Assignment

Role of teacher in digital age

Technology nowadays has entered into every walk of life. In this era of technology, the digital revolution has transformed almost everything from our work at our organizations to our daily routines. It is transforming the way children and young people play, access information, communicate with each other, learn, relearn and unlearn. But now this revolution has profoundly entered in the Education sector and that is also at all levels i.e. school level, College level and 

University level. Now we talk of use of Interactive smart boards, hybrid or blended learning, flipped classrooms and digital libraries etc. during teaching learning processes. Due to this, most 

of the teaching and learning processes in the classrooms these days are changing from autocratic style to democratic or participatory style where learners play an active role. On the other hand, Teachers, Instructors and Higher Faculties are facing unprecedented changes with often larger classes, more diverse students with diverse needs, demands from State, Society and employers who want more accountability and above all, all this with ever changing technology.

To handle change of this nature, the role of a teacher and instructor becomes more challenging and demanding and hence requires attention. Thus the teachers in this ever changing digital era need a good balance of theoretical and practical knowledge to provide a solid foundation for their teaching.

The importance of a teacher in a student’s life has actually grown in today’s digital era, albeit with a few changes in the style of teaching.It is now even more crucial to have teachers guiding students in the right direction when there is so much extraneous influence available at their fingertips. Teachers need to present to children, teenagers, and young adults a correct representation of facts and enable them to distinguish between right and wrong.

Internet, no doubt, is the storehouse of tomes of knowledge. However, it is also the source of evil influences and corrupt practices. The role of the internet in educating students always needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Internet can always be used as a helpful complement to our existing education system but never take on the role of a teacher.That said, we should not rule out the usefulness of technology in education today. Technology helps teachers become more effective knowledge dissipaters. This motivates them to become teachers of the future.

With technology, teachers can make learning more fun and absorbing. Various scenarios can be created to accurately represent what is being taught in class. Students can easily get a holistic picture of how their lessons are used in daily life through the use of technology. This improves engagement and knowledge retention in classrooms.

Teachers can reach far-off places and educate students that are unable to travel by using advances in technology. Online tools can be used to finish assignments and generate group discussions. This fosters collaboration and cooperation among students and teachers in a virtual learning environment.

Further, technology empowers teachers with a plethora of online apps, tools, and techniques. Recent advances in all subjects are readily available on the internet. Simulated online classroom sessions help teachers hone their micro-teaching skills thus, enabling them to perform better in regular classes.

The style of teaching has definitely changed. However, what has remained constant is the need for a good teacher, someone who can give students a strong foundation and infallible character. The internet can only give us bits and pieces of information. A teacher can take this information, make a coherent piece out of it, and present it in a way that the child will understand.

And that is why the importance of a teacher in a student’s life will never diminish. It can only become better with the aid of technology.

Synchronous and asynchronous learning

Electronic learning or e- learning is a generic term for all electronically supported learning which includes an array of teaching and learning tools that use electronic media. There are two types of e- learning :

1) Synchronous

2) Asynchronous

Synchronous learning

Synchronous means "at the same time". It involves interaction of participants with an instructor via the web in real time. For eg: virtual classrooms. Participants interact with each other and instructors through instant messaging, chat, audio and video conferencing etc. Its benifits are :

1) Ability to log or track learning activities

2) Continuous monitoring and correction is possible.

3) Possibilities of global connectivity and collaboration opportunities among learners.

4) Ability to personalise the training for each learner.

Asynchronous learning

Asynchronous means "not at the same time". It allows participants to complete the web based training at their own pace, without live interaction with the instructor. Basically it offers the learners the information they need whenever they need it. It also has interaction amongst participants through message boards, bulletin boards and discussion forms.

Its advantages are :

1) Available 'just in time' for instant learning and reference.

2) Flexibility of access from anywhere at any time.

3) Ability to simultaneously reach an unlimited number of employees

4) Uniformity of content and onetime cost of production.