For the past twenty years Innovations for Learning, a Chicago-based nonprofit, has been passionately committed to two ideas:
These ideas have led to this singular goal: create an effective system of individualized instruction that is affordable, replicable and scalable. In our attempts to accomplish this goal, we have focused on several key principles:
One Mouse per Child is oriented towards working simultaneously with an entire class using an interpersonal computer. In our case, this consists of a PC, a projector, and a mouse for each child participating in the activity. Experimentally we observed in a classroom that on a 1024 X 768 pixel projection, on a conventional 1,5 mt. x 1,5 mt. screen, up to 49 children could adequately work simultaneously in a classroom.
Each student must solve a series of exercises, which are generated according to the child performance through a set of pedagogical rules incorporated into the system. In the learning process the teacher has an active mediating role. A teacher (personal) mouse enables to directly intervene with each of the students’ learning process, according to what the teacher considers to be pedagogically convenien
From single-purpose educational aids like the Teachermate to commercial netbooks that can be re-purposed for the classroom, information and communication technology is dropping in cost while increasing in functionality and robustness. Soon, these ICT devices will be like slates in the 1800’s – ubiquitous.
In 2008, infoDev at the World Bank complied a Quick guide to low-cost computing devices and initiatives for the developing world to try and record the most prominent or promising of these devices.
For June, the Educational Technology Debate will attempt to update and organize this list through two efforts…
Dr. Tim Kelly: I will invite the speakers to present their closing arguments, beginning with this time the “against the motion” side, to conclude their comments and also to respond to some of the issues that were raised in the discussion. For those keeping score, at start we had 35% for the motion, 60% against the motion, and 5% undecided. The new votes are… (download the podcast)
The Educational Technology Debate is one year old this month and to celebrate, we had a Live Debate: Are Most Investments in Technology for Schools Wasted? at the World Bank offices in New Delhi, India. With six great speakers, we focused on the issues around technology implementation in educational systems of the developing world. This […]
I am absolutely passionate about the vision, about the potential, of education technology. But this motion is not about the justification for education technology or the vision or the potential. Its about the reality of the implementation. This motion is about most investments in educational technology are wasted. That’s an implementation question and it’s not a question about vision or potential or the justification.
I am a big believer in education technology. I am great disbeliever in how education technology has been implemented and I believe it has led to enormous amount of wastage.
The importance of ICT, it will continue to be relevant. It is not that potentially there is waste. There is waste in commercial process. I server a lot of commercial companies that waste, that waste everyday and they’re for profit, seeking to make a profit. ICT in schools is certainly much more visionary and much more for societal benefits.
To learn how to use technology in today’s world is a foregone conclusion. You must know how. It is not like a casual extra. For many of us, we didn’t grow up with it so for us it has been an added skill that overtime we had to learn and but certainly as a parent I can see my children knowing how to use it. It is second nature.
These examples are only from poor countries but the human tendencies and organizational changes and organizational choices that they make are characteristically universal. Most likely they also exist in many other countries:
These mistakes can’t be corrected unless we do something, so most investments in ICT for schools will likely to be wasted.
This is the opening remarks and initial response of Ashish Garg, Asian Regional Coordinator for Global E-Schools and Community Initiative to the question: Are most investments in technology for schools wasted?
Ashish Garg:: Thank you Dr. Kelly and thank you Atanu for trying to make this debate interesting. Even though, I don’t see any reason for us to be here debating about the efficiation of using ICTs in schools and education. Nevertheless let me start by quoting not Shakespeare but Ban Ki-moon from recent times.
The Educational Technology Debate is one year old this month and to celebrate, we had a Live Debate: Are Most Investments in Technology for Schools Wasted? at the World Bank offices in New Delhi, India. With six great speakers, we focused on the issues around technology implementation in educational systems of the developing world.
This is the opening remarks and initial response of Atanu Dey, a noted speaker on ICT in education and an economist at Netcore Solutions in Mumbai, India to the question: Are most investments in technology for schools wasted?
