Tablets thrust Thai classrooms into digital era

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Feature

Tablets thrust Thai classrooms into digital era
by Amelie Bottollier-Depois, Apilaporn Vechakij

MAE CHAN, June 18, 2013 (AFP) - In a rural classroom in the Thai highlands, hill tribe children energetically slide their fingertips over tablet computer screens practicing everything from English to mathematics and music.

The disadvantaged students are part of an ambitious scheme by the kingdom to distribute millions of the handheld devices in its schools in a move supporters hope will boost national education standards.

For opponents of the plan, however, it is an expensive gimmick designed to boost the popularity of the ruling party among parents -- and the next generation of voters.

At Ban San Kong school in Mae Chan in the northern province of Chiang Rai, 90 children received a tablet computer last year as part of the "One Tablet Per Child" policy that was part of the government's election campaign in 2011.

Previously the school had only a few desktop computers with limited Internet access.

Now, with headphones over their ears for one hour a day during class, the students use the devices for activities including singing English songs, watching cartoons about the life of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol and playing math games.

With the school year just beginning, and the new tablet content yet to arrive, they are left to revise their lessons of the previous year as their teacher Siriporn Wichaipanid sits and watches.

She has received no specific training for using the tablets and seems at a bit of a loss.

"I have some knowledge. At home, I use an iPad," she said. But "if I don't understand, I don't know how to teach the children".

For the students -- mostly from ethnic minority Akha hill tribe communities for whom Thai is not their mother tongue -- using the tablets has been a positive experience, according to the school.

"The students cannot speak Thai very well but they can hear sounds more clearly from the tablets and repeat them," said their teacher from the previous year, Wannawadee Somdang.

"Some of them dare not ask questions. It's easier when they listen to the tablets."

For now only two of the 90 students are allowed to take the computers with them after class to use in their homes, which often lack electricity.

"They don't have Wi-Fi and it's not convenient for them to charge the batteries. And most importantly their parents have no knowledge about the tablets," said school principal Uthai Moonmueangkham.

But using devices that would normally be out of reach for the kingdom's poorest children is progress, even if it is only just one hour a day, he said.

"They have the same opportunities as those in the city," Uthai said.

Reducing the "education gap" between the urban rich and rural poor is one aim of the project, said Surapol Navamavadhand, an advisor to the minister of information and communication technology.

By the end of 2014, the government plans to distribute handheld computers to 13 million school children at a cost of about $100 each -- a total of $1.3 billion -- and then replace them every two years.

About 850,000 Chinese-made devices have already been given out, and the government says it will soon launch a tender offer for another batch of about 1.7 million tablets, in what it has described as the world's largest handout of the devices for education.

Experts warn that the computers offer no guarantee of an increase in education standards.

The tablets are "just another tool" like a pencil, according to Jonghwi Park, an education technology specialist at UNESCO in Bangkok.

"It's not about what to use, it's about how to use it," she said, urging governments considering introducing new technology for learning to think hard about whether it will really help them achieve their goals.

Critics of the Thai education system say much more radical changes are needed.

"If you want to deal with the education in Thailand, I can tell you that the whole system must be demolished," said Somphong Chitradub, an associate professor specialised in child education at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

"Our classrooms are passive, tiring and boring," he said.

Most Thai children are encouraged to memorise information and "lack courage to express opinions", he added.

As a result, while other Asian nations fared well in the most recent global education survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 2009, Thailand came about 50th out of 65 countries in the rankings for reading, maths and science.

A mediocre performance compared with other nations that "focus a lot on process of thinking", admitted Rangsan Maneelek, an advisor to the education ministry.

While the Thai education system places importance on whether the answer is right or wrong, other nations look at how students reached their conclusion, he said.

But he added that the tablets would help by enabling students to "surf the world for knowledge".

And if some people worry about the possibility of children using the computers to look at pornography or play violent video games, others stress the need to prepare students for the digital era.

"For the kids these days, one of the most important capacities... for them to live in the 21st century is to know how to integrate those devices into their life," UNESCO's Park said.

"Without those skills, they cannot get a job."


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-06-18

[Skytrain2hell]

"Some of them dare not ask questions. It's easier when they listen to the tablets."

"Our classrooms are passive, tiring and boring."

Sounds like restrictive hell during which time it should be a creative heaven.

[lemonjelly]

Are these the high quality tablets that will still be retaining their battery charge etc etc etc in 1 year from now.

[GentlemanJim]

Tablets thrust Thai classrooms into digital era

Meanwhile

Rice Pledging Thrusts Thai Farmers into Stone age.

[soi41]

"Most Thai children are encouraged to memorize information, and lack courage to express opinions"

Don't know why, got me thinking of Yingluck!!

[Unkomoncents]

Yep. Because electronic devices manned by nitwits will set the standard for incompetence in the Kingdom. Thais will become excellent internet slaves over the coming years. Funny, because foreigners will still buy their land through shell companies and the Chinese will sell the country its latest accouterments, built by micro-managed Thais, that the people are barely able to use. Isn't 3G still a luxury in the Kingdom? I understand that Vietnam has 4G and is working on upgrading its infrastructure.

[givenall]

"Some of them dare not ask questions. It's easier when they listen to the tablets."

"Our classrooms are passive, tiring and boring."

Sounds like restrictive hell during which time it should be a creative heaven.

Where does the creativity come from, SOMEONE else

[Robby nz]

Fair enough kids do need to be introduced to and keep up with technology but surely teacher training should be a big part of this for while I see the kids we have around here are pretty good at finding their way round computers they do need help (so do I at times) when something goes wrong.

Left to themselves the kids main interest is games and I would suggest that a teacher with a class has no time to check what each kid is doing.

Even games teaches them how to use the things but they will need book learning as well therefore the tablets are not some wonderful machine that does away with everything else.

The political willingness to continue the program every 2 years is another factor.

The money could just be better spent on other aspects of education, after all it is recognized that the education system is one of the poorest in the region.

[gl555]

This money used to buy the tablets could have been used to renovate and better old schools while building new ones in places that need new schools. Instead kids have tablets! They'll probably use it to download porn and play games. Tax payer money well spent!

[rubl]

The 850,000 tabletPCs were supposed to be 890,000++ for P1 kids. The kids take the tablet with them from P1 to P2 but still have the P1 programs, but repetition is the key to education, isn't it?

THe e-tender for 1.7m tabletPCs for P1 and M1 was shifted a wee bit and at the end supposed to be mid-June. Good to read about 'soon' this fine day of 18th of June in the second month of the 2013/2014 school year. By the time new tabletPCs really arrive the new P2 and M1 programs will surely be ready as well. By the end of 2014, well, better say nothing, too far away.

The good part of the OP is the 'one hour a day' use which seems right when the teacher has no clue on how this should be integrated in the official curriculum. I'm surprised to see no reference to the splendid free WiFi connectivity which was to be made available for better tabletPCs internet access. Anyway this school has electricity so they're not too bad off assuming they're not on the list of schools to be closed.

[greg71]

The most important capability for kids is facebook and or line app

[Bagwan]

My niece was given access to a tablet at her school. The day after this was brought into effect her teacher called at the family home and said that for a measley 40 baht she would teach my niece how to use it.

[Thai at Heart]

Are they still photocopying reams of paper for text books every day?

Digital age????????

[seminomadic]

Critics of the Thai education system say much more radical changes are needed.

YES! Like a percentage of teachers who aren't inept in the double digits.

But using devices that would normally be out of reach for the kingdom's poorest children is progress, even if it is only just one hour a day, he said. "They have the same opportunities as those in the city," Uthai said.

[laugh track]

The tablets are "just another tool" like a pencil, according to Jonghwi Park, an education technology specialist at UNESCO in Bangkok.

Wrong. You can't play Plants vs. Zombies or Candy Crush with a pencil. Tablets are more a distraction than a tool since there's clearly no plan for training the teachers to exploit them nor any overhaul of the sample's curriculum to reflect their integration. The tablets are well and truly a wasted opportunity. That money could've been used to train teachers or hire more competent ones, such as the Philipinos teaching English who do 10x the job most native Thai Matayom and Pratom teachers do.

But he added that the tablets would help by enabling students to "surf the world for knowledge".

Yes! YES! Because Thais are so curious about the world around them. It's breathtaking how much Thais from all walks know about the language and ways of just their immediate neighbors. I can hardly get through my lessons what with all the inquiries my university students are regularly launching at me. I mean.... just LOOK at the movies they produce here.

This will DEFINITELY help quench the passion that is the Thai craving for knowledge and understanding.

[bangon04]

"Reducing the "education gap" between the urban rich and rural poor is one aim of the project, said Surapol Navamavadhand, an advisor to the minister of information and communication technology."

At last a realistic achievable goal - just turn them all into surfing morons at the same low level.

[Ricardo]

Do the government really intend to distribute the tablets to 13 million schoolchildren, by the end of 2014 (next year !), as stated in the OP ?

Given the current rate of progress, that might be just a little over-optimistic, IMO.

[Cuban]

Tablets etc are great for consuming media but really very poor for it's creation.

This will not lead to great heights in education.

I very much doubt that the unending cycle of upgrade and replacement has been considered nor the rod for their back that software enforced licensing will do to their photocopy mentality.

This will not end well for anyone except the tablet salesmen and the people collecting backhanders.

[drdoom6996]

Tablets thrust Thai classrooms into digital era

Meanwhile

Rice Pledging Thrusts Thai Farmers into Stone age.

And Tablets thrust classrooms into the PORN and Facebook era when they are supposed to learn something. Should have invested in some Mossy spray. The kids would have at least been healthy then.

[Traveling Sailor]

Fair enough kids do need to be introduced to and keep up with technology but surely teacher training should be a big part of this for while I see the kids we have around here are pretty good at finding their way round computers they do need help (so do I at times) when something goes wrong.

Left to themselves the kids main interest is games and I would suggest that a teacher with a class has no time to check what each kid is doing.

Even games teaches them how to use the things but they will need book learning as well therefore the tablets are not some wonderful machine that does away with everything else.

The political willingness to continue the program every 2 years is another factor.

The money could just be better spent on other aspects of education, after all it is recognized that the education system is one of the poorest in the region.

One of the poorest in the WORLD!

[johnlandy]

The disadvantaged students are part of an ambitious scheme by the kingdom to distribute millions of the handheld devices in its schools in a move supporters hope will boost national education standards.

I don't see anything about the certain corruption in back handers to the said parliamentarian. Does anyone really think that the education standards are gonna go up by the use of a few lousy tablets.

Thailand's educational standards are already the lowest in the region and certainly the world.

I have two teenagers who whilst bright by Thai standards (top 10%) are certainly not the sharpest knives in the drawer when it comes to knowledge of anything more than 150 km's from their home moo ban.

[belg]

serious request (for me and my children) : is this tablet content available for free somewhere?

[rubl]

serious request (for me and my children) : is this tablet content available for free somewhere?

The contents for P1 was developed for and is owned by the MoE. I assume it's copyrighted, although some smart persons (like kids) may have copied the contents (for safe keeping of course). Contents runs on Android 4.0 if I remember correctly.

Note that here on TV there are IT and education forums where your question might have been answered in details already.

[Sunderland]

Sorry the report is <deleted>!

Thai classrooms are generally years away from being ready for the useful implementation of learning properly from tablets.

[Card]

"It's not about what to use, it's about how to use it,"

Correct - it's the teacher's that need the training.

"Now, with headphones over their ears for one hour a day during class, the students use the devices for activities including singing English songs, watching cartoons about the life of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol and playing math games."

Are English and maths really that important?

[hellodolly]

Fair enough kids do need to be introduced to and keep up with technology but surely teacher training should be a big part of this for while I see the kids we have around here are pretty good at finding their way round computers they do need help (so do I at times) when something goes wrong.

Left to themselves the kids main interest is games and I would suggest that a teacher with a class has no time to check what each kid is doing.

Even games teaches them how to use the things but they will need book learning as well therefore the tablets are not some wonderful machine that does away with everything else.

The political willingness to continue the program every 2 years is another factor.

The money could just be better spent on other aspects of education, after all it is recognized that the education system is one of the poorest in the region.

The whole article was garbage. Most of the kids don't speak Thai or English.

The money could have been spent on teaching teachers how to teach and after a while introduce the pad along with a teacher who knows how to use it. But far and away the first priority should be to teach the kids how to think to reason things out. Then introduce a machine to enable them to explore their ideas even farther. Not just give them a machine and say here the answers are all here don't waste your time trying to think. Now go learn.

[Sayonarax]

w

"It's not about what to use, it's about how to use it,"

Correct - it's the teacher's that need the training.

"Now, with headphones over their ears for one hour a day during class, the students use the devices for activities including singing English songs, watching cartoons about the life of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol and playing math games."

Are English and maths really that important?

my favorite saying is ask a stupid question, get a stupid response.

[Card]

w

"It's not about what to use, it's about how to use it,"

Correct - it's the teacher's that need the training.

"Now, with headphones over their ears for one hour a day during class, the students use the devices for activities including singing English songs, watching cartoons about the life of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol and playing math games."

Are English and maths really that important?

my favorite saying is ask a stupid question, get a stupid response.

Not sure what u mean, but I guess you may not be fully conversant with the concept of irony.

[Mampara]

This money used to buy the tablets could have been used to renovate and better old schools while building new ones in places that need new schools. Instead kids have tablets! They'll probably use it to download porn and play games. Tax payer money well spent!

The price that they paid per tablet would possibly be well under 500B per unit, so how many tablets would it take to build a new school?

[rbrooks]

"If you want to deal with the education in Thailand, I can tell you that the whole system must be demolished," said Somphong Chitradub, an associate professor specialised in child education at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

Wow finally a Realist on the woes of the education system in Thailand. Amazing, they should make this man prime minister.

[gl555]

850,000 pieces even at 400 baht is 340m baht. Another 1.7m pieces is another 680m baht. That's over a billion baht. I have no idea how many schools that would build nor many old schools it could renovate but I would imagine quite a few.

This money used to buy the tablets could have been used to renovate and better old schools while building new ones in places that need new schools. Instead kids have tablets! They'll probably use it to download porn and play games. Tax payer money well spent!

The price that they paid per tablet would possibly be well under 500B per unit, so how many tablets would it take to build a new school?