Discussion at "The Economist" (The search of smart concepts 2)

The economist started its first(!) online discussion with the following statement: This house believes the continuing introduction of new technologies and new media addes little to the quality of most education.

The results are sumarized in the picture. Most probably, if England, which has a leading position in E-Learning, comes up with these statement and results, the issue for an emergent economy like Kazakhstan is a clear yes. However, the discussion and the arguments are - to my knowledge - the richest resources for arguing and thinking on the issue.

The following statements seem me important:

• “The practical task facing ministers of education is to expand access to quality education as economically as possible. They want the same outcomes as Adam Smith's pin factory: higher volume, consistent quality, lower cost.”

• “Technology has underperformed because it is usually applied to help the teacher teach rather than to help the learner learn. The successful examples of technology involve the creation of learning systems that create a rich environment around the learner. Too often technology is simply used to pretty up teaching yet, as many contributors have noted, technology may increase the reach of a poor teacher but it will not improve the quality of their teaching.”

The limiting factor is education system and educational paradigm. This is true in developing countries; this is even truer in countries with less resources, capacities and experience for innovation.

1. Technology should clearly point what should be improved “instead of a vague assumption that technology will enhance teaching.”

2. Technology is better used to create new learning systems.

3. There is a quest for the magic medium, the ultimate technology that will revolutionize education. The task is to use them to create a world where education of quality is abundantly available. (The proposition's opening remarks).

As for now, examples prove that technology can ensure a quantum leap, but these examples are much limited to generalize and to make policy recommendation. The search continues…