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Computers: A New Tool
is that each generation is using the tools available at that time to help them learn. With each new generation the level and pace of education increases. My oldest niece Ashlee is now learning algebra in the sixth grade, whereas I did not learn it until the eighth grade, and my parents did not learn until perhaps high school. Now I am not saying that today’s kids are smarter than yesterdays, only that they are learning to use the necessary tools they need to survive in their future and omitting those that no longer apply.
Stephen Talbott, author of The Future Does Not Compute, states, “The most critical element in the classroom is the immediate presence and vision of the teacher, his ability to inspire, his devotion to truth and reverence for beauty, his moral dignity--all of which the child observes and absorbs in a way impossible through electronic correspondence.” Although his illusion of the inspiring and moral teacher is a bit unrealistic, I agree that the teacher is the most important element in the education of a child. Computers should not take the place of human interaction between a student and his peers or jeopardize the student-teacher relationship. Students need to interact with their teacher both in class and in private console. Students need some type of one-on-one interaction. They also need to interact with their peers to learn tolerance of diversity in culture. If computers are meant to replace teachers then the education system will fail.
Computers are not intended for that. They are intended to assist the teacher in the development of the child. They are to be used as a tool of instruction such as the chalkboard or the textbook. They are to be used as an amplifier of knowledge that enhances and expands the pupil’s range of information. They are to be used as a parameter of individual capabilities. No longer can the gifted student be held behind by the pace of the rest of the class. They are now free to enhance their growth through the use of computers while still maintaining their connection with their teacher and peers. The struggling student can also benefit by not being afraid to ask questions for fear of ridicule. The computer does not judge.
The teacher is also free to interact with each individual student while they are using the computer, enhancing a one-on-one relationship. A task not easily met with an ever increasing class size where privacy is hard to come by. Privacy can be met not only after school or outside of class but now during as well as the teacher can now be connected to each student’s computer and offer advice and instructions. The teacher can also give specialized attention to those who need it and know which students need it by investigating the progress of each student’s interaction with the computer. Their progress can be found almost instantaneously with accurate reports being made to the teacher on a day to day basis. This completely nullifies the problem [next page]