Techknowledge: Move over textbooks,students opt for apps,e-learning

“I had to prove how online lessons assisted in studies and iPhone applications helped me revise,” he says,thinking of November 2010,when he and his brother Kunal,a Class III student of Ryan International School,took to supplementing alternate forms of learning with classroom teaching.

There on,he subscribed to applications like BrainPop,SAT Vacab Challenge and Netter’s Anatomy Flash Cards on his phone ¿ among others. This,he says,created instant interest in spheres that always seemed complicated.

“Biology,for one,started making sense with animated lessons. Everything had better recall value,” chips in Kunal. Rahul Mehta,a student of DAV School,is also ecstatic about “Geography Help Services for Class X students” started by Panjab University’s Geography Department,which gives him the option to meet experts online and get answers.

“It gives me the liberty to ask questions without being judged,” he grins. “The beauty of technology is that you can ask questions repeatedly without being identified and also here concepts are explained from the basics.”

From online lessons,animated lessons and audio visual content to downloading subject-specific mobile phone applications like MathsBrain V1,he is doing it all.

Airtel is offering LearnNext,a software that brings text books from Class VI to X to life and adds fun to learning through interactive board-based lessons,study time-table organisers and performance tracking forum for discussions and clarifying doubts.

“Education today is changing with the help of technology. Students have access to tools that allow them to enhance learning,wherever and whenever they want,” says faculty Shivani Agnihotri. The demand for alternate learning tools has increased — which is why more and more mobile devices are offering free customised educational applications.

“Nokia,for instance,has apps for various age groups,” says Jasmeet Gandhi,Head Devices OPM and Services,Marketing,Nokia India. “Here,while their Kiddo App developed by Spice Labs for toddlers,teaches children alphabets,numbers and common words,the IQ Geographic Quiz,promises to hone the subject knowledge.”

Ritika Goyal,a Class XII non-medical student,does a straight comparison with textbooks. “Both serve the same purpose — the difference is in the ease and scope. While you can’t consult over five books in a given time,internet opens up a vast source.”

E-learning solutions like TeachNext combines hardware,software,content and service,deliver new-age technology and traditional classroom teaching. “This,in standardised NCERT format,complete with audio-visual lessons in 2D and 3D,make for easy learning,” says Goyal. But then,here’s a point of contention.

“You cannot actually get any improvement in output using technology alone,” cautions parent Pallavi Gulati. “Technology cannot build the learning streak in you. Besides,while computers can engage students in an educative manner,the engagement can easily swing to uselessly fleeting.”