Will technology force job cuts?

While I do see the benefits that would come from replacing mediocre teachers, I do not think that mathematics teachers will be replaced by technology anytime soon. Having an excellent teacher give a great lesson on a video recording would be great for the students. But, what if the students had questions? Sometimes students need to hear the same topic discussed multiple ways before they understand it. If if is a pre-recorded lesson and the classroom proctor is unfamiliar with the topic, then the students will not be able to ask their questions.
In order to ensure that I am not replaced by technology, I will need to be able to do what the technology can not. I will need to interact with my students and use various methods to teach topics so that they will have the opportunity to succeed in mathematics. Ultimately, I will do whatever is in the best interest of the students. So, if that means that somedays I will have the class watch a lesson on video instead of personally teaching the lesson myself, then that is what I will do.

My Experience with Technology in the Classroom

I took Calc III at Siena with Dr. Rousseau. Many of the topics discussed in this class were abstract ideas. During lectures it was sometimes difficult to visualize what was being discussed. Sketching objects by hand did not always help because of their inaccuracy.

However, Dr. Rousseau would use Mathematica which was a program on the computers at Siena. The computer screen was able to be displayed on a screen at the front of the room. Being able to see what Dr. Rousseau was talking about while he was discussing it made the concepts easier to understand.

All of the students were also able to use Mathematica on our own during labs. This helped us to explore the concepts on our own or with the help of a partner. By experimenting with all the different aspects of a given topic we were able to have a deeper understanding of it.