UN Report: Education Technology Should Be Used Carefully

2023-10-18

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  • The COVID-19 pandemic showed how useful digital technology could be for schools.
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  • But it also showed the limitations of technology in the educational setting.
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  • Millions of students were able to attend classes online to avoid spreading the virus.
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  • But many students failed to learn by such methods.
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  • Their educational progress slowed and in some cases went backwards.
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  • Digital tools and the internet have made it easier for students to access educational resources.
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  • However, a large number of schools around the world remain unconnected to the internet.
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  • Additionally, digital tools have entered markets that have no official supervision.
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  • Such educational products do not require any testing or proof as to their value to schools and learners.
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  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) argues against unsupervised wide use of digital tools and AI in education.
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  • A recent UNESCO report says there is little evidence that wide technology use improves learning.
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  • The organization says digital educational tools can never replace the human connection of teacher and student.
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  • Audrey Azoulay is UNESCO's Director General.
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  • She says there is a very large divide, or gap, between rich and poor countries when it comes to digital resources.
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  • Just 40 percent of primary schools worldwide have access to the internet, she said.
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  • Many schools also lack electricity, especially in Africa and Central and Southern Asia.
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  • In sub-Saharan Africa, just 32 percent of schools have electricity.
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  • And, internationally, about one-third of students were unable to attend online classes during the pandemic.
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  • "Even if connectivity was universal, it would still be necessary to demonstrate ...that digital technology offers real added value in terms of effective learning," the report says.
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  • Often, technology changes faster than it is possible to study it, the report says.
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  • Educational technology products change every three years on average.
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  • In Britain, for example, just seven percent of educational technology companies had done studies to judge the effectiveness of their products.
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  • UNESCO also reported that many companies pay for studies on the effectiveness of their own product.
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  • These studies are not independent examinations.
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  • Pearson, an education technology company, has a tool called Successmaker for teaching math and reading.
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  • Independent studies show the tool has little or negative effectiveness in learning.
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  • But the company stands by the results of the private study it paid for.
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  • That study found the product very helpful to learning.
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  • UNESCO says such companies need to be better regulated.
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  • Azoulay said just 14 percent of countries require data protection in education.
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  • "Student data should not be used either by education technology or advertising technology companies for marketing purposes," the report says.
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  • Yet a study of 163 products found that 89 percent of them gathered student data and sent them to third-party companies, often for advertising purposes.
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  • This usually happened without the student or parent knowing, the study said.
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  • UNESCO argues that technology holds great possibilities for education.
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  • But studies have shown that educational technologies are most effective when a teacher is involved in the instructional process.
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  • "We must never forget the social and emotional dimensions of teaching and learning," Azoulay said, adding, "no screen will ever replace a teacher."
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  • I'm Dan Novak.