Why we need to shake up the ed-tech narrative

Carine Diaz
Learning Equality
Published in
4 min readDec 10, 2021

Limited thinking around the possibilities of education technology can not only be restrictive to smart funding and innovations in the field, but worse, it can perpetuate inequity, widen the learning gap, and trigger mistaken assumptions about what's possible for those who need it most.

A group of adult learners holding tablets gather around a table to study
Adult learners in Kenya on a study group during the pandemic. Photo courtesy of Elimu.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity like no other for education technology to have its moment. With over one and half billion learners impacted by worldwide school closures and an unprecedented global mobilization toward some form of digital home-based learning to ensure continuity and avoid learning loss, this was a perfect storm for ed-tech to fight.

But with 40% of the world’s population still lacking access to connectivity today, unless governments and other education stakeholders supporting the continuity of learning thought about how ed-tech can be adopted and implemented equitably, it was clear that learning with technology, particularly at-home and in hybrid models, would only effectively help the most privileged, and leave underserved learners behind. The result: a wider gap in learning.

It’s no wonder then that some are asserting that ed-tech failed learners and educators during this time of global education disruption. But what we saw in the education response to the pandemic was a dichotomy of ed-tech solutions: either high-tech options including online learning for those who can access the Internet, and low-tech options delivered by phone, TV and radio. Separate from the question of whether these solutions offer the appropriate support to both learners and educators, what is missing from this broader conversation is the notion that there is a continuum of connectivity that is available, and that there are ed-tech tools that can be utilized by learners and educators across this continuum. As a result, this narrow way of thinking is ultimately limiting for innovations in the ed-tech field, and more importantly, to the underserved learners who need it most.

A young learner reads a story on a tablet sitting on a table and surrounded by school supplies.
Engaging early education with technology but without requiring the Internet. Photo courtesy of SIL Cameroon.

When any education technology tool is positioned to only fit into one of these two boxes, we are restricting the possibilities for innovation in ed-tech. Learners limited by infrastructural constraints are similarly deserving of the high-quality and engaging experiences as their peers. We need to re-imagine what is possible, and re-framing how we’re thinking about education technology is a critical step.

At Learning Equality, we care deeply about equity, so we swim against the current and push forward innovation by developing ed-tech solutions that are free, open, adaptable, scalable and sustainable, and more importantly, that provide an engaging, interactive experience for impactful teaching and learning, in an environment that was designed for limited or no Internet environments first.

Our thinking is human-centered: teachers and learners are at its core, regardless of socio-economic status, geographic location or infrastructure limitations.

Four young boys are laying outdoors, on the lawn of a hilltop, looking at tablets
Learners in Punchao, in the rural district of Huamalíes, Peru, using Kolibri on tablets provided by CARE Peru during the pandemic

With our ecosystem Kolibri, we develop an end-to-end suite of products and tools that support offline-first teaching and learning but with many functionalities contained in online platforms but designed for the contextual realities when the Internet is scarce. This includes access to an expansive library of open and aligned learning resources, the ability to create and assign formative assessments, real-time educator support, offline data syncing and collection, and more.

Kolibri is the word for hummingbird in dozens of languages, and our little hummingbird has made it so Learning Equality can reach all learners in a way that most online ed-tech cannot. Because it’s possible. So much so that today marks the 4th year anniversary of Kolibri.

In celebration of this milestone, our next version of Kolibri which will fly in early 2022 will contain tools for self-directed learning — including metadata and categorization of activities to facilitate discoverability of materials — as well as data syncing for single-users to support hybrid learning models. We believe that this additional functionality is a strong step forward in response to the need to address learning loss as a result of a prolonged pandemic.

A young boy smiles at the camera making the peace sign with both hands
4 years of Kolibri supporting learners across the world, just like this one in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of New Arrivals Institute.

So we invite you to come along with us as we re-imagine education technology. Let’s break free from preconceived notions of what’s possible for whom.

Help us continue to develop education technology that isn’t limited to either high or low-tech but that uses both to unlock rather high-quality teaching and learning in low resource, low connectivity environments.

Whether via a financial gift, by donating your technical skills to our open code base on GitHub, or by simply reframing your thinking around ed-tech, your contribution will make a difference in creating a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape.

Sign up to discover human stories that deepen your understanding of the world.

Free

Distraction-free reading. No ads.

Organize your knowledge with lists and highlights.

Tell your story. Find your audience.

Membership

Read member-only stories

Support writers you read most

Earn money for your writing

Listen to audio narrations

Read offline with the Medium app

Published in Learning Equality

Learning Equality is committed to enabling every person in the world to realize their right to a quality education by enabling teaching and learning with technology, without the Internet.

Written by Carine Diaz

Director of Communications at Learning Equality, natural-born networker, Pilates fiend, and animal lover.

No responses yet

What are your thoughts?