The recent increase in programmes to provide students across the Caribbean region with computing devices has solved some problems but has created others. We outline some of the issues that may already be emerging.

 

One laptop and one tablet computer per child initiatives are not new in the Caribbean region. They have been occurring cyclically over the past decade or so, and were considerably more frequent over the past two years when schools had to be closed and students had to engage in remote learning modalities.

Without a doubt, all Caribbean countries aspire to achieve the goal of every child or every student having access to their own computing device. Although there might be some funding or subsidies available through donor agencies, even when combined with what countries are prepared to contribute, so far and in most countries, the goal is far from being realised.

However, the pandemic emphasised the need for countries to focus on digital learning, and so ad hoc efforts based on the exigent circumstances occurred. Now that the dust is settling as students have returned to school, and noting that schools may have to close once again, we perhaps need to ask ourselves, “So what will happen to all of these laptops and tablet computers that have been purchased?”

 

Many benefits to every student having a computing device

In the first instance, we ought to acknowledge that ICT is becoming increasingly crucial to teaching and learning, and so considerable benefits can be realised when students have access to computing devices including the following:

  • Thanks to their audio, visual, video and interactive capabilities, computing devices can be a cost-effective medium through which to access a broad range of learning styles, many of which can be delivered remotely, thus catering for the individual needs of students.
  • In turn, teachers will be able to leverage a broader range of teaching and learning tools, and classes or lessons can be designed to cater to the needs of individual students and the class as a whole. Ultimately, teachers can have greater flexibility in how they prepare their lessons and how their lessons are delivered in the physical or virtual classroom.
  • With digital literacy becoming increasingly crucial, having more hands-on experience with technology in a variety of situations – and not just for entertainment – can foster digital knowledge and experience that is not only essential to the workplace, but also for everyday life in the 21st century.

Although the benefits of students having access to computing devices are irrefutable, the challenges, which are outlined below are not disadvantages of students having access to devices. The focus is on the challenges that are emerging within the education sector when inadequate steps are taken to better support greater computer device use in schools.

 

Teachers may revert to the ‘chalk and talk’

If there was any complaint among teachers that emerged during the pandemic was the fact that preparing their lessons for delivery online was considerably more time-consuming than they had anticipated. Further, many of them had to learn how to use digital teaching tools and lesson planning skills on the fly, as limited training had been offered before and more so during the early days of the pandemic.

Now that in-person classes have been returning, teachers may not need to leverage the internet and online teaching tools to the same degree. Additionally, many schools across the region are challenged to provide the bandwidth needed in classrooms to support every student in the school having quality internet access simultaneously.  

 

Internet affordability is still a challenge

Following on the previous point, it cannot be overstated the extent to which Caribbean schools are unable to provide adequate bandwidth for use in classrooms – even for the current number of computing devices that need to be connected. In public schools, the responsibility lies with the ministries of education and thus the Government. However, it could be argued that due to ongoing financing constraints, most ministries of education across the Caribbean are unable to ensure that schools have adequate bandwidth so that all students, thanks to the one tablet computer and one laptop programmes, will have meaningful access to the internet.

If on the other hand, the case is being made that students are expected to use their computing devices at home to do their homework, and access their lessons and other learning tools that are available, lower-income households may not be able to consistently provide internet service at home. Hence, although students may have a computing device, the difficulties their families could experience in ensuring that they have adequate internet access at home are frequently overlooked.

 

Supporting digital management framework and resources absent

To a considerable degree, the emphasis of the laptop and tablet computer drives has been to get those devices in the hands of students. However, it appears and is frequently evident that little consideration is being given to the structures and resources that ought to be established to support and ensure the longevity of these initiatives. For example, matters related to device and software maintenance tend not to be proactively addressed. Additionally, and in the hands of children the useable life of the device is likely to be considerably less, so longer-term provisions for refurbishment and more importantly, replacement are also not established.

It is also highlighted that within schools, there can be considerable naivete among school administrators about the structures that ought to be put in place to manage technology and technology use on school premises. For example, there ought to be systems and processes to support child online protection, as there have been growing reports of children/students being exposed to online harm. Additionally, controls ought to be established for the websites and online services that can be accessed on the school’s network, with the requisite guidelines and rules also being set out. There could also be user and usage rules and policies, that speak to online behaviour, device care and maintenance, etc.

In public schools, this digital management framework would be the remit of the Ministry of Education, but it would also expose the capacity development need among school administrators and associated staff who would be required to manage the structures established.

 

In summary, there are arguably several other challenges that are likely to emerge should Caribbean countries want to more substantially leverage computing devices and digital tools in the classroom. Discussing some of these challenges should not be construed as a deterrent to greater digital use in teaching and learning. Instead, the opportunity should be taken to address them or minimise the negative consequences.

Pivotal to the posture governments should adopt is the fact that ICT in education is here to stay, and moving forward, students need to be properly prepared for the future of work and of life.

 

 

Image credit: GSK (flickr)