Lighting up Lives
EdTech and Transformative Digital Education
Happy Children’s Day to all of you.
I had a guest post by my daughter Aru around her birthday when she turned sixteen in August 2020 and also launched her teen-focused social media platform aptly called tynkrr. In her post, Aru was focussing on Teen specific platforms and saw them as means to give voice/platforms to young people trying to visualise a future for themselves. Do recommend this teen focussed platform tynkrr to the teenagers in your family and ask them to sign up using the link- https://tynkrr.com/register/
I have written about children and platforms where we discussed their relationship through the dimensions of Communication, Content and Commerce. I have also written about the ill-effects of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) in earlier issue. Bottomline remains the fact that if teens or even adults are using platforms respectfully, appropriately, and with a little mindfulness/guidance, they would just be fine. The onus lies on other stakeholders to hold onto their side of the bargain. DO NO EVIL.
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DTW
During the Week, global learning platform BrightChamps came out of stealth mode and announced a near unicorn status funding round from Premji Invest and others. Of course, there were immediate comparisons with another EdTech start up WhiteHat Jr which also had a similar growth trajectory.
EdTech interventions can be seen from three dimensions depending on the end-users engagement in time and space- Synchronous, Linear and Collaboration.
Multiple EdTech are helping the students learn both synchronous or asynchronous. Student focussed platform with online real-time live teacher instruction and feedback have sprung up during pandemic and seem to be doing well. Many communication platforms have been repurposed to suit the needs of educational institutions. Asynchronous learning platforms tend to use tools such as good old email, personal blogs and discussion boards. They might also use web-supported content including books and hypertext documents. We have also seen an increased use of audio (podcast), video courses over YouTube , and social networking using web. I have actively used platforms like ment.io to encourage asynchronous learning through gamification and social media like user experience.
Second set of EdTech platforms focus on self-paced linear learning activities which may be delivered on a computer or handheld device such as a tablet but more likely a smartphone. They may be coupled with some asynchronous tools including emails or discussion boards. They have an advantage in increased pace of learning as the learn could finish at her own pace and not wait for syncing up with others including instructors. They are definitely better than the traditional text book based methods as they also include lot of immersive digital and animated content which could be updated in real time.
Third set of EdTech platforms are focussing on the collaborative or peer-2-peer learning experiences. In fact the pitch of new Edtech kid on the block (BrightChamps) is creating peer learning environment.
One area is the potential of kids learning from each other. We have done experiments around it. So we are going to launch a peer-to-peer experience, and build a platform like Stack Overflow for kids. We are also looking to host olympiads and tech hackathons.
BrightChamps co-founder and chief executive Ravi Bhushan
One of many regular discussion in my MaP (Managing Platform Businesses) class at IBS Hyderabad is on the role of platforms specially their algorithms in determining our online virtual behaviour and the subsequent offline real lives. Perhaps, EdTech platforms can help us get out of these scheduled meetings and allow for more serendipitous interactions.
To conclude, EdTech platforms can help us create a truly transformative digital learning experience if they could get their students to engagement with learning material and peers in asynchronous and non-linear fashion while also allowing for synchronous interactions couples with serendipitous encounters.
OTW
Over the Weekend, Aru released Children’s Day special podcast where we talk about the importance of involving children in change making.
Our guest on this episode was Ms Aditi P Kaur , who is the founder and current president of Mountain Children Foundation. One of the important insights that has struck with me since the conversation is to see children as agents of change in their communities not in some distant future but NOW. As Kahlil Gibran says about children-
They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
Jayashree was my guest for the monthly MountainSpeak session where she shared her insights on leading a more mindful life while remaining connected with environment and purpose. She describes herself as Mother of an unschooler, co-creator of inner companion ecoversity , believer in the purpose of education to deepen connect with oneself, the community, and the environment.You can watch the full recording on this Google Drive Link.
Stay Curious. Keep the child in you alive.
I Love You
Shailendra
OTM
Opportunities through MountainSpeak are available at Centre of Excellence for Digital Transformation (CeDT) that has been established at IBS Hyderabad. As our first activity, we are organising One-Day Symposium on Digital Transformation of Informal Sector- Challenges and Opportunities for EdTech in association with FES India Office.
We believe that EdTech platforms can provide Escape Velocity for the informal sector workers to get out of their low-skill- low wage vicious cycle and shift orbit to a higher wage through better skills and opportunities. I have spoken about Platform and Work in general and Platform and Passion. Please read the issue on informal sector in the following link.
If you work for an EdTech or know somebody who does , please let us know if you would like to attend the symposium in- person (Yes, it is happening at IFHE Hyderabad Campus).
You can fill up the following google form to receive an invite for the event
Inner campanion is great platform for our next generation kids about moral education and protect nature