Education Reform: Can Technology Replace Teachers?
Quality debated as districts tap tech over teachers
By Ian Quillen, Published Online: August 7, 2012
Published in Print: August 8, 2012, as When Technology Tools Trump Teachers
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
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Of all the recent budget cuts made by the Eagle County, Colo., school districtâthe loss of 89 staff jobs through attrition and layoffs, a 1.5 percent across-the-board pay cut, and the introduction of three furlough daysânone sparked as much anger or faced the same scrutiny as the decision to cut three foreign-language teaching positions and replace them with online instruction.
At a spring school board meeting, supporters of the targeted programs in French and German, as well as the affected teachers, railed against the 6,200-student district for replacing face-to-face instructors with a digital option they argued would not be as rich or as meaningful.
The highly charged response reflects the fear many teachers are beginning to feel that technology could push them out of their jobs, especially in an era of persistently tight budgets.
TomMcDonald’s Comments:
Educationally Innovative technology will help teachers work smarter, not harder
The goal is effective and efficient, long term, individual student learning, of critical must know information.
Where individual long term, learning, = Instructor Facilitated, Appropriate: initial understanding, ongoing reinforcement, fluency/mastery, recall (eliminating forgetting), application, stick/behavior change, in the most effective and most efficient way possible
Brain based, research proven, classroom proven learning methodologies solidly point towards a new long term learning model:
(1) Instructor facilitated, truly personalized, learning methodology, over time, (2) with instructor facilitated, truly personalized, reinforcement, over time, (3) in an instructor facilitated, truly personalized blended learning environment, over time
Ask any teacher and they agree that the ideal model is one teacher to one student.
If teacher facilitated, truly personalized learning technology, in a blended learning environment, is the most effective and most efficient way to empower each student with long term, truly personalized learning, shouldn’t everyone involved think it’s a great idea?
Is this not consistent with organization objectives, proven learning research and optimized student learning outcomes?
Great teachers will be bettered with appropriate, truly personalized learning technology and will empower students with advanced, long term learning outcomes.
Poor teachers will need to become better or be repositioned, consistent with defined, organization/student strategic objectives.
Resisting teacher facilitated, research proven, classroom proven, advanced, individual long term learning outcomes, supplemented by proven learning technology, is inconsistent with organization/employer outcomes and does not advance individual student learning outcomes.
Is there a another, affordable, effective and efficient research proven, classroom proven, option to advance individual student learning outcomes?
I’d be interested in knowing (with supporting research validation)
Tom
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To Discuss how these Solutions will add value for you, your organization and/or your clients, Affinity/Resale Opportunities, and/or Collaborative Efforts, Please Contact:
Tom McDonald, tsm@centurytel.net; 608-788-5144; Skype: tsmw5752
