“I do not fear computers; I fear a lack of them"
Said the visionary science fiction writer and one of the greatest futurists of the twentieth century, Isaac Asimov. Years later, technically this is a statement we all affirm in our minds amidst the daily hassles. Technology has made life simpler, our work faster and ideas revolutionary. Technological innovations have been able to rejuvenate multiple streams of human life in a never before fashion. The birth of computer, the birth of the internet, smartphones and more recently, artificial intelligence are all milestones for the scientists and stepping stones to a better life for ordinary lives. But, everything comes with a price and technology too has its limitations. While connecting us, it has reduced our bonds, it has improved access at the cost of privacy, it has saved time at the expense of procrastination. Are we to blame technology for this or are we to blame our inability to use technology wisely?
Technology has played a humongous role in driving education to a better state than it was a decade before. Today technology has taken learning to a whole new level, where a teacher is no longer a class room's person with a rigid style to ensure diplomacy, but rather, a person who can cater to the individual needs of students.
Digitalization of academic profiles: Instead of the old school methods, modern education system has used technological advances to systematically chart out the academic profiles of students. Many applications like google apps, Edmodo etc are budding up across various parts in India as an alternative or at least as a compliment to the traditional classroom approach.
Multimodal learning: Not everyone learns everything the same way as we are all unique. According to Fleming, learners are of four types- Visual, Auditory, Readers and Kinesthetic. Technological interventions like smart class have made it easier to accommodate the diversity in learning styles in a far better way than the traditional classrooms.
Online classes: Learning is not limited to any educational institution today. In a global scenario, the call of the hour is to help anyone educate themselves at any time. With concepts like the right to internet booming up, online classes and courses is a rising industry that caters to this demand. Several platforms like Coursera, Udemy and even certain channels on YouTube like the Khanacademy are efficiently providing this service. The government of India has also taken up this idea to bring up a website called Swayam which provides free online courses.
An enormous wealth of accessible, free information: Be it Wikipedia pages or be it downloadable pdf versions of public domain books, the internet has all those information in the most readily accessible form, thereby advancing our search in libraries to a higher level of efficiency
Online assessment: Technology has made not just learning, but also assessment quite innovative and efficient. Today not only mere class tests and assignment submissions but also big exams like university entrances and competitive exams like NET are conducted using technological assistance.
Despite all these perks, we are all able to cite the pitfalls and weaknesses of technology. We can speak at length on how eBooks and other online reading platforms have snatched away the old world charm of books. We can accuse technology that helps us to cut, copy and paste for plagiarism and rave about the originality of yesteryears. But the one thing we mustn't forget amidst all this rant is that technology is merely a tool for all these. The hands that operate behind the machines are that of a human being. So, if we fail to use technology, we mustn't turn a blind eye towards our flaws.
An optimal strategy to tackle this issue would be through education. As technology helps in education, it is only through educating people about technology that we can overcome the limitations we face in efficiently using technology. However, knowing more about the technology won't be enough. We should also know about ourselves, our ability to regulate ourselves and the power of self-control. Positive psychology and emerging areas like human factor engineering are working on improving our experiences with technology. In short, we have to be humanly advanced enough to be technologically advanced.
- Ananda Krishnan
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