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Teaching in the digital age: Preserving educational integrity amid changes
Educators should hold fast and true to the traditional values of teaching while working toward striking a balance in the use of technology as a tool in the classroom.
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Financing the future: Students of SDN 3 Kalicari state elementary school in Semarang, Central Java attend a class on Nov. 2, 2023. The government has allocated Rp 660.8 trillion (US$43 billion) from the state budget for education next year. (Antara/Makna Zaezar)
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s we near the end of the year, it's natural to look back on the year's ups and downs, both in terms of our own experiences and the wider shifts that have occurred in our organizations. This introspection is especially meaningful in the field of education.
The past year has seen educators navigating the complex intersection of technology and traditional teaching methods. This journey prompts us to question, reassess and hopefully, grow.
In this modern age, educators have gone beyond the traditional role of information disseminators to become trailblazers in the field of digital education. Thanks to the digital age, educators now have the resources they need to be creative, influential and innovative. This has opened up new possibilities for sharing best practices and ideas worldwide.
Here at this crossroads nevertheless, the question that matters most is whether or not our technological advancements are compatible with the fundamental principles of education.
My conversations with a principal and teachers at an Indonesian school in East Java during one of my educational missions were quite illuminating.
The principal expressed a problem that many teachers may relate to. Despite her best efforts, she frequently felt that the school’s technological resources obscured the real purpose of teaching. She opened out about her challenge in finding a middle ground between technology and the fundamental goal of education.
A teacher's heartbreaking words were: "Imagine this: my left hand is forced to record the event on my phone to prove my skills, while my right hand is busy helping children." This vivid image highlights the tension between authentic instruction and the performance element that technology imposes.
