Technology in Education
Educational technology is, like the name suggests, the use of technology in education. Right now, students worldwide are learning through online platforms, but before this pandemic, technology still played a role in education. Educational technology has gained attention in recent years, but the use of technology is still widely debated — some believe it is simply not needed, while others believe it improves the quality of education and mirrors the importance of technology in society.
One controversial facet of technology in education is the idea that sometime in the future, robots could replace teachers. This, of course, has many implications for teachers and students. The theory comes from the belief that eventually, AI will take over many occupations, completely changing the makeup and requirements of future workforces.
How robotic teachers could integrate into classrooms depends on the complexity of the technology—if it is possible for robots to completely imitate humans, theoretically there would be no difference for students. However, that type of technology cannot be commercially replicated in the present day; arguments against robotic teachers are therefore based on their current limitations. With current AI, robotic teachers would be unable to emotionally connect with students and give personalized attention. Therefore, the ability of these types of teachers to integrate into schools is wholly dependent on how human they are.
But that’s looking at the extreme. Technology is present in our education already but in different ways. For some schools, this is in having advanced infrastructure—green rooms, recording studios, smart boards, projectors, computer labs, etc. For other schools, it is the expectation that students have access to a device. Having access to a laptop means teachers can assign projects online, check plagiarism, individualize work for student capabilities, recreate experiments and projects — the possibilities are endless. With technology, there comes access to a range of teaching methods such as videos that can aid students with different learning styles and abilities. However, this can restrict student’s socialization. Not only does it increase screen time, but it can also create a dependency on technology. Furthermore, access to technology is not available in all countries. In many low-income countries, these resources are not available. This hasn’t, however, impacted their education — digital technology is only a recent development, and education has continued without it for very long.
Technology has not always existed in the form we are familiar with- at one point, chalkboards would have been considered innovative technology. What cannot be ignored however is that advancement is necessary, and the larger question remains: Should opportunities for advancement be restricted due to certain areas not having access, or should effort instead be spent on allowing all areas to make the same advancement together?
Written by Tanvi Tiana Dhingra, Writer at Girl Genius Magazine.
