EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE WITH MODERN DAY TECHNOLOGY

 INTRODUCTION

Until recently, Textbooks were the sole resources and Teachers were the sole interpreter’s of knowledge to the students. Educational technology has affected these conventional roles, and  has now opened up new areas of teacher functions such as management of resources and management of learning. Today, teachers have a wide range of media to assist and supplement their instructional work. Google helps in quick search results for any query you may have, Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia of information, and the list just goes on. Educational platforms such as Learning Management Systems (LMS like Moodle) and Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS like Elucidat) are extremely important in providing effective educational solutions. Using modern technology, teachers can now specify the learning intentions, select the topic, identify the stimulus situation, determine media, manage teaching, and finally conduct evaluation and modify the instructions in the light of evaluation results. The combination of education and technology has created “more stimulating learning environment” and new possibilities to make the process of education more innovative and enjoyable.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Technology has been used in education in four different ways:

  ü as a part of the curriculum,
  ü for delivery of teaching contents,

  ü as an aid to instructions,

  ü as a tool to enrich learning experience.

Its role is more pronounced in student-centered learning or constructivist approach wherein the “students are active participants in their learning; they are more intrinsically motivated where learning is more individualized”. It includes project-based learning, problem-based learning and inquiry-based learning.

Technology has opened up new avenues of learning. From Computer Based Teaching (CBT) & Computer-Aided Communication (CMC) to E-learning & Web-Based Training (WBT), education technology has helped create an innovating learning environment. Its singular achievement has been in the field of distance learning in which several people can learn simultaneously from different locations. However, its success largely depends on good student-teacher interaction, proper use of technology, meticulous planning and effective management.

ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

1. Educational technology has provided a scientific base to the educational theory and practice. It has transformed a passive classroom to an active and interactive classroom, with audio-visuals, charts and models, smart classrooms and e-learning room. This has immensly motivated and increased the attention level of students.

2. Technology has modernised the teaching-learning climate of educational institutions by having students exposed to professionally designed programmes on video or computers.

3. Educational technology has helped and supplemented the teachers in their instructional programmes through structured lessons for remedial, enrichment or drill purposes. The learners get training for self instruction and teachers are relieved of the burden of routine repetition of exercises and revisions.

4.  The training and use of educational technology contributes towards the professional growth of teachers. It equips them in the use of scientific methods for solving educational and administrative problems. It adds to the teaching competence of teachers and inculcates a scientific outlook and scientific temper in teachers and students.

5. Educational technology has improved the teaching-learning process and made it more effective and process oriented. Television, Radio, V.C.R, Computers and LCD projectors etc. have enriched and facilitated effective transmission of knowledge.

6. Educational technology has not only maintained the standards of education but has also improved the ways of teaching by giving it Teaching Aids and Programmed Instructional Material.

7. Efficient mechanism’s of feedback for modification of teaching-learning behaviour have produced effective teachers.

8. Students who appear for higher or competitive examinations have been benefitted by educational programmes on T.V, Radio and Internet.

9. Educational technology has opened up new fields of educational research in examination process, evaluation and classroom-teaching.

10. Educational technology has provided individualized practices and strategies that help teachers to teach according to individual differences of learners.

The innovations of technology in the field of education have thus done wonders to the educational process by strengthening its structure and improving the very nature of the educational process. 

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Technology has greatly transformed the structure and dynamics of teaching & learning through:

  ü Easy access to information.
  ü Greater interest in learning.
  ü Increased retention of information.
  ü Robust information storage.
  ü Better presentation of information.
  ü Teaching made interactive.

  ü  Knowledge sharing made easy.

Analyzing a bit further, we find that technology has not only changed the process of education, but has also affected the Teacher-Student Relationship and the Value System’s governing those relations. As a consequence, the innumerable challenge’s faced by a teacher has intensified the urgency to analyze those factors of change. A careful approach has to be taken by exploring ways to make the teacher relevant & effective in a technology-led teaching & learning context. A recent study, on the impact of technology implies that, Digital Technology,

  Ø is deeply altering how students learn,

  Ø is holding back the attention spans of students,

    Ø is restricting their ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks,

  Ø is as much a solution, as a problem.

LIMITATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

While technology is satisfying the increasing appetite for new information, it has serious limitations in attainment of higher levels of learning in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains (movement in conscious mental activity), not to mention moral uplift of students and acquisition of tacit (implied/experienced) knowledge. The real challenge is in the fact that, although meant to support and simplify learning, technology also has the potential to degrade education! The teacher is getting marginalized in the process and is under tremendous pressure to outperform and remain relevant to the students. “The student has now become an active informational architect, procuring, rearranging and displaying information, while in the past  they were like passive sponge - soaking up knowledge.”  There are also apprehensions regarding:

     Clutter of Online Information,

     Social Media Hype,
     Overwhelming Technologies,

       Misguidance,

     Misinformation.

A teacher therefore has to continusously strive for Academic and Social Excellence in order to guide the student along the right path. While technology is a sharp and powerful tool, its effectiveness depends on the ability of the teacher to determine the needs of the students, design and develop the contents and make strategies to deliver them effectively.

CHALLENGES FOR THE TEACHERS

Mastery over the subject and capacity to absorb change can make a teacher the leader of educational experience in todays dynamic environment of technology.  The ability to transmit knowledge and culture can keep teacher’s relevant; provided they keep their students interest & curiosity alive. Major challenges faced by the teacher are:

1. Digital Divide

There are two types of Digital Divide - Technology Divide and Generation Divide.  Technology Divide is broadly construed, in terms of access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT). It is closely linked with social disparities and economic inequalities. What the teacher can do is devise ways and means to ensure that digital inequalities do not put socially dispossessed students at a disadvantage against those who have greater access to technology.

Generation Divide relates to the generation gaps between teachers and students who invariably belong to different generations with separate mind-sets, attitudes, work ethics, etc. Teachers have already been dealing with this issue and is manageable at the individual level.

2. Personal Learning Environments (PLE) and Self-Regulated Learning (SRL)

In both the PLE and SRL learning structures, “the learner benefits substantially with a guided construct of knowledge with the help of experienced peer mentors and teachers”. This reassert’s the importance and competence of teacher’s role in the process; especially in cases where learners find it difficult to attain their learning objectives.

3.  Transmission of Cultural Heritage

Transmission of cultural heritage and value based system always formed part of the philosophy and process of education in India. Cultural deprivation of a single child was considered “irreparable loss to all humanity”. Teachers have to hence inculcate in their students the value’s of intellectual honesty, professional ethics, tolerance levels, team spirit, ... etc, so as to prepare them to face the outside world. All these activities demand an active involvement of teachers. Let us recollect the Greek word for Pedagogy which means “to lead the child”.

4.  Transmission of Tacit Knowledge

The term “tacit knowledge” signifies ones implied experience. It is an assertion that “we can know more than what we can tell.” It is the inherent knowledge which is deeply ingrained in individuals (and their organizations) and is difficult to articulate and transmit. The tacit knowledge, or insight and experience of teachers, especially in the domains of processes and skills, play an important role. Teachers being the repositories of tacit knowledge, they become key players because acquisition and dissemination of tacit knowledge lies in some form of shared experience.

5.  Teacher Training

With ever-increasing role of technology, teacher training is getting more and more complex and challenging. Added emphasis on competencies has weakened the focus on academic excellence and the ability of a teacher to mold individual minds and collective characters. Computer-based and web-based learning has depersonalized the process of education to a great extent. Most teaching strategies focus on goals and outcomes; very few focus on real student’s and their problems as a person. Students frequently need teacher’s attention for positive reinforcement, guidance, counseling and direction. Besides learning educational philosophies, pedagogical theories and practices, the teacher has to most importantly:

 ü learn the use of technology in Teaching Strategies,

 ü be open to getting Feedback’s and work upon Analytical Reports generated from those feedbacks,

  ü subsequently modify the design and measurement of existing Learning Objectives.

ROLE OF TEACHERS IN TECHNOLOGY ORIENTED EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE

“An effective teacher must be a leader who can inspire, influence and empower students, and gets them to do things that they never thought they were capable of”

Technology has not only opened up new opportunities for the student, but has also gifted the teacher with intensive information gathering hubs, efficient communication methods & advanced assessment tools.

(i)   Teacher Competencies in Technology-led Environment

Key objectives that need to be achieved in order to embed the use of digital technology in education require the following:

·         Educators have to develop their skills and confidence in the appropriate and effective use of digital technology so that it can be skilfully deployed to support their learning.

·         Access to digital technology has to be improved with appropriate digital tools and services for all learners.

·         Applying digital technology to centralize an efficient e-assessment system of students, with the option to personalize it.

·         Empower leaders of change (decision makers in the school) to drive innovation and investment in digital technology for learning and teaching.

(ii)   Teacher-Student Relationship

Sympathetic relationship between the teacher and the taught has always been considered as the secret of effective education. Technology has dangerously weakened the student-teacher relationship. Teachers tend to ignore the significance of affective attributes and a relationship based on mutual respect. “By showing respect, teachers can recognize possible barriers to learning and can seek ways to overcome those barriers.”

(iii)  Excellence of Character

Aristotle talked about two kinds of human excellence: Excellence of Thought and Excellence of Character. Many educators from ancient, medieval and modern times have supported the need of character building and the role of teacher in shaping that character. Technology has given us amazing access to information and ideas, thus, facilitating excellences of thought. However, the flow of information carries distortions and misrepresentations, besides socially and morally offensive material, which has created new moral challenges. There is a genuine need to guide the students to refine and isolate facts from fabrication and safely navigate them through the clutter and chaos. There is also the need to strengthen a student morally and spiritually so that they can withstand unexpected hazards brought in by technology. Value based education “creates positive culture for teaching and learning that is so vital for successful education.”

(iv)   Teacher as a Powerful Influence

Based on numerous studies, a set of possible influences on the achievements of students drawn by researchers, ascertain that “Excellence in teaching is the single most powerful influence on achievement.” Please refer to this chart:

POSSIBLE INFLUENCES ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS
INFLUENCE	EFFECT	SOURCE OF INFLUENCE
Feedback	1.13	Teacher
Students’ Prior Cognitive Ability	1.04	Student
Instructional Quality	1.00	Teacher
Direct Instruction	.82	Teacher
Remediation / Feedback	.65	Teacher
Students' Disposition to Learn	.61	Student
Class Environment	.56	Teacher
Challenge of Goals	.52	Teacher
Peer Tutoring	.50	Teacher
Mastery Learning	.50	Teacher
Parent Involvement	.46	Home

 CONCLUSION

Technology may work wonders on knowledge acquisition, but it may not be able to substitute the teachers and their ability to guide students and equip them with the right knowledge, soft skills and traditional values that prepare them to face real-world challenges in their social environment. In my opinion, we are lucky to be witnessing and living in this period of a fast evolving and highly progressive era of Educational revolution. A revolution, that has caught up with the entire educational system by storm! Let us contribute and be proud of being a part of the pioneering movement that would help stabilize and harmonize the very structure of future student-teacher relationships, where technology, social norms and human values go hand in hand.