. For these students, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality will serve as an effective method of helping them achieve their full potential.
Libraries on Cloud
Digitalization and eArchiving, as an Information Security discipline, helps you to better manage information and records in the digital repositories effectively and securely. It is about how information is managed, and how you can take advantage of it efficiently so that it can benefit you and your educational institution. Digitalization and Electronic Archiving of documents are one of the main engines of transformation since the analysis of information allows you to utilize better decision making, which is crucial for any organization regardless of its size, type and complexity. It’s another step towards being paperless, the availability of all the information within the reach of a single click is already a reality for all students.
Security & Acces Management
Blended learning involves learning and teaching from home or from anywhere when courses and lessons are not carried out in the traditional system, digital platform and solutions are implemented, that means both for students and professors to log in with personal profiles which allows them to have access to school platforms or e-documents through user access with personal credentials and passwords. Just as attendance to a class or an exam is verified, in a blended learning format when applied to the digital part it is also necessary to verify and authenticate the identity of the students in the same way.
Ultimately we live in a world in constant change. Trends change continuously in the education industry, although it is true that the digital part evolves much faster than the face-to-face methodology, blended learning brings the two worlds together, so also having the right books, surely they have to have with the latest generation pads to be able to always be updated based on the latest trends in both areas so that student learning is as efficient as possible.
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