Technology won't replace teachers, but...

"Technology won't replace teachers, but teachers who use technology will probably replace teachers who don't" 

This was just one of the contentious and thought provoking statements made at Learning Through Technology this week in Glasgow. #LTT2013 was one of two conferences I was invited to speak at this  week. I made my way up to Glasgow after speaking at #LILAC13 in Manchester. The Librarian's Information Literacies Annual Conference was well attended, and just as lively in its dialogue throughout the three days it ran. Both events had several common threads, including the new roles of education professionals, the impact of technology on education and the ways students are appropriating new tools to support their learning.

LILAC was held in the heart of Manchester University, in a well appointed conference centre, where almost 300 library and information professionals gathered for three days to discuss information literacy. As the #lilac13 Twitter stream will reveal, there were lively and protracted debates around the changing nature of library spaces, the nature of knowledge, the future of books and reading, and the impact of digital media. A social event in the spectacular surrounds of the iconic John Rylands Library was a fitting conclusion to Day 1. Day 2 continued with more of the same, and it was refreshing to see so many library and information professionals animatedly discussing their approaches to supporting learning.

LTT2013 took place at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel, and although somewhat smaller, still managed to maintain the relentless pace of dialogue I had already experienced at LILAC. If anything, LTT2013 was even more academic and challenging, thanks largely to the conference chair Mark Stephen, who managed to strike the fine balance between the roles of congenial host and forensic questioner.  Those who presented raised questions around the digital divide, the changing shape of schools, the impact of information and communication technology on learning gain, the ongoing debate about whether schools should filter social media sites, and the use of new and emerging technologies in education. The final session, which culminated in my own keynote, was entitled 'Inspiration and Openness' and featured a live video link to a Scottish school with contributions from the children themselves on science education and technology use. It was truly inspirational to see so many young people engaged and excited with learning science.

One of the main conclusions to emerge from both the Glasgow and Manchester events was that all of us, as learning professionals, need to be able to at least appreciate the potential of technology to transform the learning experience. Most teachers use some technology in the classroom, but how many use it beyond the walls of the classroom? We are not talking about teachers taking technology home for personal use (that should be something most are doing anyway). We are instead alluding to the potential of technology to transcend the boundaries, roles and philosophies of traditional education, and to extend, enrich and enliven learning for all, from the very young, through to lifelong learners.

Another conclusion was that the technology wave is not slowing, and won't go away. Educational institutions need to choose wisely when they are procuring technology, to ensure that they are meeting challenges, not merely buying technology to jump on the bandwagon. One question raised during LTT2013 was whether tablets were going to end up as the latest pile of classroom junk, purchased for the sake of it, without any defined objectives or problems to solve. At the Glasgow event, the Bellshill Academy students did a lot to answer this question, presenting some excellent uses of iPads in their personal and group research. Another question raised at both conferences was around how institutions in all sectors are managing the sudden influx of bring your own technology/device (BYOT or BYOD). If BYOD is implemented, who manages updates, interoperablity and other implementation strategies?

Some very useful examples of technology to solve problems were presented at both conferences, and there were discussions around digital literacy, gamification, mobile learning and digital pedagogical strategies. Much discussion surrounded whether schools should filter content, or make it available for all, with the caveat that teachers and students would have ongoing dialogue about safe and responsible use of the web.

I don't know how many train miles I have travelled this last week, but on reflection, I feel it was worth it.  And as for teachers who don't use technology.... well, you have to ask yourself the question. If you were a headteacher, interviewing new teachers, and there were two candidates of equal standing, but one was digitally literate and the other was not ... who would you appoint?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (modified)


Technology won't replace teachers, but... by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.