Will robots replace teachers?

That was the provocative question asked by Scott McLeod, a

leading voice in educational technology, at an international

conference earlier this year.

Written by Suzie Boss for Edutopia. Journalist and PBL advocate

I remember the growing discomfort among participants at my

table as he shared example after example of what machines are

smart enough to do already. Most of us agreed that computers

have the edge when it comes to processing tasks and work that

can be automated. But how about computers that can produce

original artwork? Check. Write coherent essays? Check. Forge

emotional connections with humans? Check.

What's Not Working

Meanwhile, our existing educational technology has failed to

produce desired learning outcomes, according to a recent

international report from the Organization of Economic

Cooperation and Development.

Students, Computers, and Learning Making the Connection

concludes that investments in classroom technology are

yielding "no appreciable improvements in student achievement

in reading, mathematics, or science." What's more, the study

found technology to be of little help in "bridging the skills divide

between advantaged and disadvantaged students." And then

there was this headline-grabber: "Students who use computers

very frequently at school do worse than their peers."

If machines are smarter than ever, why can't we seem to

leverage them for better learning outcomes?

Author and global education expert Yong Zhao offers some

insights in a new book, Never Send a Human to do a Machine's

Job: Correcting the Top 5 Edtech Mistakes. He suggests that we

suffer from "cyclic amnesia," forgetting to learn from previous

efforts to integrate technology for learning. The tools keep

changing -- from filmstrips to cable television to web tools --

but the results remain flat, at best, if we only substitute new

tools for old tasks.

One problem, Zhao argues, is that we haven't thought hard

enough about redefining the relationship between teacher and

tools. In a recent Washington Post blog post, Five Big Mistakes

in Education Technology and How to Fix Them, Zhao explains

why it's a mistake to think of technology as a teacher

substitute:

"Teachers do not need to control technology as simply a

teaching tool to enhance instruction. Instead they should

relinquish some of their teaching responsibilities to

technology and shift their energy to do things that

technology cannot do. This calls for a re-

conceptualization of the relationship as a partnership

between teachers and technology."

What might this look like?

Smarter Tech Moves

The OECD report offers this suggestion: "If we want students to

become smarter than a smartphone, we need to think harder

about the pedagogies we are using to teach them."

Experiential learning, project-based learning, and other inquiry

approaches are among the strategies that put learners in the

role of active participants, according to OECD. Similarly, Zhao

suggests students use technology as "a tool for creating and

making authentic products," rather than merely consuming

information or performing rote tasks.

Tech tools to support these instructional strategies can range

from simulations to social media to serious games. Both

teaching and learning are enhanced by tools that deliver real-

time formative assessment, foster collaboration and digital

citizenship, personalize learning, and enable student creativity.

So, how can you think smarter about educational technology in

your classroom? Here are a couple resources to help:

Consider SAMR: Dr. Rueben Puentedura developed the SAMR

model to help teachers evaluate whether they are using

technology to Substitute, Augment, Modify, or Redefine

learning experiences. Learn more about SAMR in this video

from Common Sense Media.

Tools for PBL: In project-based learning, you might leverage a

number of tech tools at different times during a project, and for

different purposes. This crowdsourced document captures

suggestions from an ISTE workshop earlier this year.

Participants suggested a wide range of tools to deepen learning

across the arc of the PBL experience, from launch event to final

reflection. Gather some new ideas or add your own suggestions

for tools that help you teach smarter.

Will robots ever replace teachers?

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