Hello Readers!
Let's begin this first blog of 2021 with few very relevant and timely quotes.
Human being as a social animal lives various lives in one body. Human has to play lot many roles like social: father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife. . . and as a professional: seller, buyer, sales person, receptionist, tour guide, photographer, engineer, psychiatrist, teacher. . .
Let us do a brain churning in this blog, and let's see how far we can think about the parallels of human beings and technology and then education and technology.
It is nearly impossible to live life without technology. For the purpose of communication, telegram was the newly introduced tool decreasing the value of post cards and letters. Computer and internet came to humans as devoted and timely assistants to do faster and safer communication. Email services made a drastic change in it. Telephones, and then cordless intercoms and then smartphones made revolutionary changes in our modes of communications. The latest of this is instant messaging like WhatsApp and other quick chat apps.
For transportation, we use several vehicles. For industrial purpose we have steam engine, power looms, and many machines which increase the production overnight. In the field of agriculture we have tractors, thrashers, sprayer and so on.
In short we just have to ask one question: Where is the absence of technology ? Which is the field which has no integration of technology ? The answer is self explanatory.
What differs technology from humans?
Unlike human beings, technology is not a social animal. It has no animal instincts like hunger, thirst, sleep and reproduction. Technology has nothing to do with cultural celebrations and religious festivals. It keeps on working until we humans switch it off. That too when humans get "tired of working". Technology never gets tired.
But why technology has become most important ?
Humans tend to make margin errors. Human mistakes reduce the rate of production, and less production leads to less profit. Nowadays we see that industries have very less amount of human employees and most of the work is done by robotics hands and machines. Industries like glass articles, wooden factories have machines for turning shredding, cutting and sawing. Factories of several goods run 24 hours without a break.
Human beings demand social and emotional needs to be satisfied. Humans have to sleep and eat.
If every job will be taken by technology then what humans will do ?
There are several scopes in human life that humans can explore and think beyond the boundaries. One of such field is creativity and innovation. Arts and humanities is not only a branch of study but also a golden key to ponder upon such thoughtful and worth noting areas which are still not come to light completely.
As we have covered several fields in which technology is widely used now it is right time to think about education in terms of technology. There are several arguments and theories around a very pertinent and poignant question :
* Can technology replace teachers?
It is not so novel and untouched question among academicians and educators. Education, when it stands aside from corporate sector and industries, it is a service sector. Traditional knowledge system of Ashram is now replaced with schools and colleges. Guru (Teacher in ancient Ashram ideology) used to teach their disciples (Students) having the responsibility of teaching several Vidhyas (knowledges, subjects) to students. This was the time of servitude. And as humanitarian approach, education is still considered as service sector. But in today's era of information and technology, education is also shaking hands with technology. Not whole heartedly but still with a grin weird smile on face. (If I personify the thought !!!)
There can be no direct answer to this question such as "Yes" and "No". All we can do is just think about the probabilities and possibilities. If we think of the answer as "No", then there are several thoughts which come to mind immediately and below links come to support this thinking. But as such this "No" can be falsified also.
What happens when we introduce machines and technology in education?
COVID19 corona pandemic has taught entire education system the importance of technology. Technology was already having tools of remote communications which are widely used nowadays to teach and learn online. Students are using desktops or laptops, smartphones to attend online classes. Teachers are using the same tools to teach online. No students come to structured traditional class and then too, learning happens. Students and teachers are hundreds of kilometers away from one another, staying at home, then too, teaching learning happens. We are living in such time where many things have become faceless. Banking has become paperless and faceless. Attendance in an online class also is partially faceless. Food delivery is also becoming faceless. In terms of education if we think, students lack personal physical touch which enhances internal emotional intelligence.
What does technology do with teachers and students?
It teaches humans to make less mistakes, to be more active and to give no excuses. Precision and accuracy are the words which technology teaches us. When one works with technology, several human qualities like honesty, accountability and responsibility are tested. There are several online services which captures the plagiarism in research papers and articles. Yes, technology also helps us to be a good civilians and makes us practice ethics also.
What if robots take place of teachers?
Whenever we think of the idea about introducing something which is related to technology, it is always welcomed by power and management. Machines are easy to handle than human beings. A teacher may talk about the things which are not relevant to the current subject under discussion and may divert students' attention from the key points to another ones. Robots don't take any digression. Whichever data is fed to robots they will teach to the point and give all the way straight forward lectures to students. Robots are highly precise in time. All robo teachers can have tight scheduling of time and dates and lectures. No clash of ego comes to interfere in teaching process when robot becomes teacher. If a class of 12th standard requires 10 teachers, management may make a choice of having more than 5 robo teachers out of 10. Otherwise 8 robots and 2 human teacher and so on. On a larger structure it also saves time and money and generates net profit which has very less depreciation.
If robots become teachers, what human teacher will do?
Human teacher still has many things to do. Human teacher has to be there when student requires any guidance about how to use various digital tools. As mentioned earlier that human qualities like accountability and honesty is to be tested, human teachers should be there to teach students those values because after all, all of human's efforts and education is there to become good human beings, good citizens, having correct vision of living life. May be the future generations will require more parental guidance and teacher's guidance in terms of fair use of technology. And fair use can only be taught when technology is fairly practiced by teachers and parents at first place. So, technology comes to us to teach human qualities, which are somewhere forgotten in today's materialistic money minded world.
Teachers and parents are almost playing equal and important roles in a student's life. Education without technology is not at all acceptable idea in 21st century. We have to walk on the path of technology and then enhance the student's skills and confidence. Future teachers will require very deep knowledge of psychology, philosophy, social and political sciences, literatures, films, documentaries and humanities. Shallowness and half complete knowledge will be of no use for teachers. Future generations will have more and more anxieties and mood swings and state of depression and many mental casualties. In such situation teachers can be the best counsellors after parents for students.
Indeed this is the best ever opportunity to empower teachers as well as students to be future ready, befriending technology at hand and walking towards the better future of tomorrow. There is one important thing to be remembered: if we will make the right choices today, we will be able to create better opportunities for tomorrow's generation.
Here are some points taken from the video mentioned below.
* Advertisements
1. Internet Baby
The advancement of technology and how young generation is readily accepting all new ICT gadgets right from childhood. Yet this video and ad is made with humor but yet it has very important message. The message is be future ready and welcome new changes in terms of technology.
2. Education for all - Idea cellular network
This ad shows how mobile phone and cellular network can be used in remote learning. Breaking the bounds of physical classroom. Provided villages and rural areas are equipped with proper connectivity of internet.
* Last video Satyamev Jayate
In this ad it is shown here that how internet and a useful tool of google Chrome can be helpful in sorting out the burning issues. Several government schemes are now coming for help and we just have to take benefit of it from proper guidance with the use of internet. Technology can encourage humans to remain morally and ethically transparent in terms of governance. It can sharpen our civic sense also.
These are just thoughts and ideas which, in future, may become very significant to ponder upon. And who knows this blog will be considered in future as worth reading post for educators !
Thank You!
