Streaming is a technology that started with entertainment in mind but has now transcended this intended purpose to become something much greater. Live streaming is present in everything from charity and fundraising across religion and spiritual services all the way to legal and government proceedings. One of its most important uses is in education. With that in mind, let’s briefly address the effect of live-streaming events in modern education.
1. Reach, accessibility, and inclusivity
Online streams can be made available to everyone with a device capable of connecting to the internet and the internet connection. This is incredibly inclusive in the age where most of the planet is online, and more than two-thirds of the planet has access to a smartphone.
Another great advantage to this is available recently, mostly due to AI and NLP advancements. Namely, real-time captioning is far more advanced than ever, leading to many amazing opportunities. First of all, videos can now be captioned in real-time, which makes these lessons available even to kids who are completely deaf or hard of hearing. The speech-to-text is incredibly accurate, making the inclusivity options of this learning format quite high.
The translation technology has also advanced, meaning this material may be available to more people than ever in real-time. With the help of AI NLP, speech-to-text and translation can happen simultaneously and in real-time, which was never possible before.
Ultimately, one of the biggest challenges of K-12 education is that different kids of the same age don’t have access to the same quality of education. Well, this problem can be solved quite easily with live streaming.
2. Real-time interactions
Online streaming has some aspects that are far superior to traditional video uploads. For instance, they occur in real-time (just like a traditional classroom). Why is this beneficial? Well, there are several reasons and important advantages.
First, a student can ask a question directly to the lecturer. In a video, they would have to wait for the lecturer to notice the question/comment and respond, which can take hours. At the same time, since the lecture will probably also be uploaded online and made available on-demand, it’s not like the two are mutually exclusive.
Another thing you need to consider is the importance of student-teacher interaction. On a live stream, a student can ask a question in real-time or answer, thus interacting with a teacher. Most meeting apps, like Zoom and Google Meets, have a “raise hand” function, which can make these much more orderly and less distracting to everyone else.
In other words, streaming events have every positive aspect of the video and a few massive advantages. Since the video will be uploaded later on, there are no downsides.
3. Cost-efficiency
Time is money, and, in modern society, a parent would have to organize a child’s schedule according to their schedule to take them to a lecture. With live-streamed lessons, there’s no need for a commute.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that most learning materials are digital and usually included in the course cost. This is important because the cost of books is so high that it might drastically offset the cost of your education.
Then, there’s the comparative cost of the quality of education you would get from streaming compared to the costs of alternative education you would have available. For instance, if a guest lecturer has never visited your area before, how much would it cost you to travel across the globe (even as near as you can) to attend?
Also, you’re often geographically restricted to the local education, whose quality may vary. Relocating for better education would be risky and expensive. The costs of buying or renting a new place, paying movers, and the non-material cost of changing your lifestyle for this would be incredible.
4. Guest speakers and experts
Streaming services have an easier time bringing in amazing guest speakers and experts. Why? Well, with these speakers and experts, it’s usually not just about the money. They are busy people, holding lectures worldwide, and it’s nearly impossible to fit their schedule. Well, this way, it’s a lot easier.
After all, this is a major selling point for the most prestigious schools in the world – you’re working with the very best. After all, nothing’s preventing you from getting books from the best schools around. The books that are used by different learning institutions are public knowledge, so what would be the difference between just getting your hands on these learning materials (which is also easier than ever)?
The difference is in guest speakers, experts, and the quality of permanent lecturers. With the help of live streaming, this is no longer as big of a bottleneck.
5. Innovative teaching methods
A lot of parents want the very best for their kids. Now, while some parents believe that technology makes their kids anti-social or destroys their attention span, others understand that their kids will live in the world of technology. In this world, being good at playing marbles won’t translate into a well-paying career, but being familiar with new technology will.
In other words, they pick curriculums that seem to be the most advanced or highly effective at incorporating technology into the curriculum. Having a curriculum that heavily incorporates streaming already sounds like it meets these criteria.
Also, keep in mind that streaming is just one of the forms of teaching that will be made available. Look at it this way: while streaming helps immensely, it’s just one format of many within the same curriculum. The videos and other learning materials will also be available, giving you a more holistic learning experience.
Wrap up
Ultimately, it’s important to understand that live streaming is merely a medium, meaning its uses vary based on what you intend to use it for. Its application in education is as wide as it gets. It makes the learning materials more immersive and engaging, it’s future-proof, and it makes the lectures available to everyone. It’s also cheaper and more convenient. In other words, it’s incredibly advantageous.