Article Authored By Sudhir Sharma, Member of Advisory Council | Association of Indian schools.
The education technology (EdTech) market had already been growing at a fast clip prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The segment, however, flourished last year when educational institutes witnessed an increased usage of technology in teaching-learning mechanisms. It has propelled EdTech into the mainstream and into the spotlight, which has proved to be a huge catalyst for the education sector. Due to Covid-19-induced lockdown, there was no other choice but to introduce online learning format to ensure continuity of education, so this further accelerated the adoption of the technology. As a result, most educational institutions rushed to online distance learning using online platforms, e-learning, and information and communication technologies (ICTs), which set off an unplanned and rapid shift in the education sector. The educational institutions were forced to bring their courses online, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. This shift has changed the concept of education overnight, and digital learning has emerged as the new normal.
The Covid-19 crisis has dramatically enhanced the role of technology in education, and the learning experience for students and teachers has forever changed. Millions of students and teachers had signed up to free versions of EdTech learning apps, and are experimenting with different formats and technologies. Once these teachers and students return to the classroom, it is likely that they will continue to use the most engaging subset of these apps. It has accelerated the blended learning model – a mix of digital and face-to-face teaching – could become a natural shift. Blended learning, however, empowers, not replaces the educator. With information readily available and students being able to gain access to knowledge, even learn a technical skill, through a few clicks, there is also a need to redefine the role of the educator in the traditional classroom; the role of educators will need to move towards facilitating learners’ development as contributing members of society.
EdTech has been responsible for not only transforming the education domain, but over time has also been successful in delivering low-cost education through its reach in tier-II and III regions as well. This will only increase as investment flows into the sector as the content improves, and educators and administrators learn how to implement these new tools. The sector is also likely play a key role in retraining people who have lost jobs or need to reskill to meet the needs of a fast-changing and disrupted economy.
It is a fact that in the traditional learning format, physical classrooms offer a high degree of interactivity with the teacher and also among students. But as schools and universities become more flexible and accessible, and as online or blended learning becomes an integral part of school education, educators will have to introduce a lot of innovations to bring in the element of interactivity and collaboration in their e-learning modules and thus ensure that students remain engaged.
As the reliance on EdTech increases, a primary concern is the limitation on broadband access and device ownership in distant or remote areas. This has highlighted the digital divide between those with access to information and communications technology and those without, and inequalities in access to knowledge and opportunities. This Covid-19 crisis has also brought to the fore the issue of equity and accessibility, and it is essential to narrow the digital divide and ensure students hailing from marginal socio-economic background have access to a device and data plan to ensure they can benefit from the same technologies as their classmates.
In an effort to deliver much-needed support quickly, various state governments, schools, telecom companies and online education providers need to fast-track financial, software, data access and hardware resources to every stakeholder, including students and teachers. Moreover, crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic is not a one-off situation and there is likelihood that even in the future such a situation could emerge, so the education system has to be prepared to meet any eventuality.
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