Editorial

BY: OMKAR DASGUPTA , YOU KNOW WHO

TECHNOLOGY SLASHING THROUGH BOTH EDGES “STUDENTS INCREASING DEPENDENCY ON TECHNOLOGY IN EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR ACADEMIC LIVES IS A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD”

Overseas Family School recently made a revelation that they are going to omit face to face learning and will become the first IB world school to start teaching on the internet and deliver its entire curriculum online by 2015. Overseas Family School is located in Singapore and is the world’s biggest MYP school which was built 22 years ago .

There is a technological boom which the whole world is witnessing at the moment. Everyone , from a child of the age of 5 till his grandmother in her 80’s , depend on technology .

We live in a world where reading books is too mainstream . Students and

teenagers are the biggest consumers , nearly 75% of teenagers thrive in the name of technology .

Mr Richard Glover , an english teacher in Overseas Family School said that, “STUDENTS INCREASING DEPENDENCY ON TECHNOLOGY IN EVERY ASPECT OF THEIR ACADEMIC LIVES IS A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD”.

In today’s world seeing a teenager with a phone , tablet or a laptop is not a rare sight , technology is available so its obvious that they will use it. Technology is good , its fast and helpful , it makes understanding easy and more simplified . There is a humongous amount of information that is provided online , whether the teenagers need all that information in this stage is the question. Too much information is also said to be harmful .

A student in his teenage life is not certain about what information should he/she consume as there is so much provided , its like finding a pearl in the whole ocean . Face to face teaching is important because it guides the student in the right path and teaches the students about what information is suitable to consume.

So much is available online that the students will waste their time as to what information is suitable for them or what information is needed, students will experience extreme stress and anxiety in this age , because they will be uncertain as to what is meant to be learned and what not .

One fine day OFS just plans to omit face to face learning and introduce online teaching , why? Because OFS has allied with a software company which has promised to handle the salaries of teachers , in return OFS has to increase the sale of that software company by introducing their software in school .Mr Glover would have said that because his job must be in danger and underway of resignation . The sudden decision of omitting face to face learning was to protect the school’s reputation and to prevent the reality to spill out in public.

Our correspondents interviewed some staff members. Maria Gordon, Co-ordinated science teacher at OFS said, “I overheard the principal speaking to a software company and finalising a deal about some kind of a software”.

Craig Fernando , a physical education instructor said “ I’ve not been paid since the last month , the day to day grocery is has become so expensive and I

am the one who earns for my house. Buying ration has become a pain” Technology is good and helpful , if used appropriately and in complete guidance, but if misused it can lead to severe problems , you don’t want to know….

RATIONALE: 1. Bias techniques used were omission- I omitted the viewpoint of the people supporting this revelation . I used source selection , in which chose quotes which support my viewpoint and carries along my flow 2. I used these bias techniques as it supports my group profile which is conspiracy theorists and it also supports the point of 3. My editorial speaks about how technology is evolving day by day and how important it is for the teenagers .

4. But the problem is that the students are not certain of how much information to consume, for that face to face teaching is ideal for the guidance of the student 5. OFS to save their reputation must be spreading the news of online teaching but in reality they are tying up with some software company 6. The photo shows a sword piercing through the computer CPU . It symbolises that technology if not used in a safe way , it can lead to severe problems and tensions