Editorial: Technology cannot replace a good teacher

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

The rapid strides in technology can undoubtedly be a huge boon to education, but the latest proposals by the New Zealand Government will have many pausing before clicking their mouse or swiping their screen.

A scheme to enrol students with online education providers rather than packing them off to school has sparked some alarm.

Education Minister Hekia Parata this week unveiled the "community of online learning" plan (otherwise known as COOL - how cool an acronym is that?). It's a radical concept by any measure.

Having kids locked in to a PC or tablet for their lessons may have its appeal to National. A piece of software could prove a lot cheaper than a teacher's salary and may be the ultimate weapon of mass destruction to deal to those pesky teachers' unions.

But going to school is about more than what is learnt in class.

It is about socialising kids, getting them to mix with different children, other socio-economic groups, other ethnicities. It is about them learning appropriate behaviour, making friends and receiving the guidance of an adult whose influence often goes beyond the curriculum.

Much research suggests that a positive, receptive teacher has more impact on educational outcomes than hours of swotting. No digital downlaod can replicate what a good teacher can offer.

And the sense of community and participation that a good school engenders is a priceless commodity in developing young people for the challenges of adult life.

Our children seem to spend enough of their lives with their eyes glued to various screens, headphones blocking out the world around them. They should get out more.

Nothing wrong with making use of technology - that is the world they are growing up in - but there's not much wrong with our schools, either, and it is at school that the technology should be put to use.