The Answer for Schools Is Not More Technology. It’s Teachers and Human Connection.

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. The Answer for Schools Is Not More Technology. It’s Teachers and Human Connection.
Danielle Arnold-Schwartz, EdSurge, 2019/12/26
This item hits all the right buttons but it's fundamentally wrong. Yes, business-minded people thing of ed tech as a way to save money. Yes it's true that in many cases people need a human connection. Yes it's true that education is a core requirement for democracy. But it does not follow that "We need educational technology that puts highly trained teachers at the center of product design and implementation." And it does not follow that we should "forget the efforts to appeal to fiscal reforms." We need to lower costs, if education is to reach seven billion people. And there are many ways to create the necessary human connections without requiring teachers - our friends, family, co-workers, peers, mentors and online community are all made of people, and in many cases in a much better place to help us learn. More...