Re-imagining education for refugee children using emerging technologies | Matthew Baldwin | TEDxMIT

Uganda is home to 600'000 South Sudanese child refugees, 56% of which do not attend school due to insufficient English skills. Matthew co-founded an initiative to tackle this: taking advantage of world leading educational techniques to create a technology enhanced English learning program to help South Sudanese refugees re-enter the school system. In his talk, Matthew will discuss the approach he has taken, lessons he learnt on the ground in Uganda and why others should begin to re-imagine education to utilise modern technological advances. Matthew Baldwin is a senior (Class of 2021) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying Physics and Mathematics, and is originally from the UK. Over the past three years, he has worked on development projects across the world. Whether in Beijing, developing urban relocation plans for communities in informal settlements, or in Kathmandu, designing bamboo greenhouses for smallholder farmers, he is fixated by solving complex problems in international development. In February 2020, he co-founded an initiative aiming to bring English language learning to South Sudanese refugee children in Uganda, which is now the focus of his work, with MIT D-Lab. Away from development, Matthew has worked at CERN performing particle detector simulations, and is currently working with the Engineering Quantum Systems Group, researching superconducting qubits. He is a teaching assistant for four quantum computing courses taught through MIT, and is training for a marathon in his spare time. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@LearningandTechnology]

Absolutely love this. This topic is something I’m personally passionate about and hope I can do my small part to help. Smart phones are, in my opinion, a start - however, I believe the next logical step are those low-cost system (such as Raspberry Pi 400 systems) that allow for local skills and cloud access to more powerful technologies. The challenge is that any expensive resources are in danger of theft - so a low cost system allowing remote access to powerful data centres supports developing skills from basic to very advanced. The end game must not just be basic skills - those must be seen as building blocks to skills that allow deep participation in the future.

[@rgbspike453]

ok frank

[@user-yy6uw2kf4i]

I love your ideas. Theft is one danger, affordability is the biggest issue. It’s quite strange that the speaker thinks smart phones, free net and new technology is the easiest way of teaching unfortunate kids who lack safety food and shelter. I love the video. I think big ideas sounded crazy, naive and impossible except for those who believed in them. I don’t call this idea none of the above, I think the approach should be different though

[@mas5086]

@@user-yy6uw2kf4i I agree, there are many fundamental assumptions about the idea. And by relying on access to mobile phones with appropriate internet access it excludes those who can not afford these things. Another way to approach education is rather then teaching English to get caught up in another countries school system. Find stakeholders in refugee communities that already posses the skills. Find the teachers and professors that were forced to flee and give them the tools for success in their communities. While I LOVE the out of the box thinking in the video it seems very Western centric in its underlying principle assumptions. It also strips dignity away from the refugees participating. And there is the issue that these well funded highly equipped schools may cause resentment in local populations toward refugees which further isolates. I really appreciate the Ted talk it has really made me think!

[@user-yy6uw2kf4i]

@@mas5086 I can’t agree more. I love the way you worded. Western way of solving things. I am impressed by this young guy fabulous idea to help. I appreciate his intentions, but I love your approach to solve the problem. I am highly educated started in Africa. I came from a very poor family. I think traditional education gave me a way of living however it stripped me of creativity. I don’t value education in its traditional way the way I did. I strongly believe we have to reimagine and redesign a new way of teaching. Structured learning the way we did, will not work for the future. My dream is to give those unfortunate children a unique education that will make them not just catch up to their peers but exceed them. Education that gives the learner a way to solve problems not problems to solve. I am not an educator however I think be I tried to use books to teach myself Spanish and couldn’t. It was a lot easier to try to learn Turkish with an app. I feel between educators, psychologists and inventors this dream might become a reality. If it happens a change will happen in schools systems.

[@LearningandTechnology]

@@mas5086 this is a bias that I am trying to eliminate in myself - the western-centric focus. We are products of our environment and I have lived in Canada for my entire life. That stated, I do believe that technology is part of the solution to supporting global education. I just think that it needs to be technology that is properly aligned to ensure substantial participation - to elevate students to reach their full potential regardless of geography. For years, the sub-$100 computer was the discussion that dominated this objective. I still believe that is a worthwhile goal. I did do some reading on the use of radio, book distribution, cell phone learning and more. All seemed to be part of a solution, but not a solution unto itself. A Systems Thinking approach with all options on the table seems, to me, the approach we need to take. Those systems also extend to topics such as food security, shelter, and even cultural issues. This is an area I need to understand more.

[@neenbean3699]

Came for the hot guy, stayed for the Sudanese youth education reform

[@dylanbuchman8128]

Me 🙋‍♂️

[@thechillimangoarts]

God bless this man 👍

[@danielmartin8533]

Thank you for taking the time to explore this problem further. It is in fact people like him that make this world a better place!

[@wuokmayangjanguan1591]

This makes too much sense. As a South Sudanese, I can say that all problem he says face South Sudanese refugees, especially children, are true.

[@user-nj1lv2wk1t]

لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم 💞💞💞💞

[@mphlectures8249]

Thank you

[@SssuperLive]

A im bad speak english - but i talk try.Its maybe my bad,english for me hard - i speak ru-kz.Yes i like MEMES ^_^

[@vthilton]

Unity in Diversity

[@Lawleet]

This is good. Tedtalks are always better.

[@sageagbonkhese4091]

I was thinking about this concept the other day. Glad someone has started it.

[@hissendaud653]

Thanks so much

[@user-kg4vd5dp3o]

اللهم صل وسلم وبارك على سيدنا محمد وعلى اله واصحابه اجمعين

[@ChiNguyen-bc4kt]

Wow this is a great tedtalk speech with tremendous lessons in it!

[@serwhit2490]

What about starting this project in the USA. Contact me. I've been working on this for nearly 20 years

[@zahidrafique1175]

How can I reach out to this guy(Matthew Baldwin)? I have an idea to share with him.

[@RealityTrailers]

When I was a kid our phones had a circular motion device (dial) with 0-9 for dialing phone numbers and a hook for holding the large ear and microphone. The only computer was our Atari game console with game cartridges that were about the size of your cell phone.

[@Madharasan]

Wonderful !!!!

[@youngloqu]

Good film!!!!!!!🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@Ari75]

Not only for refugees a good method...

[@deliamaecenia3701]

I love your videos. I am a fan of yours.

[@archanabiswas1664]

Remarkable! !!

[@soniaaltuzar6191]

I am learning English now, I am mexican, but maybe I could help with this in the first label,

[@zainaba8331]

I like your. Videos

[@theclavers]

Thank you

[@polyglotaafricano5060]

@@theclavers I am an English and French teacher and I can speak Spanish and Portuguese how can I keep in touch would love to work as a volonteer

[@bilikdotid]

You have my thans 😂

[@theclavers]

@@bilikdotid thank you. Our youtube is THE CLAVERS🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@meadowlarkvoices5359]

We are working on supporting education in refugee camps as well and I would love to connect with you.

[@sabreenshekh6556]

It's my purpose of life. I want to help them if possible by online classes. I am english teacher public ,motivational speaker and personal coach by profession.

[@bilikdotid]

Impresive

[@OddC00kie9]

Classrooms are so overrated and online learning is so underrated.

[@yarenmelis7327]

Neden alt yazı yok???

[@hrshah8260]

How could we reach out to you?!

[@user-nj1lv2wk1t]

الله اكبر

[@millig8980]

This is an ah amazing idea. However as a mum of two baby boys I have learned that reward and fun based learning is much more effective than traditional methods etc. My 3 and 4 year old baby boys learned to speak english just by listening to their parents and environment. They don’t have smart phone, computer or any digital classroom.

[@kashhaaff]

👏🏻👏🏻

[@rach-id]

✌✌

[@masyentv4143]

Waw mantep ka.

[@fedepa3]

Very interesting talk!!

[@TheInselaffen]

This guy is a Disney character.

[@blsmotivation8343]

God bless 🙌🏻 if anyone needs motivation check us out..

[@niklasd3668]

Ehrenmann

[@JWFdocumentaries]

I've been in classes with other students 4 years younger than me. Not embarrassing

[@internetmail3888]

Well destroying a person's links to their native language has always been the tactical priority of imperialist empires seeking to culturally conquor their targets.

[@serwhit2490]

I know how to make a phone into a TV screen

[@eliftezer4848]

I thought he was Markian, haha.

[@24james]

It’s now just a fact: every time I heard the words re-imagining, I throw up in my mouth🤢💯

[@abdoulmaestrou623]

I need laptop plz 😉 Algeria 🇩🇿 fighter 👌💪

[@giftedgreen2152]

Who cares? We don’t live there.

[@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy]

True. Let's continue enjoying technological benefits we wouldn't have if every inventor in our history had been indifferent and/or selfish.

[@dr3ad976]

Logan Paul.

[@supernovabristol9468]

I can't stop laughing... 😝😜😂

[@jackywacky7322]

Why

[@Loekamber]

okay but his glasses are fake, there's no warping at all

[@X150t]

Thought it was Harry Potter

[@botdushka]

This is awful..: