First Education News

1. What is your opinion about municipal schools in Mumbai getting digital classrooms?

Students often lose interest during lecture-style teaching, interactive teaching styles promote an atmosphere of attention and participation. Make it interesting. Make it exciting. Make it fun. Telling is not teaching and Listening is not learning. Our Govt.run Schools should be the pioneer in creating word class citizens

2. What exactly is the technology being used to run these digital classrooms?

An interactive whiteboard is an instructional tool that allows computer output to be displayed onto a board using a digital projector. The instructor can then manipulate the elements on the board by using his finger as a mouse, directly on the screen. Students can participate in the learning interactively also remotely using Internet.

3. What are the problems being faced/likely to be faced in the future in these digital classrooms vis-a-vis conventional classrooms where teachers teach students on blackboards?

I feel students are more likely to enjoy a class session where videos and quality images are displayed on a high definition screen.

one of the biggest complaints about interactive whiteboards is that they are often underutilized by poorly trained or technically-challenged teachers.

4. How practical and effective are digital classrooms? What are their advantages over conventional teaching?

· Powerful visual tools for teacher

· Better interaction and collaboration

· Better display of student projects

· Ability for students to interact

The multimedia capability of interactive whiteboards also allows teachers to convey information in many different ways. If a teacher is doing a lesson on India, for instance, he can show his students a map from Google Earth, PowerPoint graphs on city populations, and a National Geographic video about Indian animals. For most students, these types of lessons are a lot more interesting than a straight lecture.

5. What will happen if digital hardware or software face problems? Will they just be abandoned and kids will get back to old-style teaching?

Instead of separating the hardware / software of digital classroom from teaching and learning, we intend to bring the digital classroom as a collaborated effort among the teachers and students as a group. Make Teachers self reliant, self aware and master the art of using technology as per the need and not as a replacement. Digital classroom student teams, act as teaching assistants when a class is working with a new or challenging technology, and even conduct their own training sessions for students and teachers.

6. What will be the future of education in terms of going digital…not only in municipal schools but even in other schools?

Future of education in this 21st century should be moved towards integrating STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) based practical oriented learning facilated b by digital technology.

The external factors affecting how we comprehend, retain and receive new material are constantly evolving. As the digital revolution accelerates, technology gives us exciting opportunities to shape learning experiences and achieve learning goals. using STEM based learning and delivery has become practical

7. What about funding? How much is required to set up a digital classroom and what kind of money is required to be allocated for running the system properly on a consistent basis?

Portable Interactive Projector with Internet enabled Computer PC is the new solution for future digital Schools. I feel per Portable interactive digital unit should be around 50k per unit.

1.Open source content (learning and teaching)

2.Interactive projector – 150 inch

3.Short Throw

4.Computer inbuilt

5.Portable and small

6.Multi Touch based

7.Easy to use anywhere anytime

S.Kannan – Founder Director of Campusone Education Solutions Pvt. Ltd

You can reach him @ 9867381971

kannan@campusone.in