22. Leadership of Diversity in Service of a National Cause: The Art of Multiplying Strengths

In the winter of 2014, I was preparing mentally for a discussion on the role of technology in education. This was a matter that I was familiar with. And I was also familiar with the misplaced enthusiasm that fills many people on the use of technology in education. This enthusiasm is directly proportional to their distance from the ground reality of education, that is, greater the distance the higher the enthusiasm. And then this enthusiasm has a multiplicative factor, which is directly proportional to the individuals’ proximity to technology in their professional capacity. The word ‘technology’ here refers to information-communication-technology (ICT) and closely related other ‘new age’ technologies, and not to the expansive, and, comprehensive notion of technology which would include things like agriculture, materials, chemicals, etc. In other words, many of those who work with (or in) the technology sectors, are rarely connected to education, and thus, they start thinking of ICT as a panacea for most issues in education. The reality is anything but that. ICT clearly has its uses in education, but both of limited nature and effect. This is not a piece on this particular matter, but is leading up to something else, so we will move on.