Will Computer Replaces Teacher?

The development of computer technology produced numerous e-learning programs as the tool to help teaching and learning process. People have figured out how many of the routine lecturing activities can be done more efficiently using computers. For example, lecture by teacher recorded once can be made available to students all over the world on their computer through the Internet. Moreover, there are many ways to deliver the lecture in interactive ways also. Therefore, some people think that computers will replace teachers in classrooms. Personally, I completely disagree with this opinion because of the following reasons.

            First, as it is well known, the e-learning programs are fixed and limited since it were software designed by programmers. Therefore, they do not provide sufficient knowledge that cover students’ need. The teaching software can only provide students with the same basic knowledge at the same time. However, there are various levels of students. Different students have different intelligence, and their understanding abilities vary from person to person. Computer only provides a single way explanation while there are some students who need a further explanation and various ways of explanation. Therefore, teacher can’t be replaced by computers since it obviously failed in covering the students’ ability variation.

            Second, active knowledge is paramount for the students. Teachers who had many years’ education and have rich teaching experience can provide students with flexible teaching methods. While computers programs can’t since it was fixed program. The various kinds of subject knowledge that reflect active research fields should be engaged in teaching. It needs teachers to disseminate their recent research results into their teaching. Even the reality is that a computer program may also been updated by the recent research of teachers. However, how many teachers that may do this kind of project? That’s why recent researches that disseminated into teaching and learning by a teacher are more efficient and recommended.

            Last but not the least, the duty of teacher is not only to teach the students the portions in the syllabus. Teacher plays the role of a parent, a guide & even a good friend. Teachers can play a good role in overall development of a child which a mindless computer can't. Moreover, if students always face computers, it will be very tiring. They may feel bored and lose interests. The gestures, facial expressions and tones of teachers will help students to understand knowledge easily.      

            The conclusion is computers are helpful in teaching and learning process, but it is impossible for computers to replace teachers.

Google “Stupidifies” Us?

“When we are googling, we have saved our time in finishing our paper, essay or even research since Google helps us a lot. However, did Google’s help spoil us?

This first question is not about a technical or policy issue on the Internet or even how people use the Internet, but an unsupported risk to human intelligence and methods of inquiry. Usually, questions about how technologies affect our learning or practice really concern our values and how we choose technologies, not the technology itself. And that's the basis on which I address such questions. I am not saying technology is neutral, but that it is created, adopted, and developed over time in a dialog with people's desires.

I respect the questions posed by Nicholas Carr in his Atlantic article although it's hard to take such worries seriously when he suggests that even the typewriter could impoverish writing and would like to relieve his concerns. The question is all about people's choices. If we value introspection as a road to insight, if we believe that long experience with issues contributes to good judgment on those issues, if we (in short) want knowledge that search engines don't give us, we'll maintain our depth of thinking and Google will only enhance it.

What search engines do is provide more information, which we can use either to become amateurs (Carr's worry) or to boost our knowledge around the edges and do fact-checking while we rely mostly on information we've gained in more vigorous ways for our core analyses. Google frees the time we used to spend pulling together the last 10% of facts we need to complete our research. I read Carr's article when The Atlantic first published it, but I used a Google search to pull it back up and review it before writing this response. That’s why, Google is my friend J

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Social Relations: Online vs Offline

Have you ever heard that someone who is “hyperactive” (read: exist) in social networking often revealed as a “standard” (read: normal) or even ignorant person in the real life?

Some people worry about losing touch with friends and family if they too focus on social networking. Then, I personally don’t worry about that problem. I think we'll continue to honor the human needs that have been hard-wired into us over the millions of years of evolution. I do think technologies ranging from email to social networks can help us make new friends and collaborate over long distances.

However, I do worry that social norms aren't keeping up with technology. For instance, it's hard to turn down a "friend" request on a social network, particularly from someone you know, and even harder to "unfriend" someone. We've got to learn that these things are OK to do. And we have to be able to partition our groups of contacts as we do in real life (College, Family, Best friends etc.). More sophisticated social networks will probably evolve to reflect our real relationships more closely, but people have to take the lead and refuse to let technical options determine how they conduct their relationships. Therefore, we are recommended to use social networking as long as we become the controller of our own relationship and not become controlled by the social networking.

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Girls’ Phobia on ICT: Reality or Perception?

“Have you ever been taught by an ICT teacher which is women? The result is 1:4 for the respondents who say yes oppose to say no.”

     In the early years of the Internet, the typical user was young, male and most likely to be American. In the last ten years, the picture has changed significantly, with women representing a larger proportion of internet users, at a range of different ages. However there is still concern among both governments and the ICT industry that most of girls are ICT Phobia – is this reality, or just perception?

ICT activities: boys vs girls

Research reveals that girls and women use computer technology widely but in different ways to boys and men. DiDio (1996) and Brimmer (1997) found that girls use ICT for social reasons such as chatting and meeting people whereas boys tend to be more interested in playing games, hacking and learning about technology.  Girls are keener on creative technologies for artistic expression.

Educational achievement in ICT between girls and boys

There is very little difference between boys and girls in terms of achievement in ICT studies, although their self-perception is different. Girls tend to understate their skills whereas boys usually overestimate their competence. It is according to a research conducted by Infodev on “Women and ICT: Why are girls still not attracted to ICT studies and careers?” at secondary school level.

Girls often report that they enjoy studying ICT. In countries where girl is not enjoy studying ICT, it is typically due to an over-emphasis on pure programming skills in the curriculum which is kind of programming which is typically less attractive to girls compared to e.g. multimedia skills.

The causes of the problem

Girls, compared to boys, are more influenced by role models in their environment whether ‘close’ role models such as parents, teachers and family or ‘distant’ role models such as famous actresses and musicians. It is clear that the lack of ICT oriented role models is a discouraging factor for girls.

Another key issue is that parents, school guidance counselors and teachers lack knowledge of ICT studies and careers: they thus do not encourage students who express interest in such areas, as they perceive ICT as a field where there are good career opportunities for girls.

How ICT subjects are taught in schools also has a major impact on girls’ attitudes towards these subjects, according to Newmarch, Taylor-Steele and Cumpston (2000) who found that girls considered ICT subjects to be too theoretical, rigidly structured and boring. Girls in the study commented that they found working on individual projects to be less rewarding and satisfying than working on group projects.

The interesting point is that some popular movie show women actively engaged with computer technology depict them as encountering danger or harassment as a result of their technology use. For example, Sandra Bullock in The Net and Sigourney Weaver in Copycat are both victimized on account of their use of computers (Rowan, Knobel, Bigum and Lankshear, 2002).

What can teachers do?

·        Introduce students to a wide variety of computing applications in order to develop an appreciation of the possible uses of computers (e.g. using ICT tools as part of language lessons).

·        Dispel inaccurate images of computers and IT careers through direct experience with positive role models. schools (e.g. through inviting guest speakers in schools, or visiting local IT company facilities/university departments).

·         Explain explicitly to students the connections between ICT subject content and the world of work.

·         Integrate computer use across the curriculum to invite more girls into technology through a broad range of subjects.

·        Communicate to students the information that all jobs in the future will involve the use of more and more ICT.

·         Challenge and critique stereotypes about gender and ICT, involve more female IT professionals and female IT students in careers activities

·        Build informal ICT activities, such as computer clubs, alongside the school curriculum that give young people the space to ‘play’ with ICT.

Is There Any Power in The Powerpoint?

"Please make a group of three and pick one of the topic in the module. Tomorrow, we'll have a group presentation..." 

    Have you ever heard those sentences? Of course, that are a saying that we often heard in our classroom in every subject. Even it become a 'favourite proverb' of all lecturer nowadays, don't you agree? Then, when we heard the word presentation, we always assume that it is a 'powerpoint' presentation. While in fact, presentation could be in a poster or even a piece of a4 paper. The issue of technology integration create a presentation stereotyping as a powerpoint presentation.

    We cannot said that powerpoint is useless or ineffective since there are a lot of evidences that support powerpoint as an effective and interactive teaching aid. It makes the teaching learning easier, because the teacher just only click the mouse or remote in their hand and the students who is 'anti-writing' could easily copy the slide after the session. Powerpoint also help the learning process since the powerpoint may provide animation and music.

    All of those things above are something that we already know even well-known in the some of our subject such as Multimedia Production, Technology Language Learning etc. Now, let's put off that usual 'hat' and now let's put a new hat which is a 'critical hat'. Have you ever yawned while your lecturer give their material in powerpoint presentation? Or have you think that it's better to have an activity in spite of sit and look at the powerpoint slide? I think almost all of us feel that both of those question are facts. A study published in the April issue of British Educational Research Journal found that 59 percent of students in a new survey reported that at least half of their lectures were boring, and that PowerPoint was one of the dullest methods they saw. Moreover, based on my 'mini oral research' that i conducted about the most boring event in their university is seminar which is presented by powerpoint presentation by someone that known as a great people called 'professors'.

    Dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, José A. Bowen, challenge his teacher to 'teach naked' which means teaching without computer. He said that he wants to discourage professors from using PowerPoint, because they often lean on the slide-display program as a crutch rather using it as a creative tool. He also contends that class time should be reserved for discussion. "Now the students can download lectures online and find libraries of information on the Web." 

    It doesn't mean that we have to be anti-technology! As a intellectual students, we've to think of the solution isn't it? Ok, now we have find out the weaknesses of powerpoint. Then, when we are think it deeply, we'll find out that the matter in here is not the powerpoint but the presenter/teacher/lecturer itself! The students are bored because of the presenter only read the slide without give any creative activity to encourage the learner motivation. Therefore the most important things are the presenter itself. Too much relying on the powerpoint is not recommended. Thus, Iam personally as prospective english teacher would like to say that instead of become the old-fashioned powerpoint user, let's become the advanced powerpointer to enhance the teaching learning process!

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