There’s no doubt that the pandemic upended Indian education in ways no one had fathomed before. Faced with the closure of schools and gaps in learning opportunities, the entire ecosystem slumped till technology emerged as a disruptor. While it was extremely hassling for students and parents to adapt to this new normal in education, the impact was no less adverse for teachers. From reorienting with digital tools overnight to ensuring quality in learning and more, teachers across India had an uphill task to fulfil during the transition.
Industry estimates state that around 91% of teachers in India, today envision a technologically enabled future in education. However, despite two years of remote learning, 31% of them are still not adequately proficient in digital tools while 79% of them are undergoing some training for the same. The emergence of edtech didn’t only alter the way students learn but also impacted the role teachers play in the process of ushering in new norms and patterns of imparting knowledge. Hence, the future offers a strong potential for Indian teachers to upskill with digital skill sets that will help them deliver on the job better.
Digital acceleration has taken education beyond the limits of time and space. Over 70% of Indian students in a Brainly survey admitted relying on online resources today to supplement textbook schooling. Students and parents are now cognisant of edtech’s ability to ensure quality in learning and are increasingly siding with a hybrid model of education. This in turn also unleashes new opportunities for India’s next generation of teachers who stand to benefit immensely from edtech and guide their pupils better. Let’s understand how –
Standardising access to education has emerged as a boon for teachers, particularly in smaller towns and cities. Despite the infrastructural inadequacies, dearth of resources and lesser number of schools, teachers in remote India can now ensure continuity in education with just an internet-enabled device. As per the UNESCO’s State Of The Education Report for India 2021, around 94% of tutors have access to smartphones in rural areas today and more than 50% admit to decent internet connectivity. With an expected rise in that number, edtech offerings can help meet the demand-supply mismatch in the Indian teaching community, as the need for good educators continues to grow.
Flexibility and convenience are obvious standouts for online pedagogy. Unlike the brick-and-mortar method, teachers in edtech do not need to be an expert in all subjects at once or stick to stipulated timelines and resources to impart information. The ability to access education from anywhere, anytime allows teachers to balance their time and skill sets across online or offline classes whilst also investing in upskilling without missing out on salaries. Here’s why edtech is bringing to the fore, a new pool of part-timers, who didn’t consider teaching as a viable profession otherwise.
Another startling benefit for teachers has been personalization. Online education is not defined by the one size fits all technique where students can opt for courses best suited to their sensibilities and learning pace. This offers teachers the opportunity to be more responsive to individual student queries and offer customized solutions to academic problems. On the Brainly learning app, students can exclusively interact with a live teacher and chat with him/her over audio as per their choice and convenience. Teachers can use a virtual whiteboard to offer tailor-made solutions across subjects like math, science, physics and chemistry.
In a nation of 264 million school-going children, being a teacher isn’t easy. One has to constantly dabble between planning courses, etching out teaching methods and creating test papers, thereby continuing with regular classes. However, technology has eased their lives off by automating these processes and introducing better systems to monitor student progress and performance. Not only do teachers today have abundant reference material to curate their notes from but can also explore newer innovations to simplify a complex subject. Instead of ‘by heart lessons’, they can focus much better on concept clearance and skill-oriented lessons now, that yield higher engagement and increased attention.
Collaboration lies at the core of online learning. Be it students or educators, edtech has made information sharing easy and offered global exposure like never before. It is possible for a teacher today to share their research materials with an educator world over and facilitate easy exchange of ideas, thoughts and resources. The equation also spills over to students who can take part in joint projects, discussions, and brainstorming along with their teachers in a collaborative community, unlike traditional classroom settings.
No matter the approach we undertake, teachers will continue to have an indispensable role in moulding the future of education and the country overall. As we inch further to design a digitally empowered future in education, it’s integral that we don’t use technology to replace teachers but equip them with the best possible resources instead that lets them function in a healthy environment and deliver to the best of their potential.
