“When you give a learning device, be it a tablet, a smartphone, a laptop to a child, it has the potential to change a child’s life.”
Smartphones and tablets are changing how teachers teach and students learn. It’s not always a smooth or simple transition.
Prakash Halemani, was a student of Class 9 in one of the Government High Schools in Gowribidnur. He found the primary school syllabus easy and he did reasonably well. His father a clerk in the state government was able to help him to some extent with his studies way until 8th standard. Prakash found the 9th standard syllabus tough. His parents did contemplate after-school tuition classes but they did not find a good one in and around where they resided. Prakash started bunking classes and lost interest in studies.
TABLET HAVE A BENEFICIAL IMPACT ON CLASSROOMS AND THE PLANET
This is what happened
There was this BYJU’s The Learning App advertisement that Prakash’s father came across. What interested him was that Kannada Superstar Sudeep was endorsing it, and it was available in Kannada. It was a tablet-based and custom-designed course with a state board curriculum. Yes, it was definitely a tad expensive but then like most Indian parents, Prakash’s father wanted the best for his child.
For Prakash, what this tablet and course essentially did was make the 9th standard syllabus easy. He loved how the concepts were explained in the videos, he went over it time and again until he mastered it; he was hooked. The content had animated videos, mock tests, and quizzes. He got to know exactly where he stood. In hindsight, he says this helped him bridge that learning gap.
He began attending school more regularly and did rather well. He says, I was able to learn without any fear. I would go through each concept on my personalized device until I really understood it.
This is what he had to add!
Before I began using BYJU’s tablet, I was really weak in mathematics and science. I found it very difficult to understand concepts. I did try mugging it up (memorizing or rote learning), but I would forget it exactly when I needed it most, i.e., during my exams. Once I started using BYJU’s, I was able to understand the concepts rather well. The audio-visual content, the mock tests, and quizzes ensured that I mastered each module before I moved to the next one.
Now, Prakash has just moved on to the 10th standard. He has fallen in love with learning.
This is not a one-off story
This is not just about one tier-2 city student; there are similar stories across the length and breadth of this country.
Of late, I do see that the Edtech companies like BYJU’s, Unacademy, Vedantu, etc. are criticized for reasons as diverse as negative sentiment against their brand ambassador, Chinese investment, the sky-high valuations, monetizing education, etc. Many of these criticisms are debatable at various levels, some of these may have some substance too, but what cannot be denied is that these Edtech companies are helping many students like Prakash Halemani in improving their learning outcomes. In a country like India, where education is the ONLY route through which you can improve your opportunities and circumstances, these Edtech companies are filling a void that exists in the archaic Indian Education System.
