In the past lectures were the traditional method of teaching large numbers of students. Nowadays new technology is increasingly being used to teach students. Do the advantages of this new approach outweigh the disadvantages?

As we move into the twenty -

first

century,

technology

is affecting many different areas of life and

education

is no exception. Indeed, in some institutions traditional forms of

education

have been revolutionised by new

technology

to the extent that the lecture is no longer the main method of delivery. While there are a variety of benefits to

this

new approach, there are

also

significant drawbacks. Perhaps the greatest bonus of the introduction of

technology

is the flexibility it offers.

This

is

evident

Suggestion

Evident

in two different ways.

Firstly

, it is now no longer essential for students to be present in the lecture theatre for their courses.

This

means that part - time courses for adults who are in employment and distance learning courses for people in other countries are now much more practical. Another area of flexibility is of course that the lecturer and tutor are able to use

Moodles

one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind

modules

models

, interactive whiteboards and other tools to deliver their courses in a more stimulating way to large numbers of students. Not everything,

however

, about the introduction of

this

new

technology

into

education

is positive. One major problem is that not all students are comfortable with using

technology

, even if they are part of the digital native generation.

This

is a serious issue as they may suffer from their lack of technological skills. Another related issue is that

education

is a human activity and it works best with as much human interaction as possible. Impersonal

technology

cannot replace the human contact found in traditional face - to - face tutorials and seminars. As we have seen, there are major benefits to the introduction of

technology

into

education

, not least because it enables modern forms of

education

such

as distance learning courses.

This

is balanced,

however

, by the fact that it can be too impersonal for some and disadvantages others for their lack of technological skills.