The global telecommunications market, which is projected to reach approximately £2740 Billion by 2025, is a key player in the education sector today. Learning institutions worldwide rely on telecommunications to maintain organisational efficiency and provide essential information to students, faculty and staff. Therefore, a suitable telecommunication infrastructure is a must for every school.
Objectives of education technology
Education technology (EdTech) is the use of technology to improve education. The term is used to describe the use of both hardware and software in learning activities. The primary objective of education technology is to:
- Increase student engagement by providing fun and engaging tools for students to use
- Improve teaching and learning quality by providing teachers with the resources to better prepare and engage their students
- Better track student progress so that teachers can adjust their teaching methods as needed
- Increase the accessibility of education to all students
Education technology is also designed to improve critical thinking skills by introducing new ways for students to learn that require critical analysis and problem-solving abilities.
Why communications are a central part of EdTech strategy
In the wake of the pandemic, the education sector has been forced to shift from traditional classroom-based learning to remote learning. As a result, communications have become a central part of EdTech strategy because they are the glue that holds everything together. Without communications, the process of implementing new technology would be disorganised and inefficient. Communications are used to explain the value of technology to students, parents and teachers. They also help establish a relationship between the school and its community.
Unified Communications: The evolution of VoIP technology
Unified Communications (UC) is a term that refers to the integration of different communication technologies into one seamless platform. In other words, UC is a set of communications tools that allow users to connect and collaborate without switching between multiple programs.
It’s the evolution of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology. Instead of using traditional hardware telephones with wires to connect callers, VoIP uses computers and the internet to make those connections. UC can be used for:
- Email, text messages, social media, and chat apps
- Web conferencing
Unified Communications enables teachers and students to share information, collaborate on projects and learn from each other more efficiently than ever before.
Why UCaaS should be a core part of your strategy
UCaaS should be a core part of your EdTech strategy because it offers:
- Flexibility: UCaaS offers the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. You can start with a small number of users and then add more once you see how well it works. You can also customise the system based on your unique needs and workflow.
- Productivity: UCaaS also increases productivity by allowing teachers to spend more time on teaching rather than on administrative tasks like emailing students or scheduling meetings.
- Added mobility: UCaaS allows teachers to access all their data from anywhere with an internet connection. They can work on lesson plans even when they're not at school or working remotely from home. This increases collaboration between students and teachers by allowing them to work together regardless of their location.l
- Cost savings: UCaaS eliminates the need for costly on-site servers and maintenance fees associated with traditional VoIP systems – all while delivering a more secure solution than traditional telephony solutions
- Online administration: You can administer your learning materials online through the cloud. This means you can access and distribute content on-demand, even when you're not in the same room as all of your learners.
- Remote learning: With UCaaS, students can access their remote learning materials anywhere. They won't have to worry about being limited by distance or location.
- Remote meetings: With UCaaS, it's easy to set up meetings with colleagues located all over the globe. You don't need to be in the exact physical location.
- Emergency preparedness: UCaaS gives you more flexibility in emergencies by allowing for more remote communication options for staff and students alike.
- Safeguarding: With UCaaS, you can safeguard against threats like ransomware attacks by keeping all your business data safe on servers that are not connected to the internet and are located in secure locations.
- Security: With UCaaS, you can ensure that your employees' voice communications are encrypted end-to-end so nobody else can listen in on their conversations – not even government agencies!
- Microsoft Teams: UCaaS integrates into Microsoft Office 365, so you can easily share documents and collaborate on projects in real-time.
Conclusion
Education Technology is slowly changing the way things are done in educational institutions. Over the next few years, as more schools begin to deploy new emerging technologies in the classroom, we will see how telecommunications play a significant role in transforming our educational institutions.
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