The world is evolving. Gone are the days when the only way to retain the teacher’s lecture is to arduously take down notes. I’m seriously not a fan of manual writing, even to the point of paying a classmate to write notes for me for compliance purposes. Most teachers from my high school check notes at the end of the school year. Those were the difficult times of my life!

However, everything changed during my college days. Technology for note-taking swarmed the market, from laptops to recording pens, and what not.  Sure, manual writing has a good deal of advantages for the brain and it encourages better retention, but typing means you will be able to take more notes.  Knowing the advantages of both sides, classrooms these days are now leveraging both methods.

Technology has also changed today’s learning landscape. Teachers are no longer left alone trying to strenuously explain lesson and important points. By digitizing classrooms, educators leverage digital media such as television, videos and live streaming on the web to encourage further student participation.

Moreover, US college universities now have websites to help students improve their grades.  Studies show that increased engagement between educators and students via email and social media have a positive effecta on learning.  School websites aren’t all about hype these days–they also determine a school’s overall quality.

And it’s not just universities that are all vocal about technology; a recently released U.S. News Media Group survey ranked the most connected high school classrooms in the US. There are 185 school included in the ranking in terms of modernity and sophistication of online infrastructures, as well as the access students, faculty, and parents have to them from in and out of school.

“Internet connection and computer technologies are shaping the future classroom for students and teachers,” said U.S.News & World Report Editor and Chief Content Officer Brian Kelly. “With its first ranking of the country’s Most Connected Classrooms,U.S.News & World Report is recognizing high schools leading the charge.”

Check out the infographic below explaining how technology has become a vital asset in today’s learning landscape.