Can teachers be replaced by technology in the future?

Can teachers be replaced by technology in the future?
With the rise of technology happening as we speak causing a rapid and irreversible change (John, & Wheeler, 2008), this is something that many teachers and professionals are concerned about and are dubious as to whether they want these devices in their classrooms for fear they may take the place of teachers in the near future (Abbott, 2001). We will look into how technology may do this but also what it may be missing without the teachers there.
A very successful and effective study was carried out in a 3rd world country, where digital devices are not used as much as here in the UK for example, without a teacher or any supervision there present. It is called the ‘Hole in the Wall' study and involved leaving a computer with built in educational games in a high poverty area. The children that interacted with these computers were able to pick up skills to operate a computer even if they hadn’t seen one before and self-instruct and motivate themselves to learn new things on their own. This indicates that children can be effective self-regulating learners with just the addition of technology and the right resources (Dangwal, & Gope, 2011). This just shows how effective technology can be in a short amount of time in progressing a child’s learning and access to education even in the most deprived areas of the world (Tooley, 2000). 
However on the other hand, teachers facilitate an area for not just learning facts and information to be carried out, but as a safe environment for children to experience new things and to play. This is an important thing for children to do as play is children’s means of assimilating the world, making sense of their experience to make it part of themselves (Play Wales, 2014). They will also have guaranteed social interactions both with peers and older adults whilst at school, something thing they may not experience in their home life and is essential for their development in many skills to progress.
A way to successfully integrate both having a teacher present and the use of technology efficiently is using a Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework. This attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching, while addressing the complex, multifaceted and situated nature of teacher knowledge. At the heart of the TPCK framework, is the complex interplay of three primary forms of knowledge: Content (CK), Pedagogy (PK), and Technology (TK)(Kadijevich, (2012). The TPCK approach goes beyond seeing these three knowledge bases in isolation. On the other hand, it emphasizes the new kinds of knowledge that lie at the intersections between them. Having a true technology integration is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three components of knowledge (Hechter, 2012). This would be the ideal for a teacher to do, to effectively integrate technology into their teaching.
However, Our world is changing rapidly so much so that we will not have the luxury of having centuries or even decades to recognise, design and develop new lessons of value to children. And so the skills that were recognised for decades, which were important then, only apply for the past and present and are not guaranteed to be of use for the foreseeable future (Lichtman, 2014). When the national curriculum was devised in the 1988 Education Reform Act, technology wasn't considered to be as important as the advances that we have today didn't exist then and so curriculums weren't designed to feature it (Welsh Government, 2014).
Although, another way which has opened up the access to higher education, is the option to study virtually and learn from a distance with The Open University. This depends on self-motivation and self-paced learning but still gets great results and people are able to gain a access to higher level education, gain a valuable degree and professional skills who might not have been able to attend university due to their own circumstances (Cabrera, & Fernández-Ferrer, 2017).
Cost considerations have to taken into account, would it be more expensive to buy new equipment or software for every single classroom or pupil or to keep it as it is now and just integrate the technology effectively? A teacher does more than just ‘teach’ the subjects to the children. They set the tone of their classrooms, build a warm environment, mentor and nurture students, become role models, and listen and look for signs of trouble. Even with the increasing rise of technology in education, a teacher and everything they provide couldn’t be replaced or copied, as they are as unique as the pupils they are teaching and supporting.


References:
Abbott, C. (2001) ICT: changing education, London: RoutledgeFalmer
Cabrera, N. and Fernández-Ferrer, M. (2017) Examining MOOCs: A Comparative Study among Educational Technology Experts in Traditional and Open Universities, Available online at: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cardiffmet.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfview er?vid=4&sid=6f982a90-7fc4-4ec3-87b1-334adbc5e0b4%40sessionmgr4007 (Accessed on 6thMay 2019).
Dangwal, R. & Gope, S. (2011) Indian adaptation of Motivated Strategy Learning Questionnaire in the context of Hole-in-the-wall, Available online at: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cardiffmet.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfview er?vid=7&sid=21318c4e-c1fc-44e1-b573-f29a8692dbc5%40sessionmgr103
Hechter, R. Phyfe, L. & Vermette, Laurie A. (2012) Integrating Technology in Education: Moving the TPCK Framework towards Practical Applications. Education Research and Perspectives, P.136–152.
John, P. & Wheeler, S. (2008) The digital classroom: harnessing technology for the future of learning and teaching, London: Routledge.
Kadijevich, D. (2012) TPCK framework: assessing teachers' knowledge and designing courses for their professional development. British Journal of Educational Technology, P.E28–E30.
Lichtman, G. (2014) #EdJourney: A Roadmap to the Future of Education, Available online at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cardiffmet/reader.action?docID=1767441(Accessed on 6thMay 2019).
Play Wales, (2014) What is Play? Available online at: https://learn.cardiffmet.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/817972/mod_resource/content/1/what%20is%20play%20and%20why%20is%20it%20important.pdf (Accessed on 6thMay 2019).
Tooley, J. (2000) Education: The “Hole in the Wall” Column, Available online at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cardiffmet.ac.uk/login.aspx?direct=true&d b=buh&AN=4336148&site=ehost-live (Accessed on 6thMay 2019).
Welsh Government (2014) ‘Frequently asked questions Curriculum for Wales: revised Areas of Learning and programmes of study’. Available online at:http://learning.gov.wales/docs/learningwales/publications/150109-revised-aol-pos- faq.pdf (Accessed on 2nd May 2019).

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