As we face a global shift in the way we work, the public service sector has become a hotbed of technological advancement. These days, service professionals apply cloud data management tools and comprehensive digital systems to coordinate real-world solutions. For students on the public service track, early education in technology can maximize the potential of their studies.
But to understand the impact of tech on public service education, educators must explore how technologies are being utilized in the public sector. From there, you can improve public service education by integrating technology in the classroom — whether that classroom is virtual or physical.
How Technology is Used by Public Service Professionals
More than 28 million Americans are employed by the government alone, making the public service sector a large and diverse environment for professional opportunities. These opportunities include careers in:
- Corrections;
- Education;
- Health;
- Police;
- Fire prevention.
Since most educators are employed by the government in a public service role, you’ll be familiar with the breadth of services provided on a public level. You’ll also be aware of how necessary it is for skilled professionals to fill these roles as they come out of school. Being prepared with a technological background can help students prepare for a life of more efficient public service.
After all, these professionals are already applying modern tools to streamline the ways they manage municipalities, resources, and people. From learning communication, here’s how tech is used in public service:
Communication
Communication across networks of people, departments, and resources requires the help of technology. Fortunately, cloud-based data management tools are making it simple to collect and analyze data while coordinating with teams.
This proved especially useful to the epidemiologists—public health specialists in communicable diseases—who studied and combatted the COVID-19 virus. One of the major responsibilities of epidemiologists today is to collect data on diseases such as COVID. Tech was essential when it came to tracking the spread of the virus, identifying causality, and formulating the vaccines. Without software to manage data and spread insights about the pandemic throughout the world, the numbers would undoubtedly have been much worse than they were.
Task Management and Learning
Additionally, technology aids in task management for all kinds of public-facing work. The COVID-19 pandemic made this even truer as workforces were sent home to coordinate their efforts remotely. Now, task and team management tools are a staple of many people’s work experience.
This goes for managing training as well. Software solutions to help manage administrative functions and employee education require Learning Management Systems (LMSs) that make it easy to track and assign learning modules. When the government of Switzerland applied the Totara LMS to seminar management, for example, they saw a reduced administrative burden and a streamlined ability to register individuals.
Further, the ability of AI to boost creativity makes it important in many lines of work. For example, if a writer has creative difficulties, an AI outline can help them explore new avenues of inspiration. This is a game changer in content creation, marketing, and other industries where creativity is paramount.
How Technology Can Impact a Public Service Education
Technology impacts public service education by exposing students to the tools and skills they’ll need to use in their professional lives. Tech is rapidly advancing, but by integrating modern tools in the classroom, students gain experience in understanding new communication systems and software tools that they’ll need down the road.
Here’s how technology helps:
Promoting Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is one of the most important components of a successful career in many industries these days. The public sector is increasing one of these since tech supplements so much of what government workers do.
While technology helps educators teach students the skills they need to succeed, not everyone can benefit. The digital divide in education is stronger than ever, as many students in low-income areas have difficulty accessing computers and other essentials. This will lead to a growing gap in a vital skill set over time unless active steps are taken to address the issue.
Ultimately, by using all kinds of applications and software platforms in the classroom, students are equipped with the tools they need to better understand the digital world. Even if the systems they use are vastly different than what they’ll need in the future, it’s the exposure to new tech that breeds digital literacy and flexibility.
Providing Skills
Next, tech in the classroom can be used to build skill sets that will serve students no matter where they direct their careers. From LMS portals to presentation tools, we use tech on the job and in our daily lives for just about everything. Allowing students to hone these skills early will aid in their ability to serve the public.
Digital learning tools have been shown to increase student engagement, assist teachers in improving lesson plans, and facilitate personalized learning, thereby helping students build essential 21st-century skills. For instance, new AI technology allows for “computer vision” that uses augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to create immersive learning environments, allowing students to explore historical sites, dissect virtual organisms, or visualize complex concepts in 3D, thereby deepening their understanding through interactive visuals.
How Students Can Prepare for Service Careers Now
To better prepare students for public service careers now, integrating tech provides excellent use cases. Much like how power outages provide opportunities to learn about public infrastructure, useful technology provides opportunities to learn about digital literacy and flexibility. From there, students can build the knowledge they need to succeed in the public sector.
Start improving the education of our future public servants by making use of tech in education. In the future, you’ll be glad to have public officials who understand data management, communication tools, and how to apply them for real-world problem-solving.
