A typical urban Indian family with school-going children had one or two computers (including office laptops), and two smartphones. These devices were used by children for learning and entertainment purposes. Post-Covid19, work shifted to home, and the computers stayed occupied all day. As schools went online, considering a typical Indian family of four (parents and two kids), there is a shortage of two devices.

Initially, people shared devices, assuming the study-from-home situation would be temporary. However, as the pandemic continues, a lot of parents have had to seriously consider buying dedicated learning devices for children. 

Going forward, there is also a great possibility of online education continuing in parallel to in-person education, given the benefits that technology brings to the table. A lot of people have been able to experience how modern Learning Management Systems (LMS) make education more efficient, personalised and easier to monitor than before. For example, Ignite is an LMS for iPads which can be completely customised by schools to extend their own curriculum and teaching style to remote education. Emerging technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have given a new dimension to learning, and engage students in amazing new ways.

It means that families will continue to invest in capable devices that can ensure comfortable, valuable and cost-effective learning for school children. Dr Rajesh Tandon, Founder President of PRIA (Participatory Research in India) says, 

“Investments in making personal devices available to all girls (and boys) in all households may well be an important investment in the post-pandemic era.”

Three Cs of Device Selection

The three factors that must be considered for choosing an appropriate device are Capabilities, Comfort and Cost. All three can be better optimised when devices are procured and assigned to students by their schools. For individual students, let’s evaluate the choices on these factors.