Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Beginning of a Big Change




Technology plays a vital role in every sphere of life and education is no exception. The advent of technology has deeply impacted the education scene. Projectors and Whiteboards have already made inroads into the classroom. We are now staring into the eye of the 
Tablet Revolution.

Let us get a glimpse of what it has in store..

Its 11:25 AM on a bright, sunny Wednesday morning. Separated from the bustle of a busy fruit market by a narrow lane & an array of tall trees, the building of Chigurupati Sri Krishnaveni School stands good in an outer confine of Hyderabad city. Lit abuzz with the trotting feet and an occasional gallop, the playground is filled with children making the most of a 10 minute recess break. The ringing bell brings a wave of bright smiles making a dash to their classrooms.

Many schools today use smart boards for teaching
Yes, we know; This seems like a scene from your own nostalgia. But a pleasant surprise awaits you if you are expecting the classrooms to be the same. They've changed quite a bit in the past decade: The black board has made space for a whiter cousin. The roof now supports an overhead projector that beams multimedia animations onto the white board half. Even the naughty kid on the last bench is listening attentively!

Perhaps, we are living in the times of techno-cultural revolution. The impact of technology on individuals and societies is resulting in a modified life-pattern in all areas of our living and education too is riding the wave.



Today’s classrooms come fitted with projectors and whiteboards, and students learn with the help of videos, animations & voice-overs. And according to technology proponents, tablets will become the new “norm” and traditional textbooks will become more antiquated as time passes and students demand a more interactive educational experience.

Increase in both accessibility and reach is fueling the growth of tablets as a medium for education. The Indian Government is also promoting tablets as an effective medium for learning: the proof of this is the ambitious ‘Aakash’ project.

Tablets are making their way into school bags
Tablets can be the breakthrough that permits teachers to pursue individualized teaching through personal attention, helping the teacher produce a more effective learner experience for the class as a whole.

Many schools across the world are well on their way to integrating tablet technology into their daily routines. Some schools in Europe are choosing to scrap textbooks all together in a pioneering pledge to remain at the forefront of technology. The trend is catching on in India as well..

That is what we at Divi Learning Solutions are up to. Built for android-run devices, our tablet based learning solution 'Divi(website link) is essentially a study-platform that can be used within and outside classrooms by both students & teachers. It makes learning fun and engaging for students, all the time!

We believe that to bring about a 'richer' learning experience, it is essential to have a personalized & collaborative approach to digital learning; One where each student can access rich digital content, videos & animations, quizzes & interactive exercises and learn at their own pace. Our solution comes pre-loaded with rich content that is closely linked to syllabus. It also has built in a variety of interactive exercises to test understanding. 

The importance of personalized, timely & insightful feedback cannot be overstated. That is why our solution brings with it a repertoire of info-graphics and analysis reports that help teachers & parents understand each student better.

We also help teachers transform the classroom chaos into a collaborative learning environment. Special privileges on teacher’s tabs allow them to control & coordinate with student’s tablets using Wi-Fi. Teachers can also start an instant quiz for all students and track each student with the live dashboard. 

Our journey into the Indian market has just begun and it has been an exciting one so far! We (Divi Learning Solutions) have recently tied up with Chigurupati Sri Krishnaveni School (Hyderabad) to provide tablets equipped with Divi's solution to all its students and teachers (Standard IV to X) by the beginning of this academic year (2013).

Students learn and take tests on Divi's solution

For more than 6 months now, we have been running a 'pilot' at the school - conducting ‘tab-labs’ in various campuses to identify best ways to use them for learning and also familiarize the students and teachers with the device & platform.  In all, Sri Krishnaveni Schools have more than 6,000 high school students across 10 campuses in Andhra Pradesh. With the live trial phase now complete, the implementation process is underway. 

“..this solution allows students to learn at their own pace, in effect democratizes the education system and puts the child at the centre of learning..”, said Mr. Kiran (who leads the group of K-12 educational institutions), when we asked for his opinion on the primary benefit of our platform. He believes that tablets will change the way children learn and educators teach.

Tablet technology brings limitless possibilities and we are excited thinking about the fact that what we are creating, what we are a part of today, can change education forever.

The Future:

Many industry experts believe that we are only at the cusp of an impending education revolution & the role of teachers in this journey cannot be overstated. At Divi, we lay a lot of emphasis on the teachers as we believe that educators are key to the success of using technology in learning. Infact, we feel that the future of the Ed-Tech sector lies in the hope that teachers will continue to welcome the changes digital technology is bringing to schools.  Such technological advances should not intend to replace their skills, but rather, to assist them in the best way possible.

Watch Video: Divi Pilot & Implementation - At a school in Hyderabad.