The presentation of information takes on many forms in modern technological society. Businesses utilize PowerPoint presentations to raise money, educate consumers and promote their products. YouTube videos present the public with practical explanations of how to perform complex and focused tasks. Accomplished teachers record and publish their inspiring and informative lectures. Educational institutions present organized curriculum and courses online. Software developers design learning games. Schools distribute IPads and notebook computers to give students access to electronic content. Online chat rooms and blogs connect learners in virtual classrooms to help each other and share what they know. These are all tools that improve education and the communication of knowledge. Motivated people make use of all these tools to learn content which they desire to know and to teach content which they desire for others to know. In public education, there is a place for all these effective learning strategies and public policy is adapting to make use of effective technology for learning. However, some aspects of education cannot be replaced by technology. The power of one person to mentor, inspire and guide another person cannot be replaced by cool techi-toys. The socio-economic forces that motivate a person to learn the skills they need in order to be productive cannot be replaced by slick PowerPoint slogans and images. The innate human drive to understand the mystery of ourselves, our purpose and our world cannot be replaced by how-to videos. The moral values of an individual will always be dependent upon interpersonal relationships  and commitments. In each case, the effective use of technology may make teachers more productive and connect the student with exactly the right teacher. But technology cannot motivate a student to learn or replace the teacher. I believe the most important and also most rewarding role of any teacher is mentoring young people to find the positive direction for their lives.
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