Empowering Learners through Technology at Shantiniketan
If we teach today’s students as we did yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow!
-John Dewey, Schools of To-morrow
This remark was made by John Dewey in 1915. Surprisingly, it is relevant even today. In this swiftly changing world, where new technology is born almost every day, it is essential that we do away with rote learning methods and adopt a technology-mediated education system for the present generation.
TECHNOLOGY ADOPTED BY SHANTINIKETAN
Our educational institute, Shantiniketan, has always emphasised and thrived on a student-centric education system built on a solid base of technology. We believe that a student must not only strive for academic success but also become a critical thinker, logically sound learner and most importantly, a global citizen. Our emphasis has therefore always been on the adoption of the latest technologies and pedagogies to enhance the quality of education. To realise this vision of ours, Shantiniketan has incorporated the smart class technology, through which students learn the subjects in an easy, interactive and joyful manner. Moreover, since automation is becoming an integral part of our lives, learning the basics of robotics is essential. Hence, we have included robotics in the co-curricular domain. Robotics enables students to learn about motorised actions and controls, powertrain systems and basic automation, while at the same time developing their logical skills.
Innovations by Our Young Students
Take a look at the screen of your smartphone. How many apps do you have? Many, right? Do you know that kids as young as 12 or 13 are now developing apps? In fact, Shantiniketan has 8th graders who are at the beginner level of developing Android apps.
Thanks to the programming courses specially designed for kids, they are able to learn and design Android applications. Block code programming is a good example that allows kids to develop applications. Steve Jobs believed that everyone should learn how to code. And, I can’t agree more, as learning to code not only enhances strategic thinking but also sharpens logical reasoning. This helps learners improve their maths skills as well because it hones their abilities to recognise patterns and steps.
A Robust ERP
When it comes to empowering learners, it is necessary to provide them with enough practice to polish their knowledge. Our online portal is available through the school website to assign homework, revision papers, practice, assignments, notices etc. to the learners. The portal is also available as an application on Android and iOS and provides as a platform for communication among the school, parents and learners.
We use innovative methods and different sources for imparting knowledge and to make the learning process an interesting experience. To this end, we propose to conduct video lectures by subject experts for students of grades 9 and 10.
In the field of education, the key question is not ’how much’ technology is used, it is ’how effectively’ it is used to empower learners. At the end of the day, they are the future of the nation! And our responsibility as educators is to help them adapt to the rapidly changing times.
