One Laptop Per Child 2.0 - The Lessons We Did Not Learn: Education, Technology, and COVID-19

Abstract

The rapid onset of COVlD-19 brought unprecedented changes to K-12 schools throughout the United States, requiring many schools to immediately transition to distance learning COVlD-19 significantly altered the delivery and learning of core and entrepreneurial competencies and previous studies on distance learning showed a greater benefit to students who have more robust academic support systems. In addition, COVlD-19 required an increased reliance on technology to deliver education in ways that many educational infrastructures were ill-prepared to do. Some schools in the US distributed computers and WiFi hotspots to students to facilitate access to distance learning platforms. This distribution of computers to students during the pandemic harkens back to One Laptop Per Child This study peers into current achieivement gaps for core and entrepreneurial competencies, assessing whether the technology-reliant distance education prompted by COVlD-19 further entrenches existing, or creates additional gaps for students. The theoretical frameworks underpinning this research include principles of lnformation, Communication, and Technology (lCT); distance education, digital divide; technological determinism; technological optimism and entrepreneurial mindset The research leverages a secondary and thematic analysis of survey data that assessed the distance learning experiences of families in the Paradise Valley School District (Phoenix, Arizona) during CO VlD-19. Parent-guardian perceptions were intentionally selected for this study as this group now plays a different, more prominent role in students education.