Leapfrogging the Challenges of Technology

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Role of Philanthropy in Educational Technology and the Digital World

Proposal

We need to think about how we integrate EdTech into the education system. EdTech needs to be a real solution for challenges that we are attempting to solve and not be used for the sake of using EdTech. Despite our best efforts, any and all kinds of technology are still not accessible to the children in over 50% of the most marginalized homes. It is a huge investment to ensure these homes are connected and it is important that this investment is directed effectively and efficiently. The technology needs to be designed to be fit for the context, support efficiencies and connect effectively with the broader education system. It is important that EdTech serve the essential learning experience that happens through hands-on-learning and direct interaction between the teachers and students and only be used to substitute this when there are no other options.

In this world of technology, some of the core 21st century skills have become even more important, especially critical thinking, media-literacy, social-wellbeing and connection etc. We need to empower our learners and communities with these skills and competencies to navigate the addiction, fake information, insecurities and lack of connection that are even more prevalent in this world. By preparing our learners, they can harness the power of EdTech to design a relevant and contextual learning journey and open additional pathways.
Finally, as we scale up the use of technologies like AI, we have to ensure that these tools are designed to respect and safeguard cultural integrity. That means addressing any data limitations and biases before we deploy these technologies on a large scale. It’s about ensuring that every learner is represented fairly and that no one is left behind.

Author

• Janhvi M KANORIA, Education Above All Foundation