(Book): TEACHERS VS TECH? The Case for an Ed Tech Revolution
(Author): Daisy Christodoulou
(Publisher): Oxford University Press
(First published):05-03-2020
Daisy Christodoulou is the Director of Education at No More Marking, a provider of online Comparative Judgement software for schools. She is also the author of three books about education: Teachers vs Tech, Making Good Progress, and Seven Myths about Education.
I had obtained this book early in the previous school year from the school Professional Development Book Club in the Learning Resource Centre (by the way, thanks to our school and Mr Kevin Li, SUIS Qingpu Teacher Development Centre, for arranging these resources to further develop our professionalism and expertise). Back at that time, I had just finished research together with my grade five students on the topic of ‘How AI Shapes the Future’. We had engaging discussions about the pros and cons of this relatively new technology. For a while, I felt lost and unsure of what attitude I should have towards tech as a teacher, parent and learner. Once I began to read this book, things started looking up. Moreover, I was able to gain insights on the following three perspectives.
Supporting Learning Goals: Christodoulou emphasizes that educational technology should be used to support learning goals, not replace traditional education methods. Parents should guide their children in using technology as a supplement to their studies. This could involve helping them find trustworthy educational resources, using apps that reinforce what they are learning in school, and encouraging them to explore subjects of interest in-depth.
Navigating Information: Christodoulou stresses the importance of being able to efficiently search for, evaluate, and synthesize information found online. Developing digital literacy means that students can discern credible sources from unreliable ones, a skill that is integral to academic research and informed decision-making.
Exposure to Coding: The book advocates for introducing students to coding from an early age. Coding is not just about writing lines of code; it teaches logical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Platforms like Scratch, Code.org, and more advanced languages like Python and JavaScript enable students to create their own games, apps, and websites.