Technology in Indian schools

 

During one of my trips to Tamilnadu Government schools as part of the SSA monitoring project I happened to visit a school where a group of children were huddled in front of the computer and animatedly discussing something. On closer look I realized that they were watching a CD developed by an NGO on Listening skills. On my subsequent visits I saw this same CD and many more of such CDs being used in other schools as well. There were no teachers to assist the children. The children were on their own navigating through the CD, learning and understanding-all this with so much fun and fervor.  This is when I realized that technology has come to Indian schools and like a stubborn guest it is here to stay.

Technology could do wonders in our schools to promote active learning and understanding. Essentially learning in schools has to be an active process following constructivist approaches. Learning is not just about asking a child to reproduce what she has understood, instead the teacher should use an appropriate instructional strategy/technology in the classroom so that the child is able to reflect, stretch her mind and transfer creatively what she has learnt onto a new situation. Teachers should no more confine themselves to setting their goals of learning at the level of ‘know’, ‘list’ and ‘explain’ instead they should extend themselves to arrive at learning at the level of ‘analyze’, ‘appreciate’ and ‘construct’.

So how can technology transform Indian schools? In her book ‘Teaching for understanding with Technology’, Martha Stone Wiske says that technology can help convert dull topics into ‘generative topics’. This would mean that the teacher need not use chalk and talk method to teach lessons on ‘mountains’ and ‘space’ instead she could take the help of internet or e-learning technologies to give wonderful visual and audio experiences to make mountains look real and space appear nearer.  A child instead of merely visualizing what a meteorite or comet would look like, can actually view a falling meteorite or a far away comet using appropriate technology. Thus technology can enable learners to see learning from multiple entry points viz., visual, symbolic and verbal. Technology can assist active learning. It can enable learners to actively engage with the learning material, reflect on it, understand the various relationships between variables and construct new knowledge. New technologies which teachers can use in schools could include video recorder, players, graphing calculators, computer and internet, multimedia web sites with its e-mail and video conferencing capabilities.

Technology can develop a new kind of citizenship in learners-learners who will be able to function effectively in the changing global scenario. It can help bridge the gap between learners who are separated culturally and geographically and enable them to learn from each other through discussion and collaboration. Finally technology when used well can make learning fun and enjoyable…. It will bring about the same sparkle in the eyes of millions of children… one that was seen in the eyes of those children in the Government schools of Tamilnadu.