Technology Enters the Classroom: An Evaluation of Educational Technology Initiatives in Punjab

This article provides a critical review of educational technology initiatives of the Punjab government. The attributes of meaningful learning with technology are used as a criterion to evaluate the benefits of technology initiatives in the education sector. An historical perspective of the integration of technology in Pakistan is given in the beginning to have a clear idea as how technology was introduced in the private schools in 1990s and what are the latest trends in these schools? The initiatives of Punjab government are then elaborated by discussing the following projects: Daanish Schools, School Reform Roadmap, Technology to Improve School Processes and Digitized Textbooks and Intelligent Tutoring System. After an analysis of these initiatives, a review of educational technology initiatives in developing countries is done to compare the successful and not so successful projects of educational technology. The article concludes with suggestions for educationists and policy-makers in Pakistan.