Walking into my office this morning, I had a conversation with my coworker about how her iPhones have somehow or another, needed to be replaced every three years. Does this frustrating scenario sound familiar to you? Coincidentally, Corie commented on our Team 5’s presentation blog post, speaking about planned obsolescence and how we might ensure continued access for learners in the long term (Houldsworth, 2022).
In their article “How to Support Students Without Internet Access at Home”, Khan (2020) suggested strategies like distributing devices, computer borrowing, free or affordable home internet, or optimizing on public free wi-fi and hotspots. They argue that there has been a big transition to remote teaching, but the lack of internet at home is not new. However, the strategies suggested raise concerns about sustainability, affordability, and other concerns. What happens when the number of students exceed your budget for device distribution? What happens when the free home internet promotion ends after a few months? How secure is your data on public wi-fi?
There is an interesting read from Hillier (2018) who used a systems approach to suggest strategies to bring e-learning to offline environments. In environments where the community is lacking even the basic infrastructure for internet access, the key requirements were: low cost to access and use, ability to work offline, and compatibility with older systems and hardware. The article called for learning solutions that were not reliant on a facilitator (classroom or mobile hub with internet), internet network (for areas without the infrastructure), or a licensed operating system (Windows, MacOS) as these are costly and require regular updates downloaded from the internet. Suggestions include the use of Ubuntu or Linux which are free, open source operating systems that can be booted from a USB stick and is compatible with newer and older computers, and MOLEAP, an offline LMS that comes with various learning apps like an office suite, graphics editor, and multimedia players. Students can save their work on USBs to be submitted for grading via upload while in an area with internet, or printed and mailed.
Forget 5G, 3G, or even 2G networks. If we want to invest in technology that will last, we will need a solution that can adapt to new changes and growth, but also allow backwards compatibility. What do you mean my word processing application is too old to be run on this new computer? Are we committing to investments in technology for lifelong learning or lifelong updates?
References
Hillier, M. (2018). Bridging the digital divide with off-line e-learning. Distance Education, 39(1), 110-121. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2017.1418627
Houldsworth, C. (2022, May 12). Thanks for this great post and how well it aligns with your presentation from last night! I really like your [Comment on the post “Podcasts. Everyone has a story.”]. Luis Rodriguez: A Student Blog | MALAT 2021-2023. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru0216/podcasts-everyone-has-a-story/#comment-51
Khan, S. (2020, May 19). How to support students without internet access at home. EdTechReview. https://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/4032-how-to-support-students-without-internet-access-at-home
Thank you for your post. Accessibility of technology seems to be a critical part of most of our learning; most likely because we are taking a course in learning and technology! My context includes the use of hand held devices and XR for teaching and learning. One of my questions is how would XR be managed or delivered. What device? What platform? Your mention of Ubuntu or Linux is something I plan to follow up on.
I agree with your closing questions “What do you mean my word processing application is too old to be run on this new computer? Are we committing to investments in technology for lifelong learning or lifelong updates” (Chan, 2022)? In my teaching context, we come up against that update predicament all the time. Software updates, subscriber updates, students having laptops that will not run the software so they always have to come to the college to do their work, while others get to stay home and work in their pyjamas.
Congratulations on your team presentation and I wish you good work as you explore your critical reflection.