Tech_in_Classroom

There, I said it. And with these words, I am jumping with both feet into a debate that has alternately raged and simmered since computers first began appearing in schools in the 1980s. The debate was reignited recently when Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), online courses designed for large-scale global participation, became one of the hottest topics in education.

Technology can open doors, expand minds, and change the world. That may be true, but it's not the panacea that it's been made out to be. As much innovation as the iPad may bring to the classroom, it's not going to replace a teacher anytime soon.

Recently, Jon Samuelson and I were having a conversation and he asked me, "What do you see as the big 'game changer' in education?" I hate this question (as I think Jon does as well).

I had a conversation with a parent a few weeks back during which she said something like this: My husband and I are worried about how prevalent screens are in our children's lives. We are striving to maintain some balance between screen time and other time for our kids.

This is a bit of a rant... This morning I was pinged on a tweet sharing the article, " Why new technologies could never replace great teaching". For some reason, I was up early and read the article and then was WIDE AWAKE. Along with the author, I have a strong belief in the teaching profession.

At a recent British Council debate, Is teaching obsolete?, executive headteacher Pamela Wright, called for caution around technology in teaching. Here is a transcript of her argument. I am a passionate believer in the teaching profession.