Do you recall the time when education meant nothing more than chalkboards and textbooks? Those days are long gone, as the world of teaching has undergone a shift, thanks to the advent of educational technology.
Classrooms are now becoming hubs of interactivity and engagement, and at the forefront of this transformation are digital learning solutions such as the Smart Classroom Technology.
These innovations have changed the way teachers impart knowledge, allowing them to effortlessly explain complex concepts by incorporating videos into their lessons. Students, on the other hand, can now embark on a journey of real-time visual learning, encountering animated content, interactive visuals, and simulations that bring their lessons to life.
Also Read: iDream Education: Your Trusted K-12 Content Provider in India
But the question lingers: do these smart classrooms complement traditional teaching methods, or are they poised to replace them entirely?
Smart Class technology complements traditional teaching. Listen to this from Teja Singh, a teacher at a government school, in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand where iDream Education implemented iPrep Digital Class, a Smart Classroom solution.
As per insights shared by Teja Singh, smart class technology is to stand by teachers’ side and help them enhance the learning experience of students.
Technology in education is evolving at a continuous rate but nothing can replace the human touch of a teacher in the life of a student.
The evolution of classroom teaching with smart class technology in India
With the advancement of technology, the landscape of classroom teaching witnessed a significant shift from traditional chalkboards to projector-based smart classrooms. This change, however, came with its complexities as setting up these systems required extensive wiring and specialized furniture, making it a logistical challenge for many schools.
However, the introduction of smart class technology became a turning point in classroom teaching. Unlike its predecessors, it eliminates the need for additional infrastructure.
The plug-and-play smart class setup can be effortlessly mounted on any wall of the classroom, offering unparalleled convenience. Furthermore, it functions flawlessly even in the absence of an internet connection, guaranteeing continuous access to instructional materials.
This innovation provides teachers with a wide range of resources and opportunities to enhance the learning experience in the classroom in the context of the twenty-first century.
Also Read: Digital Divide and Infrastructure equalizers for India’s Digital Learning
What is Smart Classroom Technology?
Smart Classroom technology typically includes a range of digital devices used inside a classroom to complement the teaching process. These devices have a smart class on smart TVs, IFP panels, whiteboards, etc.
Smart Classroom refers to a technologically enhanced learning environment where teachers can combine traditional teaching with digital content to create an interactive and engaging learning experience for students.
With the help of multi-category content like animated video lessons for each chapter, syllabus books, practice, assessment, and more teachers use smart class setup to make classroom learning engaging and joyful.
A good smart class setup such as the iPrep Digital Class aligns with the school curriculum, works both online and offline, is easy to set up, and supports reporting with auto-sync to cloud-based monitoring dashboards.
Also Read: Which Technology Trends are Elevating Digital Education in India?
Let’s further understand how this smart class technology is helping teachers enhance their teaching and learning process.
How does Smart Class Technology complement teaching?
The following are how smart classroom technology can complement the teaching process in a classroom:
- Better lesson planning and presentation
In the past teachers used hand-made diagrams and charts to help students better understand a chapter or concept while learning.
Today, the integration of smart classroom technology like iPrep Digital Class is empowering teachers to present their lessons in a visually engaging and dynamic format with just a few clicks. With the help of technology in education, teachers can now provide a more stimulating and thrilling learning experience for students, particularly in contrast to conventional teaching methods.
- Add Assessments and Monitor Class Progress
With the help of advanced digital learning platforms such as iPrep on smart class teachers can add assessments and other subject-relevant content for better understanding of students. Plus they can monitor progress in classes very effectively at the topic level.
Implementation of smart classroom technology in a traditional classroom environment, help teachers gain the capacity to closely and effectively oversee students’ learning activities. This is made possible by the utilization of real-time tracking and comprehensive dashboard reporting. By scrutinizing these reports, teachers can discern the specific challenges students may encounter in their learning journey, enabling them to adapt their classroom teaching, resulting in an improved learning environment.
- Better Classroom Participation
In the digital age, youngsters have a natural affinity for learning through tech-based solutions. Growing up in a screen-centric world, they find this mode of education especially relatable.
In a Smart Class Setup equipped with interactive whiteboards, touchscreen displays, and collaborative tools, students become proactive learners. They don’t just absorb information passively but actively engage in their educational journey. This hands-on approach encourages them to grapple with concepts, pose questions, and delve deeper, resulting in a more profound understanding and improved memory retention.
- Time Efficient
Smart classroom technology enhances teaching efficiency by empowering teachers to save their lessons for revision and reteaching. This capability is facilitated through an annotation tool integrated into an interactive flat display panel. Teachers have access to various user-friendly options such as drawing shapes, creating mind maps, utilizing rulers, and more. The ability to save and revisit the annotated content contributes to engaging and time-efficient teaching and learning experiences.
- Access to a multi-category learning content
Smart Class Technology offers teachers a centralized hub for top-notch digital learning resources spanning all grade levels. Featuring animated video lessons, comprehensive class notes, practice exercises, assessments, and e-books, empowering teachers to effortlessly elevate the learning journey for their students.
Platforms such as iPrep serve as comprehensive digital learning companions, enriching the teaching process with diverse content formats. Beyond this, they offer a wealth of materials in their digital library, encompassing short stories, poems, inspirational biographies, and more. This wealth of resources enables teachers to provide a holistic learning experience for their students.
Teachers are an irreplaceable human element in education
An ongoing discussion among educators revolves around whether smart class technology could potentially supplant the traditional teacher-led classroom teaching method. Some argue that integrating technologies such as tablets, notebooks, and digital libraries in education might eventually overshadow the role of educators.
However, it is imperative to recognize that no matter how smart a digital classroom or other digital education solution becomes, it can never truly replicate the wealth of knowledge and life experiences that a teacher embodies.
A teacher is not just a dispenser of facts and information; they are the architects of critical thinking, the nurturers of independent thought, and the mentors who ignite the spark of curiosity in young minds.
Most importantly they are partners of digital learning technologies and help unleash the potential of students. This partnership can achieve a transformational impact on learning outcomes at a huge scale.
Also Read: Personalised Learning Journey of Shreya Namdev, a Class 10th Student
To conclude
In summary we can say that smart class technology is but a thread, to complement classroom teaching connecting traditional teaching methods with the new-age digital era of learning. It complements and augments the efforts of teachers, providing a dynamic digital platform for learning and enabling an engaging classroom environment in partnership with teachers.
If in case you would like to know more about iPrep Digital Class, an smart classroom solution by iDream Education, visit their website, www.idreameducation.org or write to them at share@idreameducation.org