Category: Education

Technology has transformed the education system today, especially in developed countries. It has changed the pedagogical methods in education, where teachers are slowly moving away from the traditional blackboard teaching to using computers. Technology has also influenced the way students learn and have reduced their dependence on teachers as their mentors. Written assessments are also slowly being replaced by computerized assessments. Therefore, some are of the opinion that technology has changed the face of education significantly. On the flip side, critics have claimed that technology remains an additional tool to educate and the traditional methods of teaching and learning remain largely unchanged. While it is true that technology has changed the face of education, it is not to say that traditional methods of teaching and learning have become obsolete.

[The question is TWE, so you have to show the extent in the intro. Based on your hook and overview, seems like you agree that tech has changed the face of education. The last sentence is not needed unless you disagree, then your first 5 sentences have to be changed.]

Technology has changed the way students learn. In the past, students generally derive their knowledge from their teachers and schools. However, today, more students are becoming less reliant on their teachers for knowledge and are instead using technology to do independent learning. Especially in this age where information and knowledge become obsolete quickly, what students learn in school could be outdated. Therefore, technology has allowed students to derive up-to-date information more easily and have diminished the traditional role of teachers as mentors. With more schools being equipped with tablet computers and e-readers, students can engage in online learning using MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) such as the Khan Academy. There has also been a rising trend of students using their mobile phones in class to search for information. Furthermore, with the ‘Teach Less, Learn More’ initiative in schools in Singapore, teachers are required to teach less while students do independent research work. However, even though it is true that students are moving away from relying on their teachers for knowledge and are becoming more open to using technology, one has to recognise that this shift is still less significant in schools today. This is due to the fact that there is still a significant dependence on schools and teachers in providing fundamental knowledge to students. Furthermore, information that students access to online could be inaccurate or excessive, which could instead debilitate students’ learning rather than allowing them to learn more. Therefore, while it is true that technology has contributed to a change in the way students learn, it is not to say that this shift is so significant that teachers’ role as a knowledge provider has become obsolete.

[To show a further link, you can show that just as tech has changed the face of business, similarly, a new pool of knowledge workers has to be trained in school to meet the demands of industry].

Technology has changed the way teachers teach today. Teachers today are slowly moving away from the traditional blackboard to the use of technology in their teaching. For example, in a recent 2013 survey conducted by the PBS LearningMedia, 71% of school teachers in the United States have used tablet computers or e-readers in their classrooms. The use of technology has allowed teachers to respond to a variety of learning styles known as VARK(Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, Kinesthetic). For example, web-based educational games provide hands-on activities for kinesthetic learners, while interactive whiteboards allow visual learners to learn better. This move to a less didactic teaching environment has also allowed for more classroom discussions. While these are encouraging signs of change in the way teachers teach, it is not to say that traditional blackboard teaching is no longer useful. Traditional blackboard teaching is still useful in today’s education system as it is a simple and convenient method of teaching. Therefore, technology should not be viewed as a replacement but more of a complement to traditional blackboard teaching. One also has to be aware that technology serves as a tool to assist teaching and should not become a teaching crutch. Hence, while it is true that teachers are embracing technology as a tool in teaching, traditional methods of teaching still remain relevant today.

[The eval is good. It is important to recognize that these changes are in the developed world, while the developing world battles for tech to be used in different ways, such as soil sample analysis, water pH level reading, new methods of farming, etc]

Technology has also changed the way assessments are carried out and graded. Today, written assessments are slowly being converted to electronic-based assessments, which students can access to using their tablet computers or mobile phones. This has also made it easier for students to detect any plagiarism in their work by using plagiarism checkers available online. Technology has also influenced the way in which teachers mark and grade their students’ work.  For example, Harvard University has recently introduced an automated computerised system that uses artificial intelligence to grade their students’ essays. These signs of change show that technology is slowly replacing written work. However, it is important to recognise that major assessments and examinations are still largely written and the grading of these assessments is still being done by writing. Therefore, electronic-based assessments may apply more for minor examinations and term tests. Hence, even though technology has transformed the written nature of assessments to electronic-based, this transformation is still less significant in schools today.

[Students do not check for plagiarism, the school does. If the student has plagiarized, the student knows – no need to check. What about assessments that cannot use tech?]

Conclusion?