The idea that every student, including primary and secondary school, should have a working laptop and access to the internet is a good one in my mind. When a student has access to a laptop and internet, the entire family can also have this access.
I see two big questions arise when we look at this. The cost to put measures in place to facilitate this and the usefulness of this. We can reduce cost if we focus on those who cannot afford. We can make this useful by making tech part of the teaching and homework process.
The idea is a good one. The benefits are numerous. But we have the power to make this a success or failure. The idea is not a bad one because we went about it the wrong way and then we can try again. We are in a good position now because we have tried one laptop per student in secondary school and then laptops in labs. We should be able to identify the problems and ways it could be done better. We can learn from other countries. We can learn from this pandemic and lockdown which forces us to quickly use the technology in learning and work.
How do we move forward now? We need the leaders and decision makers to recognise that there is a need for laptops and internet access for students and tech in teaching. Stakeholders should let their voices be heard. I am lending my voice through this blog post and blog. The future is technology. The future is here. Let's not be left behind times and be left to play catch up.
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