Technology Enabled Teaching In International Schools

A large number of companies are going the digital way by offering high quality content to students from making Pre-school toddlers to school going children ready for the next level. The intervention of technology in has changed our outlook to life and methods of instruction in International schools in India, other Schools and Pre-Schools. Although the classrooms that our grandparents went to are exactly the kind of classrooms our children study in~ Chalk and blackboard, a packed classroom, text books, regimented curriculum, a teacher painstakingly explaining abstract concepts with the limited tools at her disposal.
But in today its more than just imagining, a Science teacher explaining how the germination of a seed takes place, a History teacher teaching about the Indus Valley Civilization and a Geography teacher teaching how mountains and deserts are formed all with the help of online and digital techniques. Teachers will try to explain such concepts to the best of their abilities, and students listen to the teachers trying hard to decipher the figures drawn on the blackboard and by reading from their text books, even try to take notes and try hard to visualize how it all appears.
Thanks to the technology enabled transformation brought about in the methods of teaching- a Science teacher is able to explain germination of seed by showing it as a 3D animation process on a large screen. She can explain the finer details of the process zoom in or zoom out and similarly, the History teacher is actually able to walk the class through the early age civilizations & even engaging sound, animations, music, colors and voice. In many schools today every child in the class is given a visual input on the concept and there is a better level of interest during the teaching session.
Another aspect is e-learning commonly refers to training delivered electronically in an organizational setting, while Online Learning is used to differentiate courses delivered via the internet in educational settings.
E learning is another concept that is widely catching up, it is a medium of instruction delivered on a computer via internet or CD-ROM. The worldwide e-learning industry is estimated to be worth over thirty-eight (38) billion Euros according to conservative estimates. India and its schools have realized the importance of e learning, it is estimated to grow at 80-100% on yearly basis for next 5 years.
According to some industry sources the comparison between online software & related services and E learning and the possible growth opportunities are as given below:
In Online software & related services;
Global Industry Size is 1.6 Trillion
Indian Industry Size is 60 Billion -4% of the Global Market
Domestic Market Size is 13 Billion -22% of Indian Industry Size
In E-Learning Service;
Global Industry Size is 20 Billion
Indian Industry Size is 316 million- 1.6% of the Global Market
Domestic Market Size is 30 million- 10% of Indian Industry Size
The benefits of e-learning are definitely the increased access of technology by students, convenience and flexibility of learners, along with development of necessary skills and competencies needed in the 21st century for digital literacy skills required in any discipline, profession or career. It can be self paced or instructor led and includes media in the form of videos, text and audio and builds user knowledge on a given subject. Many parents have enrolled their children in training institutes, for online learning on the web from home, which is much safer than having to go to a tuition center after school hours. Many online learning centers today, provide subject wise subscription of online training package where the children can solve problems, learn concepts and even have a online tutor taking the student through the content simultaneously.
Technology enabled learning, brings abstract and difficult curriculum concepts to life inside classrooms and makes learning in schools more enjoyable and memorable along with improved academic performance across students.