Is technology compounding the education crisis?

There is a tremendous amount of money being spent on hardware now more than ever in the education market. However, hardware manufacturing is a very competitive and ever changing landscape. There's a school of thought that says technology doubles itself every 18 months and another that says every 24 months.

The fact is the rate at which these devices are being created, whether every 18 or 24 months is irrelevant. The models that replace them are always faster, better and smarter, so why is there such a focus on the hardware? The focus should be on what content is on the device and the way in which it's being measured.

Coming soon... something cheaper, faster, more capable

Something not everyone may know is that often competitors in the tech market space use each other's products to build their own devices. This means that the fanfare created around hardware is simply media hype, because next month there'll be another model at half the price, with double the power from a different manufacturer...

There may be apps for everything but the measurability and relevancy specifically in the education arena is something that needs to be considered very carefully. The education market is changing rapidly with the adoption of more mobile technology being used in and out of the classroom. Sadly, the measurability of the apps used and their impact, not just in a class but in an overall context of schooling is not measured.

This leaves me with the question of what is the point of having expensive hardware and software that has no measurement? We are not going to solve anything by being unable to identify areas needing additional attention and able to use the information in a strategic approach.

Keeping up becomes a problem

The number of apps available in the market today is overwhelming. Many are not aligned to a South African schooling context. Often this leads to further frustration as the devices become very hard to manage for administrators and parents who have to fit the bill for the ever-increasing app eco systems that reside on these devices.

Teachers are expected to learn new technology on a regular basis as new apps come out every week - supposedly better than the week before.

So what will gap the bridge between a world of possibilities in an app store and a highly effective and measurable mobile platform in the schooling system?

Until we recognise the need for a platform regardless of brand that can be deployed, consumed and measured with a tangible outcome, I don't believe the current crisis that education finds itself in will be solved with new smart devices and apps.

A new take on the use of mobile in education

When founding B Smart this year my objective was to change the way education is consumed and administered through a mobile means.

The approach of B Smart is unique in that we included the requirements of each market segment that contributes to the education ecosystem. This includes relevant South African content, teacher friendly in and out of class online tools, a highly engaging learner environment, and an online reporting structure for parents.

Due to the nature of our philosophy, there is no focus on devises but rather in the value the individual stakeholders attain from the content. Each portion of the platform has been engineered to accommodate for the very different needs of the community.

With rollouts in progress, we are expecting exciting results within the next coming months. If we are expecting our youth to compete on a global scale, we need to be equipping them with the right tools that will ensure their success.

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