Full disclosure: I have had a computer since I was 12 years old. I have been exposed to them even longer. I love computers, love programming, and I love that computers and programs can make our lives so much easier. I took one of the first "computer-based" English classes at college and I was hooked. When I first started teaching, the idea that each student would have access to a computer (or cell phone) was unrealistic. I couldn't let go of the idea of giving students the opportunity to work on computers, so I begged teachers at my school to give up their classroom computers and we put a make-shift computer lab together. It was a success! Within 5 years, our school received COWs and the lab became unnecessary. Now, I don't have to move my students. The computers come to them. Gone are the days of floppy disks and CD-Roms. We have the Cloud. Today's students have more access to information than I could have ever dreamed of in my youth.
It seems that computers could solve many of the needs of today's classrooms. Online-based programs have allowed me to grade work faster, giving students also immediate access to their grades. Videos break down the steps to many of the concepts my students struggle with in class. Math-related games and other activities provide fun-filled enrichment that keep students engaged. At one point, my students were on computers so much that I wondered if I was needed anymore. And then...
One day, like many days, my students were working out problems I had posted on my online classroom. The program I use gives hints and provides step-by-step solutions. As I walked around monitoring student work, a student raised his hand. I asked him if there was a problem. He responded, "No, I just want to see if I got this problem right before I enter in the answer." I thought about reminding him that the computer would give him the answer, but I was curious about his thinking. So, I asked him to explain how he arrived at his answer. It took him some time, but he went through each step, carefully explaining his work. When he finished and pointed his pencil at the answer, I smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. He beamed and pumped his fist. Then, he told me, "See, I told you I could do it." Our exchange ended with a fist bump. Buoyed by that personal interaction, I asked the class, "Does anyone else want to explain their answers?" My entire class raised their hands.
That day taught me a lesson. Computers are great. Technology is wonderful. These things will never replace that personal touch that students need to grow, learn, and retain concepts in any subject. They need a person, a real person, to give them that boost of confidence, a smile, or even a fist bump. They need human interaction and recognition that a program will never be able to give them. That's one reason, among many reasons, that students will always need teachers and the world will always need physical classrooms in which to bring students and teachers together.
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