The conversation goes
on, but my experience is that technology helps the teachers as an enabler and
reduces the burden. It also brings the teachers closer to modern day kids who
are technology proficient. But it cannot replace a teacher for there are skills
such as empath, critical thinking and analyses that, as yet, has not been
replaces by technology.
So, the question is, “Can
robots replace teachers?” (BBC, 2017). Robots can do a lot such as (a) work
without food breaks, (b) mark homework quickly, (c) error free work or (d) work
long hours. But can robots empathize with a child who lost his pet dog and help
him settle his emotions, as I found in my grade 6 class once? Can a robot talk
with emotion or ask a child if he or she is clear about a topic? I would always
want a human teacher for the care I will get and allow me to follow up, A human
teacher would make a lesson more vivid due to the presence of emotions. A robot
can perhaps take care of the mechanical aspects such as corrections or
attendance etc. or teach certain aspects of the lesson or help have a flipped
class.
For the
purpose is not merely to teach, but to give an education. There is an art to education
that current technology has not mastered as yet. Engineers that I know are
confident that one day it would, but I would rather see it to believe it.
Educational technologies are aiding teachers in their work, and not completely
taking over them. They are tools, not replacements and as tools they would
definitely simplify a teacher’s life (Technology vs Teachers: Can technology replace teachers? n.d.) but not take over.
At least I don’t think so!
References
1.
BBC. (2017, July 7). What if robots replaced teachers? find out
with BBC Micro:bit - BBC make it Digital. YouTube. Retrieved April 24,
2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjCkiNRM-FI
2. Technology vs Teachers: Can
technology replace teachers? (n.d.).
fedena. https://fedena.com/blog/2018/05/teachers-vs-technology-can-technology-replace-teachers.html
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