The concept of digital classrooms to make learning experience more interactive is fast gaining acceptance
In a small classroom of Vizianagaram, students sit together learning how to carry out the heart dissection of a frog. But there are no messy hands or students feeling uncomfortable due to the elaborate process and strong chemical odour. They watch the entire procedure on the screen in their digital classrooms.
The concept of learning is fast going through a metamorphosis with schools adopting the latest technologies to make the learning experience more interactive.
Cashing in on this trend, digital classroom service providers like Educomp Solutions, Pearson Education Service, and Tata Interactive Systems (TIS) are expanding their presence in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities of India to provide such services.
City schools too have embraced the evolving learning methods by introducing learning modules for digital classroom aids.
At a conference here organised by Educomp, many school representatives turned up to know more about the offerings, and inculcate the digital methods of learning.
According to the digital classroom service providers, nearly 10 schools in the city have already adopted technologies for e-learning.
With a market size of digital classrooms estimated to be over Rs. 3,000 crore, service providers are looking at this segment with added vigour and tapping into southern cities such as Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada to widen their reach.
Recently, Educomp launched its ‘SmartSchool’ concept in the region, going a step forward from their ‘Smartclass’ product.
“The idea of ‘SmartSchool’ is to transform the whole school by providing digital contents, laboratories, and learning modules, and also digital assessment tools and other digitised procedural elements like report card generation and attendance monitoring through advanced technology,” said Rohit Malik, Regional CEO, Educomp.
The company has tied-up with five schools in the city for its SmartSchool product.
The digital classroom aids allow teachers to use interactive multimedia content to supplement the standard textbook-and-blackboard approach.
The schools normally pay a monthly fee per class over a contract period to the digital classroom service providers. In turn, the school passes on the cost as a monthly fee increase of Rs. 150 to Rs. 200 per student.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – July 15th, 2014