The standard of education that a child receives hugely impacts the kind of career he will have. As parents, most people strive to provide their kids with only the best amongst the best of products and education falls in this category too. The kind of teaching techniques used, the availability of interactive tools such as smart boards and interactive flat panels, and the breaking of conventional ideas of educating young minds- all are equally important aspects of a good learning environment. Only an educational institution that successfully inculcates all these features in itself can be considered to be a suitable option for your growing child.
A certain level of tech savviness is required to be able to achieve this, irrespective of where you are from. The leading technological advancements can help you reach your goal by building a noteworthy learning environment for your child. In this blog, we will discuss a few ways in which smartboards are a better option when compared to the traditional chalkboard, and the top 5 interactive tools that can be used for improving teaching methods in schools.
Why is a whiteboard or a smartboard better than a chalkboard?
There can be many instances of impactful advantages of a whiteboard over a chalkboard. Some of these advantages include a dust-free environment and clarity in the perception of whatever is written or presented on the whiteboard. A chalkboard that came in association with chalk and a duster are now symbols of conventional and outdated teaching rituals that were once followed in our country. There has been the integration of technology in classroom settings which has brought about smartboards.
There are numerous advantages of using smartboards in schools such as interactive learning and path-breaking techniques. Smartboards can be used as a tool for note-making, interactive teacher and student discussions, accommodating newer learning techniques, and also brainstorming through multiple ideas during a study session. All of these considered, one of the best features of introducing better visuals to every chapter and subject that the students are learning.
The Indian Education system has certain deep-rooted challenges that are in dire need of being replaced by smarter solutions, to make learning fun yet effective and fulfilling for children who are the masters of the future. Some of these challenges are:
Inability to discover: Students are not encouraged to identify their own interests and discover their talents. This inability to identify and self-discovery often hinders their learning capability as they are not well-versed in their strengths and weaknesses.
Lack of curiosity: Learning should be an engaging activity that encourages curiosity, but the standard ‘textbook-blackboard-classroom’ pedagogy being practiced in the country is largely outdated and refrains these young minds from exploring on their own. There is a need to generate inquisitiveness and curiosity to ensure ‘learning’ is inspired by a fundamental need to discover and satisfy curiosity.
Disconnected learning with the minimum application: Obsolete teaching and learning methods and aimless ‘sum-solving’ without knowing the motivation for doing the same curtails the ability of students to draw a meaningful correlation between learning and life experiences, further hampering their ability to apply their learning to that which the world needs.
Focus on content but not on skills: The typical classroom learning bears witness to a place where content is delivered. Students are seldom encouraged to research topics and have a discourse with peers in class. Consuming content without being able to hone skills that are needed to thrive in the real world to where these students would step after leaving school carries no value to the learning process.
Challenges often have solutions to overcome them. With technology making way for solutions to close gaps in pedagogy across the globe and more recently in India, there are certain techniques and pedagogical tools that can be brought to use to deliver education that matters.
Blended classroom – both online and offline
While the traditional method of learning takes us back to the conservative way of teaching in a classroom, the newer method comprises a blend of both online as well as offline access and approach. With technological penetration and advancement picking up the pace like never before, the education system in the country has evolved manifolds. Today, online learning is considered as imperative as offline teaching methods as it offers a lot of on-demand knowledge and arms the seeker with in-demand skills. Additionally, it is crucial to make learning accessible anytime and anywhere, therefore online learning can be the most ideal option, thanks to present-day internet accessibility.
The concept of Blended learning supports the personalization of content for each student as per their interest and requirements, thus improving learning outcomes for these young minds.
Another advantage of Blended learning is that, unlike traditional learning, it encourages engaging and collaborative learning environments where students work together to learn, brainstorm and solve problems. Teachers can interact with students online, give feedback on their solutions and help them improve their skills.
Design and inquiry-based learning environment
In India, classroom teaching is primarily teacher-centric which predominantly supports just a one-way flow of ideas and thoughts while students miss out on the opportunity to learn inputs from research carried out by their peers on the topic of interest. A discourse enabling collaborative classroom environment design, virtual or otherwise, must be set in motion to support greater learning outcomes.
Inquiry-based learning gets students excited about learning something new rather than grabbing content unenthusiastically. Typically, this would entail having four steps that involve students coming up with questions about the subject matter they want to learn more about, then researching the topic in class or as homework, presenting their findings in class, and finally reflecting on what they learned as a result.
Digital Assessments
Digital assessments offer an engaging environment for students to learn and develop. Regular timely assessment is a prerequisite to provide the information required to make minor ‘course corrections’ along the way as a school term progresses, rather than judge whether or not a student has reached his/her goal towards the end of the term. Besides, such assessment platforms are interactive in nature that give students more ways to assimilate the material and express their knowledge.
Traditional assessment practices seldom leave the students with avenues to learn their peer’s problem-solving approaches and often do not give the grader ample insight into the students’ reasoning for their solutions. It does not solve the prime purpose of evaluating students. E-assessments allow teachers to author rich interactive assessments and add videos, podcasts, or simulations to their tests. Digital assessments also map each question with certain parameters like learning outcomes and difficulty level that could help keep track of students’ learning and identify any gaps in their knowledge. It also provides immediate feedback to students.
Create, Experience, Don’t consume
In today’s fast-paced world, it is imperative that we inevitably connect the academic content imparted in the classroom with the underlying motivation and draw parallels with real-life experiences. Creating an experience is much beyond grabbing content. Introducing experiential learning-based tools and projects enable students to explore real-world problems, deeply engage in and acquire authentic knowledge. This also builds into millennials, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. At the exponential pace at which knowledge and information are being created in today’s world, what children are learning today may be irrelevant tomorrow but the skills they acquire could prove relevant.
Top 5 Interactive tools used for the betterment of teaching methods:
- Audio Podium
These interactive devices are also referred to as digital lecture stand. The structure of these stands is made out of a steel frame and has a supreme quality bent neck microphone attached to it. These can be effective on energy consumption to a huge extent. Your teaching methods can improve exceedingly with the usage of this tool. There are also extension ports and a built-in speaker system with notable sound quality.
- Sense Lite Interactive Panel
Developed by the brand Senses in a simple and easy-to-use format, these interactive panels are available in all sizes. You will find these devices decked with several essential features and ultra-modern technology. These can be incorporated into classrooms of any size and dimension with ease of installation. Senselite is a breakthrough device that has the capability of completely changing the future of interactive flat panels.
- Smart Class Cabinet
These are all-in-one Multimedia PC Controller tools that can be used to control digital classrooms without much hassle. This consists of two cabinets, one for control and another for storage. The compartment that is booked for control has a document camera, speakers, keyboard, mouse, and classroom computer. These cabinets are customizable as per the needs of the user and come with a key lock to ensure safety
- Interactive LED Touch Display-Available in sizes of 15” to 96” diagonal, these interactive tools are best used for conducting presentations. These work as a single unit that incorporates features of a whiteboard with a projector and a smart TV. These have a very positive impact on the teaching methods used by instructors in schools all across the country. This is one of the leading interactive flat panels that are available in the market now.
- Smart Interactive Whiteboard
This is one of the leading interactive tools available for promoting and creating a dynamic classroom setting for students. These smart boards are easy to handle, affordable, and come with finger-touch sensors. Most smart boards have an in-built library of several thousand images mapping to multiple subjects and areas of study. A smart interactive whiteboard adds to the advantages of a whiteboard over a chalkboard. All these interactive tools ensure that your child grows up in an intellectually and holistically empowering environment with top-class facilities. This also guarantees you, child, a promising and bright future. Education is the most valuable and precious gift that a kid can receive from his parents and you must make sure it counts.
Read Also: Different Types of Vehicles number plates in India and Why?