No abstract

COVID-19 and future pandemics drastically change the way of life globally. Research has predominantly focused on the use and integration of disruptive technologies in industry and commerce. Little of the recent studies focused on the implementation of artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies in educational applications. The chapter focuses on how these can be implemented, from development, deployment, use, and maintenance of applications. A computer program's lifespan is usually spent during its use. The qualitative case study was administered using a digital learning platform that provides interactive learning for primary and secondary learners. The disruptive technologies inform new teaching methodologies and the development of student-centered algorithms for learning. Further research includes privacy issues in the implementation of disruptive technologies and data-sharing governance issues and evaluating the effectiveness of artificial intelligence and blockchain-based learning platforms.

This chapter assesses the innovations and challenges of web-based learning for adolescents. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was used to establish the determinants for the challenges and innovations of web-based learning for adolescents. Challenges coined include virtual engagement, adaptability, motivation, technical issues, time management, learning styles, destructions, communication skills, and the digital divide. Web-based learning is an emerging and innovative approach to teaching and learning that meets the evolving needs of adolescent learning. Adolescents should embrace the transformation from traditional brick-and-mortar classroom practices to a web-based environment. Stakeholders must continuously overcome the challenges of web-based learning. Future research can concentrate on developing well-defined web-based course content that supports the holistic learning needs of adolescents and the development of a web-based learning model for adolescents.

The chapter focuses on the effects of using digital technology amongst Zimbabwean adolescents. The research was necessitated by the fact that adolescents are a vulnerable group still in the self-discovery age. COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the widespread use of digital learning to facilitate learning, communication, and social interaction among adolescents. Focus groups and interviews were used to gather data in primary schools. There is a disparity in technological device use and access to the internet between urban and rural areas dwellers. Ninety percent of students in rural areas did not have access to technological devices, and during the pandemic, they hardly used them for learning purposes but mostly used them for communicating with relatives. In Zimbabwe, digital technology devices have not yet replaced social relationships as most adolescents are restricted to 2-3 hours on their devices. A model for effective use of digital technologies in adolescents can be developed and implemented.

Fully participating in the digital economy involves understanding enabling factors for digital inclusion. The chapter analyzed and synthesized existing knowledge on factors that could enhance digital inclusion in marginalized communities. The factors that enable digital inclusion for marginalized communities in developing economies were extracted and mapped into a taxonomy table using thematic analysis and constant comparative analysis, and they were clustered into five multidimensional constructs: digital access, attitude, digital skills, actual usage, and impact of digital inclusion. These factors act as enablers in speeding up digital inclusion—they form a vigorous model for driving digital inclusion and evaluating digital initiatives in marginalized communities. A model to ensure digital inclusion initiatives to address the realities faced by those who have been marginalized from the digital economy by moving away from an inclusive digital approach that is grounded on a technological perspective is developed.