21 March 2020
Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung recently announced that all secondary school students will have personal learning devices by 2028 and schools will devote more time to digital literacy education.
Both traditional tools as well as new technology have their role in education, as different forms of technology serves different purposes. For examples, students benefit equally from both print media as well as electronically supplied information. Indeed, there is still a need to nurture students’ reading skills and habits with regards to print media.
Although technology allows for massive information to be stored online, much of this information is lost in the cloud. The capacity to print their own resources can allow students easier access to certain kinds of information.
Schools should also consider the kinds of software that can support students’ independent learning. It is highly unlikely that most students can afford expensive hardware (high-speed, high-power computers, large monitors) as well as software (for example, Photoshop or Adobe Premiere Pro) for certain kinds of learning. Even open-sourced software may require a large bandwidth to run optimally.