Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Is Technology the Future of Education?

The educational system is an evolving category. Schools and teachers are constantly making changes in order to adapt to the skills and interests of students. Today, a student needs to obtain problem-solving skills and learn how to be a leader. Technology has been present in the classrooms for a long time, but today it’s the mere essence and goal of education. As different devices, apps and tools are taking over the role of a teacher, learners become dependent upon them. The direction students are pushed towards will result with asocial individuals who are not capable to come to their own conclusions through the process of introspection.

People like Salman Khan have become the epitome of a modern teacher, who can identify students’ needs and adjust his teaching methods accordingly. Distance learning is becoming a sustainable model of education that brings benefits for both students and educators. Technology provides effective solutions for the spatial distance, which is no longer an obstacle for teaching and learning. Thanks to technology, students are more motivated to participate in group projects. People living in isolated areas have an easy access to education. They can attend colleges from the comfort of their home without sacrificing the quality of knowledge they obtain.

The overall humanity has gained immense benefits through the implementation of technology in education. However, the automated access to information doesn’t come without its disadvantages. The main problem imposed by easy access to solutions is too much comfort. When a teacher assigns a certain projects, students no longer need to conduct a library research; all sources are easily available online. As a result, today’s learners develop inferior skills of analyzing, consideration, and introspection.

Although technology makes teamwork simpler even for socially anxious students, it has negative effects over the process of socialization. Today, people are dependent upon technology, not social contact. The basic skills, which were developed through traditional education, are difficult to obtain in the modern classroom. The solution is somewhere in the middle. Although technology has helped us achieve the purpose of education as a universal human right, the current model has to actualize some of the traditional teaching methods in order to become more effective.

When technology makes the educational process dull and impersonal, teachers have to make an effort to search for solutions that are not based on online tools, apps and tech devices. They need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the students in order to find a method that’s effective for every type of learner.