We all remember our first day in school with that huge board in black (blackboard) (at least for our generation) with the teacher coming in class with his chalk palette (white, blue, pink, green and yellow).....Years later the whiteboard was seen as a nice innovation where chalks had been replaced by less dusty markers of different colours. However, the whiteboard did not really kick off in schools in its early days due to the perceived high cost of markers. From the blackboard to the whiteboard, nothing changed in the way of teaching rather than the educational technology was improved.
Then came the overhead projector, which saved the teacher from having to write on the boards, rather he would display things that are already written. This is a facility for the teacher. He could also display images/graphics which otherwise he would have had to draw these on the board or bring photos and pictures in classrooms. Again, the pedagogy has not changed, although the technology has improved and facilitated the work of teachers. Educational technology at the service of teachers in this way is great as it facilitates the teaching process, but every new technology is costly, and it has to be mastered, then implemented. Many of them never arrived in our primary school classrooms, the overhead projector for instance. The same logic of improvement applies, when the digital projector was invented and could work with the laptop. The teacher could now project multimedia in an easier way to enhance student understanding. 
Now the question is: If we have an interactive white board, does it mean our children will learn better?
If we have the interactive white board, does it mean students with ADHD syndrome will improve in terms of attention, hyperactivity control and performance in the class?
If we have the interactive white board, how many students will we still be having in the class?
Will we be in a position to have one PC, laptop or tablet for each student to replace his copybook? What will happen when the ‘copybook’ of the student gets lost or broken?
Are we ready to invest in this technology for each and every classroom when the pace at which the technology gets obsolete is just unbelievable!! Think of IPAD - IPAD2 is already out - how many of us got the chance to even see a real IPAD 1 in front of us?
Technology is like digital games. We have not yet mastered one level of the game when the next version of it is already on the market....What needs to be changed is the pedagogy and traditional ways that teaching and learning has been going on and those methods that we are currently employing. Those methods that we call teacher-centred are still at the heart of the educational process, and this has to change. We are equipping ourselves with better tools but we are working the same way. If the way of driving is not good, a better car will not make any difference unless it is K2000 which can drive on its own...unfortunately there is no such educational technology that can teach on its own.
It can be said that technology has had a definite impact on teaching throughout the years. Although, we all might agree that technology is an extremely useful tool, this article has proved that it is flawed to some extent. We saw how innovations such as the overhead projector and the digital projector eased the work of the teacher in the sense that he or she could be more active in class rather than having to continuously write on the board. Also, images or videos could also be added to facilitate the understanding of the students, especially slow learners. However, we should not forget that technology can be a nuisance if not used properly. It can, in the same way, be very expensive for local schools, be it primary or secondary, to invest in such advanced technological components. And finally, technology could also be harmful for our health.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the world of teaching has changed from blackboards to whitebords and from pictures to movies and animations. This is so because our world is in a step of developing and as far as thee will be new gadgets being invented in the field of education, people will try somehow what to adapt to it as far as possible. This can be explained by the fact that today young children know better how to manipulate computers than matured and elder people. Athough certain students are unable to take advantage of such innovative systems, there exist other way to promote the pedadogy of education to him in other way such as voice recorder among others. Therefore it is not a disappointing case since we are living in a modernised world
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed true that our world has greatly revolutionised in the field of education. From blackboards to whiteboards and to projectors, from pictures to 3-d animations, these are our actual way of teaching system and we find that students have been able to adapt themselves to this new era of technology. Although to some students who are poor or even sick, such inventions are not accessible to them, there exist other means of invention to facilitate the world of education. Hnece thes new fascets are not liable to cause problem to the oncoming generations.
ReplyDeleteThe introduction of new technology be it the white board or the overhead projector will not bring about any improvement either in teaching or in making students more interested in learning unless new more interesting methods of teaching are brought about as well so that students get to actually love learning and not learn as an obligation. Indeed the overhead projector is much more interesting and saves much time. Students will at first be enthusiastic about it and will be motivated to stay in class but will soon find it normal. Same goes for the laptop project. I guess students are more interested in getting their laptops to sound 'sophisticated' and do not really think about studying better with it. Lastly students need to feel important in a class and this can be so only if the class is interactive where students get to bring on their own opinions.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has touched almost all fields in our daily life and education is not left apart. With the passage of time we have witness the fact of how the methods of teaching in schools and colleges have gone through gradual changes; blackboard replaced by whiteboards, the latter then being substituted by projectors. These changes had been done in order to facilitate the job of the teacher and help the fellow students to understand and assimilate better. How far this can be true? Do students really need latest technology in order to pass exam...I don't think that the latest technologies on market will allow all students in improving their way of education. Equipments, buildings, classy table and chairs do not make one a good student, it is also applicable for the teachers. What is needed is the zeal to learn with whatever means. The evolution in technology has not proved that it actually improved the situation of a student neither did it helped them in acquiring good results. Its is rather clearly mentioned that not every educational institution can provide the students and teachers with such facilities as it costs a lot. We cannot expect our senior (old) teachers to be very apt in managing these equipments. Whatever the tools used for educating, a teacher and students remain the fundamental aspects of it.
ReplyDeleteWith the new technology which has enter in the world of teaching from blackboards to white boards and now with projectors where animations and sounds can be placed to make the class more interactive and more understandable for the students. Moreover the teacher does not have to write notes on blackboards hence save time. Then, with the new technology in class, students will be amazed about the different displays of the notes which can give them motivation in class. however, new technology in class have also their disadvantages where not all students will not be afford a laptop and even technology is harmful to health like eyes strain, headache and so on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Neilesh Luckunsing on the fact that new technology has make classes more interactive and understandable. I also want to point of that through the use of these technologies, it will save time for both student and lecturer to deal with the subject. However, I do not agree that the latter can cause health problems to students. The introduction of interactive board should be encouraged.
DeleteIt is true that we are all seeking for a better educational system, and moving from blackboard to whiteboard or even to projectors will not have any revolutionary impact in the sense that these technologies do not touch the core of the system which is the teacher-student relationship. It may be that an interactive board will save time for teacher, but will this gain in time be used accordingly? What our educational system need is the bring up the interest of students though more interactive and participative classes which will make them discover things. Personally talking i learned more from the cartoon 'once upon a time earth' that any of my early science classes.
ReplyDeleteLiving in this developing I.T world,is indeed a great challenge and interesting facts. However, my friend is talking about poor or rich student,who cannot afford such things(e.g computers,laptops...).
ReplyDeleteIndeed,how much problems are being caused nowadays,due to these technological equipments? We are unable to recycle so much tonnes of these unused/damaged equipments(microchips/cameras/computers/mobile phones).
Accessibility to all students to a certain information is not available,simply because of time/money/health an so on.
Moreover,it is sometimes more interesting and comprehensive to see and feel a photo or a an image plotted with pen or pencil than a 3D image/picture.
History tends to suggest that whenever a new technology is introduced into society, our first inclination is to use it to replicate the traditional technology it has been designed to replace. The title itself reveals the extent to which the invention was viewed as an extension of an existing form of teaching rather than a radical new departure. It was not the removal of the classroom walls and access into a new world of interactive multimedia learning. It was in fact the transfer of existing books directly into talking books. Its main task is the use of modern Educational theory and advanced technical means to solve the educational problems in order to achieve the optimization of education. Application of multimedia teaching able students into good teaching atmosphere, so that they have not germinated from interested fascinating, and gradually form a strong motivation to learn, until the spirit of exploration with the determination. “It’s not just about the technology—it’s about learning how to use the technology in an effective and meaningful way,”. Interactive whiteboards certainly aren’t a one-stop solution for raising achievement in classroom. But under the right conditions, they can help promote student engagement and foster content area learning in a constructivist, learner-centered classroom. Good teaching will still be good teaching, with or without technology. But new and veteran teachers alike will have the opportunity to introduce a highly interactive and visual medium to their students—a medium that has the power to transform learning. In the end, we need to remember that this is a tool—and how we teach is just as important as what we teach. This kind of technology is not replacing the teacher in the classroom—instead , it is just a way to enhance your teaching even more.
ReplyDeleteThis article shows how new technology has been implemented in the educational sector: from blackboards to whiteboards and then to overhead projectors. These technologies have no doubt eased the work of teachers but the way of teaching stills orbits around teacher-centered methods. The objective is to find an educational technology that can teach on its own.
ReplyDeleteBut why do we need such a technology? Has paying teachers become a burden? Has the teacher-student relationship reached a level of crisis? I think not. I personally believe that we are fortunate that such technology is still inexistent. This is because we need the physical contact with teachers. Technologies with full teaching capacity will exist as this sector is moving very fast. But a technology which will inculcate good human values and make children feel more secure and boost confidence in students is far from being achieved.
I think we should not try searching for new costly technologies(because it is always changing) but we should master the ones we have and make full use of them and try to change some teaching strategies (which will be the task of educational mentors) such that children get the most benefit they can for a better future.
We can all agree that there has been an increasing improvement in teaching methods throughout the years. These improvements basically include advancement in technology that now allows the use of sophisticated tools in the learning environment. Not so long ago, the traditional blackboard was present in every classroom. It was quite a headache for those who were allergic to chalk and we have to agree that it was time consuming for teachers to spend their time writing on the blackboards. Today we have more innovative tools such as the interactive whiteboard, which facilitates the job of the teacher and eases the understanding of the students through features such as audio or visual aids. But as we have also seen in this article, new technologies do have certain flaws. There are various factors that can affect our health. There is also this urge to keep up with the latest technology to the detriment of those who are not so comfortable with this concept.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Hosany Abdur Rahmaan when he says that it is a challenge to kind of keep up with the technological advances. Students who cannot afford to have the minimum technological tool for research (eg. a PC) tend to be penalized as most of the work at tertiary level involves the use of the internet, be it to verify the homework on the common mail or for research. The recycling problem might be a problem that may possibly affect the environment in the long term.
ReplyDeleteWith the evolution of new technologies, we have moved from blackboard to whiteboards, followed by overhead projector among others. It can be said that these advent in educational technologies are useful and beneficial to both the teachers and the students. This is so for the teachers as with the overhead projector there is no need for them to write or draw on the board which facilitates the task of teaching. In this way, these kind of new technologies help to make the classroom more interactive and motivate the students to participate.
ReplyDeleteHowever, these new technologies are also accompanied by some disadvantages. Evolution of modern technologies is costly. For example, not all students can afford to have a laptop.
But, it is to be noted that it is not with these new technologies that students will learn more. I agree that they will motivate, but it depends on the students themselves whether they want to learn or not.
The introduction of new technologies make classrooms more vivid, interesting and amazing. While using a projector for any presentation at schools, students not only feel impress by the way information is being presented but definitely have a clear understanding about the topic. From Blackboards to Whiteboards, from Chalks to Markers of different colors, from a simple pedagogy to an advance one students are now able to improve their learning capacity and procure good results of their performance in classes. Having in us the will to go further can help to succeed in education. The new educational technologies really help for advance studies, so better consider this as something precious that our ancestors were unaware of.
ReplyDeleteI agree to the fact that technology does not enhance learning. Indeed, learning becomes more interesting and captures the student's attention better in class but at the end of the day, the student learns the same things which he would have had the teacher used the very traditional blackboard. Instead of investing massively in technology, govt. should invest in training educators. Then only can we think of investing in technology. If each student is given a laptop but gets no proper coaching, then the laptop is no use. However, if the student gets qualitative coaching with a simple powerpoint persentation, then it makes a whole difference.
ReplyDeleteWith all these evidence, technology has really improved our way of proceeding, learning and understanding things. From Blackboards to Whiteboards, from Chalks to Markers of different colors, from simple pedagogy to an advance one(overhead projector), young students are benefiting from the highest chance of increasing their knowledge and are being pushed forwards for a better educational system. In classes projector makes the period session more interesting, attractive and amazing compared to the ancient white/ blackboard which were making these students getting bored. Students feel impressed by the way information are being presented and will try to do more research work. With the help of laptops or computers they are able to surf on the net and find any information needed. So with advance technologies students should show a great interest by performing better. One thing which has not changed is the level of education is still the same. Technology is unfortunately not be a magical tool which will make students getting good result like that. They, by their own efforts should however be more hardworking with the notes net is procuring them. The Will each one carries inside can lead to succeed. They, furthermore need to use it in the right manner and increase their learning capacity. Different ways of pedagogy will not create Laureates candidates as all depend upon their own works and efforts.Thus, we can use any method to teach people, be it the ancient or modern one, but nothing is more powerful than the effort we provide.
ReplyDeleteI will use a simple yet profound analogy to project an opinion about using traditional and orthodox means of teaching and a very up-to-date and contemporary one. For a 5-year old, having a book printed black on white would appear to be less appealing than one with pictures and colours. In the same way, having a projector with animations and caricatures popping up attracts the attention of the viewer. The colours in addition play with the mind of the audience. It is a question of psychology. The multimedia used to aid the teaching process tickles the mind of a student and helps him focus his attention on whatever is happening. Modern technology awakens the awareness of an individual and stimulates his curiosity.
ReplyDeleteThe small “miracles” that a computer does are incomparable to the simple whiteboard. Another important fact is that while the teacher accompanies his explanation with illustrations on the whiteboard, he has his back turned to his whole audience. This does not guarantee 100%, if so to say, the attention of his viewers. The slides that modern technology permits us to utilise are pre-prepared and this ensures eye-contact with the audience to maintain its interest.
Technology has helped a lot in teaching. There have been many innovations in this field. Even if what is being taught does not change with technology,the way it is being delivered to the students changes.They may be in a better position to understand a topic with animations rather than if a simple blackboard or whiteboard is being used. However, each student having a laptop instead of a copybook will not change great thing. Furthermore, not everyone can afford to have a laptop. It may not be so reliable in case if it crashed and all the notes will be lost. Technology has improve teaching in some cases, however, certain traditional ways of teaching or learning will not change so easily
ReplyDeleteOf course students can learn without this technology in the classroom and today there are many that are still using the traditional way of learning and achieving very good academic performance. The point is that we are already stuck in an out-dated education system that still remains in the industrial era, should we keep ignoring the fact that we are now in a digital media/technology era. “Education is training and we are training them to live in the 1950s!” by providing students insufficient interaction with the new evolving technologies that eventually does not helps to "develop some of the technical skills students need to succeed in the high-tech workplace”.
ReplyDelete'It's not a matter of the quality of the teaching tools used (whether it is the traditional chalkboard or the modern interactive board). It's a matter of the quality of the teacher using the tools. 'Teachers who are able to use technology tools to get better achievement from their students than would have been possible without the tools are the ones who adapt new technology best. It's not about the gadgets. It's about whether the gadgets are truly helpful to teacher and student learning. Until teachers give students the freedom to find information using the technology that they already possess and re-direct learning to focus on important questions, another whiteboard more or less really doesn’t matter.
We are all living in a dynamic world, suggesting that everything around us is constantly changing. Nothing remains permanently, even water is now becoming more and more scarce and the need to capitalise on everything still in existence is becoming all the more essential. Similarly, people are changing, children are changing, students are changing, which implies that methods also need a change.
ReplyDeleteThis explains why such technological advances took place, are taking place, and will be taking place in the future. Students in the 21st century no more resemble those in past generations, neither physically nor mentally. Educational Technology caters for the change taking place in students' way of thinking.
Education ends in the tomb, as we all have heard of. So, with teacher or not, with technology or not, learning is bound to take place. The material is not important, but the way the student grasp the concept, the way they respond to it, the way they apply it, this is important.
As far as the constant change in technology is concerned, well, i personally think that this may, in some way or another, act as a disturbance in the mental concept of students. Confusion will at some point be a problem. Stability is needed so as to encourage students to learn and stick to their education process, but as tools and technology change, this somehow impact on their performance.
I will use a simple yet profound analogy to project an opinion about using traditional and orthodox means of teaching and a very up-to-date and contemporary one. For a 5-year old, having a book printed black on white would appear to be less appealing than one with pictures and colours. In the same way, having a projector with animations and caricatures popping up attracts the attention of the viewer. The colours in addition play with the mind of the audience. It is a question of psychology. The multimedia used to aid the teaching process tickles the mind of a student and helps him focus his attention on whatever is happening. Modern technology awakens the awareness of an individual and stimulates his curiosity.
ReplyDeleteThe small “miracles” that a computer does are incomparable to the simple whiteboard. Another important fact is that while the teacher accompanies his explanation with illustrations on the whiteboard, he has his back turned to his whole audience. This does not guarantee 100%, if so to say, the attention of his viewers. The slides that modern technology permits us to utilise are pre-prepared and this ensures eye-contact with the audience to maintain its interest.
It has been seen that there is constant evolution in the teaching process as years roll on. Technology has made a great impact on the learning method. Moving from blackboard to whiteboard and projectors has not only make the class less dusty but more lively. The introduction of colours, pictures and sounds in teaching readily capture the learners' attention compare to the traditional reading, that is, notes printed in black on white paper. Hence, it can be said that technology helps to create a certain awareness and interest among the learners and therefore, teaching becomes easier for both the teacher and students especially if we are dealing with a bulky subject. Having a computer also is an advantage as the paper work load will decrease and instead of carrying several copybooks a single laptop will be enough.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on the other hand it is seen that one cannot really rely upon technology as we can have all the facilities in our hands but if some students voluntarily do not want to follow the lecture we cannot force them. Technology also costs a lot so not everybody get access to them. Thus, it can be said that whether it is the traditional teaching or a technological educational environment, if learning is bound to take place it will.
In line with what Siya has said above on this page, i agree that whatever may be the process of teaching, the way the lecture is being delivered should have more impact so that those who are even concentrating or do not like attending some classes start liking to do so. However, teaching on projectors may not be a better choice sometimes due the way the work (notes) has been set or simply by the way it is being delivered to the learners.
ReplyDeleteSince the arrival of technology many things have evolved in schools, for instance chalkboards, it has been replaced with whiteboards and interactive white boards. Though traditional chalkboards haven't disappeared entirely, many schools now make use of interactive white boards. These boards allow teachers to integrate technology into their lessons; allow for a greater amount of class participation and to have multiple classes. The use of projectors is more reliable because it is practically easier and it helps to display more explanation, images and graphics. It has continuously facilitated the tasks of teachers and the teaching process is fastened. Since educational technology does not seize to stop here, in the field of education, at a particular time students will be following classes on their laptop connected to the main server of that of the teacher or simply having online classes. The need of a classroom will be minimised.
ReplyDeleteThe entrance of the white-board was a relief for both students and teachers, on my part it was the case. No more dusts flying here and there and causing allergies. I feel more comfortable using a whiteboard rather than a black one. However, the arrival of the video projector or interactive whiteboard facilitated teaching and studying.It became more interesting with the pictures or graphics, this was a change compared to the simple whiteboard where the teacher’s handwriting is not always clear or the picture distorted.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, I think that the traditional whiteboard should not be completely replaced but instead the proper balance between the two should be established. Not every people may be computer conversant, and this should not be a barrier to teaching or studying.
With this technological revolution, as mentioned in the article, students may be in the future replace their copybooks by a laptop – and I totally agree with the fact that not everyone would be able to afford one. Apart from the high cost problem, laptops compared to traditional copybook may encourage health problems. For instance staring at a laptop for a long period may cause eye trouble.
Finally, I adhere to the fact that it is not the improvement in educational technology that will make a student to acquire good knowledge but rather the teacher’s skills to teach as well as the student’s devotion to his studies.
What Vikash said is interesting; however I am not totally for the idea of having online classes only. According to me, there should be a proper balance between the two, i.e online and physical classes as well. The concept of online classes is be a good conception but can be used in extreme situations like cyclones or rainstorm. Having online classes may also affect the social life of students.
ReplyDeleteThe blackboards have been used for a long time in schools which was later replaced by the whiteboards, both were very time consuming. Then came the projectors, an invention of technology, which brought great improvements and changes in the education system. Technology is a great advantage for both teachers and students as instead of writing, teachers just have to project their lectures and students are more attracted towards their studies. Indeed, technology is great advantage to the education system as a whole as it facilitates the tasks of both teachers and students. Even e-learning is possible due to technology, students just need to have their laptops or personal computer to complete their study. But we cannot ignore the fact that these devices are very expensive and not all students can afford them due to financial problems.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteProjectors are very helpful in the education system; it has brought many changes and improvements. These devices consume lesser times compared to blackboards and whiteboards. Technology motivates students to learn. It’s true that projectors are costly and primary schools cannot afford them. However, I do not agree with “the interactive whiteboards does nothing more than being another piece of technology…”, and indeed, this is a great help to students as they are more attracted to their lectures in the classrooms as the use of graphs and diagrams is possible and these contribute a lot to the learning style of students.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what 'me' commented about the post of Vikash. Indeed, Vikash pointed out the benefits of having online classes. However, I need to say that physical contact is a must in teaching. Many people are getting more and more used to online courses because of an increase in distant learning, but, teaching must never shun students to their houses and computer only-that would be the beginning of the end of social life. Online teaching can only be a tool to accompany the traditional way of teaching.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with me also about the rapid evolution of technology together keeping a proper balance.We live in the 20th century. Modern technology being accessible is as important of having fashionable clothes. That being said, I will limit this argument to youngsters only. It is important to be in line with the fast-changing world, because of the requirement of its use for the future. I will use the example of a type-writer which has scrupulously been substituted with computers. Although they have served as great purpose long time back, it is undeniable to say that they are no longer used now. Just as fast as a child adapts to an unknown language very quickly, he has the ability to adapt to new changes in technology. These new changes are subject to their utilisation by youngsters themselves and are by no means a problem as to whether they are user-friendly or not.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the whole teaching process depends largely on the teacher, it would be false to say that the children’s will to learn does not play a role. The will to learn has to be stimulated. The whole idea of teaching should be modified in line with technology so that children do not feel out-dated or out-of-the-world. If assimilation is quicker with graphics and illustrations so be it! If a driver cannot drive the traditional manual car, he can drive the automatics one where gears do not have to be constantly changed. Technology makes things simpler.
It goes without saying that the educational system has taken up a modern outlook due to the technological advancements. Does it therefore mean that projectors in a classroom can replace blackboards? It surely can in a categorical way but what about its influences? If a student doesn’t wish to be attentive in a class, neither a projector nor a blackboard could make a difference. Technology is so vast and costly. Will the country be able to walk abreast technology in the recent cases of financial crisis? This is a pondering question because no sooner that one technological device has been implemented; another one is reaching heights on the market.
ReplyDeleteThe advanced technology of interactive whiteboards has taken the functionality of old-fashioned chalkboards to a whole new level.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article we can see that it has both advantages and some drawbacks as well. I do agree with the fact that “… teacher-centred are still at the heart of the educational process…” and this is mainly because teachers may lack the time, proper training and the motivation to learn technology skills. Without continuous technical support, technology integration in the classroom will never be satisfactorily achieved.
Moreover I strongly believe that technology acts as a catalyst in the teaching and learning process but cannot replace a teacher.
No one can deny that technology is running too fast for us to be able to interact with all of them and feel if there is really a difference which can be in turn disadvantageous. Surely, amending technology is an indication of creativeness. Unlike other fields that are more unsurprising, technology moves so speedily, its developmental rate is exponential. Technology changes so rapidly and profoundly that it represents a crack in the foundation of human history and machine intelligence may even outshine human intelligence.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the projector which can now be declared as obsolete due to accelerating change, it has not yet entered some of our learning environments like the secondary level which according to me would be more helpful than in primary education. But if learning is made much more interactive and favourable, its implementation at low levels of education may act as a boost towards “learning for success”.
The high implementation and maintenance costs are the main reasons for lacking behind in such a stage where technology is changing at the speed of thunder. However, the ones in power should start implementing technology, even if not the latest ones, the crucial and more advantageous to all would surely change our education system for the better.
No one can deny that technology is running too fast for us to be able to interact with all of them and feel if there is really a difference which can be in turn disadvantageous. Surely, amending technology is an indication of creativeness. Unlike other fields that are more unsurprising, technology moves so speedily, its developmental rate is exponential. Technology changes so rapidly and profoundly that it represents a crack in the foundation of human history and machine intelligence may even outshine human intelligence.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the projector which can now be declared as obsolete due to accelerating change, it has not yet entered some of our learning environments like the secondary level which according to me would be more helpful than in primary education. But if learning is made much more interactive and favourable, its implementation at low levels of education may act as a boost towards “learning for success”.
The high implementation and maintenance costs are the main reasons for lacking behind in such a stage where technology is changing at the speed of thunder. However, the ones in power should start implementing technology, even if not the latest ones, the crucial and more advantageous to all would surely change our education system for the better.
No one can deny that technology is running too fast for us to be able to interact with all of them and feel if there is really a difference which can be in turn disadvantageous. Surely, amending technology is an indication of creativeness. Unlike other fields that are more unsurprising, technology moves so speedily, its developmental rate is exponential. Technology changes so rapidly and profoundly that it represents a crack in the foundation of human history and machine intelligence may even outshine human intelligence.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, the projector which can now be declared as obsolete due to accelerating change, it has not yet entered some of our learning environments like the secondary level which according to me would be more helpful than in primary education. But if learning is made much more interactive and favourable, its implementation at low levels of education may act as a boost towards “learning for success”.
The high implementation and maintenance costs are the main reasons for lacking behind in such a stage where technology is changing at the speed of thunder. However, the ones in power should start implementing technology, even if not the latest ones, the crucial and more advantageous to all would surely change our education system for the better.
With wide contributions made by the ICT and audio-visual equipments, the entire education system is going through a change.
ReplyDeleteAmong various tools like Interactive Whiteboard (IWB), projectors, visualisers, touch screens and assessment tools, it is the IWB that is emerging as an extensively persuasive and learner-centric resource. This technology brought a revolutionary change in the whole teaching and learning environment.
With the IWB, lectures have shifted from being dull and monotonous to being interactive and fun-learning. They aid in creating and delivering highly motivating and interesting lessons. To some extent, these engaging lessons help ADHD students to maintain their focus on the explanations.
Despite all these boons, the IWB have its downsides too. First of all, the exorbitant cost. Training of technophobic teachers means additional expense.
Students are so versatile with technology that instead of copybooks, they can use laptops and internet to do their work. However, it is also to be noted that not every student can afford to have 24/7 internet connection and a personal computer to bring to school everyday.
I agree with the fact that the teacher-centered method still prevails in some cases and it imperatively needs to improve. Nowadays, information can be obtained with a few clicks and our youngsters are masters at this. It is high time that teachers’ role shift to being only facilitators where they simply have to guide their students so they make correct use of knowledge.
Technology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteTechnology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteWith the introduction of interactive whiteboard, there has been a change only in the educational technology, from blackboards to whiteboards and then overhead projector, therefore coming to the interactive whiteboard, but still if we think well, had there been a change in the students? Have they become more intelligent? Have students suffering from particular disorders been able to react differently to the introduction of new technologies? No, nothing like that happened. There has not been any change in the ways of teaching or learning. New technologies have only facilitated the life of teachers; the chalks used on blackboards used to cause harm to teachers and students who have health problems, so whiteboards were opted. Later, overhead projectors were found to be easier means of teaching, whereby teachers didn’t have to bring photos and papers to teach. All the notes and images were shown by the projector. But did all these new technologies have any positive effect on those children? I personally don’t think so. I feel that with those new technologies, children are more fascinated with the colors, drawings and new technologies. Their attention is more on those graphics and not the content of what is being taught to them. I feel it is simply a distraction. However, if we really want to see a positive change, new ways must be introduced where new technologies and new ways of teaching come together whereby the main aim is to make children be used to new technologies /tools as well as make them focus on what is being taught to them. It should be balanced; children should learn new skills as well as develop them at the same time, not forgetting the main aim of the whole picture.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Anonyme to a certain extent that with the use of the overhead projectors, pictures, videos and colors have been able to capture the attention of students. But there exists students who are not really interested in learning the content, but just learn how to make animations which have been displayed in front of them. Their attentions are moved from the content of the subject that is what the teacher is saying in the class, to the nice images which have been made. Also, do you really think that those students will come to classes every time lectures are made using the projector? I don’t really think so as they will tend to get bored with time. I personally believe that when a new educational technology is introduced to students, the ways of teaching must also change, new ways must be thought by educators. They must make the lectures become more interesting with new educational technologies. This is the only way how students can improve their skills as well as learn new technologies.
ReplyDeleteI personally fully agree with this article as we just trying to move toward a computerised classroom but will it really change the mindset of students, making them more interested in learning or be able to increase the percentage of pass during the SC and HSC examination?. We have shift from the boring blackboard to the less boring whiteboard passing by overhead projector and now we now are try to implement interactive board. Will it be successful? No one knows. Concerning overhead projector it has shown to be helpful as learning is more interactive as teachers can used multimedia to explain us a particular topic hence capturing our attention and provide a vivid image of what is happening. This is present in our university but in secondary and primary education it is still a lux. Basing on this I think it will take some more years before interactive board to be implemented in our schools and the replacement of copybook with ipad or laptop whereby each Mauritian student will use these technologies for learning, it still a dream. However maintaining all these devices is another issue to be taken into consideration. I think that we need to spend our money in more important issue in our country before implementing all these.
ReplyDeleteThe evolution of technology has changed lots of aspects in the educational field. It started with blackboard followed by whiteboard,overhead projectors and then interactive whiteboard. On one hand it is true that these technologies have facilitated the work of teachers as now pictures, sound, animation, and video can be easily included hence making the subject more interesting to the students and capturing their attention. But on the other hand, the fact that these technologies is only facilitating the work of teachers more that helping the students in learning should be taken into consideration. By changing the method of displaying the same work from the traditional board to the interactive whiteboard will not create a better understanding for the students. Thus it would be better more appropriate to review the system of education as a whole rather than concentrating on the technologies involved in it.
ReplyDeleteIt is an undeniable fact that technology has helped a lot in teaching. Moving from blackboards to whiteboards and then to projectors(overhead and digital), which have evidently eased the work of teachers. It is doubtless that 3-D animations attract the attention of learners thereby facilitating the understanding of the students and making them love learning. Moreover, teachers do not have to write notes on blackboards, hence saves time. In addition to this, instead of carrying several copybooks, a single laptop will be enough and so easy to search for the notes in it. But unfortunately not every student would be able to afford one due to its high price. Furthermore, a laptop may not be so reliable in case if it is crashed and all the notes will be lost. And concerning students with ADHD syndrome, I don’t think that these technological tools would help them! For how long will they be able to keep sitting and view attentively the lectures being projected?
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell, technology can be a nuisance if not used properly. For instance, sitting in front of a computer and viewing the notes ceaselessly could deteriorate our health. Certain health problems like eye-strain, headache, back pain, and even epilepsy could have dangerous consequences on the users.
Personally, I believe that it is more comprehensive to observe a teacher drawing an image on the board(being able to understand how it is generated) rather than screening the same image being projected. I adhere to the fact that it is not with these new technologies that students will learn more! It depends on the students themselves whether they want to learn or not and most important is the ability for the teacher to deliver his/her lectures(teaching skills) to the students in a lucid way. Good teaching will still be good teaching, with or without technology. It is to be noted that our results depend entirely on the efforts we put and not on these advance technological tools. It is the will each one carries inside that can lead to success! Furthermore, not every people may be computer conversant and I believe strongly that this should not be a barrier to teaching and learning.
Finally, “it’s not just about technology-it’s about learning how to use the technology in an effective and meaningful way.”
Well rushaa said that it depends on the students themselves whether they want to learn or not. I agree with her concerning this point. So, our result reflects the amount of efforts we have put and not those technological tools we have been using! It is an undeniable fact that it is the will each one carries inside which leads to success. BUT she also mentioned that new technologies will motivate the students. Well, I don’t agree with this point of her. Motivation and inspiration mostly come from the way the teacher is explaining his/her lectures and the way he/she delivers his/her notes. For instance, if a teacher has a good teaching skill, he/she knows very well how to convey the explication of the topic of his/her subject to the students, then I personally think that the latter will like the subject and will definitely do well in this same subject. So here, the teacher will motivate the students to do well. Moreover, these two factors(motivation and inspiration) also depends on the surroundings of the students(being at home, schools, society, friends,etc).
ReplyDeleteThe advanced technology of interactive whiteboards has taken the functionality of old-fashioned chalkboards to a whole new level. From the article we can see that it has both advantages and some drawbacks as well.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the fact that “… teacher-centred are still at the heart of the educational process…” and this is mainly because teachers may lack the time, proper training and the motivation to learn technology skills.
Without continuous technical support, technology integration in the classroom will never be satisfactorily achieved.
Moreover I strongly believe that technology acts as a catalyst in the teaching and learning process but cannot replace a teacher.
Technology has had and will continue to have a significant impact in the field of education. But it is important to point out that the traditional way of teaching is still being used along with active and interactive learning. Technology has heralded our present knowledge and given rise to a generation of students who have never known life without technology. However the implementation of technology is quite costly and not every student get to use each of these technologies. Though technology facilitates our works, we must have a good knowledge of the technology being used and it must be accessible to all otherwise it will be a waste in investing for new technology
ReplyDeleteWith the evolution of new technologies, we have moved from blackboard to whiteboard and recently to overhead projectors. These technologies have facilitated the tasks of teachers in the field of teaching.
ReplyDeleteHowever, these technologies are very costly and many students cannot afford to possess these new gadgets. Moreover, they are not changing the way of teaching but instead they are only improving the way of teaching.
As a concluding note, i believe that these new technologies are not replacing the teachers in class but instead improving teaching even more. Without teachers students will not be able to study even with the aid of these technologies. A teacher will always b the first priority in the field of teaching.
The arrival of whiteboards in our schools was quite a good innovation because there was not so much dust in the classroom like it was the case with the traditional blackboard. I still remember how awful it was to sit in front and all the dust coming on you . However, it did not change the teaching methodology rather it was just an improvement of the educational technology. Other new technology like the overhead projector also did not bring any drastic changes. It was mainly useful for teachers where they did not have to produce notes on the blackboard. In addition, with this technology, pictures and diagram could be displayed which not only helped to save time but also to enhance the teaching process. More new technologies such as the digital projector and the interactive whiteboard are being used. But the question is: Does these new technologies really improve teaching and will students learn better? Another big issue is investment. How will schools implement these new technologies which require a massive investment? The overhead projector was not even implemented in all schools and now what will happen if all copybooks will be replaced by laptops? Furthermore, technology becomes obsolete very easily due to new innovations which means continuous investments in equipment.
ReplyDeleteAccording to me, new technology must be implemented in schools but the teaching methods must also be changed in order to suit the technology otherwise, it would not be of great help if the teaching process is the same as the older educational technology.
First and foremost, we all know that the educational method of teaching has evolved from the use of black board and chalk to the advent of white board in our classrooms and finally to the application of overhead projectors in teaching pedagogies. It is a fact that by implementing these educational technologies the life and task of the teachers as well as the students have improved especially with the advent of overhead projectors in classrooms. It is typical of human beings, that whenever we see something colourful we are automatically attracted to it independent of the fact whether one finds it interesting or not. Similarly, teachers use the valuable tool which is technology (computer, software available, 3D animations) to illustrate their lectures. Nevertheless, it is arguable whether students are finding these technological facilities useful or not? One main inconvenience is the cost of new technological devices. In the era where we are living today production of new devices is flooding each year. Not all students or educational institutions can afford to buy the newest technological devices and if they could, are these really helpful for learning? I think that equipments such as the writing board, the overhead projectors are only tools that can surely help in teaching yet it is the educator’s teaching technique and the students’ will for learning.
ReplyDeleteOur educational system has undergone great developments due to the dramatic advances in computer and telecommunication technology over the past decades. Our out-dated slates, chalks, blackboards, dusters; etc have been replaced by more modern techniques such as whiteboards and PowerPoint projections. However development should not stop here, other techniques should be included such as interactive board.
ReplyDeleteAll these technologies have a lot of advantages. For example, overhead projectors extend our capabilities to project materials on a screen and slides enable us to capture real-life events and bring them into classroom. As compared to normal classes where listening and writing for hours is often boring for the teacher and the students and thus students have great difficulties to follow the class.
I agree that interactive board can be very useful as it facilitates both teacher’s and student’s lives. For the teacher the use of interactive whiteboards can bring many improvements in his way of teaching. The teacher will be able to access to the web, to videos, teaching resources and a lot of information. The students will be more interactive in the class and I think will be much more motivated. Interactive whiteboards will held more the student’s attention and also the latter will absorb more information. However interactive whiteboards have a lot of disadvantages; some teachers and students may found this kind of new technology difficult to use. These materials are very costly and also are very sensitive. Also using interactive boards can damage student’s vision.
I agree that the way of teaching has changed today due to rapidly changing technology.Years before, blackboards were used and then whiteboards and now projectors.Interactive whiteboards are to be introduced.These introductions have made learning quicker and easier.However, there are students who cannot adapt to this change and are more prone to the traditional way of learning. Moreover, poor people cannot afford these costly innovations but still they make their way via older educational systems.
ReplyDeleteThe use of blackboards, whiteboards, overhead projectors or any other tools in schools incontestably vary. In primary schools, today, both blackboards and whiteboards are employed with propensity being to the latter. Well before, only the classical blackboards and chalks were availed. When whiteboards were introduced, their use were limited due to the cost of markers.The teachers would then seldom use them and opt for the blackboards.However, this trend has reversed. The so called ‘class captain’ rarely has to go outside the class to tap the chalk particles out of the duster.Nevertheless, the ways of teaching indeed remained similar in both cases.
ReplyDeleteOverhead projectors, on the other hand, saves time and also images and graphics can be displayed. In Mauritius, hitherto, overhead projectors has not arrived at the primary level for sure, even in secondary schools in many instances. It is only widely used at tertiary level! Last but not the least, IPADS will infallibly be in the hands of the students. It will enhance the experience in the classroom by showing anything that can be on a computer screen. This not only aids in visual learning, but it is interactive so the students can draw, write, or manipulate images on the SmartBoard. However, interactive whiteboards are more expensive than conventional whiteboards.Teachers who are diligent will always try their best to accustom themselves to the newer technologies in order to render a better education.Allied to the previous point, students who are interested in learning will always give their optimum effort whatever be the method of teaching given to them.Everyone will sooner or later be the prey of the evolving technologies.It is just a matter of time.
Indeed teachers are the winners of these new innovations from blackboard to whiteboard to overhead projector to interactive board. They just have to do little work of explaining the lesson and it is done. They are no more tired of writing long sentences on board. With one click on the keyboard, all the work is shown to students. For us, students the number of works have stayed the same and we have to adapt to new methods of learning. Perhaps we have to wait for a very long time before replacing our copybooks with IPAD and PC tablet. Of course, this will be a revolution if all students have a touch screen personal computer to use in the classroom to write and save their works in it. This will be a great facilitator to learners and motivate them to have an interest to get better results in exams. With an IPAD, all can get access to their documents in one touch and with a dictionary in it, a difficult word is found quickly. Finally we can consider that with classical method of learning and teaching, our eyes are less tired rather than with the light of projectors but class with slideshows with projector are much more remarkable and fascinating.
ReplyDeleteIn fact the evolution from blackboard to interactive whiteboard is nothing about a change in the way of teaching but rather an improvement in new technology. Interactive whiteboard allows learners to absorb information more easily, participate in groups’ discussions by freeing them from note taking, save anything written on it and review it later.
ReplyDeleteWe are surely living the new technology but without realizing the need towards a more effective way of teaching. The traditional centered way of teaching which includes mini lecture, structured overview, explicit teaching, drill and practice, didactic questions and demonstrations need to undergo a revolution. The latter refers to a student centered one which encloses indirect instructions strategies like concept mapping, reflective discussions and concept attainment. Interactive instructions strategies should also come into being, like peer practice, discussion, cooperative learning groups and brainstorming.
Therefore we need to live the change along with employing effective methods of teaching which are student centered.
Even though, educational tools have improved with time, the same traditional process of teaching is applied. The invention of interactive whiteboard has facilitated the job of the teacher however it is difficult for a student to possess an ipad as it is costly. The process of learning is not based uniquely on newer tools but on the way of teaching.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to what my friend Luvina said, dated 16 Oct 11, I would like to repeat what i said in my post, that at the end of the day, the student learns the same things which he would have had the teacher used his very traditional blackboard or whiteboard. Using the example she gave, where that little child finds colours more appealing, if there is a picture of a cat playing with a ball, then with or without colour, the child would still see a cat playing with a ball. So I think that this is a very debatable issue, with endless pros and cons. Concerning the second point she raised, where the teacher has his back turned to the audience, then I think that the teacher would not take so much time writing on the blackboard right? During lectures, it is more of interactive discussions taking place, and not complicated drawings being drawn or notes being written on the blackboard. I would argue that technology is only a tool, among others, for better coaching.
ReplyDeleteIn fact the evolution from blackboard to interactive whiteboard is nothing about a change in the way of teaching but rather an improvement in new technology. Interactive whiteboard allows learners to absorb information more easily, participate in groups’ discussions by freeing them from note taking, save anything written on it and review it later.
ReplyDeleteWe are surely living the new technology but without realizing the need towards a more effective way of teaching. The traditional centered way of teaching which includes mini lecture, structured overview, explicit teaching, drill and practice, didactic questions and demonstrations need to undergo a revolution. The latter refer a student centered one which englobe indirect instructions strategies like concept mapping, reflective discussions and concept attainment. Interactive instructions strategies should also come into being, like peer practice, discussion, cooperative learning groups and brainstorming.
Therefore we need to live the change along with employing effective methods of teaching which are student centered.
With improvement in technology, the way of learning has changed considerably compared to the past years. With projectors, teachers now have their classes through power point presentation which is very entertaining. Students are more prone to learn and have better participation in class. It is also very beneficial to teachers since they do not have to write on boards.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this implementation in each class is very costly. Besides all students cannot afford a laptop or any other materials which may be used to make learning possible. Moreover, the question is, can we afford to change the way of teaching and learning at the pace at which technology is improving?
Technology did not spared the educational sector. As technology progressed, so did the medium of teachings. From blackboard it stepped to whiteboards, then projector and who knows to interactive whiteboards also. With these evolutions, the educational sector has benefitted lot in the sense that teaching and learning process changed. However with every good comes the bad. Undoubtedly, the disadvantages are obvious like cost of equipments, maintenance and mastery of these technologies and response rate of students among many others.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has indeed brought great improvement to the field of education. This is more so when talking about teachers' work. They no more have their hands full of chalk dust at the end of each classes thanks to the whiteboard or loss valuable time in writing since they have the projector at theie disposal. But this articles proves that technology might not be so profitable for the learner. I've always believed that taking down notes in our good old copy book is a first step in the learning process and dear technology may get rid of that. True we have to live with our time but this articles does a great jod in pointing out the flaws of technology.
ReplyDeleteThe ways of teaching and learning have changed at a breath taking pace but however no one can deny the fact that blackboards and printed materials are still being used as the main sources of communication between teachers and students. Technology has facilitate both the tasks of teaching and learning by implementing projectors, 3 D animations, interactive whiteboards where students can actually see what is being explained by the teachers and retained in minds those concepts. In addition, introducing technologies in education has helped students to develop their skills such as using telecommunications, instructional programs and thus preparing them for the future where they will have to use such skills to be able to build a strong career as every company is being computerized. However, we should not ignore the fact that there are students who are not exposed to computers and its related technologies because of financial problems, so we should make sure that the educational system does not turn completely into a digitized one. Furthermore, it is not only students who are facing problems with the evolving technologies, even some teachers are finding it difficult to use the latest technologies.
ReplyDeleteAccording to me, it depends entirely on the student if he wants to learn or not, technologies cannot ‘force” someone to study, it can surely attract the student for some times but after that, the student will get bore and will eventually be distracted.
Nowadays technologies have been gradually incorporated in teaching and this article suggests that it has some drawbacks. Technologies has proven its efficiency to some extent; for instance, innovations such as the overhead projector and the digital projector has eased the work of the teacher in the sense that he or she could be more active in class rather than having to continuously write on the board. Moreover, the students are also more active in class and also understand more easily. On the other hand, these technologies are quit costly and are not affordable to all institutions.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to what my friend girish said dated 22 Oct 2011, i disagree with what he said at last. I agree that new technology must be implemented but the teaching methods must not change completely as sometimes the old methods prove to be more advantageous as for example. printing materials are more suitable than the notes online.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed true that we have witnessed constant technological evolutions in the educational sector. Shifting from blackboard to whiteboard and from overhead projector to digital projector has facilitated teachers’ work. They no longer write or draw on the board but instead display lecture notes or drawings and hence save time. Furthermore, colorful drawings, animations or even caricatures attract the attention of all the students. However, we should not forget that these technologies are costly. Not every student is able to afford a laptop to be used in class. Moreover, sitting in front a laptop for hours can lead to back pain, headache and eye strain. But the question remains the same. Has the performance of the students improved? In fact, the performance depends mostly on the zeal of the student to succeed and on his surroundings. The fact that even before the introduction of these technological tools, students were excelling in their studies, gives abundant proof to this. Technology can be a help but the ultimate way to succeed depends on the will of the student. For a learner centered instruction where students work in groups while the instructor will only provide feedback when questions arise, technologies such as a laptop with an Internet network are beneficial to the students. As far as students with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) syndrome are concerned, how long would they be able to follow classes? Finally, we can claim that success depends on good teaching skills in delivering notes, the will to succeed and to some extent a dependence on these technological tools.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is not the technology used that enhance the learning process but more specifically the way the thing to be learned is presented to the learner. Even if a teacher makes use of a projector and displays just text, I think it will still have the same effect on the student when he would have used a white board to write the same thing. The real difference arises when a teacher makes use of multimedia in his lecture. The use of images, animations and sound captivates the mind of the student making him keener to understand what is being presented and also more interested in the class. So according to me the use of new technology makes a difference in technology but that much level of sophistication is not required. If we use new technologies for education, it should be sufficient enough if it just allow the teacher to present the lecture in a more interesting way.
ReplyDeleteTechnology surely facilitated the life of the teachers. Some teachers as well as some of the students had some health problems because of the use of chalks on blackboards in school, and this problem was resolved by the utilization of technology. Whiteboards replaced blackboards. Even though the way of teaching did not change, the teachers at least had no health problem issue. Then, technology came in the teaching field with the use of projector. The projector help teachers to save time in their lectures, since they already prepared the subject they will talk about before coming in the class. Moreover, it was scientifically proven that students learn better with visual aid that is the materials learned during the class are better assimilated when presented visually with 3D diagrams, digital colours. In fact, the use of technology motivates the students to learn as the classes are less boring.
ReplyDeleteHowever, not every institute can provide the teachers and students with the high tech materials, thus, not everyone can benefit from projector facilities. Projector are commonly found in universities and private colleges such as Le Bocage whereas many other institutes still uses the blackboard, Loreto College Of Quatre-Bornes is a relevant example. Another main disadvantage of technology is that since lecturer’s save time to lecture, the students get loads of materials to learn at the end of the day compared to 1970’s student!
Sheena, i totally agree with your statement. It is very difficult for poor students to cope with new technology since it is very expensive. For example,some lecturers are now requesting the students to submit their work online as it requires no printing or simply because it is easier to correct. If students do not have computers at home, they will have to work till late at the university after their lectures even though they are extremely tired! when poor students have powerpoint presentation to do for their studies, they lose a lot of time at the university at the libary and so on.
ReplyDeleteI share the same view as Vinela Kisten that the education system as a whole is flawed to some extent and that the students are not fully benefiting from these technologies. The fact that every year there are many students who have to repeat the same class – CPE, SC or HSC – proves that there is something that is not correct with the current system. There should be more focus on trying to improve the educational structure instead of concentrating on changing the way the educational material is delivered.
ReplyDelete@Meerawa Nayim...
ReplyDeleteYou have provided a good idea about the pros and cons of IWB.
It is true that with IWB classes have become more active and interesting and this has helped ADHD students to concentrate in class and it I also agree with the fact that IWB is extremely expensive and hence is not affordable to everyone, this widen the gap between the poor and rich people.IWB has not only widen the gap among people but also between countries as poor countries will not be able to implement these technologies in classroom hence being left behind!
But I do not exactly agree with your view about teacher's should be here to only facilitate the life of students as a way to improve education. According to me the whole system of education as a whole should be change as technologies are in no way improving the method of learning.
From blackboard to whiteboard, it did change the perception of students, who faced this change, in learning things. Since everything look rosy at the beginning, the students found the whiteboard to be the best to use and were more focussed in class. However, with evolution, since nothing changed in the way of teaching, it did not make much difference. Also, we did mention about the advantages and disadvantages of the new technology being introduced like the digital projector, however, I do not agree in the sense that, it did facilitate the tasks of the teacher, but was it the best way for the students? The students have just to follow the classes through the projector and the teacher where it becomes more boring since the students cannot participate in the learning session. For example, when there was the board, the students did have the chance to express him like doing some class work on the board but with the projector, how the students would do these things? Also, I do understand that the way of teaching must change, but how? I think that several factors can help. Firstly, the friendliness between the teachers and students must be the main solution. Also, the teachers must focus more on the learning experiences of students.
ReplyDeleteReplying to what Anonyme said, dated 22 Oct 2011, 12:05
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the fact that technology cannot replace teachers. The role of a teacher is very important in a classroom. Moreover, teachers are not only an educationist but also a role model, a counselor and even a friend to whom you can rely on. Teachers use technology as a means to teach students. Though students depend more on technology, they require a human presence to tell them the right way to do it and also explain to them in case of any queries, which a computer will not be able to.
@diana058: You right to say that some institutions have the educational technologies whereas some still use blackboards. But has it been proven that the colleges with these high-tech materials provide better results? Loretto Quatre-Bornes has excellent students even with the use of blackboards!!!
ReplyDeleteEducation is a journey from the womb to the tomb; having paramount importance in the shaping of our personality and our future. Mauritius with its two tier system, show high rate of failures at different levels of our current education system. The method of teaching is to be blamed as technological tools to inculcate education cannot be expected as the Messiah.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, replacing blackboard by whiteboard was innovative in a technological perspective but the way of teaching has not evolved. At SC and HSC level, whiteboard and blackboards are more prevalent than projector and laptops. The teacher spends most of his time and energy dictating notes and the opportunity for individual attention is very restricted.
At university level, the way of teaching has evolved. Spoon feeding has been replaced by research and understanding. In classrooms, projectors are used to display information and the students jot down the main points for personal research and understanding. Moreover, the lecturer can use images, graphics, video and audio for teaching which provide a more conducive environment for learning.
Using technology to enhance a contemporary system of education has various advantages as well as drawbacks. Moreover, every particular individual has different learning abilities; some prefer learning using modern facilities and some prefer learning by traditional means. Hence, every person needs to choose their own way of learning so as to develop their skills and achieve particular goals set.
Living in a technocratic world,it is as if we close our eyes and open it,an evolution has already took place.It is a fast-pace process.Interactive board,which is a modern and useful way of teaching students,is time consuming.But, there is less interaction between students and teachers and less student participation.No health problems such as allergy of dust...students are motivated by the use of new techonological devices.Studying is not boring as we can display pictures,charts,graphs.Notes are given in note form which facilitates student tasks.Students are not tired and they can do more work.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it has been truly said. If we go down the memory lanes, the traditional teaching method which has been prevalent for centuries is blackboard and chalk. However, nothing remains stagnant. Everything changes with time. Initially blackboard was replaced by whiteboard, then followed by projector, but now due to the huge advancements in technology, that day is not far when interactive whiteboard will be common in schools, whether at tertiary, secondary or even primary level. I guess it can really work in classrooms as today’s generation are more prone towards interactive lifestyle. They are more familiar with screen videos, YouTube, and so on. If this teaching method is adopted by everyone and put into practice, it will help to keep students interested in their class. Apart from this, it will be of a great help for teachers, whereby the latter are free from drawing huge diagrams or basic explanation on the board. Word document, PowerPoint, photography, website, online material or anything can be opened just by tapping on the screen. It saves time and having the full screen mode helps for visual simulations. Moreover, they allow learners to absorb information more easily, allow to participate in group discussions and question and answer by freeing them from notes taking, allow learners to work collaboratively and so on. In every sense, it is much better than blackboard.
ReplyDeleteAs the question rose about ADHD students, I personally think that the interactive whiteboard can improve in terms of attention for these students:
•teachers can teach students with ADHD syndrome by getting them more involved with the lesson, while keeping the lesson structured.
•teachers can allow students to manipulate on the screen with their fingers, and interactive games and activities can be implemented into lessons to keep students engaged and focused.
•tools like “reveal” and “spotlight” that keep from huge information being displayed on the screen at once can help students with ADHD syndrome to focus on key areas, and teachers can encourage students to highlight these key points and draw on the screen with digital ink.
(In reply to the comment of zaina dated 22 October 2011 04:45)
ReplyDeleteWell zaina,
I totally agree with your point of view on the interactive whiteboard. Today’s generation are much more prone towards interactive lifestyle, having an interactive whiteboard with increased level of visual stimulation and enhanced sound and video capabilities helps to keep students more motivated in class. During a lecture of mechanics or electronics, having an interactive whiteboard with 3-D animation on how the system is working, will help the student in terms of assimilating the lecture.
Concerning the problem with ADHD students, I do not agree with your opinion. In fact, ADHD is a problem with inattentiveness, over-activity and impulsiveness. So having an interactive whiteboard helps to capture their attention and preventing it from deviating.
Apart from this, as you said: “….it is more comprehensive to observe a teacher drawing an image on the board…” being a student, I can say from my own experience that normally when a teacher writes on the board, students seize the opportunity to start gossiping among themselves. Out of the whole class only a few might be observing the board; but what if a big and complicated diagram is being generated on the board by the teacher!
Innovating from blackboards to interactive boards is a good thing. Teachers believe that by moving with technology, teaching process will become easy. However, that is not entirely true. Yes, the first time interactive boards, overhead projectors will be used, children will become very excited but what is the point of introducing such technology in classes if the teaching method (spoon feeding) is still the same? In my honest opinion, I believe that after some time, children will find ‘innovative’ classes the same as normal classes. In other words, children will lose interest in what is being taught after some time. Also, with the use of interactive boards, I believe that while some will learn, others will be distracted. Replacing copybooks with laptops has to be the most stupid idea I have ever heard. A laptop which is a technology masterpiece, when used properly, will bring much benefit to oneself. A laptop can help student in learning but not as a substitute for copybook. Instead of concentrating on the things to be written in the ‘digital copybook’, students will be more interested in the technology that they have in their ‘copybook’.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that with the help of technology, we could have replaced blackboard, whiteboard with and overhead projector. But with students who are still at primary level, still immature, will they be able to learn by using this technology? I do not think so. Whiteboard may have replaced blackboard at this stage but an overhead projector will not. It will not suit them.
ReplyDelete@Siya...I agree with you that the way by which it is delivered has changed and not the content. Animations are good to understand a topic well but it is affecting the health of the users, for example, eyes problem, obesity. Pendrives, CDs have been invented. The students' tasks can be saved in that also for her or him not to lose his/her works when the laptop or pc is crashed.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with what Anonyme said on 15 October 2011 at 05:49, indeed technology is of no use if the one who is delivering the lecture is not a good coach. However I would emphasize on the fact that even if the coach does not do well, the use of technology does help the student to understand better in some cases since some student can understand better when e.g. there is the use of diagram or illustrations.
ReplyDeleteAs years have passed, the world has evolved- which explains the plethora of gadgets that are available on the technological market. Since there have been changes in nearly every thing, a change in our way of teaching has become an urgent need. For instance- the problem of allergy of the dusty blackboards has been overcome by new shiny whiteboards. However this is not sufficient, as since our youngsters are veteran in manipulating all sorts of gadgets, they need to be acquainted with more sophisticated way of learning. It is indeed true that, the progression technological products is indeed mushrooming during the past few years, but this should not represent an obstacle for learners, who can stick to one particular type of product. For example using a computer rather than a laptop- both of them have nearly the same functions however the great difference is there sizes, hence school having well equipped computer laboratory can proceed with innovative learning. Likewise coming to the issue of the copybook, using computer based learning, there will be no need for student to rummage in piles of copybook- whereby handwriting has been worn out however, a simple search will enable the student to find the desired piece of note.
ReplyDeleteDuring my college days I was allergic to blackboards’ dust and since it has already made its peak, it should be eradicated from our education system. Whiteboards are cheap, easy to use and are found in almost all institutions. But their drawback is that students concentrate in writing instead of the lesson. Whiteboard markers are run out easily. Some students have vision problems when red and green markers are used. But the pedagogy is the same using both black and white boards. With the evolution of education technology interactive whiteboards is making their marks in education. Interactive whiteboards (IWB) allow learners to absorb information more easily in which students take a more participative role in classrooms, making learning more engaging. But this education technology needs massive investments and this investment is a must in students’ education and in professional development of teachers. The students deserve the best. Its drawback is technical faults and power cut. Teachers tend also to read what are written in the slides instead of increasing the depth of explanation. Jokes must be sometimes cracked to get students’ attention. Yet the pedagogy is the same and it depends on the students to learn and adapt to the new technology.
ReplyDeleteI agree to the post written by Bhavish Bhuwany. I also feel bored when teachers just read slides while using projectors. Dark rooms are needed to present the texts. It sometimes becomes sleepy and students at the back could hardly see the notes and hear the voice of the teacher. Thus images and integrated audio can help the students to cope in classrooms. But using this technology for example projectors, the teachers need not to write notes and same for students. They can make a photocopy of the softcopy notes before coming to class. And if the students already have the hardcopy notes, so why would the teachers use projectors to explain even if they also have one? If ones notes are easy to read and understand so why to use technology?
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Shaheen Wagirkhan (22 octobre 2011 00:11)
ReplyDeleteTechnology is helping teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways. But are projectors or interactive whiteboards really improving learning and making students become more intelligent? Sometimes students are fascinated with those graphics and colour only and do not focus on the topic that is being taught. So teachers must be correctly trained so that they are able to make use of these new technologies properly in order to improve learning.
The question which was asked above 'If we have an interactive white board, does it mean our children will learn better?'
ReplyDeleteInfact, the white board is just a way to help teaching and to aid comprehension of the subject.As Girish Bissessur said, he was allergic to chalk's dust, there are several cases like that.There was a change in almost all teaching places where white boards replaced black boards. So according to me, the reason behind that was due to allergies.
With the white boards there are still some difficulties to follow, as most of the times, the markers are not writing properly. So with the introduction of new technologies, such as the smart board,some problems are encounted. For example power cut
Innovation has not changed anything in teaching. It has rather alter the graphical way of displaying learning materials. Students who are not interested in studies will never be interested even when we innovate it. For example, at the University of Mauritius, we still use blackboard, white board and projectors as method of teaching. Children will learn better only when they want to.
ReplyDeleteI totally share the view of Bala Krishna Poligadu on what he said on the 26 October 2011 09:59. Technologies have to some extend improve the ways of teaching, however teachers cannot depend too much on technological gadgets. As far as replacing the traditional copybook by laptop is concerned, in my opinion, this will have many drawbacks. For instance, student will get distracted by the technological gadget (laptop) rather than concentration on their lesson.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Bhavish Bhowany said. The notes will be the same as well as the teacher explanation, when using the whiteboard or the projector. And also electricity is saved when using the whiteboard. However, a student can really understand a concept with the use of animations as he is seeing what is really happening. This can be mainly useful in science classes when there is a lot of experiments and reactions.
ReplyDeleteFrom blackboard to whiteboard only the color of material has change but the way of teaching has remained the same. The invention of the interactive whiteboard has not just facilitated the life of the teachers (E.g. oriental languages can be typed so as to make it more readable instead of writing on board) but also those of the students by allowing them to participate in group discussions and freeing them from taking notes. But the introduction and maintenance of the technology is costly. Giving each student a laptop or tablet is quite a big deal as this will cost a lot of money and we are not sure they will use these technologies in the right way. Moreover, the teaching method should change where teacher’s role should be to continuously push the students to their limits to have a deeper learning and allow the students to take part of the decision making process.
ReplyDeleteIn today world,where innovation is given more credit than tradition,i would that including new technology in the educational area could have a positive boost.Children would be more attracted if a mathematics class had number flashing in a graphics animation rather than written dully on a blackboard.This will also aid those children with ADHD syndrome that were being left behind.I clearly believe that if an children was taught his geography by making himself travel the world on his interactive white board,it would not only increase his attention but would be easier for him to remember.The question of number of students may be the draw back,i think if more class are made,all would gain access to the technology at had and the end product can be more fruitful.I have faith that technology can play a big part in making education easier as well as more fun,as it interest that generate dedication and the latter gives success.
ReplyDeleteI believe that, all the tools that are using in the educational sector are indeed to make students better understand their subjects. Usually when teachers explain in class, most students find that they feel asleep or they say that the class is boring at some point in time. In fact I think that, when a teacher starts a new topic, students should be given a brief explanation first. Then the teacher must make use of educational tools, like overhead projectors, interactive whiteboards, laptops and others, to help students to better understand the subjects. Teachers even can make use of the Xerte open source software to create an interactive learning environment for students, and they should be given the opportunity interact with the software. Educational videos focusing on a topic can be viewed using overhead projectors in class as visualizing helps students to learn faster than just listening to the teacher.
ReplyDelete@siya. I want to add something of what you said regarding “in case students’ laptop crashed, all the notes will be lost”. In fact, I think that students should always have a backup of all their important files. In my opinion, I would prefer to make use of online storage as it is free and can save up to 20GB or even more.
ReplyDeleteI don’t agree with what Dumur has said on 26 octobre 2011 10:24 , because I believe that with the overhead projector at primary level, students can be more interested in their subjects. An overhead projector can be used to view an educational video relating to a specific topic by all students in a class. This will obviously supplement the teacher’s explanation and will make the class more interesting as recent research supports the idea that visual communication can be more powerful than verbal communication, suggesting in many instances that people learn and retain information that is presented to them visually much better than that which is only provided verbally
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fabio CedricJacques because when the student are using new educational tool in the learning learning process, this give them a technological skill in the modern world where new technology is revolting in any field of work . The motivation is not only to adapt to the modern world but also to help student in the learning process with aid of these new tools and make them understand through animation.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post indeed highlight an essential most concept of learning about whether a change in educational tool indeed bring forth better understanding among students. According to the Education and Human resources Strategic Plan 2008-2020, the vision of the Mauritian government is to provide “A world class quality education for all and a Human Resource Development base to transform Mauritius into an intelligent nation state in the vanguard of global progress and innovation.” One of the missions of this strategic plan is: “To ensure learning opportunities accessible to all provide learners with values and skills to further their personal growth, enhance their critical and exploratory thinking, encourage them to innovate and to adapt to changes in an increasingly globalised environment.”
ReplyDeleteUpon a critical scrutiny of the above mission statement, two words that stand forth are “critical thinking” and “exploratory thinking”. These words highlight the very urgent need to adopt active learning strategies that are student centred and which make student become aware of the learning process and hence become critical thinkers and effective learners. This cannot be achieve by simply switching from blackboard to interactive boards, there is need to develop hands on learning activities which will indeed engage students into fruitful learning. This goes way beyond any mission statement of any education plan of any country. Due to globalisation, the world is now viewed as a village and distance is no longer an issue. To be able to ensure that students are properly equipped, education wise, to face the world tomorrow, the prime focus should be on student centred education.
The issue of this article is a very appealing one. In education, it is not solely the means which matters but the whole process of teaching and learning. As it said using chalk, marker or stylus will not solve the source limitations of education in Mauritius. Learning is geared towards examination since our earliest age. It is a real rat race which may leave scars to young ones who cannot cope with the pace. Of course, technology could be a useful tool to grab interest and to retain more easily information (with use of multimedia – visual and audio aids, for example), but this will not solve all the problems.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, technology evolves rapidly. This is a euphemism! It would be difficult to alter the way of teaching and also learning (particularly for young ones) with each and every technological innovation.
“We are equipping ourselves with better tools but we are working the same way.” Constant innovation in technology but statu quo in the methods of teaching will not help the student to learn in a better way. There should be continuous assessment and classes should be less academic and more interactive. Rather than being teacher-centered, education should be driven heart and soul towards students and his/her needs and fulfillment to become tomorrow’s. This however remains a utopian dream!!
I partially agree to Tanushri’s point of view. Indeed the use of interactive board has made learning more fun however I do not agree on her saying that there is less interaction between teachers and students. I believe that through the use of new technology indeed student and teacher can communicate on a new platform that previously was not there. However, the focus should not be on the educational tool but should rather be on the learning process. It should not be teacher centred, it should be more student centred learning approaches. Students should be given a much bigger role to play in their education rather than being viewed simply as “ vessels” to fill in with knowledge.
ReplyDeleteClasses have indeed seen a new dawn with all the new technologies. This article is likely to be shedding some light over it by showing the great evolution in the field of technology associated with education. These new gadgets indeed make students keen to learn but what really matters is the delivery of their instructors. There was a time where all these did not exist and yet it did not hurdle the students to excel. To be able to learn depends on individual perceptions, and this differs from one student to the other. But with the upcoming generations, it is interesting to observe that they understand best the language of technology, so it somehow sounds appropriate to have these at their disposal. Moreover, there is an undeniable fact that not all students can have the latest devices, so whatever be the method of teaching, what is primordial is that all the students should be grasping maximum of what is being communicated in a fair way.
ReplyDeleteTechnology creates an impact on education. From the use of blackboard to whiteboard and other technological facilities such as projector, technologies bring improvement in teaching methods. It saves time for teachers as all information are already available when using projectors. However, the way of learning has not improved so much. New technologies are costly. Everyone cannot afford to have one. Moreover, it could be helpful if everyone could master and implement it everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThe transition process from blackboard to white board and then overhead projector has attested the headway of educational technology.It is true that the introduction of the overhead projector will avoid expending on chalk and markers which are quite expensive nowadays.The Latter enable to display images and graphics which render explanation more explicit and implicit.However,the transition process may not necessary boost students education level if they are not provided with the mentor who will thrive to deliver the right and clear understanding of the teaching concept.
ReplyDeleteHowever,I am concurred with WAZEEMA that the ways of teaching is better than introducing new tools.But I would say that both are effective and efficient for teacher and students.The outstanding process in a proper medium might crafting the concept for student more clear and trouble-free to understand.
ReplyDeleteTechnology creates an impact on education. From the use of blackboard to whiteboard and other technological facilities such as projector, technologies bring improvement in teaching methods. It saves time for teachers as all information are already available when using projectors. However, the way of learning has not improved so much. New technologies are costly. Everyone cannot afford to have one. Moreover, it could be helpful if everyone could master and implement it everywhere.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot deny the fact that technology has taken the world by storm, be it at the workplace, at the school, at home…this tool is indeed amazing. Today whiteboards are still being used but we are already channeling towards the use of overhead projector for it has been proven that this technological apparatus renders learning and teaching more interesting, stimulating, thus enabling better understand of the topic concerned. Gone are the days when blackboards were being used. We are today living in a modern society and we should encourage the use of these types of facilities. If we don’t use them today, shall we be using them later in the right way? However, it is also true that not all students will be able to afford to buy items of technology. Therefore, we must try to ensure that all learners have the appropriate tool without discriminating from one another.
ReplyDeleteFrom the blackboard to the whiteboard, the overhead projector and the interactive whiteboard, nothing has been changed in the way of teaching except that the educational technology has improved. Each one of these tools have both advantages and disadvantages. The projector, for example, facilitates the task of teacher by allowing him to display images and graphics, which would be time consuming and somehow tricky to be drawn on the whiteboard. This enhances students understanding since visuals simplify information that is difficult to understand verbally. Moreover, studies have shown that pictures have a direct route to long term memory. On the other hand, the interactive whiteboard which provides touch control of computer applications can enhance the experience in a classroom by showing anything that can be on a computer screen. It helps in visual learning. Thus, increasing the change of a particular lecture to be assimilated by students. Interactive whiteboard can make classes more lively. Today’s generation is much prone towards interactive lifestyles. So, I think that children will learn better with interactive whiteboard. Furthermore, visual motivate learners by attracting and holding their attention and generate emotional response. Personally, I think that interactive whiteboards will surely help students with ADHD syndrome since this will capture their attention and thus enhancing their understanding of a particular topic. Finally, I agree with the fact that these methods are still teacher centered and that this has to be changed. But technological tools such as the World Wide Web itself provide so much of information. So, we should not remove the teacher-student relationship completely as teachers are here as a guide so that students make better use of the technological tools available for them.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to Heema (22 Octobre 2011 05 12)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Heema on the fact that without continuous technical support, technology integration in the classroom will never be satisfactorily achieved. But we should also take into account the cost factor that will be involved in the training of teachers for the use of these tools. What's if all the technical support is provided and teachers are not able to manage with them in a class!!! Moreover, I also agree on the point that technology cannot replace a teacher. Teachers are here like a guide. We all need some face to face human interaction in order to achieve better results.
This issue has been quite remarkable in the last few years. As technology has been changing with time, our education system has also been rapidly adapting to the latter. Initially, blackboards have been replaced by whiteboards, then the modern trend is to replace the latter by projectors. This is a very technical approach by just replacing the means to educate students, but the dark side remains whether this process is feasible or not. Implementing such a project whereby we are tending towards e-learning involves a high cost implication. Secondly, as we can see that presently, it is not the right time to introduce such a step in our education system may disrupt the current trend although some trial projects are being carried out in some institutions. My opinion remains that to achieve a better educational system, the interaction between the teacher and the students as well as the right amount and quality of information are the key component to be kept in mind instead of spending extravagantly on the means.
ReplyDeleteThis article shows the evolution of educational technology. The changes made - even if in some institution it is still the same- gives at the end the same result. It certainly made things easier for the user but the same result is acquired.
ReplyDeleteThe projectors is of great help for the teachers as it was a save of time and could display illustration in order to make the class more interesting. But this technology have a cost and even if we live in a century where all is about technology appliances the schools in Mauritius did not changed a lot. The blackboard is still used in many schools .In order to change the technologies in the schools the way of teaching should evolve , the spoon feeding process should be replaced by self development and achievements. The student should be given responsibilities in order to be more conscious. A maintain of the technologies should be acquired and their importance should be focused on. The objective of educational technologies is to make learning easier with the help of technologies but is these technologies really important for the easy learning in the Mauritian context. For children some technologies could be used once a time for classes, but for the secondary students these much be used as this will enable the classes to more interesting and learning will be easier. It is the way of teaching that must be changed first in order to change the technologies around.
• From the allergies of the blackboard chalk, to the radiation of interactive board: What has changed?
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses how and to what extent the education sector has evolved by the implementation of new technologies.
Compared to the orthodox and traditional blackboard and whiteboard, new technologies such as interactive board and overhead projector, have significantly simplified the teaching process. While these educational technologies highly ease the work of teachers, we should ponder whether it is the same case for students. Further, as these new technologies are becoming obsolete at a frighteningly quick pace, it is also primordial to consider whether or not we should in invest in them and if we do, will we have the resource to implement them in each and every educational institution.
According to me, the answer to these questions is not constant implementation of high tech costly tools in classrooms. Contrarily, we should be more innovative; that is master and exploit old teaching strategies and educational technologies as much as we can so that they profit both teachers and students. Lastly when developing new technologies I believe we should not only aim at academic excellence of the students but also inculcate moral, social and ethnic values so that they succeed not only in their career but also in their personal life and these technologies should be ergonomic and healthy too.
(In reply to Aurelie Descube comment on 14 octobre 2011 04:36 )
ReplyDeleteI think that we are on the same wave line when saying that technology in the educational system simplifies the tasks of teacher in class by endowing student with hypermedia presentations. The point I want to raise is that such a presentation require qualified teachers which have knowledge in manipulating these tool, like you mention “..eases the understanding of the students through features such as audio or visual aids.” This means that in order to teach in a class equipped with such technology teacher must have some additional training or retraining which can be expensive
In reply to Siya on 16 octobre 2011 12:20:
ReplyDeleteYou mention the point “However, each student having a laptop instead of a copybook will not change great thing.” So, can a laptop be compared to a copybook?
We are in an evolving technological world and a laptop can offer more advantages to the student
To Arry:
ReplyDeleteI agree that nowadays many person have access to technology and we have to think about those who cannot afford these. they will be left behind and may never adapt to new methods of teaching.
reply to anonyme 27 octobre 2011 13:51:
ReplyDeletei agree with on the fact that new technologies are costly and not everyone can afford it. for example ipad is one of the latest technology but many of us have not yet manipulate one.
I agree with what Harshini (27 October 2011 12:52) has said as just by switching from blackboard to whiteboard and to interactive whiteboard does not change the education system. Technology only modernizes the tools being used for teaching by constant innovation. However, the education strategies are still teacher centered. From a very young age, students become teacher dependent and cannot develop critical thinking and analyzing of problems. International examiners criticize that University of Mauritius students at the end of their course have not yet been able to develop problem solving skills. This is largely due to our education system which is a pyramid and thereby, if the base is not solid, then the apex will collapse. Therefore combining contemporary technological learning tools with modern student centered teaching techniques would synergize to produce a more conducive learning environment for each and every individual to develop their potential. However, we should take into account that we are a relatively young nation which is progressing at high pace to overcome our deficiencies.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that if we continue thinking that we will only use the latest technology then we will have to wait for the whole life. Technologies are being developed everyday, it is impossible to always use the new technologies. I think it is better to use one which everyone will be able to use.
ReplyDeleteWhile using the new technology we must also see with which age category we are going to use it. We are certainly not going to give standard one students iPad to use. But for this age of students over head projectors can prove very helpful as it will make the class more interesting. Running after new technology will lead us nowhere. And it will also cost a lot to provide each student with a personal computer.
We must also take into consideration that some classes cannot be conducted only with projectors. Sometimes it helps to go on the board and explain.
Changes should not be drastic but gradual. While analyzing the changes taking place we will notice that nothing has really changed. If you ask a student the difference between blackboard and whiteboard he will say that blackboard makes a lot of dust and whiteboard does not.
All the questions asked cannot be answered until the changes are done.
To Dumur posted on 26 octobre 2011 10:24
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the point that using overhead projectors at primary level is a wrong move. Students will be more distracted with the technology than learning with it.But what if interactive boards are used? Do you think students at primary level will learn from it? Interactive boards have been introduced at primary level some time ago in Mauritius. Teachers believe it’s the way forward but do you?
it is true that with the technology revolution,it is much more easier to teach in class as it is more easier to explain a topic with coloured pictures and animations, which was impossible with blackboard.but it is also true that with all these technologies,students are distracted.they are more interested in the laptop than in following the class.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed true that the use of instructional technology in education has increased substantially over the past several years. Nevertheless, as it has been said in this article “teachers-centered methods are still at the heart of educational process….” This is mainly because sometimes, teachers, not well acquainted with technology, must be first trained to educate it to students. Furthermore, if the teacher does not have a proper training, he may limit the access to certain technologies for his students. Also technology implementation can be time consuming and is rather expensive. The fact that technology is an ever evolving field makes it difficult for some institutions to adapt. Teachers have to be constantly trained and the technologies constantly updated and not all institution can afford this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Dosita said, it is indeed true that interactive whiteboards are of great help to students. Interactive whiteboards allow learners to absorb information more easily. They also allow learners to participate in group discussions by freeing them from note taking. Moreover, interactive whiteboards allow learners to work collaboratively around a shared task/work area. Beside they can also be use for whole class interactive testing of understanding; they can provide learner feedback rapidly.
ReplyDeleteAdvance in technology has had a great impact on the educational sector. The innovation from blackboard to overhead projector has facilitated the job of educators and helped to save time. However, as it is said in the article, this has not changed the pedagogy. Information that was being written on the board was now being displayed using overhead projector. It is just the representation of the same data in a more sophisticated way. It is true that with the evolution of technology in the educational sector, students show more interest in their studies. But, what really matter, is how the information is being delivered to the students. Furthermore, it can be argued that displaying data using overhead projector is more attractive to the eyes and hence, it is easily remembered. But, on the other side of the coin, all students do not have the same learning capabilities. Some students may understand every part of the explanation done on the board while other will understand better when interactive methods (animation) are being used. With the coming generation, most of the youngsters will understand best the language of technology, but we cannot deny the fact that not all students will have the latest devices at their disposal. Hence, education cannot entirely depend on technology. This also implies that the traditional method of teaching should not be completely ignored.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all the points you have given. I have got the chance of working as a teacher trainee during my holidays and I can say that spoon feeding has gain great height nowadays. Consequently, no matter how innovative the technology is, but if spoon feeding is still present, the technology will become absolutely useless. After being well verse with a new technological tool students will obviously be bored in the class and hence it comes back to what it was before introducing interactive board to them. Laptops can be used at university level by students to follow theirLectures. Since printing is costly, they can use their copybook to note the points that lecturer are telling. As they are mature, I think that they will use the laptops in good terms.
ReplyDeleteI would like to reply to the comment of Neilesh Luckensing. In fact one should not only focus on the good and bad sides of new technology since every improvement in educational technology is accompanied by good sides and downsides. Therefore instead of just analysing theses two sides, one should also concentrate on some better pedagogy also, for a better picture perhaps. Hence improvements in educational technology and the path towards better methods and teaching practices should move side by side to get the maximum use out of everything.
ReplyDelete@ Bala Krishna Poligadu
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all the points you have given. I have got the chance of working as a teacher trainee during my holidays and I can say that spoon feeding has gain great height nowadays. Consequently, no matter how innovative the technology is, but if spoon feeding is still present, the technology will become absolutely useless. After being well verse with a new technological tool students will obviously be bored in the class and hence it comes back to what it was before introducing interactive board to them. Laptops can be used at university level by students to follow theirLectures. Since printing is costly, they can use their copybook to note the points that lecturer are telling. As they are mature, I think that they will use the laptops in good terms.
I agree with rushaa when she said that "these new technology are also accompanied by some disadvantages." Like a coin these new technologies like the overhead projector, the IPad, etc have two sides.On one side there is the advantages and on the other there is the drawbacks.
ReplyDeleteOverheads projectors, laptops, IPad, internet, etc have improved our way of learning and teaching. Teachers are no longer tired from writing on the board while students are more motivated to attend class and do self-learning.
Drawbacks of these technologies are that they are costly. Not every students will be able to afford a laptop or an IPad. Students must also learn how to use these technologies properly to be able to reap good results.
In traditional black board method, teacher has to spend time during the class to draw the visual material. When I was studying in High school, the teacher was taking half an hour to draw the cross section view of mechanical elements in one hour period. Now with modern power point, such things can be explained easily without the labor.
ReplyDeleteIn the power point presentation, we can change the sequence of presentation very easily by providing link.
With net connected presentation, we can bring illustration of pictures and videos very easily and impress the audience.
For teaching engineering subjects, medical subjects and science subjects, power point presentation with net will reduce the load of the teacher.
However for teaching art and mathematics the old black board is still a good choice.
For encouraging students to do step by step any problem, black board method will be useful.
Indeed, I agree with you my dear Stephanie. The implementation of new technological devices is costly and in many school in Mauritius, the talk and chalk method of teaching is still being used. Learning should be made more interesting to attract the attention of students and thus changing the pedagogy with the help of technology, but this is not case. In some schools, new technological devices are being used to display the same information that was being written on the board. In other words, there has been no improvement at the level of delivering the information.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has greatly improved the field of education. Blackboards which produced a lot of dust and caused a problem to students having allergies,have been replaced by whiteboards. And now whiteboards are being replaced by overhead projectors and laptops. Teachers no longer need to write on whiteboards. They can also make use of Powerpoint presentation to deliver their lectures. The advantage is that it is more interesting as pictures and videos can be presented to students on the spot and hence facilitate learning. However these equipment are quite expensive and also not many teachers know how to use these yet.
ReplyDeleteTherefore proper training is required constantly to adapt to the new technology being invented.
Technology has had a definite impact on teaching throughout the years, from blackboard to whiteboard to projectors and now the most commonly used the interactive board and much more to be coming. Although, we all might agree that technology is an extremely useful tool, this article has proved that it is flawed to some extent. We saw how innovations such as the overhead projector and the digital projector eased the work of the teacher in the sense that he or she could be more active in class rather than having to continuously write on the board. Also, images/graphics or videos could also be displayed to facilitate the understanding of the students, especially slow learners. Furthermore the interactive whiteboard just replace another piece of modern technology of the digital world that facilitates the work of teachers and likewise the understanding of students. However, we should not forget that technology can be a nuisance if not used properly. It can, in the same way, be very expensive for local schools, be it primary or secondary, to invest in such advanced technological components. And finally, technology could also be harmful for our health.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that sometime students are not able to learn their lessons due to their laziness but however it is not true that they are not able to take advantages of such innovative systems. This is because for example, the interactive whiteboard can have various advantages for the students in the classroom:
ReplyDelete• Save lessons to present to students who were absent
• Create video files to teach a software application, a lesson, or as a review to be posted to the server or web. Example- How to create a graph in Excel or hoe to burn a projects to cds
• Use the built in maps to teach continents, oceans, countries, or states and capitals.
• Present presentations created by student or teacher
• Have students create e-folios including samples of their work and narration
• Digital storytelling
• Brainstorming
• Take notes directly into PowerPoint presentations
• Reinforce skills by using on-line interactive web sites
• Creating a project calendar
• Use highlighter tool to highlight nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
• Use it with Kidspiration or Inspiration
• Illustrate and write a book as a class. Use the record feature to narrate the text.
• Diagramming activities
• Teaching steps to a math problem.
I strongly agree to the author’s views that whatever technology is used, the same “knowledge” is passed on to students. However I don’t say that schools should not be equipped with new technologies at all but it should be set to an adequate amount to facilitate the learning. Newest technology won’t make a student the most brilliant one but can facilitate the students who have difficulty to listen in class with interactive courses for example.
ReplyDeleteI agree to what Saraswatee.B (28 October 2011 08:40) has said about using a technology which can be used by everyone, whatever its age, depending on cost and context used.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is constantly changing so we need to adapt not just for today- buying all new technologies and having to give them off only some years after because they are outdated. It must be a clear and conscious reflexion done by professionals following results not only viewpoint of the professionals.
The most interesting aspect about this article, in my opinion is , how to we bridge the gap between a `teacher-centered` pedagogy and the constant renewal of new technologies? First, I do agree that technologies are not available for everybody in whichever strata we are discussing about. From the black board use in primary schools to PowerPoint use at university level, the margin is wide and deep. Second , the question is , do these `technologies` enhance learning? Do they bring comprehensive learning methodology that enhances teaching? I have doubts about it too. I believe that we do not need to depend on technologies to bring out the best inside of us. Technology is a relative notion. If we are used to it, we tend to think we cannot do without: if not we can think it’s a backdrop tool , not a priority. It does not mean that we do not need it. We do. But it has to be accessible and `student-centered`.
ReplyDeleteI agree to what "Dear Anonyme" has mentioned. We cannot just follow technology blindly. We should know its impact. The content or data will be the same, but simply this depends on the student of how he is grasping the content. His capabilities of understanding
ReplyDeleteAs far as it concerns the teacher, if the teacher is hard working then either with blackboard or with an interactive whiteboard his way of explaining will be the same(his methodologies). During the class perhaps with the whiteboard he will be able to bring animation, sounds multimedia which is indeed more interesting. Especially, for primary kids who has difficulty to assimilate long phrases. With animation they might better understand the concept.
From my point of view, it's not fair to say that the interactive whiteboard(IWB) emits lots of radiation. Everything has its advantage and some drawbacks. If, we compare the IWB to a cell phone, the radiation from the cell phone is much more than that of the IWB. But still, all people are using the cell phone. People do follow the cell phone tecnology and they want latest phone on top of that. Even experts have declared that the radiation from cell phones are very dangerous and can form cancerous cell. Despite all of that people are still using the cell phone.Its ironical but its the reality. There are debates still going on (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13608444). The radition from IWB is very much small.
In terms of cost i agree a IWb is costly, but one or three IWB can be fitted in 3 different rooms. When there are classes which need interaction the teachers can shift the students in thos class. Otherwise they can use the normal board.
I agree with rushaa when she said that "these new technology are also accompanied by some disadvantages." Like a coin these new technologies like the overhead projector, the IPad, etc have two sides. On one side there is the advantages and on the other there is the drawbacks.
ReplyDeleteOverhead projector, laptops, IPad, internet, etc have improved our way of learning and teaching. Teachers are no longer tired from writing on the board while students are motivated to attend class and do self-learning.
Drawbacks of these new technologies are that they are costly. Not every students will be to afford a laptop or an IPad. Students must learn how to use these technology properly to be able to reap good results.
This article was concerned about the evolution from traditional ways of teaching like the blackboard to new ways of teaching with technology included like the interactive whiteboard. It also deals with the problems rising with evolution in this field with this evolution, like cost factor, the fact that our educational system is too “teacher centered” among others. Now, the article has been more arguing against the use of new technologies to make us realize what has really changed with the shift from blackboard to whiteboard, projectors and interactive whiteboard.
ReplyDeleteBut let us try to see it the other way round. From blackboard to whiteboard, the real is why did this change happen? As per my point of view the idea behind changing from blackboard to whiteboard was firstly because of the fact that many students have had health problems because of chalk and its particles. So, this clearly shows that there is not only evolution and the changing world of technology that is involved. Here, the major aim was to benefit the students. Now talking about the whiteboard to the interactive whiteboard, the main idea here is to facilitate the work of the teacher and help the student to understand things better, because sometimes as we say “images are worth a thousand words”. And as for the fact that technology keeps on evolving, that cannot be changed but that does not mean neither that the new technologies are always the best ones. It depends on the situation. For example if the teacher is being able to explain his material well using an interactive whiteboard that does not mean that another type of electronic whiteboard for instance is now available on the market that it would better than the existing one because remember it is just the features that changes but the real aim behind having one remains the same. Surely the change from a simple whiteboard and an interactive one is somehow drastic but the change from an interactive whiteboard to a more recent one is not that drastic, so why the need to change each time a new technology is available when the existing one can still do the job? It is a wastage of money and other resources. And even though our education system is teacher centered, it does not mean that it is only a bad thing. A teacher is like a guide through the education process and has always been of a great help even though a student has to learn to depend on himself. So the “guide” needs to have the appropriate tool also in order to be able to make the students reach their destination.
Thanks to the advances in the educational technology field teaching has become much easier nowadays. Teachers can now save their work, modify it, and display it in classes within seconds instead of writing on blackboards or whiteboards. They can also add images and audio to their notes thus making learning more interesting. Moreover the students does not need to lose time copying the notes as the teacher can forward it to them and even absent students can receive the notes. But unfortunately these tools such as projectors and computer cost a lot and not all institutions can afford these. Also, though it surely facilitates the work of the teacher we have no guarantee that students will understand and learn in a more efficient way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Davish point of view when he says that it is easier to teach using software such as PowerPoint and it takes less than writing on the whiteboard or blackboard. But I think that even art teachers may use projectors as they may want to display a picture with a projector rather than showing it on an A3 paper to the whole class.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that technology has made teaching easier, but this does not means that students will be more eager to learn. Learning is a two way process. What is the use of having all kinds of technologies to make teaching and learning easier and students showing lack of interest? On the other hand, serious students who are devoted to studies will benefit a lot from these technologies. Instead of copying everything the teacher is writing on the board, the teacher can send the lesson to the students by e-mail several days ago and they need only to download the files. The use of laptops is very useful because students can have access to soft copies of books instead of having to bring them each time in class. But I believe that laptops can never replace copybooks and textbooks. My preference for textbooks or a print copy is greatly influenced by the fact that I write notes next to the text.
ReplyDeleteDuring the past few years, news ways of teaching have been introduced and one of them isinteractive boards. Indeed, using modern interactive boards will make students more attentive in class, and the use of animations are essential for this way of teaching. In the same way, having a projector with animations and pictures popping up attracts the attention of the viewer. Interactive boards is also a great help to the teacher as he does not have to draw or write on whiteboards.
ReplyDeleteBut still, it is not necessary that students will learn more with these new technologies. The students will definitely be more encouraged but what if the student does not make any effort to learn.
In reply to Fabio CedricJacques, who posted a comment on 28th October 2011 at 05:35
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine a classroom where students have their laptop instead of their copybooks and textbooks and after two or three hours of lecture, students are tired. Don’t you think they will start playing games or do stuff to entertain them instead of listening to the lecture?
I agree with what Ramsay Melissa (28 octobre 2011 12:25) has said. Introducing new technologies will not necessarily made a student more intelligent. It can only help the student to learn in a better way.
ReplyDeleteDuring some years, new ways of teaching have been introduced, such as interactive boards. Indeed, using modern interactive boards will make students more attentive in class, and the use of animations is essential for this way of teaching. In the same way, having a projector with animations and pictures popping up attracts the attention of the viewer. Interactive boards are also a great help to the teacher as he/she does not have to draw or write on whiteboards.
ReplyDeleteBut still, it is not necessary that students will learn with these technologies. The students will be more encouraged but what if the student makes bad use of it.
It’s true that technology has improved from the classical blackboard to the interactive board. The cost of investment in the modern technologies will be a burden on our economy and looks more like a dream than the realistic project. Can we invest in providing such modern equipment to students since primary level up to tertiary level? This will involve cost as well as training of both student and educators. Also the cost of maintenance for such equipment is far above our budget. On the other hand, it’s true that having access to modern technology will arouse the interest of students for short term only. But such interest will definitely be more in the equipment than in the course content. The aim and objective of the educators should be to attract the interest of students by the course content, with the help of modern technology, and not vice versa.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has improved and it has brought changes to the way of teaching. Earlier, we were using only blackboards in classrooms. Nowadays, we use whiteboards and digital projectors. Technology gets outdated too quickly. Thus, it will take a lot of time for the traditional ways of teaching to replace the latest technology of teaching that is available in the market.
ReplyDeleteI partly agree to the comment made by dourga unmole on the 27 October 2011 at 04:12 that children will learn better only when they want to. But, I do not agree that innovation has not changed anything in teaching. I believe that the graphical way of displaying learning materials is a change in the teaching and learning process.
ReplyDeleteIn the eyes of reformers, traditional teacher-centered methods focusing mainly on learning and memorization must be abandoned in favour of student-centered and task-based approaches to learning. However, many parents and conservative citizens are concerned with the maintenance of objective educational standards based on testing, which favours a more traditional approach.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do agree with those reformers. The world is moving, so must we!!! Because learning do not limit to ‘recalling’ stuffs. We should understand the basics and principles of some theories and ways of life. Being at ease in an environment would definitely enhance learning. Nowadays technologies do fascinate youngsters. Knowing about the new devices and still sitting in front of a teacher writing will surely NOT help.
I would, however, point out, learning is of one own will. But this should not prevent us from introducing and experimenting new methods of learning.
In reply to Bala Krishna Poligadu on 26 octobre 2011 09:59
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. The copybook cannot be replaced by any other thing. Actually, writing something down by oneself is the best way to understand some processes, which will later be useful in assimilating the whole idea! Bringing laptops in class will be nothing but eventually a distraction.
Technology connects people's thoughts to machines.
ReplyDeleteToday, we are surrounded by persuasive technologies. Everywhere that digital media touches our lives, more and more there is an element of persuasion; a design created by humans and implemented in code to influence what we think, and more and more, what we do. Technology will continue to change.There is nothing we can do, like it or not, where we can escape technology.
The evolution from blackboards to whiteboards and from whiteboards to projectors, has left no one indifferent.
Although whiteboards and blackboards do not have a big difference, for one has to do the writing, I personally think, a shift from the blackboard to whiteboard was of no big help, except for the matter of the classroom being less dusty.
As for both the cases, the teacher has to come in front of the class, do the writing and the explaining, hence not really a progress.
As for the overhead projector i think, there has been a change on the educational level, for the teacher can prepare his work at home itself, and once in class, he only presents the materials, do the explaining and time is saved as he does not have to do the writing. But this also does not bring a big difference for a student, for the latter has to continue copying as before, with no apparent change from the earlier system.
Having new technologies does not mean a better learning.
We need to remember that this is a tool and how we teach is just as important as what we teach.
I agree to the fact that technology does not enhance learning. Indeed, learning becomes more interesting and captures the student's attention better in class but at the end of the day, the student learns the same things which he would have had the teacher used the very traditional blackboard.
I agree with the view point of Vinela Kisten stating ' technologies is only facilitating the work of teachers more that helping the students in learning should be taken into consideration. By changing the method of displaying the same work from the traditional board to the interactive whiteboard will not create a better understanding for the students.'
ReplyDeleteSo true, we are only focused on technologies, rather than the material presented to the students.
We are only trying to find new technologies, of wrapping the work the fastest possible, with less effort, but we are not taking into consideration of the students. Whether they are able to grasp what they are being taught, or are they at ease with the technologies.
We should concentrate more on the teaching material than the way the present the material.
With the advent of interactive boards, in our schools, teaching process has been eased. Earlier both teachers and students encountered drastic inconveniences with the use of blackboards as dust from chalks were always there to prick student’s eyes or causing continuous coughs especially to those students suffering from respiratory problems. It was also observe that there was a lot of wastage of time since teachers has to recopy notes on the blackboard. However with the use of interactive boards students are more motivated to follow lessons or even participate in class, due to the use of multimedia as pictures and videos are being used. But from the school point of view it involves a huge cost to install and maintain interactive board in every class and obsolesces take place.
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, the basic way of teaching should remain unchanged and new technologies should only be used as a support to the teaching process. For e.g. interactive boards can be used to display graphs for students to understand better.
This is indeed a great development in educational technology, the change from blackboard to interactive whiteboard. as the world is progressing, people are adapting to new changes being made especially children.our minds are becoming more sensitive to those new developments. but it is also true that as new gadgets are being invented, they give more or less the same results as the older ones.like the example of the camera used above.so we can say that the concepts are staying the same only the equipments are changing. in what way does a projector helps the student to follow better.i think it in facts make student feel more sleepy than following the class as the students are doing nothing other than following what is being projected.and in the middle of the slides they become easily bored. finally it seems that educational technology sometime pose as a disadvantage for the progressiveness of students.
ReplyDeletei agree with what Davish said on 28 October 2011 at 10:38. it is indeed true that for some subject, writing on the blackboard will be a waste of time while for others such practice is a must for better understanding of the students.for example mathematics, a subject where blackboard is the better tool to use as students understand better when the professor explain a calculation stepwise on the blackboard rather than on a projector.
ReplyDeleteThe main drawback of technology is its accessibility. The way of teaching throughout the years has remained the same for example the use of the blackboard to the interactive white board. Advanced in technology only acts as a support to help teachers to teach the best way they can. Moreover, technology changes so rapidly that it becomes obsolete in no time for example the blackboard or the overhead projector. Therefore spending colossal amount of money in terms of technologies and training of qualified teachers to handle one and every technologies may seem futile. For it does not mean that it will decrease absenteeism in class nor make every student pass in every subject. Technology should be made accessible to student suffering from ADHD syndrome where it may be proved useful. The duty of a duty is first of all to be able to meet the expectations of every student. At the end of the day, it is the way knowledge is transmitted from teachers to students that counts, technology is there only to facilitate the task of the teachers.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, technology has improved in many different ways and has found its way into classrooms. Multimedia is being used more often nowadays in modern classrooms as it can be seen for example with blackboards which have evolved to become interactive whiteboards. These technologies used in the educational field aim at improving standard of teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree. Technologies are present to improve the way teaching and learning is done. Throughout the years, the aim of education will still be the same, that is, the transmission of knowledge. However, as technologies have evolved, they also aimed at contributing to the enhancement of education,finding new ways of helping teachers to teach better and students to grasp the information better and this will continue hopefully over the years and fingers-crossed will become more widespread.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, these new technology tools makes lectures more interesting in terms of illustrations and animations but is not always affordable and as a matter of fact the author is right to say that the pedagogy is still teacher-centered! Instead of innovative technology, instructions techniques which would arouse the pleasure of learning in students should be developped so that they do not go to school just for the sake of learning to pass the exams but to retain the concepts to be able to later apply these things later.
ReplyDelete