AI and Digital Technology in Education: A Teacher's Perspective

 

AI and digital technology are entering our lives at supersonic speed, yet schools remain unprepared for this transformation despite the unavoidable presence of mobile devices in classrooms and daily routines. As a teacher, I've witnessed how students now rarely bring notebooks to class and no longer carry books with the pride that previous generations did, when some would borrow stacks of books just to showcase their love for reading. While students prefer electronic copies of textbooks, many struggle to maintain focus when reading lengthy material on screens. This shift reflects a fundamental change in education, where students would rather scroll through their phones than flip through physical pages. On university campuses, it's becoming difficult to distinguish serious scholars from casual passersby, as many students prioritize passing exams with minimal effort rather than pursuing deep learning. Often, they appear physically present in class but mentally disengaged, their attention constantly flickering between the physical and digital worlds. While I'm not a policymaker, I strongly believe educational institutions must proactively integrate AI and digital tools as essential life skills rather than merely using them as plagiarism detectors - a system students often try to circumvent, much like jumping into the ocean while hoping to stay dry. The core challenge lies in the fact that most current educators and administrators aren't digital natives; they grew up in a pre-AI era when learning, socializing, and cognitive patterns were fundamentally different. Today's youth present a social paradox: they gather together physically while inhabiting isolated digital universes, each engrossed in personalized content like memes and TikTok videos rather than engaging in the shared laughter and spontaneous interactions that characterized previous generations. This new form of togetherness creates a peculiar blend of collective presence and radical individualism, marking a profound transformation in how young people learn, connect, and experience the world around them.

Imagine a classroom where robots answer questions faster, never tire, and hold infinite knowledge. As AI advances, this future seems inevitable—but at what cost?

The Critical Questions We Must Address:

• If robots teach perfectly, what becomes of human educators?
• How do we cultivate human intellect—creativity, ethics, empathy—when machines dominate information delivery?
• What ethical lines must we draw? (Bias in algorithms? Data privacy for students?)

Why This Matters:

• Teachers aren’t just information dispensers; they’re mentors who inspire critical thinking and emotional growth.
• AI lacks human instincts: reading a student’s frustration, sparking curiosity, or teaching moral reasoning.
• The risk? A generation that’s tech-smart but socially and ethically adrift.