While schools are improving in some areas of Nepal, hard living is a reality for many Nepali rural poor. Education resources, teachers, electricity, and the internet are scarce. Some parents might be able and motivated to send their children in grade 5 and above to the nearest city -- 5- or 10-hours' travel to Kathmandu or Pokhara -- to live with…

When designing solutions for early learning, part of the process is clearly identifying a problem that impacts the wellbeing of young children that is both well-researched and in need of innovative solutions. However, with such a vast and complex field, identifying an issue to focus on can be difficult. The questions adults ask children have a…

Through brain imaging technologies, neuroscientists across the globe are now able to show the physical changes that occur in the brain when one contemplates or participates in art. For instance, a creatively inspired brain depicts lower levels of cortisol, which is the biological indicator for stress. Educators also have noticed how including art…

In a world where toddlers seamlessly transition from building with blocks to swiping on screens, the intertwining of early childhood and technology becomes inevitable. Beyond the buzzes, beeps, and pixels lies an intricate landscape of norms, rights, and responsibilities, just as complex and crucial as those in the physical world. Digital literacy…

Despite incredible advances of humanity, inequality, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, remains an unresolved issue at a global level. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), established in 2000 by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, seek to address those inequities through a series of objectives to be reached by the…

When teacher shortages pose a significant challenge to delivering quality education, what disruptive educational approaches can we explore to ensure students are learning?

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools in 2020, the effect on rural areas was significant. Access to the internet in rural areas is limited and cost prohibitive. This article discusses why we must find ways to ensure education delivery in urban and rural areas. Unfortunately, many school systems in developing countries lack the expertise and…

Libraries Without Borders (LWB) is striving to expand access to information and bridge the digital divide across the United States by transforming everyday, informal spaces into places of learning and engagement. Such transformations could be anything from creating pop-up libraries inside laundromats to setting up interactive learning spaces in…

The Breateau Foundation delivers a range of programmes to support disadvantaged children. As an education provider in developing countries, the Breteau Foundation witnesses firsthand the disruptions, challenges, and barriers that negatively affect access to education, which include poverty, lack of infrastructure, trafficking, child slavery, and…

Africa has more people younger than 20 years old than anywhere in the world, and the continent's population is set to double to two billion by 2050. Asking whether that is a challenge or an opportunity isn't really the right question because it is both. For Mwabu, an education technology company born and bred in Zambia, the more important question…

The internet, smartphones, laptops, and social media offer exciting potential to democratize diplomacy, if coupled with well-designed citizen diplomacy programs. One new nonprofit initiative is engaging lower-income American families in live internet dialogues and project collaborations with lower-income families in other nations to nurture more…

For many people, the use of technology in education constitutes a de facto "innovation." Whether or not this belief is actually accurate, or useful, is a legitimate question for discussion. That said, there is no denying that many of the educational innovations celebrated (or at least touted) today are enabled by the use of such…

The term "digital divide" emerged in the mid-1990s (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004) to describe "the gap between those who have "ever" and those who have "never" used a computer or the Internet" (p. 1). In time, this term has evolved, and become even more relevant, as more school sites, libraries, and public places gain access to the Internet. The…

Exposure to cell phones, DVD players, video games, computers, digital cameras, and iPods has made today's young people more technologically advanced than those of any previous generation. As a result, parents are now concerned that their children are spending too much time in front of the computer. In this article, the author focuses her…

Details seven ways adults can ensure children's safety on the Internet: become familiar with the Internet community; learn how the Internet works; identify quality sites; learn what sites to avoid; teach children basic rules for Internet safety; place computers in high traffic areas and monitor use; and respond thoughtfully if a child visits an…