There must not be any gainsayer that investing or spreading in EDUCATION is crucial in reducing the inequalities that fuel desperate violence ,ignorance and discrimination ,but can somebody explain me how making digital technology more widely available should help much?
The Core:
We may be proud of fully wired,computer controlled-smart class rooms that have projectors,microphones,speakers and video cameras to accommodate every kind of audio and visual presentations and distance learning initiative .
Neverthless ,we find that the most engaging lectures are still Talk and Chalk presentations by cursy old souls who have contagious passion for their subjects (how can we produce them now),interestingly some of whom consider “MULTIMEDIA” to consist of using more than one color of chalk:)
The Dilemma:
I have yet to see a smart classroom enrich the learning experience to a degree that comes close to matching the expense of the equipment it contains..Although many of the professors are eager to embrace new technology,their best efforts at powerpoint fails to surpass the impact of traditional lectures from their low tech colleagues(May be their efforts/energy is wasted in preparing powerpoint and animations in lectures and when the time comes they are already enervated).
..Worse still:
As often as not the technology gets in the way of malfunctioning .I expect that most of the reader have more than once watched a presenter stand sweating in front of a blank projector screen while his laptop reboots -again .
The Need:
Rather than emphasising “globally and cheaply available” digital technology we should gain more —
By investing in simple equipments like chalk boards and books,
By sending teachers in training from poor educational systems to places with selected lecture rooms around the country to explore them to really lucid and passionate teaching..
To send expert educators from those select institutions of learning to poor educational systems as an exchange for some time..
Conclusion:
As with other skilled art , it is the tradition of pedgogy that has to be passed on by personal examples and digital education is of scant help here..
The Tail:
As a support of digital education ,I have read and heared many people saying that chalk takes up the talking time .I must say that the chalk’s taking the time is all about the re-energising .The presentor has to give some time for his ideas to express on its own pace ,to think too -when he plays with the chalk and to search for the best method and media to express his thoughts so that those synchronise and harmonise with the spectators and audience.
Friend,chalking is not wasting his/her time ,it’s kind of meditation the teacher is involved into.