“Teaching without digital technology is an irresponsible pedagogy”

“Technology is NOTHING. What’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they’re basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them” – Steve Jobs

As I read an article written by Fyfe (2011) I could relate to the fact that we live in an ever changing world and with the technology growing so rapidly, we need to incorporate it in every aspect of life. Even more so, we need to use it to our advantage in our workspace! That’s why we- as teachers- should also jump on the technology wagon and steer our learners to be technologically equipped.

The quote by David Parry that states: “Teaching without digital technology is an irresponsible pedagogy” is a very true and very real fact. Technology is part of the way in which learners grow up these days and iPads, tablets, smartphones and laptops can be found in almost every learner’s backpack. They live in a time where technology is the key to their future, and yet still, we as teachers fight with them to leave their electronic devices at home. As the teachers of the future, we should be the ones encouraging learners to engage with all the technology options which is available to them. We should teach learners about social media, about the internet and about how to access information in an easy way! If technology is the language that learners understand, then why not use it to teach them? And by technology I’m not only referring to power points and pictures on the board, but rather to interactive whiteboards, to giving them tasks in class where they can do research on their devices and to  let them engage with each other, to ask questions and to think critically about what they have found.

Resources such as YouTube videos can also play a critical role in education as concepts and real life situations are regularly better understood by practical examples. A video, for example on the working of a human heart, will add much more value to a learner’s understanding than reading a bunch of difficult concepts in a textbook. Other forms of technology should also be employed such as podcasts, social media and skype.  We have all these astonishing information and tools at the tips of our fingers, so why not use it to its full potential?