When India imposed a nationwide lockdown in late March to slow the spread of COVID, all schools were shut and had switched to digital learning. As most of the schools still remain closed, problems have arisen for children from low-income families who do not have access to the internet or the means to purchase digital learning tools.
In an effort to help these children from falling behind in school, singer Veena Gupta and her former diplomat husband, Virendra Gupta, have been conducting free lessons on the streets of New Delhi for children aged four to With the goal of keeping these children engaged, the couple bought all the necessary teaching materials and set up the open-air classrooms, offering free lessons in maths, science, English and physical education.
After each lesson, Veena treats the children to her homemade lemonade and cookies. Read more about the free classes. US-based designer Valentino Gareri has come up with a modular educational centre concept featuring two ring-shaped structures that blend outdoor and indoor spaces.
Classrooms would be well-ventilated, and social distancing would be easier to achieve due to the extra spaces incorporated in the design. Rooms can also be repurposed for different functions, including temporary medical centres or short-term residential units. Sustainable features include rainwater collection and wind energy devices. These would be visible to the students, located on the roof, allowing for sustainability to become part of the educational experience.
Owing to the COVID pandemic, education facilities across the globe have been forced to temporarily close for the safety of their staff and students.
In Kenya, over 15 million students are expected to be learning from home, which has prompted multinational technology company Huawei Technologies to launch an eLearning initiative. The Learn ON program provides high-quality resources on an open platform, together with financial support to ensure educational continuity.
Lastly, 50, students are expected to be trained through online self-learning, courses and classes. Read more about the Learn ON program. With worldwide anxiety at an incredible high, Luxembourg-based Metaform architects created a protective face shield for children that introduces a bit of light-hearted fun in the design. Meant to sit atop a hat or visor, the base of the shield is 3D-printed, and the entire design is open source for maximal use and sharing.
The main components of the shield are the base and an upper and lower PVC shield. Teachers and educational leaders who grapple with such questions will find this handbook an invaluable resource.
Its four chapters — The learning principles; The innovative learning environment framework; Learning leadership and evaluative thinking; and Transformation and change - each contain a concise, non-technical overview introduction followed by a set of tools. The handbook makes good the ILE ambition not just to analyse change but to offer practical help to those around the world determined to innovate their schools and systems. Browse or purchase the book online.
Education at a Glance 12 September Education at a Glance is the authoritative source for information on the state of education around the world. It provides key information on the output of educational institutions; the impact of learning across countries; the financial and human resources invested in education; access, participation and progression in education; and the learning environment and organisation of schools.
Citizenship and education in a digital world Marc Fuster December This scenario may or may not represent an ideal application of innovation and technology; however it is indicative of the link between technological innovation and innovations in educational delivery:.
A scenario. Anne attends evening classes while working full-time. She travels to work by bus, making an hour and half commute each day. After class, the evening before, Anne had gone online using her low-cost computer to download the audio recording the lecturer had made.
Now she listens to the lecture a second time to fill in gaps that she missed when she was tired in the evening class. Anne also sends a text message from her smart phone to a classmate in order to clarify the meaning of a concept. Arriving at work, Anne is feeling more confident about the concepts that seemed so fuzzy the previous evening.
Next Anne begins to tackle her homework, which requires research, discussion of the topic with a class group, and submission of a joint assignment. Anne starts planning the assignment during the afternoon tea break, and at the end of the work day she spends minutes typing the assignment outline and then emails it to her group before saving it on a memory stick and heading home via minibus.
En route, Anne catches up on readings. One chapter is from a page book, which is both heavy to carry and very expensive. Fortunately, the institution has digital rights for use of the content by its learners, so Anne downloaded the chapter to her smart phone. Considering her hectic family life, this chapter would likely go unread at home. The above scenario might seem familiar to those who have studied by night classes.
While it focuses on a learner, the scenario could be similar for teachers, tutors, agricultural extension workers, and other learners. Technologies that are now available in most Commonwealth countries increase the potential to support learners and educators, and can help remove the barriers of time and distance. New information and communications technologies ICTs do not replace all previous ones, nor do they replace the need for good educational design and delivery. However, appropriate technologies can provide additional possibilities for learner support, interactivity, and access to education.
The institution broadcasts its discussion groups by radio, so Anne tunes in, and uses her cell-phone to send her comments via text messages that her group leader shares with the group.
The cell-phone is affordable and works well outside of city limits where land-lines do not exist. How can innovation and technology offset the barriers of access and mobility that has been a deterrent to education in many parts of the developing world?
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