Back in September 2023, I was invited to be a Ted talker at an education international event in Turkey. My ted talk topic was education and digitalization. The digitalization of education presented itself as a great need and the best solution during COVID19, but what is really the best solution?
Going back to 2020, when COVID19 hit us all, when we remained behind closed doors for months, youth gave up on their social interactions, on their outdoor activities and face to face interactions, at school and university with their peers and teachers. They had smart phones, maybe not all of them, and were told to use it, to stay connected and to learn, but how really was this effective?
Going back to 2020 when COVID19 hit us all, teachers were asked to forget overnight how to use a chalk or a marker, a chalkboard, or a whiteboard, and to create an online learning environment. They had smartphones or laptops, and maybe not all of them, but how really was this effective?
We invaded people’s homes, we expected them to be connected from the comfort of their own homes, the space where they usually go after school or after work, to relax and spend some time with their own parents, siblings, cousins, and friends, away from work and studies.
We told them that this locked space from today is your school, your university, your home, your study and workspace, and you will do everything that you have been doing since you were born only in this space, and we expected full attention, commitment and engagement.
We were living in an advanced digital era however no one was equipped enough to do this transformation. When I say equipped, I do not mean having a digital device, I mean being equipped with the right hard tools, soft tools and emotional tools.
Everyone was busy trying to find the most suitable online platform to connect with the students and to teach, some were available, and others emerged and they were many. But none of these tools gave the students and the teachers the learning experience needed. Why? because we were only thinking about the solution without understanding the challenge and the needs of the people facing this challenge.
We were living in an advanced digital era and yes the challenge came fast and unexpected but all our digital competences were not enough, because we focused on the solution, the quick solution.
Now we look around us and we see a high drop out rate from universities and high school. We see children who are either detached socially or super energetic to the extent of being uncontrollable and unfocused.
Today’s children and youth need us more than ever and to succeed in digital transformation in education, we need to do it for them and with them, and the same needs to be done with teachers and parents.
Human centered design is crucial because we learned that solutions need to be created for the users and with the users. Why? because we are humans, and humans have feelings, and different capacities. Their needs are not only about knowledge and information, it also includes social and emotional needs.
How inclusive were we back then? did we really reach everyone? did we really succeed?
Next time anyone wants to think about a solution, they need to make sure it is human centered.
تويتر
فيسبوك
يوتيوب
انستغرام
مسنجر
واتساب
بريد إلكتروني
الطباعة
