Will Technology Take the Place of Face-To-Face Teachers? Let's Hope Not!

As we all know, technology is opening a lot of doors for students by allowing them to get an education that in the past was not even remotely possible.  While this is definitely a positive step in the right direction, there have also been some controversial viewpoints regarding technology in education.  One of the biggest is that human teachers will become obsolete.  While technology can provide learning experiences for students in ways that a single teacher within a confined classroom of four walls cannot, there are many things a human teacher can provide that students will never get from a machine.  I have always and will always believe that  
schools absolutely will still need teachers. Computers and technology may be a means of educating students but it isn't the end all, be all. We aren't robots, we are humans, and we still need humans to help facilitate class. Maybe our roles as educators will change, how we teach may change, but as long as we have human children going to school we will need teachers. Computers are lifeless machines. They can't be there to truly motivate students when they need to be motivated just like my human teachers did when I was in school. Computers may be able to detect student work if it is correct or incorrect and provide clues as to the correct answer or give the correct answer but it can't provide a teachable moment like a human teacher can. In my own classroom I have guided students who didn't quite have the answer and led them to the correct answer or solution by asking them questions and asking for my information, why they were thinking in that manner, etc. and they ended up having an "a-ha moment". It was my gentle, yet persevering guidance that led them to their own discovery, a discovery that they will never forget. A computer can't watch the eyes or faces of students and see them in despair if they don't understand and make adjustments to the lesson or find better ways to teach so students understand. A computer can't immediately answer questions from students and personalize the answers based on the students level of understanding. A computer can't praise and motivate students to success and help them cope when they fail or don't get their way. A computer can't teach students how to get along or how to use good manners. A computer or technology can't teach life lessons. There needs to be an intermediary, an educator, to help guide students and ensure the success of their education and to help guide them to become productive 21st century citizens. Technology is a tool, a means but it is not meant to replace the human factor.