Can technology replace a teacher?

 

Hello friends,

 

शिक्षक कभी साधारण नहीं होता, प्रलय और निर्माण उसकी गोद में पलते हैं।”

-आचार्य चाणक्य

 

You also might have heard this. Can you accept someone as a teacher who is failing in bringing change? Creativity and innovation are basic and unique characteristics of human beings. But this is to be questioned in our 21^st century. We live in the era of information, a fast age where yesterday’s discovery seems older today. Earlier humans were having competition just to prove themselves better than other human beings only. There wasn't any concept of being defeated by machines!

 

This Information Age is being fueled by a Knowledge Economy that values problem solving and critical thinking over the rote skills of the Industrial era. That said, the 21st Century may also ultimately include other ages and economies that have not yet come into existence. For this reason, teachers need to help students acquire the critical-thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration skills that will benefit them as they enter the workforce.

 

Robots in the workplace:

A Threat to – or Opportunity for- Meaningful work?

The concept of meaningful work has recently received increased attention in philosophy and other disciplines. However, the impact of the increasing robotization of the workplace on meaningful work has received very little attention so far. Doing work that is meaningful leads to higher job satisfaction and increased worker well-being, and some argue for a right to access to meaningful work.

 

Two sides of a coin

Technological innovations have greatly shaped agriculture throughout time. From the creation of the plow to the global positioning system (GPS) driven precision farming equipment, humans have developed new ways to make farming more efficient and grow more food. Industrial Technology is the use of engineering and manufacturing technology to make production faster, simpler and more efficient. The industrial technology field employs creative and technically proficient individuals who can help a company achieve efficient and profitable productivity.  

Other fields are at the stage where technology and Robots have proved and provided better results than humans. We have agriculture and industry where qualitatively too have found great impact in quantity too. Of course, this increasing quantity leads to decreased quality too, but when we think of mass to fill up need, quantity matters a lot.

Yet, there is a field where technology has made greater effect and advantages and made it easy but there comes a question… CAN TECHNOLOGY REPLACE A TEACHER?

If we ask this to a larger number of people, we might receive a sudden answer, ‘NO’. But the real question is, ‘Why are we asking such questions?’

‘Why are we at the stage to think this?’

‘Has there happened anything where technology has replaced a human touch?’

 

Let’s try to think of this on a larger scale. There are ample examples which ponder that robots are better teachers than human teachers and we are urged into the emergency of asking the question ‘What is the role of human teacher?’ What is still there that is unique for humans which machine cannot do! This blog studies different arguments, examples and points related to this.

 

When I think back to my favorite teacher –

“Did I enjoy the teacher's teaching because of her/his infallible library of knowledge or because of how the teacher made the subject she/he taught comes alive for me”?

Before I let you think ‘Technology can never replace a teacher’, let me ask one more question: ‘Are you afraid of robots or technology that they can perform in better quality?’

 

What is a Teacher?	What is to be a Human Teacher?
A teacher is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue. Informally the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone.	Human teacher is a human being who is skilled and expert in the art and science of teaching children.

 

Now let’s think, is there something which only teachers can do or advantages are greater?

Technology as a teacher
Advantages	Disadvantages
A mechanical teacher is capable of teaching at fixed hours with 100% regularity and punctuality without being tired.	It can’t adapt according to the situation and circumstances.
It can use many teaching aids such as video, audio aids efficiently.	It does not have the emotional aspect to connect to the students.
It does not do any partiality or dishonesty.	Some technical faults in it  may make it more complex
	It can’t improvise and be as creative as a human teacher can be.

 

 

Thus, we can say that there are enough examples to accept technology as a teacher. Before accepting technology as a teacher let's ponder upon what role does a human teacher play in the classroom?

Human as a teacher
Advantage	Disadvantage
A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning	The disadvantages of a human teacher can also be many, such as complacency, low level of knowledge, selfishness, compromising nature, poor character, etc.
Only a human teacher can transform students’ lives.
A human teacher has the brain as well as the heart that can work many times faster than the processors of a machine.
He has the values such as compassion, understanding, empathy, commitment, dedication, love, and sympathy for his students that no sophisticated machine can ever have.

 

For Example.

Let’s take an interesting Example

A great human teacher can do miracles, which no one else can do. Who does not know Miss Sullivan, Helen Keller’s great teacher who transformed the latter’s life. The day she arrived at Helen's house, Helen called that day the most important day of her life. Helen compared the arrival of her teacher to the shining of 'light of love' in her darkened life. Miss Sullivan took unprecedented pains to teach Helen manual alphabet. Since Helen was suffering from hearing as well as visual disabilities, Miss Sullivan really had to work very hard to teach Helen the alphabet.

Can it be done by technology or the Machine as a teacher?

 

Some very stimulating points which makes teacher irreplaceable

 

(1) Subject matter

Of course, humans are in the habit of forgetting the things. If we take a test of machine and teacher then machine will certainly score full marks.

But the quest is that teachers are meant to give just subject matter only?

(2) Emotional touch

Can technology as a teacher ponder upon the situation or circumstances of class atmosphere and work on?

If there’ll be any dispute among student students then how technology will solve it?

If technology solves it, on which basis?

Ultimate expedition is what if technology will fail to teach humanity or what if technology will teach humanity as its technicality.

(3) Connecting dots

Can technology be as creative as a human teacher?

After all, What technology can teach is just only those things which are taught to it. Can it learn itself?

Role of a human teacher is to encourage self-learning.

It is to avoid dependency.

Can Technology connect student’s day-to-day life and ongoing current situations of society which affects and effects both to students?

 

(4) Experience sharing

We have heard that Experience is the best teacher. Can Machine or technology share their experience of learning or teaching? Students learn even when one is not teaching!

 

Students are being cultivated and need to cultivate their habit by looking at teacher’s life.

 

Can technology bring the core ideas to its experience?

 

(5) Can robots or technology work differently to each student as every student needs something different?

This question signifies higher duties of teachers that teachers are not meant to make social or technical robots. Human teacher can work on an average student so that he/she can score good or achieve a better goal. Human teachers can work on good students so that one can reach a higher strata!

Human teachers can teach one topic quite differently for more than one time. Can it be possible with technology?

Perhaps this may answer or give significant points to ponder the question ‘Can technology replace a teacher?’

Until now, the answer lies within the quote that…

Technology is merely an augmentation to a teacher. It can help the process of learning, but it certainly cannot replace the role of the teacher. ... It is much obvious that technology is assisting students in their learning and it is playing a crucial role in the field of education.

 

Is the need of human teachers being eliminated?

It is significant that we remember, a teacher is more than just a facilitator of knowledge. A teacher also acts as a guide, a mentor and an inspiration for students, a role that cannot be replaced by technology of any kind. Taking critical skills into account like decision making, time management etc, a child needs a teacher as the technology cannot teach these human skills.

 

Still one question is left and is, are our all teachers doing these all the things which are considered as a role of human teacher? If not, then what's wrong if technology replaces a human teacher!  

 

 

I must say,

those teachers who are replaceable, need to be replaced and it would be quite fine to replace them as soon as possible!

How many and which advertisements are shown in the last video? What is the message of these ads? What is the message of the last video shown in it? What are your two 'take-aways' from this video?

 

 Two advertisements are being shown by Prof. Dilip Barad sir while delivering speech on tablet distribution at university before 3 or 4 years.  There were several things and we believed that some of the things are impossible to happen in India. Message of these both the videos are also explained well that technology can bring better advancement and with use of it real change into the world can be bring! This advertisements explores importance and advantage of technology but it doesn’t replacing it because humans are in quest to serve humanity and can it be teach by technology?

 Thank you.