The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the use of technology for education purpose. So many traditional approaches have collapsed overnight. The emergency in teaching forced all generations of teachers to try hand on smart devices to interact with their students. Effect of Technology in teaching-learning got well understood and accepted during this time.
Undoubtedly, technology has remained a key feature of the 21st century classroom and the best support to the teachers and learners. Inventions like ‘internet’ has opened the doors of knowledge and information. The rapid changes of the time have changed the definition of life skills and established new thoughts, ideas, goals and interest among the learners. The time has pushed education into ‘teacher centered’ to ‘learner centered’ in its process. The classroom of beliefs has taken off to the wide range of innovative, creative and logical ideas. The University of Houston has listed 21st century life skills in its one of the mass online offering of courses like to apply knowledge to new situations, analyze information, collaborate, solve problems, and make decisions. Utilizing emerging technologies to provide expanded learning opportunities is critical to the success of future generations. Improved options and choices for students will help improve student completion and achievement.
By emphasizing the importance of traditional teaching-learning approaches, one cannot neglect the role of technology in shaping the way of learning. Now it is high time to accept technology as an inevitable part of Education and apply it for preparing students for the future needs. It is very necessary to engage the learners with traditional classroom as well as technology-based interactions. The methods like blended learning must be practiced in the classroom. In its 10th Report, the Premier’s Technology Council (PTC) identified technology and e-learning as central to addressing future skill shortages in the work force, particularly in rural areas of the province. The PTC described “blended learning” – technology-enhanced learning that is both online and, in the classroom, – as an effective approach to enhance education. Blended learning is distinguished from enhanced face to face instruction, as the latter involves constant face to face contact between the students and teacher on the one hand and between the students themselves on the other hand. In addition to that face to face instruction involves the use of modern technology in the classroom including the internet.
Teacher and technology are need of the time. None can be neglected or replaced. Looking at the life skills of this century, it is very much necessary that a learner must be connected with these both. Let’s hope the doors of technology opened up by Covid situation will stay opened and ‘we’ all the teachers will keep entering to re-shape the way we teach.
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