Learning continuity in response to climate emergencies: Supporting learning continuing following the 2002 Pakistan floods.

Abstract

An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

Methodological Insights for Decolonising Research and EdTech

“…Barnes et al [39] note that EdTech can be seen as an arms race in which neo-and postcolonial Western companies compete to create resources that they can export into Global South contexts with little or no local, cultural, linguistic, societal, or community contextualisation, which Mazari et al [40] show leads to responses that are "colonial at best", and instead call for the development of socially just and decolonised EdTech using the principles for digital development (https://digitalprinciples.org/ accessed on 12 May 2024) developed by the Digital Impact Alliance (2017; 2024). Drawing on two key projects with refugees in Rwanda and Pakistan, Barnes et al also show the importance of "designing 'with' rather than 'for' refugees as they navigate their educational journeys post-displacement" (p. 13) (this approach resonates strongly with Richard Heeks' formulation of ICT4D2.0 [41]).…”

Designing for Social Justice: A Decolonial Exploration of How to Develop EdTech for Refugees

“…While there is a plethora of evidence available about education in emergencies (EiE), there is a widely acknowledged evidence gap about the use of EdTech in emergencies, including refugee contexts [17], as cited in Ashlee et al [5]. Much of what we know about education in emergencies is in relation to COVID-19 [5,18]. To our knowledge, there are no specifically defined design principles to contextualise EdTech interventions for refugees.…”

“…Yet, even if we adopt the standard approach to scaling; while cross-sectoral partnerships as recommended by the PDD are important in helping bring interventions to scale, it is critical to consider whether solutions are catering to the needs of the communities they intend to benefit. Drawing on McLean and Gargani [54], Mazari et al [18] argue that, in addition to being justified by implementers or even by technical evidence alone, EdTech in emergencies also should be justified by the experience and needs of impacted communities, rather than being seen as yet another market of expansion for global EdTech companies.…”

“…Their study aims to counter the "overwhelming optimism" which, they argue, fails to consider the problematic implications of exporting interventions "developed in the Global North into the 'distant other' in the Global South". In interviews conducted by Mazari et al [18], key informants described the new EdTech for emergencies landscape as "an arms race". One stakeholder in particular feared "the commercialisation of education provision in humanitarian responses" in which "EdTech resources are dumped" on communities without any localisation, leading to responses that are "colonial at best" (EiE Expert interview notes, in [18]).…”

Global Social Policy Digest 24.1: How inequalities and the climate crisis are entangled

“…This includes, for instance, WhatsApp, SMS, or other social media to share resources on pedagogy. 138 As an intermediate response, other available low-threshold technologies like radio and TV could be utilized to resume some sort of in-person teaching.…”