I cannot imagine anyone would say that education has not been changed by the Covid-19. However, I believe the scope of how it has changed education will not be determined for many years. We know that schools were shut down for over 1.2 billion children throughout the world, forcing schools and students to switch to online learning, or e-learning (Li & Lalani, 2020).
While this shift to e-learning was definitely a challenge, there is some research that shows that the online learning can lead to higher levels of retention compared to in-person learning. Online students retain 25%-60% more than they would in a classroom, where retention is between 8-10%. Students can learn between 40-60% faster because they are able to learn at their own pace (Li & Lalani, 2020).
However, these statistics only happen if e-learning is done well. This is where there is tremendous room for growth in education in many areas. These could include:
Increase Investments done in a financially-stainable way in:
educational technology both in development and adoption
improved bandwidth capabilities to allow for equal access of all students in all countries and income brackets and allow students and teachers to get the most benefit from technology
educational infrastructure, data systems, and data analytics
Adopt effective technologies and ensure that they
are aligned at all levels (system, teacher and student) to meet goals
maintain privacy and security, are scalable, and are compatible with existing systems
are accessible for students with disabilities
Adapt existing hardware and pedagogy as appropriate
Create of partnerships between schools and industry and media,
Improve teacher training that includes
focusing on education first, then determine how technology can support all stakeholders,
use of technology to close learning gaps, to communicate, and support social-emotional learning, and promote safety,
distance learning pedagogy and digital skills,
designing courses for online and hybrid scenarios
Build learning teams with all stakeholders in a child’s education to improve engagement and access,
Teach digital literacy skills to all students beginning in early grades to help prepare them for the future and reduce the digital divide,
Ensure that all students have access to a device to work on, and
Improve online course designs that
match the needs of each age group instead of trying to duplicate a traditional classroom,
integrate games and various types of technology to increase student engagement and motivation
focus on critical thinking instead of rote learning
use a combination of high-, low- and no-tech opportunities to reach all students
use Universal Design for Learning to create accessible materials for students with disabilities such as visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments (Li & Lalani, 2020; Nichols & Allen-Brown, 2001; EdTech, 2021; SREB, 2018).
A New Normal
Many teachers are ready to get back to normal, but once the dust settles, I believe normal will look very different than it did before the pandemic. The new skills that teachers and students have learned will lead to a different way of teaching and learning than we saw before, and a new hybrid model will emerge (Li & Lalani, 2020). The hybrid model will allow for more flexibility in communication, collaboration, and instruction, and it will allow for more personalized, flexible, and competency-based instruction (Li & Lalani, 2020; SREB, 2018). Adaptive learning is a technology tool that may become increasingly more important in order to identify and fill learning gaps (SREB, 2018).
Other Issues to Consider
While there may be benefits to a “new normal”, there is concern about the existing digital divide being widened and the benefits may not reach everyone unless there is a concerted effort to reach all, even the most marginalized, students (Li & Lalani, 2020; EdTech, 2021).
There are issues that states can address now in order to help achieve success in using technology to meet educational goals and policy initiatives. SREB (2018) detailed some these including 1) data systems, 2) data privacy, 3) predictive analytics, 4) bandwidth, 5) emerging technologies, 6) new learning models, 7) student digital literacy, 8) technology security, 9) digital accessibility, and 10) policy. Many of these have been referenced by other authors referenced in this blog post.
In order to make most effective use of all of the data collected on students to make data-driven decisions and policy, data systems should be linked from early childhood all the way through college and beyond to the workforce. In order to do this, there needs to be coordination between agencies on the definitions, collection methods, and the types of data collected. This data also needs to be protected to maintain its integrity. In addition, several federal laws, such as FERPA, Pupil Privacy Rights Act, Higher Education Opportunity Act and ESSA, mandate privacy protections. Schools should have plans for storage, security, access permissions, retention, third-party systems, and employee data security training (SREB, 2018). In addition to protecting data, the technology systems and infrastructure, third-party vendors, and cloud services must also be protected using multiple layers of protection to prevent unauthorized access and security breaches (SREB, 2018).
Predictive analytics is useful because it can be used to improve systems, processes and policy. Data from many sources are used to determine what is working well in instruction and where there may be gaps in student learning. Predictive modeling and artificial intelligence can be used to choose technology systems to best meet student needs. This can lead to accelerated learning, better support systems for students, and more effective training (SREB, 2018).
Technology is constantly evolving, and there are many types. New technology needs to be evaluated to determine how it can be used to help meet goals and cost-effectiveness. The training, support and integration with existing technology and practices should be considered as part of the cost. Prior to implementation, leaders will need to evaluate how the technology will add value to instruction (SREB, 2018).
In order to be successful in school and in life, students need digital literacy skills to “evaluate, manipulate, design and develop information” (SREB, 2018). This will help them to be able to utilize online learning opportunities in school and beyond, and it will also benefit society in the development of informed and productive citizens (SREB, 2018).
Critical Theory
Critical theory can be applied to educational technology because of the way that technology is often integrated into schools without thought about how to use that technology in an emancipatory manner, and that implementation is often not done in an equitable manner (Nichols & Allen-Brown, 2001). The digital divide is real, and without conscious effort it will continue to grow.
Here is a video which explains Critical Theory of Technology for further information and future reference.
References
EdTech and covid-19: 10 things to know. EdTech Hub. (2021, October 8). Retrieved January 15, 2022, from https://edtechhub.org/edtech-and-covid-19-10-things-to-know/
Li, Cathy., & Lalani, F. (2020, April 29). The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever. this is how. World Economic Forum. Retrieved January 15, 2022, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/
Nichols, R.G. & Allen-Brown, V., (2001). Handbook of research for Educational Communications and Technology. D. H. Jonassen (Ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Paulson, E. (2015, February 11). Critical theory of technology: An introduction. YouTube. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from https://youtu.be/85mXvrqdExk
SREB, (2018). 10 Issues in Educational Technology, 2108. Retrieved December 7, 2019 from https://www.sreb.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/10issues_v8-web_version_accessible.pdf?1521568731
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