This Wednesday, the Educational Technology Debate - an initiative of World Bank and Unesco to explore the impact of low-cost ICT devices on educational systems in the developing world is is coming to India with a live debate to be webcast around the world:
Wednesday April 21, 14;00 - 16:00 New Delhi Time (your timezone)
Hosted by the World Bank office Delhi, India
RSVP to Join Us
The live Educational Technology Debate will employ the classic Oxford-style debate process to engage noted experts in the field on the following motion:
| Most investments in technology for schools are wasted: Discuss |
| There is a general consensus that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as radio, TV, computers, the Internet, and mobile phones can increase educational experiences and improve education. But is this opportunity being overhyped? |
The debate will be moderated by Dr Tim Kelly, Lead ICT Policy Specialist, infoDev/World Bank. He will introduce the topic and our discussants, who will respond with concise arguments, initially restricted to five minutes each, using only the power of their arguments to sway the audience. This will be followed by a discussion, initially among the panelist and then extended to the audience. To conclude, panelists will be given a further three minutes to summarise their arguments.
The goal of the panelists will be to persuade the audience to reach one of two conclusions:
- Most current investment is being wasted and needs a fundamental rethink (FOR the motion)
- Existing schemes are already bearing fruit and need only ongoing support (AGAINST the motion).
The audience will hold the last word. Participants will be invited to vote FOR, AGAINST or UNDECIDED on the motion both before and after the debate. The side that swings the most votes during the course of the debate will be declared the winner.
