Clutching Straws: Teachers Swamped by Digital Headaches
Teacher's Load due to Digitalization - Identifying the Strains Facing Educators in the Digital Age - Digitalisation-Related Tension: Its Impact on Educators
Modern-day headaches for teachers have gone beyond jittery students and misbehaving classes - they're now battling with technological nightmares, as schools drown in the digital age. Thilo Hartmann, head of the Education and Science Union (GEW) in Hesse, sums it up neatly: "School digitalization means heaps of extra work and digital stress."
Teachers have a lofty expectation when preparing lessons: perfection. "But when the technology craps out, there's no one to turn to, leaving teachers to wrangle with tech issues themselves," says Hartmann. At many schools, the tech-savvy officiate as the IT squad, and study councilors don a cape upgrading to senior status, but it's often thrown onto the plate of busy teachers with their plates already filled to the brim.
Maintaining an avalanche of devices is an overwhelming task, demanding a level of attention that big corporations would allocate to an IT department - but schools lack that luxury. Education Commissioner Nicole Maisch from Kassel shed light on this: "There's nobody to call when computer rooms have malfunctioning machines or the internet goes on the fritz. Somebody's gotta fix it pronto." Teachers struggle to keep devices up-to-date, install updates, make sure systems and data are secure, and manage a maze of new software systems.
In a bid to relieve the stressed-out teachers in Kassel (and hopefully across the state), local government has enlisted 12 IT supporters for each of the six schools they serve. IT supporter Thorben Schröder explains the role: "I'm the fix-it guy for all technical issues that can be addressed on-site." Carsten Horstmann, deputy headmaster of the Johann-Amos-Comenius School, appreciates the swift resolution of problems without disturbing classroom time: "It's become much more of a breeze."
GEW chairman Hartmann acknowledges that schools have leaped forward in the digital landscape due to the pandemic. But he's quick to point out areas that need improvement. "Finances for maintenance and newer equipment are needed to avert a collapse of our aging tech infrastructure," he argues. He also emphasizes the need for comprehensive media education to question digital tools critically, ensuring schools are outfitted evenly with the latest tech.
- Tech Headaches
- Teachers
- GEW
- Kassel
- Education and Science Union
- Digitalization
- Hesse
- Cyber stress
- Digital infrastructure
- iPad
While the transformation to digital classrooms has improved teaching efficiency and paved the way for personalized learning, it has also burdened teachers with myriad technical problems, often with no relief in sight. As schools continue on this path, addressing the stressors that surfaced in the transition is paramount for preserving the sanity of the educators and providing the best possible learning experience.
- The Education and Science Union (GEW) in Hesse highlights the need for additional financial support to maintain and update the digital infrastructure in schools, as the current situation is causing cyber stress among teachers due to the vast array of technical problems that have surfaced since the transition to digital classrooms.
- In light of the ongoing digitalization efforts, the Government of Kassel has taken steps to provide relief for teachers by enlisting IT supporters to address on-site technical issues, aiming to create a smoother learning environment by reducing tech headaches and ensuring the efficient functioning of technological devices in classrooms.
