Teachers and Technology
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Learning through Whiteboard.fi; a collaborative teaching and learning tool
Much light has been
shed upon the challenges that are existing due to technological transformation in the
field of education, ever since the pandemic has cast its rage upon the world. Seamless
focus has been on the student and their career prospects. To disseminate
knowledge and remain connected with students, is the prime goal of the Education
Industry. But what about the teachers? Has attention been paid to the opinion of those teachers who are awestruck with the
overflow of technology and grappling to keep pace with the rapid changes? A survey that was conducted to get an insight into the
reaction of teachers on this regard highlighted that teachers face several
challenges. Did the findings reflect a positive attitude of the teaching
fraternity? Take a look !
It is true that e-learning
has become a crucial aspect of the educational system, and is constantly
gaining momentum, nevertheless, the challenges faced by the teachers in being
acquainted to the e-learning, pedagogy, cannot be overlooked. Teachers’ plight if shadowed, may affect the effective dissemination of knowledge and result in a learning loss.
A survey through a
questionnaire accentuated the opinion of teachers handling students at the
tertiary level. According to the teachers, the shift is seen not only from
board to screen, but also in the assessment process, the attendance updates,
and above all, the human connectivity. In such a scenario, where there is an
information bloom and knowledge explosion, teachers have to supplement their
teaching methodology with technology and equip themselves with advanced Information and Communication Technology Tools (ICT). Most of the respondents mentioned that they faced a challenge in
familiarising themselves with a different software after every three months for
grading, assessment and attendance. Furthermore, imparting practical knowledge to students
in an online teaching mode is limited. When the teachers acquaint themselves with a particular
software, it is time for a change of software. The software by Start-up
companies, which intelligently collect feedback from clients to improvise their
product, gives little respite to the users. This leads to excessive dependency
on the unprofessional platform for professional correspondence, like Whatsapp groups. Miscommunication and insecurity becomes inevitable in these circumstances. As
the students have access to teachers’ numbers, teachers are flooded with
messages and calls by students even during the weekends. Though we call it
technology and refer to it as a rather comfortable platform, the manual procedure
is not reduced and it requires much more involvement as compared to the documentations.
The present generation
is enamoured and adept at handling technology. However, a generation of
teachers may not be as well acquainted with technology as the present
generation of students. The outcome of the study revealed that despite the
struggle with embracing new technology, teachers are willing to adapt to the
demands of communication technology. The pandemic has not lowered their work
ethics and mental well being.
Conjuring the fact that technology is here to
stay, teachers have diligently chosen the path of acquiring excellence through
the integration of technology in teaching and learning. The teaching fraternity
has developed a positive attitude towards the implementation of ICT tools and
they have begun to explore innovative ways of imparting knowledge. The interest
and the effort of the educators when amalgamated with well-tested and licensed
software can increase productivity of the faculty and staff. The need of the
hour is a platform that carters to the need of the Institution from the administrative
level to the classroom activity. Software that provides a thorough training to
support teachers in digital teaching and learning would connect the Institution
more than the islands of software, which fails to integrate all the
requirements. Moreover, by adopting the set norms for the flow of information through technology,
Institutions can mitigate the risk of hacker’s intervention.
A popular quote by
Henry Adams, “Teachers affect eternity; they can never tell where their influence
stops,” is apt for the current situation where teachers have gathered momentum
and surpassed the expectations of teaching online. Since technology is here to
endure, it is important to groom teachers to make use of innovative tools for
imparting practical knowledge with the help of a licensed and well-tested
platform that comprehensively caters to the needs of the Institution.
Dr Shashi Prabha
Nagendra
Assistant
Professor
BNM Institute
of Technology
19-7-2021
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