Education Evolution by Elena

Education Evolution by Elena - May 2020 Scholarship Essay

In just a little under two months, we've already witnessed drastic changes to the education system, so where will we be in the next fifty years? As of May 2020, most schools have developed an online system through a variety of educational resources from programs such as SeeSaw to Instagram. This shift from in-class education to online was already occurring in many college and high school settings, and I believe this is where education will be in fifty years.
Although there are many uncertainties surrounding education and the next year, I can say with certainty that educators in 2070, whether in the public or private sector, will be hired based on both their online and in-person teaching abilities. While it may be unfortunate, in-person teaching methods are becoming outdated, and many educators who are not used to technology are being phased out, even just by the use of email. Therefore, education will not only be provided online and in-person, but the educators will be hired and retained because of their technological prowess. While this is unfortunate, especially because some of the best educators are those who teach in a traditional manner, it'll be a necessity in fifty years. As an education assistant and the child of two hardworking educators, I've seen firsthand what adaptations have been made and how tirelessly educators work for their students. Even if the system changes, this part of education will never change.
With the development of online education, by 2070, there will also be a need to provide every student with the necessary technology, especially if the students are unable to afford it on their own. Physical textbooks will begin to be replaced with computers (if they haven't been already), and schools with the inability to provide their students with online materials and resources (such as personal computers), will start to fall behind. Within the last couple of months, it has become apparent that online education and teacher preparation for online education is a necessity. We as a society have the tools, it's just a matter of providing them and expanding upon them in order to make it a permanent option.
In fifty years, online education will be more prominent, and hopefully, schools will be able to answer the call for technological resources. While in-person education will still be around, the integration of technology and online resources in the classroom will change the way classes and homework are managed. Educators will be evaluated based on their teaching and skills in technology, and a new generation of educators will have taken the large desks in the corners of classrooms.