Comparative Advantages of Offline Digital Technology for Remote Indigenous Classrooms in Guatemala (2019-2020)

Authors

  • Adrienne Wiebe Change for Children
  • Luis Crisostomo AMMID - Maya-Mam Association for Research and Development
  • Ruben Feliciano AMMID - Maya-Mam Association for Research and Development
  • Terry Anderson Athabasca University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i1.607

Keywords:

Guatemala bilingual and intercultural education, Maya-Mam education, appripriate technology for education in Guatemala

Abstract

Technology has been viewed as a means to improve the quality of education for children globally, particularly in remote and marginal communities. This study examines the comparative advantages of the use of appropriate technology (off-line servers with digital libraries connected to a classroom set of laptops) in ten intervention schools in Indigenous communities in Guatemala for one school year. The study was too short (due to pandemic restrictions) to demonstrate statistically significant differences for learning outcomes. However, using an instructional core model as a framework, qualitative findings supported four previously identified comparative advantages, and identified four additional ones relevant to remote Indigenous communities. The intervention validated the ability of technology to improve standardized instruction, differentiated instruction, opportunities for practice, and learner engagement. Newly identified advantages are: access to high-quality educational resources (substitution for print materials), teacher capacity-building, student technical skills and digital literacy, and sharing cultural knowledge.

Author Biographies

Adrienne Wiebe, Change for Children

Adrienne Wiebe is an applied anthrologist with 40 years experience working in community-based research and practice in Latin America and Canada. She has a PhD in anthrology from the University of Alberta, and has lived and worked for many years in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico in collaboration with Indigenous communities. She is currently Internationl Projects Manager for Change for Children, a not-for-profit international development organization based in Edmonton Alberta Canada. 

Luis Crisostomo, AMMID - Maya-Mam Association for Research and Development

Dr. Crisostomo has a doctoral of education from the University of Costa Rica. He is a leader in bilingual and intercultural education, and has worked for the Ministry of Education of Guatemala in the development of curriculum for education in Mayan communities throughout the region.

Ruben Feliciano, AMMID - Maya-Mam Association for Research and Development

Ruben Feliciano has a Masters' Degree in Education. He was worked in education and community development for over thirty years, including filling the role of Executive Director of AMMID [Maya-Mam Association for Research and Development], a community-based organization located in Comitancillo, San Marcos. 

Terry Anderson, Athabasca University

Terry Anderson is an education researcher and teacher, focussing on ICT tools in teaching and learning. He is Professor Emeritus (now retired) having taught in the Masters and Doctoral Education programs in distance education at Athabasca University- Canada's Open University. He is the editor emeritus of the open access journal, the International Review of Research on Open and Distance Education (IRRODL) and a member of the TEKRI - Technology Enhanced Knowledge Research Institute at Athabasca University.

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Published

2022-03-15

How to Cite

Wiebe, A., Crisostomo, L. J. . ., Feliciano Perez, R. ., & Anderson, T. . (2022). Comparative Advantages of Offline Digital Technology for Remote Indigenous Classrooms in Guatemala (2019-2020). Journal of Learning for Development, 9(1), 55–72. https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v9i1.607

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2022): ISSUE 1

Section

Research Articles

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Received 2021-12-15
Accepted 2022-03-09
Published 2022-03-15