We are lucky enough to live in the age of extremely rapid technological advancement. It is hard to imagine a single part of our lives that hasn’t yet been affected by the progress of technology. Our work, our entertainment, our social habits – virtually everything has a high-tech twist to it nowadays. And the future seems to hold even more interesting and exciting surprises.

Education has traditionally been a field where the biggest concentration of young and progressive minds can be found. Surely enough, there are very few technological advancements that can go unnoticed by the students of the world. Especially since some of these advancements are directly affecting education itself. For example, the PaperWriter service will help you write an essay on any topic without much trouble.

Here are some of the most exciting ones the world has seen throughout the year 2020.

Online Classrooms

Studying has seen a growing trend for remote learning in the past decade or so. Your average classroom activities were starting to slowly move online. Various apps and websites started offering reliable essay samples for study help. But it wasn’t until 2020 that this relatively young system has been put to a real test. The need for social distancing and self-isolation has funneled even those skeptical towards online learning to give it a try.

A wide selection of online tools has been used by students and professors alike to help them take care of some of their routine tasks. But the real champion that came to the rescue of people during self-isolation was the communication and management software. Without an online space to set up a virtual classroom in, it would be very difficult to keep education going in these tumultuous times.

Getting mass exposure means the offer will have to rise to meet the growing demand. New, more advanced solutions pop up and old ones get massively improved. The fact that the education process all over the world has moved online almost entirely with minimal problems is a testament to the capabilities of the technologies we have available today.

Of course, the system is still far from being perfect. Most people are not used to remote working processes. But although the systems will take some tweaking and getting used to, all the instruments needed for an efficient work environment are already there. And there is a decent chance that remote education will remain on the rise even after the pandemic is over.

VR

Virtual reality is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting new technologies today. Not so long ago it was just an interesting prototype. But through the medium of entertainment VR managed to showcase its real potential. Developers from all over the world have tested the waters with simple VR games. As more and more successful proofs of concept emerge, the likelihood of VR being integrated into the learning process grows.

A fully simulated environment of virtual reality creates an incredible amount of opportunities for a more engaging and interactive educational process. What VR lacks now is good enough software to introduce it as a learning tool to the masses. But even with the limited capabilities of the current software, it shows the immense potential this technology has.

The ability to simulate a 3В environment is a very useful tool not only for general education. It also has plenty of uses for all sorts of specialized training. Medical professionals, pilots, engineers, and many other professions will get an opportunity to train the new generation in simulated ‘hands-on’ scenarios all while minimizing the resources spent.

The main problem that slows this technology from integrating itself with mainstream education is, funnily enough, the education system itself. It is a huge and very clumsy mechanism that is pretty hard to modify. Even once the VR technology is completely ready for use in colleges and universities, it is likely to take years before we start regarding VR headsets in the classroom as something that is commonplace.

5G

One of the most exciting advancements of the year 2020 was moving to the new global wireless network standard. The fifth-generation  (or 5G) mostly affects mobile phone users who previously had to rely on wi-fi if they wanted to transcend the speeds of 4G. And while the new technology doesn’t provide full coverage yet, some people can already experience its pros and cons:

• Incredible speed
• More devices per tower capacity
• Low coverage
• Low broadcast distance

The implications of having access to a high-speed wireless connection are very inspiring. Mobile devices that already play a pretty big role in the lives of students all over the world will have their capabilities expanded. And perhaps someday personal computers will become all but obsolete. This future, although distant, becomes a real possibility with the progress of wireless technologies.

It might be a bit premature to celebrate as the disadvantages of 5G towers are pretty substantial. The lack of tower coverage is the first and most obvious problem. It will take quite a lot of time and resources before 5G coverage becomes omnipresent. Incredibly small broadcast distance and signal penetration capabilities make this undertaking even harder than it already is.

Final Words

Education underwent plenty of changes due to technological progress. College routine today is not what it used to be even a decade ago. The rules of the games have shifted. Every student has infinite storage of information sitting in their pocket. It’s no longer about who can memorize the most. It’s about who can search for the highest quality information in the shortest possible amount of time.

Whether such a trend is good or bad for the future of humanity can be a matter of a life-long discussion. But right now, there is no reason not to enjoy the benefits technology offers us. Don’t be shy to make the most out of the tools you have access to. Keep your hand on the pulse of technological advancements and try to keep up with the changing times. The moment you become jaded and close-minded you are going to be left behind.