Benefits and limitations of technology in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET)

Technology in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

You need to become competent in using technology when completing the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET) and I believe technology is vital for every teacher and every learner. The purpose of teaching is preparing our learners for jobs, every job needs to use technology, so we need to start incorporating technology into our subjects. Technology covers a wide range of mediums including equipment, machinery and anything that stores data which could include our phones, laptops, tablets, 3d printers and even my Xbox. Virtual reality is now becoming a big thing in education and is used in many industries.  

We encourage our learners to use technology on the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET) to increase their knowledge and skills which relate to technology. There are some subjects which are more practical than theory based that doesn’t really benefit too much from using technology. When I first started teaching and my background was sport, other than typing assignments, technology wasn’t that useful but now as technology has evolved especially sport science, technology is now a critical aspect of the subject.

Advancements of technology in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

When I was learning, we would use a stopwatch, a thermometer to check temperatures but now sport science uses the most advanced technologies to create a realistic environment on the pitch. You now see how treadmills have advanced where you can now run around New York whilst in your garage to prepare for a marathon, you can now use technology to calculate body fat and the list goes on. If you can’t find any good reason to incorporate any technology nor the benefits are worth the effort, then you can at least get your learners to do some research on the internet and use computers to complete their assignments as we are still encouraging technology. YouTube is a fantastic resource and has everything on there, social media is a skill these days to help individuals network and share ideas so there are options out there for everyone.  

Virtual learning in the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

Technology should be used to educate and illustrate a point but also used as a way to include others. Virtual learning and eLearning have become a massive benefit from technology, but we need to be careful not to disadvantage learners by not having access to technology. Let’s use Apple for example, I have been in situations where the tutor expected us to use an Apple computer or an Apple phone. That’s great but I have Windows and I have a Samsung phone. Because of this I am disadvantaged because I was unable to open Apple software and apps on my phone which meant I couldn’t do certain activities and it left me frustrated. So, before you use technology, do your learners have access to it and are they trained to use it? 

Overall technology has influenced the way I deliver the Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training (CET) in a positive way. I can share resources online, I can communicate with my learners out of hours, I can save time without having to mark initial assessments because software does it for me. Yes, technology can be frustrating, and it can be a nightmare but in my opinion the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but you have to have a backup plan in case the technology doesn’t work.