Technology boon or curse in lockdown
Answers
Explanation:
Huge demand rising in Online Learning
The orders of 'Stay Home' and social distancing has spared no one. Students have been caged at their homes since Lockdown 1.0. India has the largest population in the world in the age bracket of 4-23 years which presents huge prospects in the education sector. Most of the companies, schools and institutions have come up with online essentials as their primary mode of teaching. The teachers and instructors are gradually organising online webinars and meetings. Educational universities and institutions like Amity International Group, DIT University, Dehradun and many others have shown tremendous results in online teaching methodology. The institutions are promoting the concept of online classrooms and the resources are being provided to all the students digitally.
The demand for online courses and learning has seen a sudden surge since the lockdown. This clearly indicates the huge demand that is rising for online learning. Online learning has been adopted in various countries as the primary mode of education. The e-learning method requires only a good internet connection and a computer/mobile as essentials. The sessions can also be recorded for later use. Also, the commute time is reduced to zero, buying enough time to relax after the sessions. The retention power is also increased, as the students don’t feel tired due to travelling. The learning from home also provides a comfortable ambience to focus as students are flexible to choose the right environment for themselves. Moreover, the importance of virtual learning is increasing as the academic year has been drastically interrupted due to Covid-19. Students are left with no other choice rather than attending online classes.
Technological challenges being faced by the teachers and students
The lockdown crisis has forced us to adopt online learning mode without any preparations. The educators and students are strangled with the basics like internet connectivity and unpredictive power cuts. Also, the educators are under tremendous stress in solving structural issues like teaching methods and deliverables. The new learning system has also resulted in increased working hours for the educators, inviting more pressure. Many students also try to skip classes, as the teacher are not able to ensure 100% attendance. Many parents don’t have a spare computer or a laptop at home, as they themselves are busy working from home. This forces the students to struggle with attending the classes over smartphones.
Effective measures are taken by the Government to boost virtual classroom process
The government is taking effective measures to curb the negative implications. FM recently announced help for all the students who don’t have access to internet facility. This will consist of DIKSHA, a one-nation, one-digital platform facility for school students. The government also mentioned extensive use of radio services in the near future. The Ministry of HRD is also planning to open the schools after the consent from MHA. Though social distancing is not feasible in schools, the MHA has prohibited opening schools throughout the country. This leaves the schools and institutions to actively adopt virtual learning methods.
Online teachings are a potential model for resource crunched country like India, and we should look forward to adapting to newer learning methods. With everything going digital, we need to assure efficiency in learning methods too. Online teachings will promote self-development and effective teachers are being able to realize it. The positive prospects, however, outweigh the negative implications and we should be ready to acclimatize with the advancements
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The 21-day lockdown has just started in India on March 25, 2020, to ensure social distancing to arrest the spread of novel coronavirus disease — Covid-19. The lockdown has coincided with the onset of the Navratri festival and will also cover the dates in which most of the Indian communities will celebrate their respective New Year day, although it would be fair to say that the celebrations will be subdued with people remaining indoors.
Meanwhile, the virus continues its surge, across continents. It is unstoppable as the yet-to-be-discovered vaccine is far from being confirmed. The pace of testing is enhanced albeit at a different level as more kits are being made available while ventilators, masks and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) remain low compared to the requirement. This is despite the extraordinary pursuit to ramp up production. The pandemic is one of the greatest threats to mankind that descended, proliferated and diffused in no time and has already led uncertainties across the business and other sectors.
When it comes to a platform for reaching humans across diversity and devices, the flooding with texts, photos and videos have become a major overflowing network of information that is both true and fake. These primarily push the technology mechanism through social media and have surpassed the information dissemination role to become a network of the confusing content transmitter.
While all the efforts on a global footing remain to find the vaccine and save lives with the most optimal arrangements, the concomitant role of digital technologies remains a mixed blessing. So far, the positives outweigh the negatives.
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