Not long ago, I read about whether tablets should replace textbooks and the role of technology in relation to student development. While I may seem a bit old fashioned, I still believe that traditional methods are better than modern methods.
Just because there are various trends of implementing technology in various fields like health and transportation, it does not mean that education needs to follow that path. I recently read that traditional education have certain snags like putting emphasis on examinations rather than actually understanding the concept and while this might be true, we cannot rely on technology to help us understand as then we will be putting our future in the hands of technology. If this happens, there will be no place for photographers, artists or any of the people who follow their instincts, rather than technology.
The idea of using tablets in classrooms may seem exciting at first as it is a new way of teaching and students will feel exhilarated about this until it becomes old and just like any other textbook. A teacher is like a second mother, so instead of relying on technology we should turn to him or her for guidance and that is something that tablets can never achieve. In the book ‘Matilda’ by Roald Dahl, emphasis is placed on the teacher and how she struggled to revamp Matilda’s life. However, times have changed and now, teachers just follow their routine and go home.
The effects of excessive use of technology with education aside are neverending. What about our eyesight and the huge amounts of e-waste that is overflowing? I guess there are far more important problems like developing more technology.
I am not saying that improving technology is a bad thing, but why don’t we start looking beyond what we can see and realise that even though too much darkness can kill, too much light can also blind? Instead of going along with the idea of replacing textbooks with tablets, look before you leap, and make sure that there are no pitfalls.
- The reader is an Indian pupil based in Al Ain.
