The Promises and Risks of Technology in Education

JI YEON KIM (WIS); ARTWORK BY SHRAAVASTI BHAT (KGV)

Technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is a valuable learning tool, providing new opportunities to broaden the scope of education by introducing more diverse learning environments; it proves essential even during the Covid-19 pandemic, as schools globally take advantage of online classrooms implemented through video conferencing to accommodate distance learning. On the other hand, the potential hazards shadowing technology puts students’ learning, health, and privacy at risk. So where do we draw the line?

Of the trending topics in the field of technology, artificial intelligence is one that is drawing overwhelming attention, showing limitless potential in healthcare, transportation, security and banking - for education, this is no different. A common hindrance faced by teachers is the difculty to adapt their teaching and curriculum so as to satisfy the unique learning styles of each student in a class of thirty. However, artificial intelligence proposes a solution through the implementation of “personalised learning” - afer all why should education be limited to a one-size-fits all-approach? Platforms such as the Mika Learning Software, developed by Carnegie Learning, uses AI and cognitive science to analyse academic performance, evaluating how students interact with learning material and how they apply their learning to new situations. These online platforms also give the opportunity for self-paced learning to accommodate the varying abilities of each student -the AI platforms are able to collate up-to-date analysis on students’ current level which will allow for effective, tailored learning, rather than following a strict, linear curriculum. Perhaps in the future this personalised feature may be used to challenge students at the right level even tailoring homework, class assignments and tests to match each student’s ability. Although still in its elementary stages, personalised learning is certainly promising for the future of education - just imagine the possibility of combining AI with facial recognition in driving expression-based learning!

Delving deeper into the possibilities presented by artificial intelligence, the development of ‘predictive analysis’ has exciting implications in education due to its ability to make accurate predictions and assumptions based on historical data. Predictive analysis involves the use of various statistical techniques and mathematical models such as decision trees, deep learning, data mining and machine learning algorithms, to compare specified variables across datasets and identify generalised patterns which are used to predict future outcomes. One obvious application of predictive analytics is in determining the future progress of students. While many schools rigorously track their students’ grades and attendance levels, machine learning is able to enhance student support by identifying those who show early signs of falling grades or even mental health issues. By analysing how past enrolled students have progressed, predictive analysis programs are able to generalise behavioural patterns and find correlations that we may not have considered and use these to make predictions on how current students will likely perform, providing teachers a valuable tool for quick holistic judgement on their students’ progress.

Besides for direct classroom learning, predictive analysis is becoming increasingly popular among colleges and universities in “enrollment analytics”. Machine learning enables these institutes to sift through thousands of applicants to determine which prospective students show greater interest in their school. Finding the needles in the haystack is achieved through tracking interactions on the school’s website, monitoring whether links are clicked on school emails and scanning social media posts. Trough this emerging technology, schools are able to describe a candidate through a single data point that contains thousands of variables summarised. Tis partial automation of the admissions process allows schools to streamline the way they identify strong candidates and anticipate weaker ones, in order to ensure they receive ideal applicants and maximize the retention of students in higher education.

Moving away from artificial intelligence, contrary to the view that technology discourages student interactions and engagement in class, technology is in fact actively reinforcing social learning. Breaking the language barrier is one of numerous ways advanced technologies are presenting new opportunities for global learning - applications such as OneNote and Microsoft Teams enable real time language translation between students and educators - opening up the possibility of connecting students around the world and creating a multicultural, multiethnic online learning environment. Another path to social learning has been through the implementation of ‘virtual reality’ (VR) and ‘augmented reality’ (AR) in the classroom, allowing for engagement and complete immersion in a subject. Examples of these new technologies being employed in teaching includes the platform Z-space which uses VR and AR to aid medical students in learning how to dissect organs, bones and muscles, all only through the use of a stylus and a pair of 3D glasses; Oculus Rift - a VR platform that can be used for language immersion - enables students from across the globe to connect and practice their language skills while interacting in the virtual world.

While technology can expand the scope of our learning environment, our reliance on these tools may have a deteriorating effect on our ability to memorise and think critically. As we are immersed in the technology that makes our lives convenient, we no longer have the need to memorise phone numbers, birthdays and facts. Although our ability to recall such seemingly trivial pieces of information becomes increasingly tenuous, the association our brains form between this information and the internet only strengthens. This is proven by one study, carried out by psychologist Betsy Sparrow from Columbia University, wherein two groups of students were given trivia statements to memorise; One group was told they could later use the internet to check their answers, and the other group was told they could not. Results revealed that the second group performed significantly better at recalling information than the first group who were given the internet as a fallback. The study concluded that people tend to forget information if they had a separate, accessible source to rely on like the internet. Due to the neuroplastic nature of our brains, the more we rely on the internet, the stronger the brain makes the association of the internet as a source of knowledge, so rather than processing the information, we tend to memorise the location the information can be accessed - this is analogous to depending on your phone’s contact list to store phone numbers, but not remembering the digits themselves. This can have harmful implications in learning as the readily available information at our fingertips undermines our ability to think critically and deeply understand material, which is especially significant in exams where content understanding is tested by applying concepts in new situations - without the aid of the internet. Should schools embrace technology and risk this trade off of meaningful learning for greater access to information?

Having computers and phones near while trying to engage in learning can be incredibly distracting - it takes sheer willpower and discipline to not check that notification. Although we may feel that these distractions are minimal and manageable because of our gift of multitasking, in reality productivity is in fact significantly reduced. The illusion of “multitasking” is essentially our brains rapidly switching between tasks - it can’t perform more than one activity simultaneously due to “attentional bottleneck” when tasks are only processed successively. This process of rapid switching is taxing on the brain - it depletes the oxygen and glucose that could have otherwise have been used to fuel cognition completely on the task at hand, therefore severely limiting our productivity by up to 40%. The habits that increase switching, including checking our emails, messages and listening to music, eventually leads to attention disorders. According to a study by the University of California, after being frequently interrupted from procrastination, the brain will gradually develop a short attention span, where it will begin to self-interrupt and lose focus without stimulus. Not only does this imply poor retention of material, lack of engagement and motivation but the ceaseless bombardment of new information could also elevate stress which students are already intoxicated with.

Finally, the increasing use of technology will only elevate the issue of digital privacy - a problem education is not exempt from. The more people are exposed to the internet and social media, even if this time is prolonged for educational purposes, they risk exposing too much information online. The digital breadcrumbs trailed behind when students use technology can lead to unintentional leaks of personal information that can be misused or in extreme cases could even jeopardise their prospects at gaining admission to university. In addition to student incaution, there also lies risks in the storage of student data. Technology integrating into classrooms means using educational platforms such as personalised learning platforms, interactive textbooks and online discussion platforms. Such online educational services with access to students’ personal information can easily harvest this sensitive data including names, email addresses, passwords and possibly qualitative data such as behavioral information (mainly derived from personalised learning platforms such as when students usually do homework, for how long etc.) that could be used for marketing and analysis, sold or shared inappropriately. According to Future of Privacy Forum, given only a name, email address and zip code, there is an 87% chance a person’s identity can be determined.

Although there are many grey areas in the usage of technology, its benefits are too paramount to be completely cast aside. Rather than implementing a ‘digital detox’ and rejecting current progress and a promising future, new technologies should be embraced, but with caution and awareness of the potential dangers. Acknowledgment is a start to taking steps to minimise hazards and ensuring a safe expanded online environment for education to prosper.