New Delhi – Sudha (name changed), a primary class student in one of the government schools in Varanasi has witnessed a marked improvement in her learning ability since she started using Class Saathi, a smart learning tool for kids especially designed to bridge the learning disparity among the students. Her productivity has improved significantly and she is able to learn more without needing to study longer.
Sudha now enjoys coming to the class room. There are many examples of how technology is changing the lives of the students coming from weaker sections of the society.
Class Saathi designed by South Korea-based company TagHive is a personalised learning solution aimed at developing futuristic classrooms. “It is a playful device which engages teachers with students and offers interactive content and statistics to students,” Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pankaj Agarwal told India CSR.
TagHive is a technology company which designs innovative digital solutions for kids by merging real and virtual worlds for interactive learning experiences.
“Schools require smart and affordable technologies that can capture in-classroom learning data and use that data to enhance the learning of kids when they are at home or at the learning center, after school,” Agarwal said adding that technology can make learning more efficient.
“Rural schools need technologies for better teaching environment, to empower teachers and to motivate students towards regular attendance thus helping these students achieve better learning outcomes,” Agarwal said.
Agarwal spoke about his own experience of working with government schools in Varanasi where the company had done a pilot of this low cost technology solution. The pilot was done on more than 1,000 students for one month and the results were “encouraging” for the company Agarwal said .The learning outcomes increased by almost 8%, he added.
The acceptance of technology is pretty high among the students, Sadiq Sait, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at uLektz Learning Solutions said.
Adopting flipped classroom pedagogies using innovative technologies can help institutions create an environment which is engaging for students and teachers. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the classroom deliveries, Sait said.
With uLektz supporting flipped classroom, students can study even at home using the self-learning digital content and use the classroom session for concept engagement and in-depth learning, he added.
uLektz is a Chennai-based education technology SaaS start-up that was founded in 2016.
Every student in the class may not have the same “grasping power”, Navpreet Kaur, project director of ‘Samuday’ initiative told this new service. The conventional teaching methods give a tough time to weak students but learning with smart classes makes thing a lot easier for all students by effectively using visual effects, Kaur said.
HCL Foundation’s education programme ‘Happy School’ runs under the umbrella of its ‘Samuday’ initiative where the foundation is working in rural areas of UP for social and economic development of the people. The foundation has partnered with the center and state government to work in the areas like education, agriculture, infrastructure and health & hygiene.
The Happy School is employing ICT-aided learning techniques loaded with video-based learning tools, Kaur said. This has enhanced the learning experience and bridged the gap between students with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, she added.
The foundation is encouraging the use of interactive boards as learning aid and providing inputs for writing and visual skills.
Personal computer maker Dell has targeted not only children but also their parents and teachers through its PC education initiative Aarambh, P. Krishnakumar, senior vice president (VP) and general manager, Asia Pacific and Japan, at Dell said.
The initiative was started three years ago to help schools and particularly teachers understand PC technology and its use in education, Krishnakumar said.
“Schools that have minimally used tech or have not, were our clear audience – reason being that these students will join tomorrow’s digital workforce,” the senior VP added. The goal is to empower students, teachers and parents with digital literacy, a crucial skill for every individual in this day and age, he added.
