Technology in the 21st century continues to advance, some might say, at a constant rate of development. It makes our lives easier everyday. So much so that if there is the slightest change in our “tech routine” such as checking our phones for notifications or scrolling through our social media accounts, we feel like the proverbial fish out of water. Additionally with the growing development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, we can virtually brainstorm and develop any idea. At face value, many see artificial intelligence as something that can do the heavy lifting for teachers and instructors. It can create a lesson plan, formulate an assignment, even put together a rubric, simply by giving the AI the criteria. With these developments in technologies, especially for those used in education, one has to wonder if technology would begin to replace the role of teachers and instructors.
Gates (2011) advocated that “Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational.” To bring about a transformation, one has to make a notable change to something. The role of the teacher is to ensure that learning is not static, but dynamic to make those significant and real changes in their student lives. Further, the primary purpose of teaching is to lead our students to develop and grow as individuals for them to lead sustainable lives in the future. While AI and other technologies can accomplish many of the tasks of a teacher, the creativity, passion, energy and love a teacher has for their craft is also a critical element to student learning. This is the bedrock of transforming the lives of students at all levels. When students see their teachers demonstrating and embracing these instructional technologies for learning, the role of the teacher is expanded to that of a technology guide.
In today’s era of education, there exists a plethora of instructional technologies available for teacher use. Some of these technologies are fee-based and others are free to use. Yet at the core of instructional technology usage is the teacher. Teachers are the ones who are charged with the responsibility of knowing first-hand the strategies and the resources needed to facilitate their students’ learning objectives. To know this, teachers must be knowledgeable in the particular content area under study and also possess the pedagogical strategies to impart that knowledge. In short, teachers are the ones leading the charge to determine the best technologies for their classrooms.
The goal of the teacher is to transform. To take the student from where they are to the place they need to be to achieve learning. Through the use of internet connectivity, resources such as learning management platforms, web-conferencing applications, websites and streaming services are all at the teacher’s disposal with the right devices. Even the type of device to run these computer-based and web-based programs and applications are also being advanced. Such present-day devices could be in the form of a laptop, tablet or even smartphone. Technologies, both hardware and software are being advanced regularly, especially technologies designed for education. Technology in the sphere of education has brought us diverse resources that we as teachers can employ to assist our students to achieve learning with the click or touch of a screen. In the post COVID-19 era, technology use in classrooms has gained popularity as not just something students can use, but also to serve as tools for the teacher to bring about dynamic learning. Just as a carpenter or a plumber uses a variety of tools to enable their skill, so a teacher needs more than just a whiteboard marker and printed textbook. Instructional technologies can assist teachers in bringing this dynamism to their craft.
By Gena Mae Mohammed
Ms. Gena Mae Mohammed has been involved in the education sphere through her work as a School Librarian for the past fifteen years. She has a passion for designing and implementing various technologies for student learning and works with students to find strategies that would enhance and support them in their learning. She holds a Masters of Education in Educational Technology from the University of Trinidad and Tobago and has recently returned to the university to pursue her Doctorate of Philosophy in Education. Ms. Mohammed also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and an Associate Degree in Library and Information Science. Her research interests are in the field of instructional design and technology, literacy and numeracy.