Features

• Technology makes it possible for students and teachers to connect with the world outside of the classroom. Teachers can plan lessons incorporating multimedia effects like audio and video for a more interactive experience, and the level of connectivity provided by technology allows students and staff to collaborate on assignments both in and out of the classroom. For example, a history lesson on the Battle of San Jacinto could include video footage of the grounds today. Later, students could work with one another from home on their homework assignment about the battle and its significance, and share information and photos with one another through their computers or mobile devices.
  
  

Benefits

• While investing in the latest computers and other mobile devices might be expensive in the beginning, schools will have the opportunity to save money on paper and ink products by moving to a digitally-based system. Teachers can keep track of grade books, enter test and assignment scores online, and share grades easily with other staff members, students and parents. Transcripts can be retrieved and shared online, and easy access is available to a student's educational records. Library information can be accessed from home thanks to online catalogs, making it easy for students to work on research projects anywhere.
  
  

Application

• Technology is not just a subject by itself, but something that can be applied to nearly every other subject in school. New applications and software can increase students' literacy and participation in art, music, language, science, math, history and most other subjects by making every lesson interactive and giving students the tools to research information on their own. French students can hear conversations by Parisians online, biology students can virtually "dissect" animals with the proper software and music students can listen to a symphony, and then isolate the audio of certain instruments to better understand their role. Smart education uses technology to enhance the experience, leading to a higher degree of literacy.
  
  

Uses

• Multimedia tools create an opportunity for teachers to design interactive lessons that may potentially reach more students than the traditional lecture. In addition, providing students with mobile devices like PDAs or tablet computers in place of textbooks and notebooks means they can participate in lessons both inside and outside of the classroom. With tablet computers that utilize digital ink, teachers can provide digital notes that students can take their own notes on, and then share with one another with the tap of a button to collaborate in class. Mobile devices, when used in the classroom, also make it easy for students who are unable to attend school to participate in the lesson from home or any other location.
  
  

Expert Insight

• According to the journal "Information Technology for Development" (ITD), access to information and communication technologies involves a wide array of factors. The journal states that "content and language, literacy and education, and community and institutional structures must all be taken into account if meaningful access to new technologies is to be provided." Technology for smart education is more than simply supplying students with computers and other devices.