TO TECH OR NOT TO TECH

“Each morning when I get up, I know my students are looking forward to the day as much as I do,” says Amit Sharma. He has been teaching since 2009. For a young man whose dream was to be a teacher, his aspiration is simple, that his students become well-aware global citizens!

A peek into his classroom shows an impressive set up with a laptop, an audio system, portable boards, and students sitting in a circular fashion. “Today, technology brings the world closer in ways one could not think of before. When I was still a student studying to become a teacher, books were the primary source of knowledge, and if ever a video or audio was used, it was considered a big deal. Hence, this is what I did when I became a teacher.”

But, he quickly felt that it was not enough to prepare the students of today. “I used to refer to my mobile phone all the time while teaching.” However, it never occurred to me that I could use technology directly to teach.” After attending a few sessions at the ITEI-EDMC on various aspects, he began to see how he could bring the internet and technology meaningfully into the classroom as most training sessions use audio and video tools.

He was so inspired that he began bringing his laptop and speaker to encourage and support the teaching-learning process in his classroom. Using instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp™, he shares the videos from his classes with the parents of his students. Such reporting is priceless for the parents of these children, who often do not have the means or the structure to attend to their child’s learning needs.

Currently, Amit teaches students of grade one. At this rate, through the next five years, his students will be at par with the students who take amenities like a laptop and an internet connection for granted!