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In conclusion, technology has a lot more positives than negatives when it comes to life in the classroom. The amount of potential that humans have in order to further improve the world scientifically is exactly the reason why that students learning these digital methods now are so important. Furthermore, teachers can understand the different levels at which their pupils learn which could improve their educational career greatly.

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After a weeklong blackout, the Sri Lankan government lifted its nationwide ban on social media on Thursday. Facebook and several other platforms had been shut down after days of violence targeting Muslims in the Kandy district, a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims. The violence began after a Sinhalese Buddhist truck driver was killed in a road-rage incident. Buddhist chauvinist groups flocked to the area, and their visits were followed by looting, arson, and attacks on mosques and on businesses operated by Muslims.

Anti-Muslim propaganda is pervasive in all types of media in Sinhala, the language of Sri Lanka's majority Buddhist population. But some pieces of disinformation - like false accounts of Buddhist monks being attacked - spread on social media and were perceived as especially dangerous. So the Sri Lankan government imposed the ban on Facebook, WhatsApp and several other services as a temporary security measure.

It remained in effect until Facebook officials traveled to Sri Lanka to make a personal plea to lift it. The Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, agreed to end the ban, saying Facebook pledged to work with the government "to prevent hate speech and misuse of the platform." Critics immediately pointed out that the company has not offered any specific measures to "fix Facebook".

The government is claiming a victory, but blanket social media bans are not a solution to the problem of hate speech. They set a bad precedent for freedom of expression and undermine efforts to spread messages of reconciliation.

In Sri Lanka, the time to act was months, if not years, earlier, engaging with all types of media. Facebook and internet penetration in the country is still around 30 percent. It's just as likely that this violence was organized not only through Facebook and WhatsApp but also through phone calls and words exchanged across a neighbor's fence. Facebook and WhatsApp are growing fast in Sri Lanka, but they are only a small part of an extremely polarized media world dominated by television and radio. Anti-minority hate speech, particularly against the Tamil minority, has been part of the Sri Lankan political landscape for decades. Now, it's Muslims, not just Tamils, who have become the target.

We have been conducting surveys and qualitative research on how people use mobile phones and the internet around the region for more than a decade. We recently focused on Myanmar to understand better how hate speech spreads. Social media use has grown at a stunning rate in Myanmar since 2014, at the same time that anti-Muslim violence linked to Buddhist chauvinist groups has escalated.

We noticed that people usually first encountered false stories in "affinity circles" - messages sent through Facebook or WhatsApp groups. Within those circles, the messages appear as a communication from a trusted friend or relative. Because many people belong to multiple affinity circles, the hate-speech messages would jump from one circle to another, in each case appearing as from a trusted person.

In other words, the human factor, not the platform alone, is important. This pattern is consistent with recent research about how falsehoods spread. A study by Sinan Aral at MIT analyzing about 126,000 Twitter "cascades" showed that false stories spread faster and further than true ones, perhaps because of their novelty, and that human beings - people passing along messages to their friends - were more important than bots.

When mob-related violence does occur, the government relies on tactics developed during the colonial era: preventing the formation of mobs, usually through curfews, which stop people from gathering in public spaces. The same principle gives Sri Lanka's telecommunications minister the power to prohibit the transmission or reception of entire categories of messages in emergencies or "in the interest of public safety and tranquillity."

The Facebook ban - a digital curfew - was an extension of that thinking. Sri Lanka does not have legal authority over Facebook, but it does regulate telecom companies, so it ordered them to block access to Facebook and other platforms. Harin Fernando, the telecommunications minister, told The Guardian, " Hate speech is not being controlled by these organizations, and it has become a critical issue globally." In India and Pakistan, too, social media firms have come under scrutiny or faced outright bans for circulating hate speech.

There is no doubt that social media companies need to do more. While Facebook has hired Sinhala-speaking moderators to detect and remove hate speech, its ability to respond to complaints quickly and consistently is limited. Facebook also should not rely on users to report abuse. It should proactively identify and remove hate speech before it spreads widely enough to generate complaints.

But focusing too narrowly on one company or platform is a mistake. A foundation of mutual distrust and fear - not access to social media - is the necessary condition for the mobilization of violent mobs. Governments can't dismantle that foundation alone. Media companies of all kinds must accept responsibility and deploy artificial intelligence and plain old elbow grease to the task. And people of good will must play their part by calling out falsehoods and reporting those responsible.

Banning social media after the mobs have started running is mere political theater.

Rohan Samarajiva is the chairman of LIRNEasia, an information and communications technology and infrastructure think tank, based in Sri Lanka.
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Opinion | Banning Social Media Won't Stop Hate Speech

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After a weeklong blackout, the Sri Lankan government lifted its nationwide ban on social media on Thursday. Facebook and several other platforms had been shut down after days of violence targeting Muslims in the Kandy district, a popular destination for tourists and pilgrims. The violence began after a Sinhalese Buddhist truck driver was killed in a road-rage incident.

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Students can establish new personality traits that they did not have before. This could happen due to the liberty that comes with having your own free will on a digital slate.

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From ensuring high-quality internet access for all, to breaking through the data barrier, these are the priorities for our digital future.

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Digital transformation has been on the agenda of organizations for years and 2018-2020 is predicted to be a crucial time for leaders to plan for and implement it across industries.

Amongst senior executives, there's widespread recognition that the role of digital technology is shifting - from driving marginal efficiency to being a catalyst of innovation and disruption. This means that in the coming years, a number of decisions must be made to avoid or risk falling prey to competitors and disruptors.

When it comes to a timeframe, 85% of key decision makers feel they have only 2 years to get to grips with digital transformation. So, while the past few years have seen some movement in digital transformation, there's now an urgency, and considering that 59% of business leaders worry that it's already too late for them to adapt, time is of the essence.

So, what does the future hold for digital transformation and what do leaders need to take into consideration in order to plan for its development and implementation?

According to Information Age, digital transformation will dominate business strategy in 2018, and CEOs will look to their CIOs to act as strategic partners in to guide them through a series of significant changes.

Tech spending is on the rise exceeding (for the first time ever) - $3 trillion globally, and $1.5 trillion in the US. Emerging technologies are starting to yield real value and in order to get the most out of them, organizations need to ensure they a range of elements in place.

In an age dominated by the consumer, implementing technology that can track, measure and respond to key shifts in consumer behavior could well make or break a business. Automation and AI are supplementing the workforce to provide greater levels of efficiency an insight and customer obsession is the foundation of organizational success in 2018. This shift enables the role of the CMO to take charge of growth or relinquish influence to another C-suite member, such as a chief growth officer.

"This brings it to the fore with boards, CEOs, and executive teams looking for technical and digital leadership. Leaders will put further distance between themselves and the laggards by leveraging new technologies and developing capabilities that enable them to predict customer needs and continuously stay ahead of changing customer desires." - Forrester

To succeed in 2018 and long into the future, it is critical that digital leaders prioritize optimizing their customers' experience and enhance business outcomes across multiple channels, connecting crucial dots between people, information and systems.

However, while technology is central to the shift to digital, that's not all that's involved. Senior executives will need to nurture the right culture and mix of talent to transform into a functional digital business. In addition, building an executive structure that works for the organization is also essential.

"Companies that get confused, that think their goal is revenue or stock price or something. You have to focus on the things that lead to those." - Tim Cooke, CEO of Apple

43% of organizations with a mature digital strategy see internal departments competing to own digital as the most significant barrier to digital transformation. If everyone understands their role, this confusion can be avoided. To ensure your digital transformation strategy is successful, sustainable and makes maximum impact, clarifying who is in charge of each process is essential.

Every business is slightly different regarding service, product, structure, model and culture, but when it comes to migrating to digital, appointing the right person, or people, for the job is critical. While many experts are saying the evolution of the CIO role in terms of both technology and service, will make the CDO role obsolete - this outlook is somewhat linear.

By taking a collaborative approach the CDO and CMO should work with the CIO to help accelerate the digital transformation process, using a collective mix data analytics, technological insights and innovative consumer marketing techniques to help the business thrive in the age of the customer.

Often, strong leadership involves collaboration, and as long as everyone is clear on their aims, goals and responsibilities from the start, your business will be able to digitally transform, seamlessly.

With consumer behavior in constant flux, it's vital organizations have the capabilities to predict patterns, spot trends and react to new situations. By 2019, to help make businesses smarter, savvier and more equipped to evolve with emerging trends and technology, 40% of all digital transformation initiatives - and 100% of all effective IoT efforts - will be supported by cognitive or AI capabilities.

The problem is acquiring the talent to use this cognitive technology to its full potential. According to a recent study, 65% of CIOs state that a skills shortage is holding them back with more than half feeling that developing or acquiring new skills is a priority. That said, to thrive in the modern business world and continue to connect with your customer base on a valuable, meaningful level, today's business leaders must foster a culture of continuous learning.

By creating open forums in which team members can openly discuss the new technologies being leveraged by the business and how it affects their roles, as well as exchange skills, data and information, the organization can move forward as a cohesive unit. Also, by upskilling your staff with relevant digital courses and giving them the tools, time as well as resources to keep building upon their talents, you will ensure that digital transformation remains at the core of your business strategy.

There is a shortage of digital skills globally, but by taking the initiative to spot weaknesses within the organization, you will be able to close it, and put processes in place to ensure that with new trends come new learning programs.

According to Forrester's 2018 predictions report, the evolution of digital and its impact on businesses the world over will be the core concern for companies looking to cement their place in the future.

Already huge disruptors, AI and ML technology will continue to be a colossal force in the business world, meaning that members of the C-suite must commit to new operating models that actually add value to the organization.

Predictions suggest that while blockchain will not disrupt any industry, those companies that understand its power and potential will continue to invest. What's more, tech leaders will begin to experiment with quantum computing, following in the footsteps of industry leaders like Microsoft, Google and IBM.

In addition, disruptive companies will morph their traditional business models into business platforms that can connect with customers directly or through intermediaries and partners. This shift in approach will see questions in the boardroom revolve around platform-based models, new partnership ecosystems, and innovative ways of organizing the business for success.

By preparing for these changes, business leaders will be able to remain one step ahead of the consumer, retaining the capabilities to form long-lasting relationships that stand the test of time.

By 2020, 50% of the Global 2000 will see most of their business depend on their ability to create products, services, and experiences that are digitally-enhanced.

As a leader in the throes of digital transformation, it's essential that you remain transparent and open about every measure you're taking the enhance the future of the business. By granting access to a host of technologies and knowledge and showing others how it can support major business shifts, you stand an increased chance of success.

The time to strike is now. Acquire the knowledge you need on emerging digital technologies understand how your plan will affect the business as well as the end user, leverage data to your advantage, inspire others to move in the right direction, and you will avoid being left behind.

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The Future of Digital Transformation: What Does it Look Like & How to Plan For It?

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Digital transformation has been on the agenda of organizations for years and 2018-2020 is predicted to be a crucial time for leaders to plan for and implement it across industries. Amongst senior executives, there's widespread recognition that the role of digital technology is shifting - from driving marginal efficiency to being a catalyst of innovation and disruption.

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The evolution of technology will continue and the future will hold even more digital aspects in society. With pupils learning the ways of the internet at an early age will assist them in the future where that will most likely be a larger part of their daily life.

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Innovators and investors, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are working to bridge the gap between technology and educators.

Amid sustained growth in an education technology sector competing to put innovative digital tools in front of students, some educators are lamenting a disconnect between the products entrepreneurs are offering and what schools actually need - a rare criticism of an industry often lauded as vital to maximizing student learning potential.

"I think there's a tendency to see ed tech as the savior of American education, and I do not believe it is," Eva Moskowitz, founder of New York-based Success Academy Charter Schools, said this week at a conference addressing the role of technology in the classroom. "I do not believe you can get to equality through ed tech."

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Suggesting that such a position "may be heresy," Moskowitz told the room of about 200 entrepreneurs and investors that technology will never be able to replace a teacher's ability to inspire students and instill passion for education.

"In that sense, ed tech is not the answer," she said. "But I think ed tech can be enormously helpful if used in a surgical, strategic way."

Her message was one of the prevailing themes at the NYEdTech Week, a three-day summit at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, where technology inventors, investors, entrepreneurs, educators and policymakers come together to discuss the future of the the market and where the sector is headed.

Education technology is pitched as a cure-all for the many problems plaguing K-12 education, though rarely do new technologies move the needle in any significant way - and they often come at a steep price.

But the sector plays a crucial role in driving the much-needed modernization of the U.S. education system, which is widely acknowledged as not keeping pace with tech-driven advancements in other areas of society and the marketplace.

One of the key areas of focus of education technology has been its response to a push among school districts to adopt what's known in the education space as "personalized learning" - creating learning environments tailored to each student's specific needs.

Indeed, just last week Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg posted a letter to his Facebook page, entitled " Lessons in Philanthropy 2017," in which he details some lessons he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, learned during the first two years running the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and reaffirms their commitment to education technology as a way to advance personalized learning.

"Over the long term, we need to build tools to empower every teacher at every school to provide personalized instruction and mentorship to every student," he wrote. "We need an education system where all students receive the equivalent of an expert one-on-one tutor."

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He continued: "Rather than having every student sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher explain the same material at the same pace in the same way regardless of a student's strengths, learning style and interests, research shows students will perform better if they can learn at their own pace, based on their own interests, and in a style that fits them."

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative dove head first into this territory upon launch in 2015 and has already invested heavily in the development of personalized learning software, including a team of personalized learning engineers.

"There are 25,000 middle and high schools in the U.S., and our goal is help many of them use these tools over the next decade," Zuckerberg wrote.

But the money pouring into the education technology space - not just from philanthropies but also from venture capitalists and other investors - doesn't always result in the development of useful products.

"Don't build what you think we need," Susan Enfield, superintendent of Highline Public Schools in Burien, Washington, just south of Seattle, said during a panel at the NYEdTech week on Monday. "Have conversation with us about what we need. So many things don't meet a need we have. Don't assume you know what our needs are."

Stephen Murley, superintendent of Iowa City Community School District in Iowa, underscored the importance of having someone on any education technology development team who knows the inner workings of K-12 systems.

Moskowitz echoed those sentiments during her speech.

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"Think differently about what constitutes innovation in education," she said. "Understanding how schools are really working and what their needs are for effective and efficient ways of doing things is most helpful. I don't think enough attention has been paid to what schools are actually trying to accomplish and their values and their priorities."

One of the ways technology can play an important role in the education space, she continued, is by helping to streamline administrative and back-office work - tools that can, for example, digitize student records or ensure a district is meeting its special education compliance standards.

"I have found the education space just way behind every other sector in terms of how do we do things fast, better, more efficient," she said - a mantra she's often repeated throughout the years. "There is enormous inefficiency there, and we certainly could use a lot of products to improve the home-office situation."

Enfield also stressed that superintendents are often put in a difficult position of wanting to adopt a technology platform to help fix a certain issue but also being nervous about picking the wrong product or enlisting the help of a company that doesn't provide sufficient support on how to effectively use the product.

"We're entrusted with people's children, and it's hard for me to take a risk, fail and then have to look in the eyes of a father and say, 'Oh I'm sorry that plan didn't work for your daughter. It looked cool at the time,'" Enfield said. "But the status quo is not good. We cannot remain what we are today."

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Educators: We Need More From Education Technology

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Innovators and investors, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are working to bridge the gap between technology and educators.

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Ed Tech Trends

Teaching with Technology in 2018

In our third-annual ed tech survey, teachers reveal an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward tech in the classroom and its impact on teaching, learning and professional development.

Teachers are growing fonder of technology every year. Even the dreaded mobile phone is gaining acceptance as a classroom tool, at least among those who participated in THE Journal's third-annual Teaching with Technology Survey.

Teacher Attitudes Toward Tech

While teachers in each of the preceding survey were, for the most part, pumped up about tech for learning, this year's results reveal an evolving positivism not just about tech, but about the direction tech is heading.

Exactly three-quarters of teachers in the survey indicated tech has had an extremely positive (38.37 percent) or mostly positive (36.63 percent) impact on education. The remaining 25 percent said tech has had both positive and negative effects on education. Zero respondents said tech had a negative or extremely negative impact.

Roughly the same number were positive about tech's impact on the difficulty of teaching. About 77 percent said tech has made their jobs easier (44.48 percent) or much easier (32.27 percent). About 15 percent said it's made their job harder, and 2 percent said it's made their job much harder. The rest were neutral.

There was overwhelming agreement, as well, that tech has had a positive impact on the effectiveness of teaching. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said tech has positively impacted their ability to teach. Ten percent said it's had no effect. Three percent said it's had a negative effect.

Responses about tech's impact on student learning were similar, with 84 percent saying it's had a positive impact, 6 percent saying it's had a negative impact and 10 percent being neutral.

When asked whether they "believe technology will have a positive role to play in education in the future," respondents were nearly unanimous: 96 percent said "yes."

Teachers' Favorite (and Least Favorite) Technologies

An overwhelming majority favored schools providing devices to students (81 percent), but it was just a large majority that favored students bringing their own devices to schools for classroom learning (47 percent). About a third were against students bringing devices for classroom learning; the rest were neutral. Nearly half of respondents said students in at least some grades in their schools had 1-to-1 devices. Just 14 percent require students to bring their own devices (BYOD).

The most common devices used in classrooms this year were laptops, cited by 37 percent of respondents. That was followed by Chromebooks at about 14 percent and mobile phones also at about 14 percent. Paper/pencil came in fourth at 12.5 percent, followed by tablets (10 percent) and desktop PCs (9 percent).

Among teachers, though, the most popular devices were laptops running traditional operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux), with about 91 percent saying those devices are either essential (46 percent) or valuable (44 percent) for teaching and learning. Media tablets (iPads and Amazon devices) barely edged out Chromebooks for a surprising second place finish, with 77 percent positive. Chromebooks were at 76 percent positive.

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the journal teaching with technology survey

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Teaching with Technology in 2018 -- THE Journal

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Ed Tech Trends In our third-annual ed tech survey, teachers reveal an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward tech in the classroom and its impact on teaching, learning and professional development. Teachers are growing fonder of technology every year. Even the dreaded mobile phone is gaining acceptance as a classroom tool, at least among those who participated in THE Journal's third-annual Teaching with Technology Survey.

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Because of technology, students can become more comfortable with the idea of individuality and the idea of learning in a way that suits them.