With knowledge and information being so easily accessible in the 21st century, a question that often comes up is whether there is even a need any more for traditional teaching experiences, or even teachers.
Though information may be readily available, there is no guarantee that the knowledge they gain will be implemented in a proper manner. Without an educator to refine the teaching experience, there is only a simplified absorption of knowledge with little to no investment in what that acquisition entails. An educator’s job is to create a learning experience that is complete and invests the learner in wanting to be taught. Technology may eliminate the human component of this process, but without that element, there cannot be a conducive teaching or learning experience.
There is an onslaught of technology on the modern classroom. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students alike are being told that technology is the whetstone with which we can all sharpen our education system. Technology can open doors, expand minds, and change the world.
That may be true, but it’s not the panacea that it’s been made out to be. As much innovation as the iPad may bring to the classroom, it’s not going to replace a teacher anytime soon. In fact, the influx of technology like iPads means there is a greater need for teachers. We need teachers who are part early adopter, part integrator, and part mad scientist. The modern teacher must be willing to take chances and able to figure out how not just how the technology works, but how it works for each student, and where its use is most appropriate.
A teacher or educator inspires love and interest in the subjects they teach. The ability to stand in front of a class and talk about something that they are passionate about while engaging with that energy in their students is an experience that cannot be matched by a digital system. A teacher will challenge, inspire and push their students to look at things from unorthodox points of views, to consider ideas from multiple angles and to build thought processes in ways one might not have considered before. A simple technological transfer of knowledge cannot translate that energy or that enthusiasm but is merely an access point that, without an educator to refine and expedite it, cannot copy the soul of what makes a classroom education a unique experience.
Teachers serve as relatable entities as well. Students can approach teachers with their doubts, fears and interests that need to be discussed. A teacher can empathetically address these points with their students and provide a state of comfort and support that technology cannot. The human element in the educational experience cannot be understated as it is the component that has the most to offer and the one that affects the functioning of all the other parts of that same system.
When someone mentions using technology in education, the conversation shifts away from education and pedagogy and transforms into dreams of shiny new gizmos and gadgets filling our classrooms. That’s a problem – It’s not about the technology. Rather, the sleek and ever more powerful devices that are coming down the pipeline are simply one part of a teacher’s toolkit. The technology is not the lesson, it is there to enhance the lesson.
As we move further along the road to incorporate digital and technological tools into our learning processes, the contribution of educators can never be forgotten or neglected. They are the foundation of everything that education stands on and the ones who will wield the tools of technology to better and more effectively teach willing minds seeking knowledge to discover everything this world has to offer. They are an indispensable part of the learning experience, and will always remain so because the human element is a fixture that can never be taken out of education. Education is based on the heart, soul and mind sharing its experiences and knowledge with others, and without that taking place, there is very little point left to the learning experience.
“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”~Brad Henry
Thank you for reading!
~ Article by Preksha Dalmia and Siddharth Sinha, Logolepsy Blog Team
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