Any teacher knows that each student learns and takes in knowledge in his/her own way and, while educators have been trying to personalize learning for each individual student for decades, the current personalized learning trend has truly gained momentum thanks to major advancements in technology.

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What Is Personalized Learning?

In 2014, several philanthropies, nonprofit organizations, and technology advocacy groups came up with a “working definition of personalized learning.”

“Personalized learning seeks to accelerate student learning by tailoring the instructional environment—what, when, how and where students learn —to address the individual needs, skills and interests of each student.”

The Glossary of Educational Reform rephrases that definition and contrasts it with “one-size-fits-all approaches.”

The U.S. Department Education’s 2016 National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) set its own definition:

“Personalized learning refers to instruction in which the pace of learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner. Learning objectives, instructional approaches, and instructional content (and its sequencing) may all vary based on learner needs. In addition, learning activities are made available that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests and often self-initiated.”

The general consensus shared by these definitions is that, for an educational process and experience to be considered personalized learning, as many aspects of it as possible need to be customized to the needs and interests of each student.

Personalized Learning And Technology

Prior to the prevalence of information technology at home and in the classroom, the implementation of personalized learning seemed impractical, to say the least. How would any teacher be able to come up with ideas and activities that suited each learner’s interests and dreams, while assessing each of them on a regular basis? (Taking into account the daily burdens of teaching, to begin with.)

Today, with the internet’s overabundance of ideas, tools, and templates, teachers have a world of personalized learning opportunities around them.

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5 Ways Technology Provides Personalized Learning Benefits

1. Improved student interaction: Technology allows teachers and instructors to utilize various forms of media that attract the student’s attention and provide more ways of interaction and engagement.
2. Enhanced project-based learning opportunities: Technology has become a catalyst in enhancing project-based learning, creating more opportunities for students to gather information, communicate and coordinate with each other, and present their projects and research in more ways than was previously possible.  
3. Facilitate differentiated learning: Prior to recent technological advancements, following up on individual students, their skills, strengths, and weaknesses was a difficult task for teachers. Today’s technology allows teachers to follow up on each individual student in a more efficient and effective way.
4. Empower students with options: Not only does technology allow for a wide variety of project options for students, but it opens the door for more ways to prove their understanding of the material. From PowerPoint presentations and infographics to videos and animations, students can now present the knowledge they’ve learned in their own unique way.
5. Access analysis and data on student performance and understanding: Another way technology enhances the learning process is by providing teachers with quick access to valuable data, reports, and analysis on individual students and the class as a whole.

Skolera and Personalized Learning

Learning management systems (LMS) have opened the door wide for personalized learning. These systems allow teachers to create a motivational learning environment capable of being tailored to each student.

Skolera offers teachers, students, and parents great features that enhance the learning experience of each individual student. With virtual classrooms, classroom discussions, quick and easy messaging, and constant feedback and reports, Skolera helps schools empower their students and allows for differentiated and personalized learning.

Click here to learn more about Skolera and how your school can benefit.

 

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