Fall 2016 - Professor Kate Poirier

Technology vs Teachers

         After reading the article and watching the video, not only did it amaze me but it also frightened me. It’s a weird mixture. On one side, I put myself in the student position and I’m all for it. We need better teaching methods. But when I put myself in the teacher position, I see a decrease in wanting teachers.  

           Watching Sugata Mitra experiments and seeing his plans for the future made me change my vision of learning. It made me realize that children are capable of learning something new without the help of a teacher. These group of children were able to use a computer even when they did not understand the language. It also made me realize that his plan will bring some sort of equality among students. His idea is to transform classrooms into a room where all students would have access to some sort of technology. That means that not only the “rich” people will have access to best resources. Now referring to the article, I don’t entirely agree with the idea that teachers will be replaced with technology. The reason why is that as humans, we need to have some sort of interaction between each other. I understand that letting students learn on their own is good strategy but students cannot always work independently. Communicating with others is an essential tool that we are taught in classrooms. Learning this skill will be beneficial for us in our future careers.

            This article didn’t really make feel depressed nor hopeful. I would say I was in the middle. I was more amazed on how learning is changing drastically. If this was to come true, which is possible considering the increase of technology, as a future educator it would be a good idea to have some sort of a back-up plan. I should develop technological skills meaning to become more of an “expert” in using technology.

1 Comment

  1. Kate Poirier

    I’m glad you felt a mixture of depression and hope! I really like that you picked up on using technology to level the playing field. Indeed, throughout history, education has been accessible only for the upper echelons of society. Now, while there are still obstructions to obtaining an education in place for a lot of people, at least the content is now widely available.

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