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Educational Technology Fuels Innovative Classrooms and Learning Environments

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Chapter 2

Educational Technology Fuels Innovative Classrooms and Learning Environments

A teacher helps a student with her tablet in a classroom. Another student is nearby. Books and papers are on the desk.
When traditional instructional methods are replaced by personalized, learner-centric design and instruction models, educational settings can tailor learning to individual needs. This promotes engagement, understanding and meaningful learning outcomes among students.

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What are Innovative Learning Environments?

A woman holds a tablet while a child in a VR headset points forward in a bright room.

Innovative learning environments are increasingly prominent in today’s educational landscape—but what are they, and why are they important?

  • Innovative learning environments are adaptable and dynamic, emphasizing student-centered approaches to teaching and learning. They often include cutting-edge technology, personalized learning pathways and collaboration. 
  • Innovative learning environments provide the flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing demands of modern education.

Revolutionizing Instructional Technology in Education

A person wearing a motion capture suit stands in front of a screen displaying motion capture data.

Technology plays a large role in modernizing educational methods. There are a variety of technological tools and platforms that have become integral to the field:

  • Online learning platforms
  • Mobile learning apps
  • Mobile learning games
  • Interactive whiteboards
  • Audiobooks

Many of the tools listed above are now powered by AI, enabling adaptive learning, real-time feedback and data-driven insights that help educators tailor instruction to each student’s needs.

Why is Technology in Education Important?

A standout example of the benefit of technology in education is Speechify, a text-to-speech reader and AI voice generator. This tool allows users to convert a photo of a book into an audiobook. With access to instant AI summaries and the ability to read 4.5 times faster than normal, users with diverse learning needs like dyslexia can benefit from enhanced accessibility. 

Several research studies examine the variety of ways technologies like Speechify and others shape and advance classrooms and learning environments. For example, Vanderbilt University faculty are exploring how AI shapes meaning-making and creativity through the LIVE Learning Innovation Incubator. Their goal is to understand how AI impacts composing processes and what ethical considerations educators have when using AI in the classroom.

Ultimately, technology does not just revolutionize education. It also facilitates personalized learning experiences and provides crucial support for the diverse needs of learners in modern educational settings.

Experiential Learning: Expanding Beyond the Classroom

Technology integration in education can also be seen outside the classroom through the concept of the “global classroom.” This approach goes beyond traditional classroom boundaries, allowing learning to occur anytime, anywhere.

In the context of the global classroom, experiential learning provides students with real-world experiences. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), for example, can help learners bridge the gap between theory and practice. They facilitate immersive, interactive and engaging experiences that contribute to enhanced retention and understanding and provide a means to simulate real-world environments, scenarios and interactions. 

Curriculum Development for the 21st Century

A woman in a turtleneck sweater writes in a notebook while looking at a laptop, seated in a well-lit room with stairs in the background.

As the learning sciences and technology become more prevalent in education, curriculum design is also shifting. Innovative curriculum design is increasingly guided by critical thinking, hands-on learning, problem-solving and adaptability. These 21st-century approaches to curriculum include project-based learning and interdisciplinary approaches that foster collaboration, experiential learning and the application of knowledge in real-world contexts. 

In his classes, Vanderbilt Peabody Professor Andy Hostetler works to incorporate innovative curricular resources that meet the needs of different students and social contexts. For example, one class draws upon a curriculum created by the Legal Defense Fund to mark the 70th anniversary of the Brown V. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

As students exhibit advanced learning styles shaped by new practices, educators must be equipped to meet their diverse needs. To prepare teachers for this task, educational technology master’s programs like Vanderbilt Peabody College’s Innovative Design and Technology in Education (IDeaTE) degree have emerged to provide the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate modern education.