As we move forward in the rapidly changing world of technology, as educators, we must ask ourselves; should we utilize the new tool of technology with our students? Or is technology dumbing down our students?
Going through elementary in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, in some form I heard these famous words from every teacher I had, “You need to know your multiplication facts! You’re not going to walk around with a calculator in your pocket all day now are you!?”
Oh, the irony that statement holds today. It’s just that, we have a whole computer with access to anything we could ever think of that fits into our pockets. So, what is the perfect balance with or without technology?
In my opinion, I do believe as educators we need to keep up with technology. Both teachers and students should know how to use technology efficiently. While some may view this as lazy, I believe if taught correctly, this can be very effective. For example, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic within the education system these days, both in grade school and university. Some look at it as a form of plagiarism while some look at it as another online resource or search engine such as Google. If students learn how to properly utilize this resource in a way to assist in efficiency that stills holds the individual’s own thoughts and voice, then we should be teaching students how to prompt AI correctly to portray their own thoughts, voice, and beliefs.
On the contrary, teaching students the foundations of subject areas are still essential. Students need to still be taught how to critically think for themselves while challenging what they have learned. This is where it gets tricky. With the use of technologies such as AI, this can very easily eliminate that critical thinking aspect that we strive for. So, if a teacher decides to use the tools in their classroom, we need to ensure we are not losing our voices while doing so.
What do you guys think, is using AI a form of cheating? Should we decrease the amount of technology that is being used in the classroom? Interested in hearing what you think!
See you next week!
Zach
