WISE 2013: The role of technology in education

WISE 2013: The role of technology in education
By Euronews
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Does more progress in technology mean the end of teachers and how important is it to teach science and technology ? These are the two main debates at this years’ World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Dohar.

The majority of experts think technology is a useful tool, but teachers are the core element of education.

“I do not belong to those who believe that we don’t need teachers at all. I think we need different teachers. I think certainly we need better educated teachers throughout the world who are able to do things in a much more complicated and fast world,” said education expert Pasi Sahlberg.

Technology allows us to learn anytime and anyplace, so can we all be educators?

From the not-for-profit game designers’ Institute of Play, Katie Sales tried to address the issue.

“How do we begin to recruit folks that maybe are not professional teachers, but that see themselves as people that participate in the learning of young people whether it is their grandparents, whether is it parents?” asked Sales.

In their education curriculums, an increasing number of countries are focusing on STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths.

“I think that is important to learn that arts and sciences and drama are a kind of a complimentary to STEM subjects,” said Sahlberg.

When it comes to these subjects is there still a difference between boys and girls?

“Unfortunately for many years there has been a gender gap in STEM. It’s getting better but you need to look at the numbers in a little more detail,” said space scientist Maggie Aderin Pocock.

In the UK, for example, there are more women studying medicine than men, but the percentage of women studying engineering, maths and physics is low.

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