Tech’s Impact on Teaching: Experts From Various Fields Weigh in

Education is one of the most important factors for the progress of individuals and societies as it directly influences their development. Therefore, I have always believed that it is everyone’s responsibility to participate, regardless of the field in which we operate. 

For this reason, on June 27, there was great enthusiasm at the Google Mexico facilities during the event “Teacher Professional Development: The Engine to Transform Education.” The aim of the event was to promote new strategies and the use of digital tools through educational innovation as a cornerstone for future growth in our country.

Google’s Director of Education Alejandro Almazan Zimerman welcomed the event and commented, “The value of the teacher is crucial; education is social, and we will never be able to diminish the importance of presence and the role of the teacher due to technological reasons.”

Minister of Education of Chihuahua Sandra Gutierrez Fierro,delivered a message on behalf of Chihuahua Gov. María Eugenia Campos Galvan, in which she highlighted, "The pandemic situation we experienced taught us a lot, and if we hadn't had these technological tools that allowed us to progress, undoubtedly the education system would have been at a standstill.”

As CEO of Cursafy and co-host of the event, I emphasized that as a society, we must focus on our teachers, as they are shaping the future global citizens. For this reason, we committed to providing 500 scholarships for video courses to each of the states represented at the event.

The theme was developed through a panel composed of experts from various fields, aiming to provide a platform for the exchange of experiences and perspectives on the topic. This panel fostered discussions on current challenges, best practices, and innovative solutions related to education. Attendees were provided with a broader understanding of the social impact that a well-trained teacher has on shaping new citizens. Furthermore, the panel inspired new ideas and collaborations to drive progress and growth in this field.

The panelists were: Jorge Arce Gama (President and CEO of HSBC Mexico), Sofialeticia Morales Garza (Minister of Education of the State of Nuevo Leon), Carles Abarca de Haro (Vice President of Digital Transformation at Tecnologico de Monterrey), Gerardo Solís Benavides (Minister of Education of the State of Baja California) and Veronica Erives Perez as Moderator. 

Among the contributions from the panelists:

Jorge Arce Gama, President and CEO of HSBC Mexico, proposed to contribute to financing through HSBC for the acquisition of computer equipment for teachers in the country. He stated, "I am in a business that thrives on leveraging — leveraging resources, leveraging opportunities — and the quickest way to leverage education is by focusing on teachers, providing them with the tools because teachers are fully committed to teaching. If we can leverage the resources we have to support teachers, it will be the best return on investment we can have."

"I believe that state and federal governments do their best with the limited resources they have, but we cannot rely solely on them for the responsibility of educating us and the population."

Sofialeticia Morales Garza, Minister of Education of the State of Nuevo Leon commented, "I do believe that one of the great unintentional contributions of the pandemic is that it achieved what we hadn't been able to accomplish in so many years: being disruptive, breaking a traditional teaching-learning process."

"What I'm emphasizing in Nuevo Leon is first, become a learning community."

"We, as teachers, need to stay ahead of the curve so that tasks cannot be answered by ChatGPT. Instead, students should use the chat to develop 21st-century skills, to foster critical thinking. That's one way to utilize it in the teaching-learning process."

Carles Abarca de Haro, Vice President of Digital Transformation at Tecnológico de Monterrey, stated, " In the world of education, if we do things right, artificial intelligence is going to be an ally. I have no doubt that it will not replace teachers in any case because teachers are not just knowledge transmitters; they are individuals who teach how to learn."

"The graduates of the coming years will face a world that will be nothing like today. They will encounter a world with new professions, and our obligation toward future generations is to prepare our teachers."

Gerardo Solis Benavides, Minister of Education of the State of Baja California, said: "As ministers of education, we have a very important mission and responsibility, but in terms of the global scope of education, it is an education that already has excessive accessibility."

"Education is migrating and evolving in a brutal way. Last year, the year before last, it was different."

"As minister, I can tell you that it is an open letter to be as proactive as you can be within your capacity, but especially with non-academic institutions, such as businesses, which are the community."

Among the attendees were the Ministers of Education from Nuevo Leon, Baja California, Jalisco, Tlaxcala, Chihuahua, the Deputy Minister of Education from Quintana Roo, educational officials from Veracruz, Queretaro, State of  Mexico, Hidalgo, Yucatan, Oaxaca, the advertising executive Carlos Alazraki, as well as entrepreneurs and investors.

I would like to conclude with a quote from Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."