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An Ed-Tech Tragedy? Educational Technologies and School Closures in the Time of COVID-19 Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO Charting a new course for the transformation of education in a digital age An Ed-Tech Tragedy? is a detailed analysis of what happened when education became largely reliant on connected technology during school closures stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest global disruption to education in history.Many claim that this experience was chiefly one of forced progress and transformations that have, however haltingly, helped propel education into desirable digital futures. Others underline an experience of imperfect salvation โ technology saving the day in an emergency and preserving learning continuity for significant numbers of students, even if not all students were helped. But the global evidence reveals a more sombre picture. It exposes the ways unprecedented educational dependence on technology often resulted in unchecked exclusion, staggering inequality, inadvertent harm and the elevation of learning models that place machines and profit before people. This publication examines the promises of educational technologies against the reality of what was delivered during periods of pandemic school closures, which stretched for various durations from early 2020 to the end of 2022. Dedicated sections consider alternate possibilities that had the potential to be more inclusive and equitable.The analysis extracts lessons and recommendations to chart new and more humanistic directions for the development, integration and use of technology in education.
Global Education Monitoring Report 2024, Pacific: Technology in Education; A Tool on Whose Terms? Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team | Commonwealth of Learning Information transmission and connectivity is crucial in the Pacific, a region characterized by high geographic dispersion. While the application of ICT in education has significant potentials, it is hindered by the region's limited and costly infrastructure. This edition accompanies the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, which acknowledges technology as a useful tool but invites the education community to question on whose terms it is deployed. The report considered four key policy areas of the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) (2018โ2030): In terms of quality and relevance, mobile technology has offered an affordable and flexible approach to learning, and social media have improved communication between institutions, parents and learners. Moodle is the most widely used digital platform in the region. Textbooks are being digitalised and digital resources made available. Yet content is not always developed or adapted to local languages and cultural contexts. Open and distance learning has historically expanded learning pathways in the Pacific, specially in higher education and as a response to natural hazards. The University of South Pacific is a leading example of open and distance learning connecting campus across 12 countries. With the aim to enhance student outcomes and well-being, efforts have been made to incorporate digital skills into curricula and initiatives have increased outside formal education. Yet regulations do not adequately address threats from the use of technology to privacy, safety and well-being. With a focus on the teaching profession, countries leverage technology to provide training opportunities and transform the teaching profession. However, ICT training varies greatly across the region and limited digital infrastructure hinders technology integration into classrooms and teacher training. Three conditions need to be met for technology's potential to be fulfilled: equitable access to technology, appropriate governance and regulation, and sufficient teacher capacity. Supporting this publication is seven background thematic studies that provide a comprehensive overview of education technology issues; Commonwealth of Learningโs short case studies on some of its projects; a survey administered to key informed respondents from the region; and a series of country profiles on PEER, a policy dialogue resource describing policies and regulations related to technology in the regionโs education systems. 