Impact of Tablet Based Training in Empowering Remote Rural Community of South West Bangladesh to Acquire Disaster Preparedness Skills

Technology has shaped education practices in many ways. The computer, the internet, Smartphone and tablet devices have a great impact on learning and teaching practices. Technology assisted learning has the power to deliver cost effective useful learning experiences to technologically deprived developing or the least developed countries. There have been several projects (OLPC, OTPC, iRead1&2-Ghana) involving technology assisted learning which have indicated brighter prospects of such deployments. However, the use of technology assisted learning to educate people (not necessarily only children) on challenging issues like livelihood, finances, healthcare and disaster preparedness is still under explored in the developing countries. This paper will explore the possibility of using tablet based e-learning in remote locations to provide disaster preparedness training to the mass and will share lessons learned from a pilot study carried out in the rural South West location in Bangladesh. Focus of the paper will be on how the training has used non-formal and informal education to make local people educated and better aware of basic disaster preparedness issues that are often overlooked, such as creating emergency plan, making emergency kit and first aid. This paper will add significant value to existing knowledge by adding field experience of using tablet device in disaster preparedness training and suggesting a place for such training within non-formal and informal educational setting.