Screen abuse

There are educational debates that have become trapped in political correctness. Talking about limiting cell phones in the classroom sounds good; saying that perhaps we should also rethink teachers' use of them is even more uncomfortable. But if we want to change the system, we need to review everything. Have students overused screens? Sure. But many teachers have too. The classroom has too often become a space where knowledge is projected, linked, or broadcast... but no longer explained. PowerPoints recycled for decades, videos that fill class hours, self-assessed multiple-choice exams, online activities that students do in the classroom without teacher intervention. Technology has simplified the profession so much that, in some cases, it has diluted it. What if we were to be clear? The teacher cannot be a human projector. The learning experience requires presence, contact, storytelling, and empathy. Explaining a lesson, building an idea from scratch, solving a problem by hand, making a mistake, correcting it. Living knowledge isn't found in a YouTube video, but in the eyes of a teacher who's mastered and passionate about the subject.

It's not about rejecting technology, but about giving it its rightful place: outside the classroom, as reinforcement, as a resource, as a tool to extend learning beyond school. A well-done presentation, an educational reel , or a video call can be useful. But we have the luxury of having a teacher for 50 minutes, who explains, surprises, and challenges us. Not one who plays a video. The screen can't be the new desk. Nor can the teacher be a content manager. When teaching is reduced to standard structures, students stop learning to think. That's why we need to return to the written exam, to debate, to constructing arguments. This isn't about nostalgia, but about judgment.

Professionals The teacher cannot be a human projector. The learning experience requires presence, contact, storytelling, and empathy.

Do students not know how to give presentations? Perhaps because no one has given them a proper one in years. Do they not know how to develop complex ideas? Perhaps because teachers have stopped doing so. When everything is editable, nothing is profound. And that's a contextual problem: we've grown accustomed to delegating education to tools and platforms that were meant to be complementary, not central. AI can help, but only if you understand what you're asking and understand the answer. It's faster to grade a test than an essay. It's easier to show a video than to explain. But if we reduce the effort, so does the learning. And that applies to both students and teachers.

Barcelona wants to be a technological leader, and it can be. But that requires a demanding education, with teachers who read the press, who have professional experience outside the classroom, who convey experiences beyond textbooks. Because education isn't just content. It's example, it's enthusiasm, it's human connection and empathy. And no device can replicate that. Students overuse screens. And so do teachers.