UN Report: Education Technology Should Be Used Carefully

2023 · VOA Learning English

This speaker is a general-american model. Each line below can be recorded and scored against it.

Transcript

1. The COVID-19 pandemic showed how useful digital technology could be for schools. But it also showed the limitations of technology in the educational setting.

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2. Millions of students were able to attend classes online to avoid spreading the virus. But many students failed to learn by such methods.

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3. Their educational progress slowed and in some cases went backwards. Digital tools and the internet have made it easier for students to access educational resources.

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4. However, a large number of schools around the world remain unconnected to the internet. Additionally, digital tools have entered markets that have no official supervision.

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5. Such educational products do not require any testing or proof as to their value to schools and learners.

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6. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) argues against unsupervised wide use of digital tools and AI in education.

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7. A recent UNESCO report says there is little evidence that wide technology use improves learning.

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8. The organization says digital educational tools can never replace the human connection of teacher and student.

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9. Audrey Azoulay is UNESCO’s Director General. She says there is a very large divide, or gap, between rich and poor countries when it comes to digital resources.

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10. Many schools also lack electricity, especially in Africa and Central and Southern Asia. In sub-Saharan Africa, just 32 percent of schools have electricity.

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11. And, internationally, about one-third of students were unable to attend online classes during the pandemic.

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12. “Even if connectivity was universal, it would still be necessary to demonstrate …that digital technology offers real added value in terms of effective learning,” the report

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13. says. Often, technology changes faster than it is possible to study it, the report says.

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14. Educational technology products change every three years on average.

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15. UNESCO also reported that many companies pay for studies on the effectiveness of their own product. These studies are not independent examinations.

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16. Pearson, an education technology company, has a tool called Successmaker for teaching math and reading.

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17. Independent studies show the tool has little or negative effectiveness in learning. But the company stands by the results of the private study it paid for.

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18. That study found the product very helpful to learning. UNESCO says such companies need to be better regulated.

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19. “Student data should not be used either by education technology or advertising technology companies for marketing purposes,” the report says.

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20. Yet a study of 163 products found that 89 percent of them gathered student data and sent them to third-party companies, often for advertising purposes.

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21. This usually happened without the student or parent knowing, the study said. UNESCO argues that technology holds great possibilities for education.

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22. But studies have shown that educational technologies are most effective when a teacher is involved in the instructional process.

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23. “We must never forget the social and emotional dimensions of teaching and learning,” Azoulay said, adding, “no screen will ever replace a teacher.” I’m Dan Novak.

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