When I first arrived in a small village school in Sumatra, I carried a simple dream: that children in this remote corner of Indonesia could have the same chance to explore the world as any child anywhere. I imagined them researching, experimenting, and connecting with peers from other countries through technology.
But the reality was harsh – two classes sharing a single computer that only worked intermittently, electricity that failed without warning, and barely any internet connection. Sometimes we would have power for only half the day. Sometimes the one working computer froze right in the middle of a lesson, and children looked at me with eyes full of expectation, “Sir, what do we do now?”
In those moments, I asked myself: how can these children possibly compete in today’s digital world?
The Bigger Picture
This challenge is not unique to Indonesia. Across the globe, millions of children face the same struggle, disconnected from the opportunities that digital skills can bring. We live in a world where access to technology often defines future opportunities. Yet vast numbers of students begin their journey far behind, not because of lack of intelligence, but because of lack of access.
And yet, my experience in this small school taught me a powerful lesson: digital literacy does not start with devices. It starts with people– empathy, creativity, and community. I realized that if we waited for perfect infrastructure, these children would never begin. But if we started with imagination, with what we had, then even the smallest classroom could open to the world.
Creativity in Scarcity
With almost no infrastructure, we had to imagine new possibilities. I led activities where students “coded” using paper and colored cards. Each color represented a command: move forward, turn left, turn right. Students became “robots” following each other’s instructions. They laughed when mistakes happened and quickly learned that debugging is simply the process of correcting steps.
We designed offline storyboards to simulate animations. I asked them to draw frames on paper, flip them quickly, and see movement. Then we talked about how computers process frames to create real animation. For children who had never touched a coding program, these exercises brought digital concepts alive.
I remember one boy in particular. He came to me after class and said, “Sir, when I grow up, I want to make cartoons on the computer.” At that time, he had never used an actual animation program. But already, the seed was planted. That is what education does: it creates possibility where none existed before.
The Role of Community
And it was never my work alone. Parents, university students, and local volunteers joined us. Together, digital literacy became a community movement. At first, many parents dismissed technology as a luxury. “Why do our children need computers? They should focus on farming or trading,” some said. But their perspective changed after we invited them to see a student exhibition. Children presented simple digital projects: offline PowerPoint presentations, hand-drawn websites, coding simulations on paper. Parents were astonished at the confidence their children showed.
One mother whispered to me, “I never thought my daughter could speak in front of so many people. Now I see that learning about technology makes her braver.” For the first time, parents saw digital learning not as a distraction, but as a tool of empowerment.
Teachers as Multipliers
Teachers, too, were at the heart of this change. I organized hands-on workshops for them, showing how to maximize minimal resources while ensuring inclusivity. We explored simple ways of teaching algorithms through cooking recipes, or explaining networks by comparing them to family trees.
Soon, other teachers began replicating these ideas in their own classrooms. A ripple effect spread – proof that innovation can start anywhere, even in the most remote places. One teacher told me, “I always thought I needed a computer lab to teach digital literacy. Now I see I can start with storytelling, with games, with paper.”
That is the beauty of education, it multiplies. What begins in one classroom, when shared, can transform many others.
Beyond Tools: Building Confidence
Our experience offers a simple but powerful message: we do not need to wait for perfect infrastructure to start teaching digital literacy. We can start with creativity, with collaboration, with whatever resources are already at hand.
When children gain confidence, they are ready to embrace technology when it finally arrives. When communities are engaged, they sustain programs. When teachers feel empowered, they become innovators and advocates for equity. I saw this truth again and again. A girl who had never touched a keyboard learned to present her ideas confidently using paper slides. Later, when she finally used PowerPoint for the first time, she was not afraid because she already believed in her ability to communicate. Confidence came before competence, and competence followed quickly.
Connecting to the Global Conversation
As global educators and leaders, we must ask ourselves: are we investing enough in people, not just in devices? Are we prioritizing inclusion, empathy, and creativity as much as connectivity? Too often, educational conversations about technology revolve around budgets and infrastructure. While these are important, they overlook a deeper truth: technology alone does not transform learning. People do.
In Finland, teachers emphasize play and curiosity even in digital learning. In Kenya, educators use simple mobile phones to share lessons. In Indonesia, we turned paper into code. These diverse approaches remind us that creativity and empathy are universal tools. When we connect these stories globally, we see that the digital divide is not just about access to hardware; it is about the courage to innovate, to include, and to believe in every child’s potential.
A Reflection for Global Educators
I often think back to that small classroom in Sumatra. Children sitting on wooden benches, sharing one broken computer, yet daring to dream about becoming programmers, designers, and engineers. What they lacked in devices, they made up for in imagination. What they lacked in connectivity, they replaced with curiosity. And what they lacked in privilege, they overcame with resilience.
Education, at its heart, is not about resources alone. It is about relationships – between teacher and student, between school and community, between local struggles and global solidarity. If we want every child to thrive in a digital future, we must remember that transformation begins in the classroom with teachers, parents, and students who believe change is possible.
Conclusion: A Seed of Equity
In a village classroom in Sumatra, I witnessed children who once felt cut off from the world daring to dream beyond their village. That is the beginning of true digital equity. And perhaps that is the lesson we can all carry: we do not need perfect conditions to start. We need vision, courage, and community. With those, even the smallest classroom can open to the world.
Ahmad Fadli is a cross-disciplinary educator with over a decade of experience in international classrooms and community-based learning spaces. He has taught English, Global Perspectives, and Information and Communication Technology, while also mentoring students in public speaking and scholarship preparation. His commitment to educational equity is reflected in his work with literacy initiatives in remote areas and grassroots community programs. Beyond the classroom, Fadli contributes as a writer to international platforms, including UNESCO's World Education Blog and TIE Online, where he shares insights on the challenges and possibilities of educational transformation.
