In the advent of technology, learning has been revolutionized in ways that have never been witnessed before. The traditional philosophy of education that was mainly centered through teacher student education is facing a possible extinction within a short period. Currently, students can learn virtually everywhere, anytime of the day and to details as they deem fit.
The modern learner is exposed to a lot of information and thus, the learner may not require the input of the teacher. Does this mean that the teachers shall be rendered redundant? This is possible if the teachers are not technically updated and be able to fully utilize the technological platforms in learning. But, the information is wide and scattered. It is on this basis that teachers should be used to helping learners to learn through a particular field, though unlimitedly, but with definite results.
There are attempts to integrate technological advancements in the education system. This has been mainly done in a way that places the old curriculum on a technological platform without actually changing it. This is not helpful. A complete shift to student guided, participatory and discovery learning can only be achieved through, liberation from the old curriculum and philosophy of education. In fact, literacy in the current world cannot be fully defined without one mentioning technological knowledge and its aspects. The same applies to the definition of being educated. It is possible for learners to fully educate themselves without reference to the old classroom structures and teachers. This necessitates the need to prepare learners in earlier ages not to only to colleges, but also to learn independently.
Therefore, student in the modern world must be able to use sophisticated technological devices that are connected during learning. This is the only sure way to prepare then to be able to compete effectively with those who have the devices. However, attention should not be on the devices, but on the way the devices are used to learn and apply the information obtained. This has to accompany a lot of ethics of education to make the learners responsible.
References
Will Richardson (2013. Putting technology first—simply adding a layer of expensive tools on
top of the traditional curriculum—does nothing to address the new needs of modern learners. Technology-Rich Learning Pages 10-14.
