May 17, 2016
In the early days of the internet, unless you knew the address of a website or found a list of similar websites, there was no good way of searching for new sources of content. In the mid to late 1990s that changed with the widespread adoption of search engines. Just as the printing press allowed for mass distribution of books, search engines allowed for smart indexing and easy searching for new content. Students were then able to search for more in-depth content outside of well known sites.
As computers became cheaper and ubiquitous in modern society, new teaching aids were invented. From projectors to display slideshows to polling peripheral devices, technology is being implemented in new and exciting ways in the classrooms to enhance students’ learning.
Nowadays, students are no longer tied to a physical classroom. In the past 10 to 15 years there has been an explosion of online learning services. There are now online-only high schools, many colleges offer online classes, and there are websites tailored to provide lessons for all experience levels.
As each generation grows up with new technology, the way they learn also evolves. When classes were taught in front of a chalk board and with books, visual and auditory learners were able to learn quicker. With computers, interactive courses are being developed for more “hands on” learning. Even in the past 10 years students have migrated from googling for information to searching for youtube videos.
The term artificial intelligence (AI) usually conjures up images of humanoid robots, hyperintelligent computer systems, or doomsday scenarios, but artificial intelligence is already a part of our lives. Prediction algorithms and query interpretation are two tasks where AI is already helping. When search engines first started they took the literal input from the user to conduct the search. Now, thanks to AI, a user can ask about a subject and ranked results appear which might not match the literal query. This has lowered the barrier of entry for searching and sifting through the voluminous amount of information available on the internet.
As technology has evolved throughout the ages it has had a profound impact on propagation of information. Technology has allowed students of all ages to access an ever expanding pool of information in even more efficient methodologies.