INSIGHT
Switched-on youth Technology plays a momentous role in shaping the future of our societies and ensuring that the next generation is prepared to cope with the burdens – and embrace the opportunities – to come. So, how exactly are we enabling our youth to contribute in this digital era? THE FINANCIAL TIMES reports that an estimated 40 per cent of the global population has an internet connection, with the individual figure rising constantly. In developed countries, our digital dependencies continue to grow, with billions of us now relying on the internet on a daily basis for our jobs, as well as entertainment and social interaction. On a larger scale, the Internet of Things demonstrates how network connectivity and automated communication enables essential data exchange across industry and society, such as for smart grids, intelligent vehicles, manufacturing and healthcare systems. PASSING ON THE TORCH But who will create the innovations we need as the global population increases, and we are faced with health, environmental and financial burdens? Not only will societies require new technologies, those that already exist will need improved efficiency, economic productivity and accuracy to stay relevant. And, equally important, who will be the sentinels protecting this technology from cyber security threats and preventing their failure? We must turn to the next generation of STEM researchers, which is why youth need to be informed, motivated and supported wherever they are in the world. Examples of this innovative spirit include then-fifteen-year-old Canadian Ann Makosinski, who designed and built a thermoelectric torch that uses heat from a person’s hand to power the technology – without batteries or electricity. Or, then-fifteen-year-old American Jack Andraka,
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INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION
who invented a new diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer that is 28 times faster and cheaper, and over 100 times more sensitive than existing tests. THE ‘M’ IN STEM Let us focus on the enabling agent behind many technological advancements: mathematics. “Maths underpins just about everything – from the technology in your smartphone to the banking and financial systems that support our economy to how we measure and predict our health,” says Professor Nalini Joshi, Chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney. “Maths is also the cornerstone of all scientific endeavour – so if we are training new scientists without a good understanding of maths, Australian science will soon be in trouble.” Although this is a national example, the sentiment resonates internationally. This statement also emphasises how maths and other STEM subjects are integral to the development of a generation capable of not only coping with the demands of an increasingly digital world but also having the skills to build the future we will need.
Youth need to be informed, motivated and supported wherever they are in the world
CASE STUDY: One Laptop Per Child Mariana Ludmila Cortés, Vice President of Business Development at One Laptop Per Child, explains how the non-profit organisation is enabling children in developing countries to access educational devices for self-empowered learning
What would you say is the role of technology in the education of children? According to Seymour Papert’s work, computers are a tool “to think with” and provide children with a highly flexible platform to share powerful ideas and create their knowledge through reflection and self-expression. One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)’s learning philosophy is based on the constructionist learning theories of Papert. Constructionist learning involves students drawing their own conclusions through creative experimentation and the process of making things. As computers might facilitate this type of creative learning, they further the cognitive development of children. How can parents and teachers ensure that children are prepared for increasingly digital societies? We believe that parents and teachers are the human factors of society, who should work together in collaboration, with one goal in mind: protecting and providing opportunities to empower children and warrant the development of their knowledge. OLPC not only provides children with a connected laptop computer, but also a comprehensive ecosystem of support to supply teachers with professional development, parents with personal development opportunities and community outreach programmes to ensure an integral community involvement that boosts and protects the knowledge of future citizens. OLPC offers children opportunities that they would otherwise not have due to the existing digital divide.
The world already needs children with the capacity to solve problems through a digital tool that can be programmed by them Many children in developing countries do not have access to educational resources. How is OLPC equipping children with knowledge and helping lay the groundwork for the future? We believe in empowering children so that they can solve the problems that plague their communities. OLPC currently has programmes around the world in many disadvantaged communities where we promote the unfolding of critical thinking and problem solving skills that enable children not to be the consumers of information, but the creators of it. That is why we work to support the next generation of innovators, as we believe these are the skills needed for success in increasingly digital societies.
Can you explain how giving children a rugged, low-power, low-cost laptop may help them solve the problems they might even face themselves, such as no running water or electricity in the home? Education is the basis for full human, social and economic empowerment. You don’t stop providing education until the rest of the problems are solved. It must be provided at the same time. In order for children to be successful in today’s global economy, they must develop creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving skills, digital fluency and the ability to work together. The world already needs children with the capacity to solve problems through a digital tool that can be programmed by them. The OLPC learning philosophy focuses on offering the child an opportunity to develop all of these skills by learning how to become a creator rather than just a consumer of information. It is about a child programming a computer rather than a computer programing a child, so that the computer becomes a tool that will facilitate problem solving. By developing these skills, understanding digital fluency and solving the problems of the basis of the pyramid, children are empowered to break the cycles of poverty and violence that plague so many communities. Do you have any case study results or impacts that you can share? Yes, in each programme we see a number of positive outcomes. You can find social, economic, educational or community impacts. It all depends on the objectives defined when initiating a deployment. In addition to improved academic performance, we also see that children’s attitudes about education change dramatically. In each programme, we have found that children are more likely to come to school – and to stay in school – with the implementation of our programme. Their outlook on the future changes, as a world of opportunity is opened to them. Truly, we see a social transformation that trespasses the classroom walls. To date, we have delivered over 2.5 million laptops to children around the world. We kindly ask for your continued support as we work to provide children everywhere with a quality, innovative ecosystem that supports them as the center of the social agent of change for community development and improvement. Please visit our website: www.laptop.org and click ‘donate’ to support our work.
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