TECHNOLOGY : A SUPPLEMENT, NOT A SUBSTITUTE!

‘Digital tools aid a teacher, cannot substitute them,
Digital tools aid a learner, cannot induce learning’

Technology has become part of day-to-day life.  Educational institutions are among the first to race towards adapting the new technology for their students to achieve the best. From apps, games to Learning Management Systems, a variety of options are available for educational institutions to sustain their market. In their race to achieve the most sort after skills, institutions have spent a lot of money in adapting modern technological innovations.  

Have these fetched their ultimate result?

In the buyers’ market, various types of technological support are offered from different organisations – some are free like  ‘Khan Academy’, some on payment mode on tablets like  ‘BYGUs’ or online as in ‘Next education’ etc.,  Confusion is what results from all these options.

Technological innovators in the field of education, promote a lot of theory to endorse the fact that their products optimize learning.  However, science has already proved that learning happens with an active brain and when the learned aspect is more interest driven, personnel based and personal.

Yes! It is ‘Personal’, so we need to include technology, but ‘how?’ and ‘when?’ are the real questions that need to be answered. The problems associated with technology in education in the K12 market are that   

1.      It is filled with a number of learning solutions designed by enthusiastic youngsters, who perceive education from their point of view. 

2.      Some innovators designing these tools have neither teaching experience nor worked as teachers.

3.      The teachers who have immense experience on how and when students learn are mostly ignorant of such tools of technology.

4.      Most of the institutions embrace modern technology without having any focus on when and how it needs to be used for a pivotal outcome.

Suggestion, on the technology used as games helping students to develop interest in a subject has also not derived concrete results.  It has often proved to be a distraction rather than a reinforcement of the learnt topic.  The game designed for learning uses generally – bright colours, attractive features, fascinating characters, etc., which grabs the attention of the students towards the features rather than helping them to focus on the task at hand.

Personal interventions and one-to-one teaching help the learning process to happen.  This is useful when the mentor/guide/teacher is involved and supports the learner by creating suitable environment and curiosity in the topic.  This can happen with or without the support of technology.  The use of technology in this context is to refine the learning.  The understanding and thinking need to be directed towards the topic and that can only happen when the teacher is involved. 

Many educators propose ‘ONLINE EDUCATION’ as the future of education which is available through various Learning management systems/software.  The course setting starts with

·         design, then

·         setting of sub units, then

·         adding video/image references, then

·         setting assignments, then

·         check points, then

·         relating submissions, and

·         Performance related graphs for self-analysis.

‘Learning happens anywhere and everywhere’.  

MOOCs are only limited to Colleges/Universities or adult learning. MOOCs were not able to substitute classroom teaching. WHY?  The only answer could be young learners’ and beginners need more of human touch and feel for learning to happen.  They cannot understand the machine talking to them and making them understand.  Yes! There is a pause and redo button, but what happens if they do not understand the way the topic is taught?  This is also true in the case of colleges/universities or adult learning happening through MOOCs.

PISA performance analysis has shown that countries which dominate learning through technology are not the most performing.  It only reiterates the aspect that technology can only be a supplement and not a substitute.

‘Digital literacy’ has become a part of 21^st century skill. Knowledge of all sorts can be obtained at the click of a mouse.  Converting knowledge to understanding for application and further analysis can be sorted only when the thinking process is initiated.  Thinking can only happen when faced with the right question.  The question which kindles thought process changes from person to person.  A machine can show images or words or videos of thoughts and ideas, but to ignite the viewer’s interest and convert that to a passion – is the work of a mentor.  Mentors can be sometimes be our parents, friends, teachers or personalities but never a machine.  

Human made innovations are to aid not to mentor mankind.

Ref:

1.      http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34174796

2.      https://brightfutures4me.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/does-technology-improve-learning-no/