Abstract

The aim of the study was to gain insights about how pre-service teachers perceive the teacher's role in a world of technological changes in the education field, especially in regards to student-teacher digital relationships. The study was conducted in an online forum of an academic course among students of a master’s program in teacher education. The discussion forum was preceded by a short YouTube video about the need for educational changes. A content analysis was then conducted on the post. The pre-service teachers broadened their discussion beyond the scope of the use of technologies in teaching and student-teacher relationship on social networks (SN). Findings yielded that the group acknowledged the impact of technologies on creative thinking, as well as the advantages of digital student-teacher relationship. However, they claimed that all this cannot replace the role of a meaningful teacher in class. The pre-service teachers strongly emphasized the importance of teaching values, developing social skills, enhancing creativity, intuition and curiosity, and developing a holistic view of learners. The pre-service teachers presented a balanced approach which incorporates old (values) and new (technology) rather than totally abandoning the old for the sake of the new.