An educationist and visionary in true sense, 40 years old Mr. Shiv Ram Choudhary derives his joy and energy from service to humanity. Deeply passionate about innovations in education, he firmly believes that school education is the foundation of nation building and if we really want to bring about a positive change, it should happen at this crucial stage. A learner and seeker at heart, he has widely travelled to different countries around the world for several times to attend seminars, conferences and learning visits and bought back the best of practices and integrated them into the school system.
Education has changed to a great extent in the past decade. And with the advancements in the field of technology, the education sector has gained influence from it. Technology has assisted this sector with many tools that made knowledge more accessible to the world.
Many schools are adopting new ways of teaching by including technology. The digital classroom was set up, attendance monitoring systems were introduced, and much more changes were made to make education more convenient.
The pandemic opened up many opportunities for the Edtech companies. After schools were shut due to the lockdown, these companies provided tools that helped schools conduct uninterrupted classes. Remote learning was something that schools had to adapt anyways. Edtech is not just about reformatting books and introducing technology. It is about enabling digital technology to change the overall learning structure.
Virtual classrooms and pre-recorded classes helped the K12 students continue their education in tough times. It enabled students to learn at their own pace. Also, access to the internet and smartphones made the students digitally literate. Digital literacy is important for kids today as it prepares them for the tech-infused world that we are living in. Availability of the internet made education accessible to most parts of the world.
In a survey, 72% of the students said that their school provided digital resources via online learning platforms. While 28% said that schools provided real-time interactive online learning and 5% of the schools provided smart devices for learning.
As remote learning became prominent with the help of technology, the Edtech companies kept on creating more and more impact in this sector. Edutainment applications were introduced such as AI-powered games, puzzles, and apps that focused on learning a new skill helped to foster digital learning amongst students of different age groups.
Edtech companies are helping students seeking to learn new skills. E-learning platforms that provide students with online courses are making an impeccable impact. Students can learn whichever skills they are interested in. Thus, allowing students to explore beyond what they already know. The onset of computers in education has made it easier for teachers to share knowledge.
One of the key decisions made by the government that marked the beginning of an Edtech revolution was the National Education Policy (NEP), 2019. The NEP made coding for kids mandatory from 6th grade. This helped students to learn technology way before entering college.
Kids learning coding at such an early age change their personality to a great extent. They learn many life skills such as communication, teamwork, decision-making, and problem-solving. Creating computer programs and games on their own makes them creative and innovative. Rather than just being consumers of technology, they become the very creators of it.
These impacts are promising as students get access to personalized learning, saves time for teachers, and prepares students for real-world problems. Personalized learning is cost-effective, reaches a larger audience, and allows students to learn whatever they want. Virtual learning promotes collaboration through case studies and group-based exercises.
As these Edtech curriculums build countless skills inside kids, literacy rates go high in the country. As of now, most college graduates lack the skills required to get a job after college. If students learn these skills at a young age, it will become easier for them to pursue the career of their choice.
With the current education ecosystem, digital learning is in its initial phase and is here to stay. Edtech companies need to keep innovating newer products that will help the industry grow further. Along with helping the economy, It will also spark entrepreneurship, computational thinking, and creativity in the classroom. Innovations like virtual reality are already in place, and there’s so much more to come soon.
User experience matters a lot when it comes to consuming a product. When kids use a digital product for the first time, they must be able to understand the basic aim of the product. And online education has done it very well. Learning has become easy for these kids. With interactive softwares and learning interfaces, kids are acquiring knowledge in a gamified way. They don’t feel like they are studying. Ultimately, these measures are minimizing the chances of students getting bored while learning. Learning is becoming more interactive and interesting at the same time.
Digital education is so important for skill and personality building. It opens up your mind, is good for your mental health, and always keeps you updated with the technology in the world we are living in. All we can hope is that more schools, institutes, and universities understand the value of online learning and opt for digital learning solutions. This will help the Edtech companies get the motivation to innovate new products so that students from every part of the world can benefit from them. And ultimately, make the education sector a much better place for knowledge sharing.