The idea that technology can revolutionize education is not new.
A century ago American inventor and businessman, Thomas Edison, predicted that
with the invention of the motion picture books would become obsolete in the
classroom. However, the form and function of the classroom has been immutable
in incredible ways.
Is education yielding to technology? Schools around the world
are gearing up in technology; computers, laptops, tablets, television, video
games and cellphones. Kenya will not be left behind. The government has
allocated Ksh17 billion in the 2014/2015 budget estimates to purchase laptops,
train teachers, develop digital content and build computer labs. This is an
incredible commitment, especially when more urgent challenges bedevil the
education sector. The ministry of education argues that laptops in the
classroom will address equity and education quality problems, and must be
implemented at all costs.
Like with many of our social policy propositions, it is not
clear to what extent Kenya’s laptop policy is based on research evidence,
taking into account our context, curriculum content, the child and the teacher.
Initial formulations of the laptop policy envisaged that laptops would be
introduced in standard one. In the current budget laptops will be introduced in
standard four. It is not clear how such determinations were made.
Experts have argued against introduction of computers into the
classroom for children below the age of thirteen. Experts believe that in the
early formative years – most of primary school – the goal is to foster social
skills, creativity and problem solving that come with traditional peer
interaction and play. In these formative years you do not want to stuff
children with information. You want to light fires of curiosity, help children ask
questions, understand and think about the world in the own way.
Asked if and when a computer becomes useful in the classroom
Lisa Guernsey, author of “Screen Time:
How Electronic Media – From Baby Videos to Educational Software – Affects Your
Young Child”, said it depends on how the teacher uses it. Salman Khan,
founder of Khan Academy, believes that old classroom model is outmoded and technology
offers hope for more effective ways of teaching and learning.
A global consensus on the age at which technology is appropriate
for learning is improbable. Such decisions will depend on national or subnational
context, content, the child and the teacher. At the very least, the teacher
must determine the answer to this question: how will technology help me engage
with my students, or help them engage with each other and the subject matter more
effectively?
With technology, education can be tailored to the learner’s
needs. The revolutionary power of technology in education is the opportunity to
move to a more adaptive learner-centered approach to education, a radical
departure from a one-pace-fits-all, allowing each child to be taught at a
different pace.
Technology also permits a flipped classroom, a pedagogical model
where the typical teaching and student homework elements of a course are
reversed. In the flipped classroom tasks are created and delivered to the
learner through video, podcast, text and slides made available online or via
tablet/laptop so the student or student groups can work on them on their own. Classroom
sessions become transformed into spaces for active learning and student
engagement, encouraging problem solving and collaboration. The teacher moves up
the value chain, providing personalized attention, as a coach or guide on the
side, to students who require remedial help.
Kenya’s narrow obsession with the laptop is worrying because we
risk missing out on integrated technology options. Such integration would
include high-speed 4G mobile networks, tablets, smartphones, capacity to handle
big data, gaming and adaptive-learning software. Moreover, innovations like
Khan Academy are going global with robust tools for students and teachers. For
instance, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim has signed an agreement of
cooperation to allow students, teachers, and scholars in Mexico to get access
to education and training courses by translating them into Spanish. Rupert
Murdoch’s News Corporation education arm, Amplify, demonstrates that game-based
learning using video games can improve learning within instructional settings.
No amount of technology can replace teachers. Technology will
not improve learning if we do not invest in good teachers. Technology can only
enhance instructional effectiveness, deepening the exploration and discovery
among learners. However, enhancement of pedagogy by technology can only occur through excellent
teachers who are motivated to use and explore educational technology on their
own.
Very true Alex...Technology should complement but not replace teachers and instructors. Great read!
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