CAN TECHNOLOGY REPLACE TEACHERS?

CAN TECHNOLOGY REPLACE TEACHERS?

• (Relevant for Sociology Syllabus: Paper 1 – Social Change in Modern Society; PAPER-2 – Challenges of Social Transformation )
• (Relevant for GS Syllabus: Paper 1- Social empowerment.)

• Teachers are special blessings from the Gods to us. They play a pivotal role in moulding students making the world a better place and instilling values in people. Teachers teach us the importance of pen over a sword. They make us all better human beings. The push us, lift us towards greatness. Everybody loves their teachers very dearly.
• Technology is a human-made application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. It is machinery and equipment developed from the usage of scientific knowledge. It also refers to tools and machines that may be used to solve real-world problems. Regularly evolving technology has become an essential part of our lives. Also, newer technologies are taking the market by storm, and the people are getting used to them in no time. Above all, technological advancement has led to the growth and development of nations.
• Now, we have a question, ‘CAN TECHNOLOGY REPLACE TEACHERS?’ This question arises because of the digital revolution all over the world in every field, only excluding a handful. Technology has replaced humans in plenty of professions. These include factory workers, phone operators, cashiers, packers, pharmacy technicians, researchers, postal workers, journalists, and typists. The digital revolution has not been able to go any further in the education sector than it has already had.
• Technology has brought relief to the humankind, but technology can never truly replace men, especially in education, considering the significant inability of machinery to interact with humans. This idea is as hilarious as a calculator teaching us Mathematics.
• Teachers cannot be fully mechanized because of our awe and reverence we have for them. A teacher’s job is not just to teach, but to provide education in every aspect of life. A teacher masters the art of imparting knowledge to students and life lessons to become valuable citizens of the country.
• No matter how smart or advanced Artificial Intelligence may be, it can never come even remotely close to the life experience. A teacher guides facilitate, and mentors a student. They are role models who set examples to students and drive them onto a way to their bright future.
• Teachers do more than teach lessons from books and set homework. They find social hints and feelings of their students. This is a skill no machine has, as of now, mastered. Teachers help identify the personal emotions of children to function better as students. They always make the subject, which they teach, come alive for us to learn more efficiently and blissfully. Instead of offering technology to replace teachers, we can use it to aid better learning processes.
• Teachers are overburdened. They have been taking the parents’ stead in school. We, students, do appreciate our mentors. We give them little gifts and cards on Teachers’ Day as a form of encouragement, but they are not game-changing. We do not acknowledge them as much as they deserve to be. They could use help and, that too, from a good source. Technology can facilitate a teacher to do his/her best.
• Artificial Intelligence has already become more involved in education in these testing times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students all over the world have been learning through online classes with the help of technology. 2020 would have been a dead year without this automation. We have experienced the club of teachers and tech together. Online classes have been a huge success.
• Speaking of technology in education, many advanced schools use it for the superior understanding of subjects to students. They learn about using mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and computers. Smart classrooms contain smart screens and projectors to show the children a colourful and live presentation of their subjects. Teachers display various videos on particular topics to make them more interesting to learn. Schools have been updated. Teachers nowadays find it a lot easier to share their knowledge among the students.
• Everything is smooth and simple now, with tech. So, we should all be asking, “Can technology ease more of teachers’ burden?” rather than “Can technology replace teachers?” Rivalry can only be won by one squad. In contrast, both parties can win during coexistence. So, I conclude by saying, “Teachers and Technology are much better as a team.”