We just had a lively discussion with Larry Cuban, Kentaro Toyama, Jan Chipchase and Leigh Linden, four distinguished expert practitioners from widely divergent backgrounds and areas of expertise who helped us explore historical perspectives on technology use in education, especially in the leading example of the United States, new and innovative directions in technology geared to address pressing needs in developing countries, how ethnographic research with multinationals is transforming the way technology products and services are being developed for use in low income communities around the world, and what the data can tell us about the impact of technology use in education.
We explored what is happening today in developing countries with regard to low cost laptops, the explosion of mobile phones and “web 2.0 technologies” with a focus on the historical perspective, and what this might (and might not!) mean for the future of education.
Watch a live webcast and share your opinion.
LIVE WEBCAST:http://www.worldbank.org/edevelopment/live
From Edmund Gaible:
Kentaro’s response re comparison of TCO of ICT intervention in comparison to
opportunity cost does NOT address multiple potential areas of benefits from
ICT interventions that are integrated across the service mix delivered by
schools.
However, in extremely poor and isolated communities, ICT in schools can play
several important roles.
Can the panelists cite research evaluating impact of ICT interventions that
address multiple/integrated implementations of ICT to improve school
services on multiple levels.
Examples could include:
- Delivery of learning resources
- Support for professional development of teachers
- Support for improved school management and financial accountability
Other examples, farther afield, would include broader integration in rural
communities with healthcare services, egovernment or other sectors.
How can we evaluate the costs/benefits of more broadly (and I would say,
more soundly) conceived interventions?
Edmond Gaible
Nice work! I’ll have to do a cross post on this one