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A mistake I’ve made in my life is that I confused settling with being grateful. I accepted mediocracy in every aspect of my life because I know things could always be worse… But now I see things could always be better too.
Ms. Mimi
IG: mimi_moments (via seemimiteach)
IG: mimi_moments (via seemimiteach)
Does technology improve bad education conditions?
Schools with students in need of additional help will make matters worse if they rely on technology to fill the gap. Students coming from low income families benefit most from person to person contact. The exploration of Bangalore, India and its reputation for having great IT but weak education helped to shine a light on ways technology and education could co-exist.
Government schools in India’s rural areas were first assessed. Some problems that arose included parents that were unengaged with their children’s education, plumbing that didn’t function, and teachers who were not present. School leaders looked to technology to bridge the gap between these problems and success. Computer labs appeared in the classrooms but there were not enough for each student. Ultimately, the student with the most privilege controlled the device while others crowded and hoped for a chance too.
One solution included figuring out how several students could use one computer all at the same time. Each student could have their own mouse and engage in some activity where all of them could be involved. This idea led Udai Singh Pawar, a researcher to create MultiPoint which also comes with education focused programs.
Formal trials of this method were deemed effective. Something like vocabulary drills were proven to be as valuable to a group of students on one machine compared to one child on one computer. Students began to wonder why all computers don’t have multiple mice. This method may lead to more assistance for other struggling school around the world. It doesn’t solve every issue present but it is a positive forward move.
While this sort of technology was a plus to schools, a lack of technical support posed another issue. As equipment failed, it just got stored and the computer lab space was reassigned. In other cases, teachers had to work harder to redesign tech based lesson plans that couldn’t take place due to equipment fails.
To learn more about this story, visit Washington Post here.