I have to confess my
wife Rashmi and my child Devyani think it's pretty funny that I have been
invited to talk about technology at a cutting-edge conference for innovators
and entrepreneurs. We didn't even have a TV when I was a kid. We were not what
you would call "early-adopters." But I've changed—we all know what
happens to dinosaurs—and the reason I've changed is that I've seen the
tremendous transformational potential of technology in education. I really believe
that technology is a game-changer in the field of education—a game-changer we
desperately need to both improve achievement for all and increase equity for
children and communities who have been historically underserved.
Technology: Value Added
Services (VAS) For Education
- Technology is making us so much more efficient. It allows teachers to personalize education for more and more students. Teachers and students can track progress in real time and not have to guess as to what is actually being learned.
- Technology offers children the opportunity to work at their own pace, pursue their own interests and passions, and provides access to more information through a cell phone and internet than I could find as a child in an entire library.
- Technology enables working adults to learn on their own schedule. It eliminates geographical barriers to knowledge.
- Technology is replacing the paper and pencil, the textbook, the chalk board and the globe in the corner of the room.
It's no exaggeration to
say that technology is the new platform for learning. Technology isn't an
option that schools may or may not choose for their kids. Technological
competency is a requirement for entry into the global economy—and the faster we
embrace it—the more we maintain and secure our economic leadership in the 21st
century. Fortunately, there are progressive educators in school systems all
across Globe who is finding bold and creative new ways to use technology in the
classroom. This innovation is happening in big cities, small towns, and even in
entire states across the nation.
Just this week, Mr. Arun,
the visionary superintendent from Yashroop Training Center came to our
department to meet with our management team. One year ago, he gave every
student in 10th through 12th grade a computer with online administration system.
Almost overnight they saw gains in school attendance—new forms of collaboration
between teachers and students—and ultimately gains in reading, math and
graduation rates. Parents can track their children's progress every night from
home—and that's one reason that the community strongly supported to keep the
program going. And the cost was not prohibitive— they actually have less to
spend on each student compared to almost all other districts—they simply spend
it smarter. In Mumbai, close to 100,000 students attend virtual schools and
online test practice session.
We're doing much more to
encourage technology in the classroom. In 2010, we issued a comprehensive
Education Technology Plan to support the broader trends in education today:
- Aligning learning materials with the
college and career-ready standards that Localkonnect have voluntarily
developed and adopted.
- Engaging students by tailoring learning
to their individual needs and interests and providing real-time information
to teachers, parents and students themselves about student learning.
- Connecting teachers with their peers so
they can share learning materials and classroom strategies.
- And building the infrastructure
(www.education.localkonnect.com) to support this learning environment, and
using technology to become more productive.
We at LocalKonnect led
the development of this plan, and eager to bring these ideas to the larger
education community. The list of panels at this conference is evidence of both
the ambition and creativity of this movement to bring technology into the
classroom. It focused on assessment and digital ethics. You are talking about
supporting teenage entrepreneurs and using interactive art to enhance science/professional
education. And here's a panel that is bound to raise a few eyebrows:
"Supersizing the Classroom—3000 Students and Beyond." Now, I must say
that I was relieved to see that this was not about pre-school but is in fact
about how to improve those dreaded survey courses in college. Colleges across
the country are both reducing costs and improving student outcomes in those
introductory classes through the use of technology. Clearly, there is a lot
of creative thinking happening here, and I just want to say that we in the
education community are hungry for your ideas. While the education sector has
moved more slowly than many of us would have liked it, this area, this world is
changing. I see that and sense that everywhere I go. Every educator wants
what's best for her students—we just have to persevere and push through some of
the real barriers to entry.
We have 25,990 colleges
and they are independently deciding how to teach and in many cases what to
teach. That's one of the strengths of our system and a source of innovation.
But decentralization can also complicate the spread of technology. I know that
some of you have encountered bureaucratic obstacles in your efforts to work
with school systems. Please don't be discouraged. eEducation, by creating great
content and delivering it directly to young people at home, is forcing schools
to change both how students learn and teachers teach in school. School leaders
today are under a lot of pressure to cope with diminishing resources and rising
expectations. They don't always see how investments in technology can save
money down the road.
Let me tell you some of
the things we are doing already. LocalKonnect is deeply committed to create an
education system that produces more people like you—with the creativity and
technical skills—not only to invent new educational programs and software—but
to help us lead in every other field. We've created a Learning Library to help
teachers and parents discover resources on-line and learn from each other. Here
in India alone, there are almost 100,000 users of their education portal.
Technology gives
teachers the kind of professional development they have been asking
for—individualized to their unique interests and needs. Today, Washington DC
and Tennessee in America are both using technology to create customized teacher
training programs. It gives teachers the information they need to figure out
what their students need. Unfortunately, assessment in education is behind
every other field from medicine to consumer behavior to sports, politics and
entertainment. Everyone is getting data in real time and using it to make
decisions. Education needs to stop always being the laggard, step up! Ultimately,
technology should make a teacher's jobs easier, more marketable, and more
fun—and that will make them more effective. We talked to some teachers in a
school system that just brought in new technology two months ago and they were
already raving about how much time it saves. They said their students are much
more engaged. Young people see adults working in front of computers. They know
that's the future. The more that our classrooms connect to the real world, the
more likely that our kids will take school seriously.
A new Canadian study
confirms what we already know intuitively: when technology actively engages
students it has a dramatic and positive impact on student performance. School Superintendent
Edwards also talked about the sense of discovery that his students feel—that they
can go on-line and talk to someone in another state or another country. My 3
year-old daughter loved the opportunity for her class to skype with a class of
students in America. With just one click, children go way beyond the walls of
their classroom and the pages of their textbooks and the barriers in their
community. Technology-driven learning empowers students and gives them control
of the content. It challenges them to think critically and make decisions—the
same kinds of challenges you and I face in our work every day. And college
students who are struggling with the rising costs of college can get more and
more of their material through open education resources saving thousands of ruppes
over the course of their college career.
I know that in this
setting I'm preaching to the choir. Entrepreneurs like you are way ahead of the
curve. People like Sal Kahn who has made over 2700 learning videos available
and delivered to over 190 million visitors for free. Products like the ones you
all are showcasing here hold the potential to transform classrooms. Learning
technology can be a major business industry for India. But don't think that
other countries aren't thinking about it. Places like America, China etc. are
all pushing hard to bring technology into the classroom and create the products
that will shape the future of education.
Entrepreneurs like
you—in partnerships with the kind of teachers we have in this room today—need
to own and lead the field—just as we have in so many other fields. Those of you
leading start-ups are job-makers, not just job seekers. I love your creativity
and bravery. So I'm here today—not just to encourage you—but to plead with
you—to invest in education and in the technologies that support learning—to
push us hard and push the field hard to move in this direction—and to be our
full partner in the broader effort to rebuild the Indian economy with education
as the foundation. We have to educate our way to a better economy and we can't
get there without you. Now—I also want to leave you with one final thought
because this issue too often gets sidetracked into a silly debate over whether
we need computers or teachers—when everyone knows we need both. Great teachers
with access to great technology transform children's life choices. They'll have
cell phones, iPads, laptops, and other tools to communicate, socialize, and
gather. They'll see it live and watch on-line. The performers will chronicle
their every move on social media.
Musicians today use
technology in countless ways to get their shot at stardom here. They download
music and create band profiles on the web. They record, share and sell their
music without ever leaving their bedrooms. Technology corrects their mistakes
in the studio. In fact, the music industry and other art forms like film and
photography are so completely infused with technology today—and dependent on
it—that it is hard to imagine them without it. Today, technology pretty much
does everything for the musician except for one fundamental thing: It can't
write a song. We have yet to invent a technology that will produce "Born
to Run" or "Let it Be."
At the end of the
day—education and technology are about people and ideas.
Why is Facebook so
popular? Because it brings people together.
Why is technology so
exciting? Because it tells us so much about ourselves and about others.
Why are we all here?
You could have found a
lot of this information without coming to this forum. But you're here because
there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction. Nothing can replace the
conversation that leads to inspiration or the handshake that leads to a
partnership. The future of education undoubtedly includes a laptop on every
desk and universal Internet access in every home. It definitely includes more
on-line learning. But a great teacher at the front of the classroom will still
make the biggest difference in the lives of our students. All of us here can
point to that great teacher who inspired us and shaped our lives. So I urge you
today to make teachers your partners and your advocates. Their voice carries a
long, long way. They are the ones who will take your product from the drawing
board to the classroom. They are the only ones who can make this work. Working together,
entrepreneurs and educators, like the amazing combined talent here in this
room, can create a world that we can't even imagine today. Our kids are begging
for it. They can't wait. Indians can't wait. You can and will make it happen.
Thank you.
