Computers are being used more and more in education and so there will soon be no role for the teacher in education.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
It is argued that IT is playing an ever increasing role in schools and universities and one day teachers will be obsolete. It is disagreed that technology will one day replace educators. This essay will discuss, firstly the limitations of technology in education and secondly, the essential role teachers play in maintaining discipline in the classroom, followed by a reasoned conclusion.
Technology may be able to help students with some things but it has many limitations. I.T. can not educate people as effectively as real human beings because computers can not detect things such as context, emotions and how an individual learns. A prime example is language learning, in which teachers need to explain not only individual words but how these words work in different situations. However, there may come a time in the very distant future when computers are able to carry out these tasks.
Computers are also unable to ensure good classroom management. A computer may be able to provide a student with lots of information, but it will not be able to motivate or discipline students when they display unacceptable behaviour. For instance, unruly students could simply switch the device off and do nothing for the rest of the class. Nevertheless, this may not be a problem for highly motivated adult students.
In conclusion, it is not likely that electronic devices will replace teachers in the future because of current limitations in technology and the requirement for teachers to maintain good behaviour in the classroom. It is predicted that computers will play an ever increasing role in the classroom but will never fully replace humans.
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