Collaborative technology has changed our lives in so many ways. Enriching personal relationships, by connecting us with far away friends or family members. Improving productivity and flexibility in businesses by linking remote sites or workers with one another. But one area where collaborative tech is really making a splash, is education.

Educators have been talking about how E-Learning initiatives have been changing the face of the traditional classroom since 2013, and we’re starting to see the effects of the digital revolution on education institutions now. From iPads and webcams in kindergarten classrooms to cross-cultural learning opportunities. Today over half of America’s K-12 students are using Google’s suite of collaborative apps to help them with their studies.

Studies have shown that students excel when they’re given interactive opportunities that allow them to immersive themselves in what they’re learning and thanks to the power of the internet and technological advances like cloud storage, video streaming and mobile devices, the world has become our classroom no matter where we are. It’s no wonder collaborative tech is making waves in the education sector where engagement is such a vital part of the learning experience.

Companies like Blackboard and Coursera are providing teachers with innovative new ways to deliver lessons and class materials, while students can interact with each other, sharing their class notes using Dropbox, or using Skype to meet up for group assignments outside of class hours, without having to leave the house.

One way it does this is by making it easier and more convenient to gain new skills and qualifications. Thanks to online learning students can receive a high-quality teaching and learning experience, regardless of where they live, and this has been a game-changer in providing equal opportunities to rural and disadvantaged communities.

Asian countries, like China have seen a boom in the ESL market thanks to virtual classrooms connecting students with native English speakers overseas, while the Australian job market is predicted to receive a major influx of qualified workers thanks to the prevalence of MOOC platforms, or Massive Open Online Courses.

Even professional certifications are becoming easier for employees to obtain, with businesses now able to offer online solutions for staff to train both on the job, or at home, providing some much-needed flexibility in today’s busy work place.

Collaborative technology is also training students to adapt to the changing environment of the modern workspace, encouraging them to think co-operatively regardless of distance, or provide hands-on assistance even if they’re in a remote location. The skills necessary for success in the 21^st Century are undoubtedly based around technology, giving students the opportunities to interact with the growing range of collaborative apps and programs out there will enable them to be digitally savvy employees when they eventually graduate to the workplace.

As the number of collaborative options on the market continues to grow, and the market for these technologies continues to expand we’re likely to see more and more innovations that provide us with connective and communal ways to engage with learning.

Depending on what you are interested in or do for a living, there are numerous courses that you can pick up to polish your skills. However, there are also a few things you should consider before you dive head first into something that catches your eye.

1. Money

Most of the courses online are free of charge or require little to no effort on the potential student’s part to gain access, such as inviting friends to sign up or sharing the course. Skillshare is one of these platforms. Others provide courses at the fraction of the price of a degree. This allows individuals with a higher flexibility to learn whatever skills they may require, depending on their line of work. For example, a blogger could apply for a photography class and learn how to take better photos for their image; a florist or baker might benefit from learning calligraphy to offer their clients with quality products; or a business owner may pick up e-commerce in order to understand digital advertising and better market their services and wares.

2. Time

Being able to customize one’s schedule definitely helps in terms of meeting due dates or course completion. One may even go through an entire online class in a matter of hours, if ever so inclined. And if reports of career instability as illustrated by Express UK are to be our future, we need to constantly enhance ourselves in order to maintain a job; not necessarily at the same company but creating opportunities for employability. Furthermore, a degree will usually take roughly three years to complete, whereby an online course can be completed within weeks or months; thus being time-effective.

3. Variety

As implied above, the future of employment is uncertain at most. According to the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report, we will not have the job positions we have today, in 2020. It is predicted that many of the jobs will focus on human relations, such as Service Orientation or People Management.

4. Certification

While the world progresses into automated forms of technology, experience and knowledge may beat out on high education certifications unless someone has the foresight to meet future demands. Therefore, even though the skills you have developed are not bestowed by an established institution, the world should have grown enough to recognize self-taught talents are no less qualified. Or, they will have to. Especially when it’s something as niche as Machine Learning using Python Training. Python being one of the world’s top programming systems.

5. Interest

In our modern day and age, there are certain skill sets we should develop in order to stay ahead of the learning curve. We have moved past the era of basic HTML, and entering a world where programming is an essential skill to have. It is instinctive to choose a field where your passions lie, but sometimes they do not align with what is crucial to our survival. Online courses give us the option to invest in ourselves affordably, without taking up too much of our time and therefore, allows for progression.