Has introduction of technology in
education diminished the role of teachers?
Early humans
learnt by experience, usually through a process of trial and error.
The learning
process involved observation, experimentation, and finally documentation for
the benefit of later generations.
The method worked
exceptionally well for millennia. Discoveries and inventions changed the
fortunes of humans - the last century being an exceptional one. As the
technologies evolved, the kind of expertise expected of humans also underwent a
change.
Horse-drawn carts
were replaced by automobile, typewriters were replaced by computers, and even
humans were replaced by robots. Efficiency and cost-effectiveness are the name
of the game now and the world needs a new workforce capable of taking our
legacy forward.
Technology is
all-pervasive, and in the field of education, increasingly so. Analog has been
replaced by digital and books by the World Wide Web. Google is the new
equivalent of the famed libraries of yore, providing access to a wealth of
information, mostly for free.
What is the role
of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) in the field of education?
According to Wikipedia, “(it) can contribute to universal access to education,
equity in education, the delivery of quality learning and teaching, teachers’
professional development and more efficient education management, governance
and administration.”
With wide
adaptation of technology in education, what role do teachers play? Students are
‘connected’ all the time, with access to information at their fingertips. Does
all this information gathering amount to real education? Have teachers been
rendered obsolete by technology?
Absolutely not.
Technology and teachers complement each other. For teachers, it is just an
enabling tool to harness the learnings -
at home, classroom, and increasingly, online.
The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) takes a holistic and
comprehensive approach to promoting ICT in education, and are of the view that
access, inclusion and quality are among the main challenges they can address.
Teachers figure
prominently in UN body’s mission of A
Teacher for Every Child: Projecting Global Teacher Needs from 2015 to 2030
Technology has its
place, but teachers have a greater role to play. The mode of education may have
changed or changing, but the spirit of learning remains the same, with the
teacher playing a central role in the moulding of character and building of
moral and ethical values.
And that’s fact
that is never likely to change, ever.
“Every
child should have a caring adult in their lives. And that's not always a
biological parent or family member. It may be a friend or neighbor. Often times
it is a teacher.”
- Joe Manchin, US Senator