Introduction and Background
Historically, a lot of events that defined the face of the globe have undergone tremendous changes and alterations. Nobody could have ever imagined that the Roman Empire will collapse (Hormer-Dixon, 2006, p. 2). The ever rising dependence on technology over the past few decades has sparked fresh debates on the necessity of teachers in the facilitation of learning.
This is owed to the fact that technology has been able to penetrate deep into several spheres of life including education and learning. In essence, several players in the education industry have argued both for and against the elimination of teachers as facilitators of learning. The main aim of this paper is to analyze both sides of the argument and establish the validity of the statement, ‘With the rise in modern technology, there will be no need for teachers as facilitators of learning’.
In this regard, this paper will explore some of the roles that technology plays in the advancement of education and the impacts it has on the society. In addition, the paper will analyze the impacts of science and technology through the use of three frameworks which are technological determination, technology as neutral and the social constructivism.
Technological Determinism
Technological determinism is a theory that states that technology is an autonomous entity that causes social change (Fourie, 2008, p. 18). Those who subscribe to this theory argue that specific technological developments in the society such as in communication and media are the ones responsible for instituting changes in the society. Moreover, technology is the basic instrument that holds together the fabrics of social organization.
Such technological components such as prints, writing, televisions and the computer have contributed a lot to the changes being experienced in the society. The society in itself is believed to be entirely controlled by technology at every level. From individuals to social interactions and to institutions of the society, technology has penetrated deep inside them (Moe, 2010, p. 104).
As part of an important social institution, technology is responsible for the rapid changes that learning institutions such as schools have and are currently undergoing. The incorporation and adoption of diverse technological equipments into the learning systems in schools has brought in a number changes to the whole set up of learning.
Technological determinism theory is well illustrated in the manner in which changes have been orchestrated by the technological advancements in schools. Such changes include the possible elimination of teachers from their traditional roles of teaching in the pretext that students can appropriately apply new learning technological devices to learn on their own (Fourie, 2008, p. 151).
Marshall McLuhan’s Theories about Media and Technology
Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian educator and a philosopher who was credited for accurately predicting the World Wide Web nearly three decades prior to its invention. Besides, he was the one who coined the expressions “the global village” and the medium in the message. According to his theory on education, human beings have the capability of extending their nervous system through the use of a global neutral net such as electronic media devices.
Through the use of such electronic devices, many changes are set to occur. Thanks to the words of Marshall, the introduction of the World Wide Web into the education sector has immensely contributed to the alteration of traditional modes of doing things. Even though he did not predict the ultimate destination of the education system through the influence of the media, he foresaw a situation whereby a lot of changes were bound to take place (McLuhan, 2001, p. 48).
Technology as Neutral
Opponents of the technological determinism theory argue that technology alone is not responsible for the societal changes being experienced because it is neutral. They portend that technology is like a tool and it is humans who have the choice to put it in either good or bad use. It is also portrayed as a moral of which humans have the choice to determine whether to use it for repressive or liberatory purposes (Hanks, 2009, p. 67).
This is the instrumental view of technology. With regards to technology taking the place of teachers and classroomms, this theory gives choices to humans to choose what is right or wrong and follow. It portends that using technological devices such as computers in classrooms should be determined by the end products of the process.
Technology has the potential of conditioning human beings to act in some pattern or behavior. Using a given technological device to aid a learning process by students will eventually condition the learners to adapt to its use. The result of this is that the said technology later replaces the services of the teacher. Therefore, at the end of it all, the necessity of a teacher will be of no relevance to the learning process of students (Hanks, 2009, p. 176).
Social Constructivism
Social constructivism is a knowledge sociological theory that puts much emphasis on collaborative nature as a way of learning. Learning groups divide themselves into smaller units with shared artifacts, culture and meanings. This encourages the learners to get involved in the learning process as they seek to learn more about the culture of a particular group.
This learning process focuses on the artifacts that the social interactions amongst groups have created. In education, this theory advocates for the incorporation of several players and cultures in the learning process. It also focuses more on interaction as opposed to observation only.
With the advent of the computer technology to aid the process of learning, a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has been introduced. This technology enables students to learn skills in sharing of knowledge, communication, use of relevant technologies and critical thinking.
However, the most important thing to note is that this theory mainly advocates for an increase in the levels of interactions and discussions by students inside the classrooms. The availability of a teacher in a classroom is not threatened at all. This enables students to benefit from the participation in group discussions that will encourage the transfer of knowledge and strong communication base amongst students (Young, 2008, p. 189).
Analysis
All the above theories advocate for an approach or two in the learning process for students. Save for the social constructivism theory, the first two majorly focus on the use of technology to aid the learning process. As much as there have been several debates to either oppose or support the ideas, some facts do not change. It is important to first note that the present day society is co-dependent with technology in a synergetic relationship.
The introduction of the computers and the printing press was a big milestone whose impacts cannot be just wished away. Some of these impacts have been felt even in schools and the players in the education industry. To begin with, it is important to acknowledge and appreciate the fact that technology plays an important role in enhancing the learning and teaching processes for both teachers and students.
It is also worth noting that technology in itself involves complex procedures and applications that are not automatically comprehensible to students and teachers. This in essence calls for the need of additional learning that will entail the acquisition of knowledge for the use and application of technology (Winston & Edelbach, 2012, p. 303).
As much as some conservatives would want to deny the potentiality of the thesis statement, the prevailing reality is that technology has and still continues to alter the way things are done. In the case of teaching and learning, the use of computers is hugely replacing the workloads for teachers in terms of the way they render their instruction services to students.
For instance, through the use of already installed software in their computers, teachers can efficiently collect and tabulate data concerning students for easier analysis. Similarly, students can apply the computer software in some of their learning subjects such as mathematics to collect, explore and interpret data. This is a type of work that was traditionally conducted by very experienced and competent teachers. But now it can be independently carried out by students without much help from their teachers (Dreyfus, 2009, p. 17).
The introduction and use of technology in the teaching and learning process is an innovation in itself. It needs adequate strategies and plans to be put in place to make it successful. In addition, it also requires the availability of proof that the materials used together with the methodology of presentation and the manner in which it is integrated in the overall teaching process to be commensurate with the needs of the learners.
In this regard, it is important to note that some of the software that is used is developed by students who have become gurus in the information and technology field (Hanks, 2009, p. 37).
With such a capability, a student will rarely need a teacher since he or she is capable of developing a program that is important to the success of the learning process. It is also reported that students learn some subjects like sciences, statistics and mathematics more easily through the use of computer software that when being taught directly by a teacher (Hanks, 2009, p. 89).
This might be attributed to the fact that specific computer software facilitates faster and efficient exploration of concepts and ideas. Therefore, students are more likely to be capable of grasping ideas effectively while using the computer software than when the same concepts are demonstrated to by a teacher. In this essence, a teacher’s availability in the classroom may in the future be rendered useless.
Despite the claim that technology can be a good replacement for teachers and the classroom, the truth is that at the moment a lot has to be done by teachers in order to achieve the desired goals of education. This is based on the fact that technology based teaching may not be conclusively adequate for the learning process because of the complexities of both hardware and software used (Dreyfus, 2009, p. 101).
For instance, technological tools, software and devices use may also not be appropriate to students since they might not experience the real learning atmosphere of a school set up. The use of computers by students to analyze and solve mathematical problems is in itself not a healthy learning endeavor.
This is because the students will only apply the applications already installed in the computer software without understanding the actual processes involved in solving the problems.
This will not make them outstanding scholars in the society after graduating because the same can be done by most people who can access computers including those who are uneducated. Further still, a student will need a teacher to help him or her interpret the results of the analyzed data from a computer hence the need of a teacher despite the rising use of technology.
According to Goyder (2005), the success of the new technology in the advancement of the education and learning to students will depend on the accessibility of different types of software accompanied by the corresponding hardware among other things. Apparently, not all learners will have the capability to easily grasp the use and application of some of the software.
Moreover, different students have adopted diverse ways of approaching and solving mathematical and scientific problems in their unique way. It will, therefore,. be a challenge to try to harmonize these unique students’ experiences through the use of single and universal software, which in the end will deny them an opportunity to explain their concepts and show their competence (Goyder, 2005, p. 162).
Even though quick and efficient computer software might be useful in facilitating the learning process of students, there is no guarantee that they will be able to grasp all the important ideas of the subject under discussion.
For instance, in the case of statistics, the use of computer software to analyze and tabulate data by students will on the other hand not equip them with the knowledge about sampling variations and distributions (Young, 2008, p. 41). This can only happen if the students have prior experiences with complex versions of the software, which tentatively will be administered by a teacher.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The rapid rate with which technology has and still continues to evolve has caught the world by storm. Nevertheless, humans have readjusted their lives to the new technological world to such a point that some would not imagine living without some technological devices such as cell phones and computers.
However, despite all the technological achievements, modern technology has some very grave negative impacts on the society. Some of the negative impacts include job cuts such as elimination of teachers from the classrooms and cut of the interaction channels of learning (Winston & Edelbach, 2012, p. 34).
Other negative impacts include the laziness that students have acquired as a result of its discovery. Most students who opt for technology to solve their academic problems have grown to be so lethargic in the activities they engage in. This in a way compromises their ability to think and reason out issues clearly.
It is based on these reasons that this paper recommends that very wise considerations must be put in place for the adoption of the most appropriate technology, which has less impact on the health of the society. It is also recommended that the traditional learning methodologies that helped students interact and bond together must not be entirely wiped out but rather integrated with the new technological models.
References
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Hormer-Dixon, T. F. (2006). The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the renewal of civilization. Washington, DC: Island Press.
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