A byte-size revolution: The impact of technology on education

From the COVID-19 closures to ChatGPT, the education sector has experienced a tumultuous few years. Is technology a solution or a threat? Meet three educators based in India, Kenya and Pakistan who have experimented with digital tools to meet their students’ evolving needs.

Saima Mazhar, Early Childhood Development (ECD) Coordinator for the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES), Pakistan, is responsible for curriculum design, resource development, teacher training and training needs identification across 150 schools in three regions of Pakistan.

“COVID was a blessing in that it forced us to explore technology. Schools were closed for weeks, and later restrictions meant that only half the students could attend at a time. The Internet was not of good quality at that time, so we purchased time from the local cable TV networks, who displayed the digital lessons for students to watch at home.

“While not all families have laptops or smartphones, this strategy facilitated 75 to 85 percent of students. As an organisation we take it very seriously that every child needs to be facilitated, and all those who had missed out on learning were given special time with teachers to reinforce concepts.

“We are still using digital lessons for reinforcement. In each school in Chitral, for example, there is a small LED screen where the students are taught concepts using the digital lesson and the teachers can reinforce concepts as well. For those schools without Internet, there is a digital databank of lessons for teachers to show students, which include built-in resources such as YouTube videos. We are looking to use them in a flipped classroom strategy [where students receive information beforehand and can spend class time on discussion and activities]. We also provide lessons on USBs to parents of younger children.

“Some of our schools are very, very, far away and it's difficult for us to send qualified and trained teachers to such distant locations. In some areas there used to be 100-plus households, but because of climate change and other reasons, people are migrating to other regions. We need to provide concrete solutions for the few who are left, and are exploring the introduction of digital schools.”

Abhishek Kumar is a primary and middle school teacher at Basic School Bakhari, in Muzaffarpur District, Bihar, India. AKF has been working with the teachers via Schools2030, providing smart technology and training to help improve the teaching process and student learning outcomes.

As Abhishek completed 12th grade, he saw technology evolving rapidly. He was able to use Google and YouTube to investigate topics further – but also found a smartphone app that provided homework answers. “I think this is not so good because homework should be solved by the student himself for concept building!” he acknowledges.

“I use the smart TV to visualise concepts and display 3D objects, for example when I am teaching about volume, area or perimeter. It reduces the time taken to explain the concepts. I also use it to display exercise questions that I have prepared in regional languages, since it is hard to find resources online. AKF has also committed to creating resources in regional languages for the online platform, working with our teachers.

“It has got the students much more involved – before, some weren’t able to connect with the teachers. Only 10 percent of the families at my school are able to give their children a phone or computer system, because this is a government school which only the marginalised students attend. But they love technology and are always eager to attend the smart classroom.

“So far we just have the smart TV, but my school hopes to get a smart board, on which I can write as well as display resources, and a smart table for students to participate in groups.”

Serem Kipkemoi, VP Data and Academic Systems at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, teaches information technology to the senior grades.

“When I was training, the 500 students shared about 10 computers in the university. And now everybody carries their laptop to the classroom. In the Diploma Programme I teach about digital society: how do we use technology appropriately, how can we use it to solve problems and what are the ethical issues?

“The Academy has always emphasised training teachers to use technology such as projectors and PowerPoint. But COVID changed things. Teachers were forced to learn now to use technology effectively in order to teach remotely. And when we came back to the classroom, we continued using some of those technologies.

“Google Classroom lets us give direct feedback to the students about what they need to work on. And I can see from my end that the students acted on that feedback. Nearpod was a powerful tool for remote learning because you're in conversation with the students, you can see their faces as they are working, but you can also see their work. I still use it in class. And AssessPrep is an online examination platform which checks if students are focusing. If they are looking elsewhere during their exam, it reports it.

“We also use systems such as ManageBac. Teachers post their lessons for parents to see. The parents are able to monitor attendance. Students can see their assignments and reports, and teachers can give feedback.

“Some students are able to afford technology at home. But we also support the Talent Identification Programme group of students from very poor, marginalised backgrounds. At the moment they report, we give them laptops and support them with a technology mentorship programme. At the end of one or two years they are always OK to use technology and complete their tasks online.”

Serem is relaxed about students using ChatGPT to assist with their work. “Of late we realised that it is possible that some students have met their work using ChatGPT, but most use it to verify or sharpen their text, and teachers use it to refine their comments. The IB has told us that students should credit and reference ChatGPT as their source if they use it. I think if it is used well, there are benefits.

“Already we are seeing as teachers that things have transitioned. We were the source of knowledge but now we have to partner. That knowledge will come from the student, it will come from technology. The classroom will be without boundaries. We need to encourage the student now to use that knowledge to solve our common problems.

“The other day I was reading about Elon Musk launching Starlink, the satellite Internet. We are so privileged at the Academy, but the students around may not be able to access the Internet. I think this will positively impact a lot of regions in Africa.

“We’ve used the Internet to succeed with financial transactions on M-PESA. I think the success there should also translate into education. We can use technology to make sure that learning takes place and we compete with the rest of the world. For me that is important.”