Education digitalization must move beyond simply buying tablets
An educator argues that digitalizing Latvia's schools cannot stop at purchasing tablets and computers — the next stage is using digital platforms to support personalized, understanding-focused learning.
Digital learning tools have become routine in Latvian schools, with part of the curriculum now available in digital format, while the state and municipalities continue investing in digital infrastructure. However, digitalization alone does not guarantee a better learning process, argues the editor and author of learning materials at publisher "Skolas Vārds" in an opinion piece for the magazine "Ir".
Understanding over memorization
The author points out that a key challenge in schooling is distinguishing memorization from real understanding — a student who has simply memorized a formula gets confused when a task is presented differently. Digital platforms could help build deeper understanding by offering varied explanations, multiple solution paths, and interactive examples connected to students' everyday experience.
Adapting to each student
Since students differ in prior knowledge and learning pace, platforms could automatically suggest revisiting material for those lacking basics, while letting others move ahead. By collecting data on which tasks cause difficulty, platforms could give teachers a fuller picture of each student's progress and help identify knowledge gaps early — provided the data is actually used to adapt teaching, not just collected.
Practical tools and content quality
As an example, the author cites the publisher's own platform "Digiskola", which allows listening to text in audio format and taking notes directly within digital materials. The author also stresses that learning content must be reliable and curriculum-aligned, while simulations and visual examples can help explain complex processes.
Shifting the focus for coming years
The author calls for discussions on education digitalization over the next five years to shift away from technology purchases and bans toward identifying which skills are best developed with a teacher's guidance and where digital tools can genuinely help. Technology should not replace teachers but free up their time for inspiring, explaining, and developing students' critical thinking.
