Menu
Anybody who is aspiring to a better life understands the value of a good education. Where once the time-honoured tradition used to be sitting in a lecture venue or classroom, the concept of a classroom has now been thrown wide open in a way that has never been seen before. These are exciting times in the landscape of education. The technological revolution has taken the world by storm and guess what? It has implications for your career.
Technology and education have intersected in a way that demands we re-examine how we educate ourselves. There are new ways of receiving and consuming information. People now receive their instruction and data online and can even sit in a remote location and enjoy classes from a place totally unrelated to their studies in a virtual classroom environment.
With education taking on a new identity, the props and learning aids that accompany the learning experience have also changed. From a technological point of view, study guides, e-books, white papers and audio books are fairly new and well-received methods of education. Technological innovators are continually looking for new and more engaging ways to provide education to people and this has given rise to a new movement called instructional technology.
A new science has emerged around the methodology of how students are offered education. Instructional technology looks at instructional design and development and more importantly how to create engaging and effective learning experiences for people.
If you feel that the digital revolution has impacted on your study processes, imagine then what awaits on the other side as you enter any industry of your choice. Digital literacy and digitally literate professionals are in demand like never before. Many workplaces make use of automated systems and software which means that you need to be able to hit the ground running with some mad digital media understanding from the word go.
Digital media isn’t about to leave the work scenario anytime soon. You will have to grow and evolve in your career in order to remain relevant and stay on top of your game. As you do so, you will invariably find that your own skills will become sharpened and honed. A key way in which to increase your knowledge base while at work is to examine the prospect of online education.
In education there is an increasing trend towards the online and virtual trends. Professionals can easily skill up in their spare time when they register for an online course. Virtual education takes things a step further by creating a platform for students to interact with each from different locations. There is also a mixed-media approach in terms of supportive services that are offered to students with a focus on the human angle with services such as wellness coaching for students.
➢ Self-assisted learning- Students do not necessarily have to visit a campus in order to receive a lecture or hand in an assignment.
➢ Communication lines are opened – Students can interact with each other in a virtual space and share material, quizzes, files and so much more.
➢ Online Tutors- The availability of real life tutors who are continually on call to assist with a problem, question or challenge.
In the professional sense, there is little doubt that digital development is here to stay. If we just think about how connected we are in business environments that alone provides evidence of the fact. Colleagues and working professionals are now connected on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and WhatsApp. Skype functionality, tele-conferences and working with e-commerce platforms all suggest the world that is ready for exploration and service from a tech point of view.
In addition to this, the future of the traditional workplace is now fast becoming obsolete as it is becoming increasingly possible for people to work away from office settings. As a professional on the rise in any environment, you would do well to embrace the technological revolution that you find yourself in the midst of. Move with it, grow and evolve with it but most of all embrace the opportunity and the expansiveness that it brings.
