• About
  • Advertising
  • History
  • Staff
  • Contact

The Andersonian

The Anderson University Student Newspaper

Anderson University’s Student Newspaper

  • Campus News
  • Audio
  • Features
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Video
  • COVID-19
You are here: Home / Opinion / Increases in tech subverts teaching quality

Increases in tech subverts teaching quality

November 15, 2017 by Nouhad Melki

A fourth grade student named Elie Melki was struggling academically.  Particularly, he was timid when the teacher, Mrs. April Catron, would call on him to read.  Not only was he timid; he was also very reluctant to read with enthusiasm or animation.

Elie’s struggle to read with animation called on the talent and determination of Mrs. Catron to spend quality time with him in developing his sense of animation in order for him to bring reading to life.

Elie’s fourth grade teacher deserves all the credit for making him the successful student that he became.  Teachers like her, however, are rare and hard to find in America’s modern education system, especially because the system has sacrificed sufficient teacher’s pay for adopting technological learning programs.

On Jan. 12, 1998, Neil Postman lectured an audience of students and faculty at Calvin College in a speech called “Questioning the Media.”  His speech was an insightful inquiry that posed six questions toward innovation in media technology. Postman argued that it is more important to adequately fund teacher’s pay and provide enough funding for many teachers than it is to fund technological learning programs.

The argument for adopting technologically enhanced learning claims that the workforce requires a lot of skill to navigate the IT infrastructure and implemented computer informatics.

Though it is true that the IT infrastructure has sophisticated the real world in various ways, students in America are losing touch with quality educators because of the inevitable trade-off between funding technological enhancements and sufficiently paid educators.

In this instance, Neil Postman called educators the “losers” and tech companies the “winners.”  In other words, when public schools broker deals to adopt more technology, the expense is how much teachers get paid. With the inclination of integrating technology in schools comes the declination in overall quality education.

“The number of [educational tech] devices in schools [nationwide] increased 71 percent from 1999 to 2012” while teachers’ pay in Indiana decreased from $57,192 in 2000 to $51,357 in 2012.  This data correlation suggests that the more technology is integrated in schools, the less teachers are paid.

With a decline in monetary incentive for teachers, there is less quality education provided by teachers.

While education is increasingly conforming to technological innovation, education is preparing students for the technologically enhanced workplace.  But there is an inevitable tradeoff:  For example, Mrs. Catron is a rare teacher to find.  Where are all the educators like her?  Potentially great educators like Mrs. Catron are lost from America’s education system because the education system is trying to keep up with the world that is increasingly conforming to rapid technological innovation.

What if there was not a teacher like Mrs. Catron to sit down with Elie in helping him read?  Perhaps Elie would never have become a bright student, and with the decline in quality educators, what teacher since fourth grade would have cared to help Elie anymore?

In essence, educators are being left in the dust while schools are racing to adopt more innovative technologies;  hence, America’s future is in jeopardy.

Nouhad is a freshman political science and journalism major from Bedford, Indiana.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Opinion

Watch

Miles Morey discusses this week’s sports highlights.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Jacey Crawford discusses the modified Spring Break schedule and Gillian Lintz speaks with Prof. Tai Lipan about the Wilson Gallery currently featuring AU faculty.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

More Video

Listen

Raven Watch 2020-12-07

On this episode of the Raven Watch Podcast, Jordan is joined by former Big Ten Player of the Year and Indiana Pacer Clark Kellogg as they discuss displaying your faith in sports, Clark’s career as a player and broadcaster and his game of “H.O.R.S.E.” with President Obama.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Raven Watch 2020-12-03

On this episode, Jordan Yaney sits down with senior soccer player Drew Sonnefeldt to discuss his soccer career, trips to Europe, hobbies, and dreams of playing professional soccer

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Raven Watch 2020-09-24

In the third Raven Watch Podcast, Jordan Yaney talks with Hannah Hawkins, a senior basketball player, about starting her freshman year 0-25, becoming more of a leader on the team and facing their one-on-one battle on the court freshman year. Thanks to our sponsor, the Folgate Agency. Please contact Steve Folgate for Allstate insurance and […]

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Raven Watch 2020-09-18

In the second-ever Raven Watch Podcast, Jordan Yaney talks with Kennedy Parker, a senior baseball player, about finding out last season was canceled while the team was in Florida, why he decided to come back for a fifth year and play and what he expects out of this year’s team.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

More Audio

Follow

Retweet on TwitterAndersonian Retweeted
AURavenWatchRaven Watch@AURavenWatch·
24 Feb

New Raven Watch is up now!

Tune in for highlights from this weekend’s basketball games, Rocket League playoffs, a volleyball update and more.

https://andersonian.com/2021/02/23/raven-watch-2021-02-23/

@AthleticsAU @andersonian @AURavensMBB @AURavensWBB @AUesports_ @Volleyball_AU @AndersonU @MilesMorey

Reply on Twitter 1364389375136714755Retweet on Twitter 13643893751367147554Like on Twitter 13643893751367147555Twitter 1364389375136714755
andersonianAndersonian@andersonian·
18 Feb

The AU Rocket League team has found success in their inaugural season.
Read more:
https://andersonian.com/2021/02/08/rocket-league-has-success-in-its-first-year/

Reply on Twitter 1362432324919517185Retweet on Twitter 13624323249195171851Like on Twitter 13624323249195171853Twitter 1362432324919517185
andersonianAndersonian@andersonian·
18 Feb

Student-led worship service Vision Revision maintains authenticity, depth and a safe, in-person format this semester.
Read more:

https://andersonian.com/2021/02/08/vision-revision-chapel-cultivates-authenticity-and-creativity/

Reply on Twitter 1362431778636656643Retweet on Twitter 13624317786366566431Like on Twitter 13624317786366566433Twitter 1362431778636656643
Load More...

The Andersonian, the student newspaper of Anderson University, Anderson, Ind., publishes a print edition and maintains this website. As a matter of institutional policy, the University administration does not review or edit Andersonian content prior to publication. The student editors are responsible for both print and online content. While the administration recognizes the role of the student press on a college campus and in journalism education, the views expressed in the Andersonian are not necessarily those of Anderson University.

© Andersonian 2017, All rights reserved · Site by Mere
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.