Introduction
Education 4.0 relates to the 4th industrial revolution. Over the last 250 years, there have been revolutions in the industry. These revolutions changed the face of industries entirely. What do you think about the relationship between the industrial revolution and education? There is no doubt in the relationship between these two. If higher education institutions want their students to be problem solvers, the educational syllabus needs to be rebuilt. The base of this new syllabus should be the revolution happening in the industry.
What is education 4.0? Let’s explain it a bit first. To cater to industrial change, a new educational paradigm needs to be designed. Education 4.0 is the desired approach to learning which aligns itself with the 4th industrial revolution. This 4th revolution focuses on intelligent technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics. We can already observe this change in our society. For example, we can see robots in airports helping passengers and in industries assembling parts. We are already living in the 4th industrial revolution era. Hence, there is a dire need for upgradations of our educational syllabus. So, that fresh graduates can solve the problems of the modern industry.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Education 4.0
Every technology and revolution in the industry has its merits and demerits. Likewise, education 4.0 comes with its own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s discuss the strengths of education 4.0 first; then, we will move on towards weaknesses.
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Strengths
1. Creates an Opportunity for Educators to Engage in New Technology Tools
Education 4.0 provides educators or teachers with new technology tools. Educators can engage themselves with the tools which are relevant to their field. Educators play a crucial role here by connecting students with real-life work. This requires the creation of projects or activities that encourage students to take part in the learning process. The lecturers can achieve development in students’ learning through collaborative learning. Technology has always played a supportive part in the teaching and learning environment.
On the other hand, the utmost challenge that an educator can face is the selection of the best technological tools. Among so many available technologies, which will play a better role in students’ learning. Education 4.0 played a massive role in the creation of new and engaging teaching styles. An educator should be dynamic and be able to become normal to changes.
2. Enhances the Knowledge and Usage of Technology
Education 4.0 enhances the usage of technology for both educators and learners. To me, it is the biggest strength of education 4.0. The CEO of dissertation help firm said that governments are introducing new technology in schools, colleges, and universities. Keeping this in mind, educators must have hands o experience with the new technologies. Nowadays, schools are adopting multi-media presentation methods for teaching their students. Multi-media presentations emphasize that teacher’s role is not limited to reading books. Educators should also know how to use internet technology to convey the concepts of books effectively.
Technology is a necessary part of the process of today’s learning. Some exciting ways of technology-based teaching are brainstorming, mind mapping & Ed. Videos. These ways add meaningful experiences in learning and teaching.
3. Development of 21st Century Skills
21st-century skills are more critical than ever before. This is because we are living in the age of technology. Countries are shifting from conventional gasoline vehicles to electric vehicles. To cope with this change, educators need to prepare students for the upcoming challenges of the industry. Students should also learn skills that will prove helpful for them in the future. We can call those skills 21st-century skills. These skills include machine learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. The significant role to play is of educators.
According to Rusdin (2018), the 4Cs skills of communication, critical thinking, cooperation, and creativity are vital in establishing 21st-century learning. Washington Accord defined 12 attributes that every graduate should have at the time of graduation. As said earlier, the central role is of educators. All the investment will be of no use if they don’t integrate technology in their classrooms.
Weaknesses of Education 4.0
1. Resistance to Change
The factor resistance to change occurs at a greater level. It is the main weakness of education 4.0. Most of the time, the educators resist change and do not want to come out of their comfort zone. They prefer the old, wacky and conventional ways of teaching students. Many educators feel unprepared to use technology to support the learning of students. Teachers prefer to read from textbooks and explain the concepts. When the world is advancing to laptops, they still play with their old notes. We accept it was the traditional way that helped the innovators to bring the 4th industrial revolution. But with so much innovation, students also want to see the use of technology in their learning.
There is no doubt; old school teachers might think technology has destroyed the education system. But they are wrong in their opinion. They don’t want to come out of their comfort zone.
2. Digitally Connected, Socially Disconnected
According to the cheap dissertation writing service firm, there is no doubt in the fact that our society is rapidly evolving in technology. You can access any information in no time from anywhere. With this incredible advancement in technology, we are all digitally connected. But did you ever wonder, are we socially connected too or not? I hope your answer will be negative. We are not connected socially. Technological advancements did limit the engagement of educators towards its learner.
Educators want students to be active learners with a desire to study and discover new things. This form of social and collaborative learning is not possible with today’s digital technologies.
Conclusion
Education 4.0 is essential to cope with the challenges of the 4th industrial revolution. Technology in education has its own strength and weaknesses. Every nation needs to enhance and develop its educational system in line with the 4th industrial revolution. Education 4.0 helps a learner to understand the learning contexts effectively. Hence, every educator needs to take a step forward in making this positive change.
