Technological Educational Net: Exploring Access, Equity, Innovation and Pitfalls

Abstract

A nation that encourages incessant, affordable, and accessible educational development progressively grows and on the contrary a nation that dispels the latter mentioned remains inert. Bloom (n.d) noted that “education is recognized as a basic human right, and better education improves peoples’ welfare” (p.2). Hannum and Buchmann (2006) also explained that “as an instrument of development, education fosters and enhances work skills and life skills such as confidence and sociability” (p. 2). The skills learned in education help to promote economic growth on a societal level via productivity and potentially, better governance” (Hannum & Buchmann, pg. 2). Notably, many attempts have been made by educationalist world-wide to make education more attractive, creative, impartial, reachable and inexpensive by developing online programs; however illiteracy rates are still significantly high in developing countries. The latter mentioned thus leads to the need to better understand factors that continue to limit technological education access for populations around the world. This paper is threefold; firstly it explores the innovative technological educational advancements that can propel a society to economic and social upward mobility, whilst making education accessible to individuals regardless of their gender, race and socio-economic status. The paper underpins the new modalities in technology that can aid in making education less challenging and more rewarding in developing - diverse countries. The study also emphasizes the disparity in gender equality as it relates to educational access for women in developing nations and factors that affect women from accessing and completing online education. Since the technological education web is expansive a Qualitative Approach was most applicable. The study employed the use of archival data, focus groups and a questionnaire to collect the needed data. Educational empowerment by any means aids in a more operative civilization. // Paper ID: 195