I am the kind of person that wants to think that tools are not good or bad per se. I believe that it is what you decide to do with these tools that defines if an action is correct and the outcome is positive or not. Also, we should debate what is positive and good before that, anyways...

We are in a digital era, and I think that we live in a reality where the debate about if technology is good or bad is just noise, and it does not offer value anymore. I think the debate should go beyond whether the technology is helping/improving the learning process.

As a society, we have achieved a level of technology where robots and AI are part of our routine. It is not science fiction anymore. Because of that, teachers and professionals of education should be discussing what we do with that. What is the development we want to see in the education field?

This week's topic has been really interesting for me, because I believe that metacognition is a fundamental way to improve. It is the process that allows ourselves to think about the process and see the development. Think about the what, how and why, important questions that we need to solve when we are talking about the teaching-learning process. As the professor Kalantzis says “Why does it matter that we do encourage learners to be reflective about their thinking, and reflective about their practices? Well we are preparing them for the real world.” In that way, for me, it is so important to talk about the role of the teacher in this new paradigma.

I was in my last year of uni when I heard about Sugata Mitra and his project of The Hole in the Wall. He has been trying to prove why teachers are necessary in the learning process, and if they can actually be replaced.

With the level of technology we have nowadays, it seems very close a reality where teachers are replaced by robots or an AI. In the article of Neil Selwyn: Robots in the Classroom? Preparing for the automation of teaching he opens the debate to see if classrooms are ready to incorporate robots.

My question is, teachers need to be replaced? Are teachers actually needed anymore? I mean, do we want to use the new technology and automated artificial intelligence to replace the traditional teacher role? What is the point of that?

In my opinion, the traditional teacher figure, that sadly is the most common kind of teacher we find, is not actually offering anything interesting. I would say that the teachers that enter a class and teach only a bunch of details, dates, or concepts are not the good ones. We all could agree that these teachers can actually be replaced by books and reading, no need for robots or high level AI. So, what do we want to automate exactly?

In my opinion, the elements that describe a good teacher cannot be replaced by any machine. I think that a good educator is the one that guides the process of learning, not the one who actually gives anything. I believe that teachers are facilitators. We are responsible to create the environment where the learning process can be developed, respecting the timing and path of each student. Can this be done by a robot?

Also, why would we use AI to teach something in particular? Let’s say, history for example. Why do we want to use the latest technology to explain when an important event happened, when this information is already available for the students in seconds, in their hands?

Are we actually using the new resources to improve and make a change of the way we learn and what we learn?

I have re-watched an old tedTalk of Sugata Mitra and the child-driven education concept. After this week readings and watching the video I would summarize some ideas:

“Good teachers” are not where they are needed the most.
Children (and I would say, everyone) learn what they are interested about it.
If a teacher can be replaced by a machine, then they must be replaced.
Learning happens when there is interest.
If information is on the Internet, why do I want it in my head?
Motivation, encouragement, support and love as the fundamental elements of the learning process.
We can learn by ourselves, but the information is retained when we discuss and interact with other people.

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Reference:

Macfarlane, B. (2015). Student performativity in higher education: converting learning as a private space into a public performance. Higher Education Research & Development. 34 (2): 338-350.

Persico, D., & Steffens, D. (2017) Self-Regulated Learning in Technology: Enhanced Learning Environments. In Duval, E., Sharples, M. & Sutherland, S. (Eds). Technology Enhanced Learning: Research Themes. New York: Springer. Pp 115 – 126.

Popenici, S, & Kerr, S. (2017). Exploring the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning in higher education. Research and practice in technology enhanced learning. 12 (22): 1 – 13