AUGUST 11 — We live in a world which is getting more automated by technology, where manual processes are changing to online and digital methods. The option of choosing the manual way of doing a task is slowly being removed and replaced. Everyone, young or old, must embrace the digital wave, learn new ways, and quickly adapt to a technology-driven world.
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has also proven that being tech-savvy and technology-centric education is crucial and inevitable as the world moves forward. As students who underwent online classes during the pandemic, we had to learn to quickly adapt to new ways of learning when the situation provides no other option. In short, technology is increasingly influential in shaping the way students get educated, but can technology today replace the functions of the traditional school teacher?
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, governments in many countries had to make numerous decisions and changes. For any country, collecting data about the number of new Covid-19 cases, identifying patterns and locations of cases geographically, and communicating this essential information to the public became a priority and crucial in combatting the pandemic. Governments and health ministries had to quickly introduce and apply new technology to reduce the pandemic's impact and do their best to protect the citizens. In Malaysia, we quickly learned the importance of registering for vaccines, how to use the MySejahtera app, how to do a check-in and getting the latest daily updates from the Ministry of Health, wishing that our kampung or taman does not become the next hot spot for positive cases.
One technology trend that occurred during the pandemic was the increase in sales of smartphones due to the importance of MySejahtera. Even our grandfathers and grandmothers had to learn to “scan and check in” using MySejahtera. Otherwise, they would not be allowed to enter shops and buy essential items and ration. Students like me had to learn how to do online learning and Zoom-based classes during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period. Due to online classes, many parents had to buy more tablets and computers to ensure their children could participate in online classes with an Internet connection at home. In short, I believe the Covid-19 pandemic single-handedly accelerated the sales of smartphones, tablets and computers in many countries. Due to this increased usage of smartphones and computers, the average person on the street has become more technologically savvy than ever before.
Today, after the pandemic, the general population in Malaysia continues to embrace the digital wave. More government agencies are taking their services online. Everything can be done online, from renewing your Malaysian passport to paying bills. Students like me now find our peers are well-versed in using computers and smartphones. Especially in urban towns, most secondary students have a smartphone because they need it to access materials online, classroom WhatsApp groups to quickly download notes and create custom Google forms for a specific competition in school. While many schools still do not allow their students to bring phones to school, students use them actively after school hours. Many parents and teachers' WhatsApp and Telegram groups have also become standard practice in all schools. Recently, at the Report Card Day at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Damansara Utama, parents who came to meet their children's teachers had to scan a QR code and fill a short Google form to confirm their attendance in their children's respective classes. The days of manually signing a physical paper-based A4 form may soon be extinct.
While all these changes are good, and being technologically savvy is important, teachers and educators at all levels are another vital group that had to adapt quickly as well. In a typical school, besides teaching in classes and performing administrative duties, teachers also have to respond to many messages on their smartphones and interact with students, parents and other teachers. Students today no longer need to meet a teacher physically to ask them a question. Parents do not have to come physically to school to do the same. Teachers, too, like everyone else, had to embrace technological advancement, and those who needed to become more familiar with smartphones and various communication apps have quickly learnt how to use them.
Just as parents who have to juggle their office or business WhatsApp groups with those for their children, teachers have to do the same. I believe it’s even more difficult for teachers with children who are still studying because they need to pay attention to their children’s school groups and subject WhatsApp groups without neglecting the messages from their student groups. While technology has improved the way we study and learn in many ways, this increasing usage of digital messaging applications, coupled with the expectation for the message recipient to respond quickly, will likely strain almost all teachers. And if we add that students today submit a huge number of electronic documents which need to be marked or digital homework assignments, the modern-day teacher certainly has a lot to do even after school hours.
Our parents keep telling us that when they were young, knowledge was only available from books, and their teacher’s primary role was to educate the students and equip them with sufficient knowledge. Today, with the advancement of technology, students like me find themselves in a world powered by Google, Gemini, CoPilot and Chat AI. When a student asks another student a question about what this assignment is about or how to do this task, most likely, their friend will respond – just Google it! Some students may even argue that the role of the modern-day teacher has evolved from teaching and educating towards coaching, guiding and how to adapt to new technologies. In any case, I believe teachers now play an increasingly important role in preparing students for future challenges and growth. While technology can help, it still cannot replace many functions of the modern-day teacher.
For students today, instead of physically going to school, information and knowledge can now be accessed and learnt via a smartphone, tablet or computer sitting anywhere in the world as long as access to the Internet is available. The computers are also getting faster by the day, ISPs are offering faster download speeds and telecommunication companies have also started to offer packages consisting of 5G data access and speed. But what about us students? How do we improve our capability of learning from a “3G” to “4G” and then to “5G” speed? While technology continues to improve and advance, maybe our learning ability has not progressed as quickly. However, the way education is evolving has proven that the role of a teacher is still as relevant as ever before and perhaps much more important today than before.
Besides teachers, some schools have also invested in new technology, equipment, and facilities to provide better services and access to teachers and students, where possible. Some schools are upgrading computers in their computer labs, some are increasing the number of computers, and some are buying other ICT equipment. Putting a computer on every school desk is not financially feasible for most schools. But a tiny change, like a scanner that can scan documents and email them to the student’s email account, can still make a huge difference. Some schools have also upgraded their facilities in the school’s office, making the school appear more modern and corporate-like. For example, in our school, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Damansara Utama, the school office doors are installed with face recognition technology to unlock its doors. Parents and students who come to the school office will be able to see this tech, and many visitors have been impressed with it. Besides this, most teachers managing clubs and societies encourage the elected student leaders in our school and those empowered to manage students to use Google Forms and Google Drive to share and collect as much information as possible. Our headmaster has also encouraged teachers and students to use new technology. Such encouragement and technology usage certainly helps students learn its importance and gives them the confidence to learn more complex and advanced computer applications.
These new changes, gadgets or facilities will allow students to learn, understand and get used to them at an earlier age. However, teachers still have a fundamental role to play. While students learn to use more technology, we still need teachers to guide and correct us when technology fails. More importantly, students should avoid becoming overly dependent on technology, which has no emotions but only logically driven intelligence. Due to these factors, despite all the technological advancements, the role of the teacher is still crucial, and the impact of a teacher is far more significant than whatever technology can provide or offer. While technology can help students search for information and access tons of online books, reference material, photos, or tutorial videos, it will never be able to replace a physical teacher or provide that individual guidance that a teacher can give. Teachers always know that their students are different in learning speed and knowledge absorption.
Technology will also never know a student's past comprehension, background knowledge, or level of understanding. Technology will only provide what you search for, with the AI algorithm picking the most suitable answer or information that the technology predicts is relevant based on a gazillion data inputs, rules, and logic permutations. Teachers will also remember where a student struggled in their previous homework or test, and they will know the weaknesses or strengths in that subject and where the student needs to put more effort. With AI's advancement, technology is getting smarter, but it can never replace teachers that easily.
Many students and their parents would agree that teachers are essential to our upbringing. In some families where both parents are working, the children probably spend more time in school than at home with their parents are at home who come back only in the evenings after work. And for students staying in hostels, the time spent with their families will be much less. Hence, the teachers influence the impact of non-direct education and role modelling. Teachers can pass on knowledge at a tailored speed and can pause at the right juncture to test the absorption or understanding of their students. Teachers can also positively motivate students to improve their character and confidence through correct engagement, focus on decision-making and critical thinking skills, and inspire students to give their best. All of these are difficult or impossible to achieve or perform with any technology or device.
Everyone would have heard some students asking why they needed to ask their teacher when they could use Google to get the answer. While this may be true for more straightforward and basic black or white or specific questions where only one answer is possible, it becomes more challenging in secondary school subjects where we encounter several possible answers or probable solutions or explanations. Google may show us all the options or possible answers, but only a teacher with all their experience in teaching will be able to identify the correct answer and explain why that is the best answer for that question or assignment. There are also some questions that we cannot find the answer or solution on any search engine easily. Even worse are cases where some students tend to type the wrong search on Google and then try to argue with the teacher why their answer, which was what Google suggested, is correct and not what the teacher is trying to teach. Typing a Google search in different languages is also something to factor in, as some of us try to type it in English first and then translate it to another language. During the translation, some of the accuracy of the information gets diluted.
When a student makes a mistake in answering questions or doing their homework, while technology may detect such mistakes, teachers are still better at finding them, highlighting them and guiding the student to correct them. Teachers are more emphatic with students undergoing that episode, especially when the mistake is somewhat basic or careless. Technology is more emotionless, straight to point out what was wrong and what the correct answer is. While technology can correct mistakes, some students struggle emotionally and are not as prepared to handle failure or bounce back from a fall as quickly, especially when their mistakes are shown or known to their peers. While every student is unique, some might need more guidance and support than others. This is why we need teachers to guide us through our mistakes, provide the necessary support, and help us learn while ensuring we get back on our feet at the appropriate speed.
Another challenge for students today is understanding where they stand in the process of learning. We want feedback and advice on where we are, how much more we need to learn, where we are lacking, and which direction to take. We also constantly think about potential KBAT questions that we may encounter in the next test. While it is important to know what we answered wrongly, some of us also need some assurance and checks to ensure that what we learnt is still going in the right direction. As students, what else can we learn, and how much further can we improve what we have already gotten right? Is this important to learn in this particular chapter or section? For me, this is when I seek my teachers with questions to get assurance and guidance; no technology would ever be able to replace this. A teacher will always tell us how best to correct mistakes and that feedback is crucial for any student.
While technology can improve the delivery of information and quicken teaching techniques, having good teachers is much more critical in the holistic development of students. The good upbringing by my parents at home and being blessed with good teachers at school have played the most crucial role in educating me and preparing me for future challenges. I hope all other students continue to appreciate their teachers and avoid believing that technology can replace teachers. While this may change as technology evolves, a teacher will always play an important role. I would certainly like to get all my teachers’ signatures on the back of my school graduation certificate and remember their efforts and sacrifices for the rest of my life.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
