Last few challenging weeks of lockdowns, quarantine and isolation have brought about a complete change in the education industry during Covid-19. As college campuses, schools and classrooms lie empty and students sent home, it is time for change.
COVID-19 has overnight compelled educational institutes to change and embrace education IT solutions. While several education institutes have resisted change, the tumultuous experience of Covid-19 has compelled them to embrace online teaching solutions such as virtual classrooms and elearning.
- Coronavirus-related lockdowns and havoc has given educators time to reevaluate the methods of imparting education.
- Technology will play a key role in educating the future.
- The role of the educator will change in years to come.
No matter what happens in the future, education industry during COVID-19 has brought the focus on the fact that education technology delivers intuitive content connecting students and teachers. Elearning and online education solutions are helping students stay ahead in their educational journey irrespective of the havoc created by the CoronaVirus.
As educators grapple with sudden changes in communication with students during disruptive crisis, there is time to understand what learning will look like as students stay away from classrooms and lectures.
The COVID-19 crisis may well change our world and our global outlook; it may also teach us about how education industry needs to change during COVID-19 to be able to better prepare our young learners for what the future might hold.
Unlocking technology to deliver education
The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled educational institutes to effectively leverage the suite of available technological tools to create content for remote learning for students across all age groups. Educators across the world are discovering new possibilities to do things effectively and with greater flexibility resulting in accessibility and greater learning for students across the world.
While these experiences of isolation and remote learning also serve as a reminder of the importance of human and social interaction and its importance in overall learning methods.
The Role Of Virtual Classrooms During The COVID-19 Pandemic
Virtual classrooms as a technology-driven alternative learning method has been in existence for the past few years. The rising popularity of social media platforms like YouTube, and education disruptions like edX, have exponentially increased the acceptance of virtual modes of learning. While virtual classrooms were not considered as a substitute for face-to-face classroom, COVID-19 has changed the mindset as the entire world is under lockdown.
With schools, colleges, universities, and corporates switching over to virtual mode of learning and communications, the current pandemic has made virtual classrooms an important tool of learning. Several companies offering virtual classroom solutions for online learning are coming to the rescue of educational institutions during tough times.
- Online Study – Whiteboard
- Live & Recorded Classes
- Online Mock Test and Mock Practice Tests
- Screen Sharing
- Annotation
- File Sharing
- Chat
- Whiteboard
- Comprehensive test reports and scorecards
- Upload & download study materials
- Select group tuition or personal tutor
A surge of E-learning Software & Online Learning
Due to lockdown, there has been a surge in online education by schools and colleges across the country. Institutes across different countries are deploying different types of online methods such as eLearning courses, online video-based courses, e-books, graphics, animations, quizzes, and mock tests making learning more accessible, personalized, and contextualized during this lockdown.
Right from preschool to college, eLearning has brought learning right at home. Several solutions such as Virtual classroom, Google Classroom, video conferencing applications, and Microsoft Teams, are empowering the transition from classroom-based learning to remote learning.
School Management Solutions in an interconnected world to overcome the crisis
While schools and educational institutes have always considered educational apps or digital learning as an optional or add-on method to enhance classroom training, the COVID-19 pandemic has made online learning solutions mainstream. The option to experiment with online learning is now inevitable and a new norm. It is about time that organizations measure their success and optimize technology solutions.
COVID-19 is a pandemic that shows how globally interconnected we are – there is no longer such a thing as isolated issues and actions. In the future, people should understand the mutually connected aspects and navigate across boundaries to provide world-class online learning solutions to increase collaboration across the globe.
Online Education: Challenges & Eliminating Roadblocks
The increase in online learning will require the availability of high bandwidth. The telecom industry should aim to enhance network capacity and take other appropriate measures to meet the exponential increase in traffic due to online education and other online activities.
Conclusion
With students gaining access to knowledge from online learning just through a few clicks on their phones, tablets, and computers, it is about time to adapt to the changing situation. It is important to take the leap to redefine the role of technology solutions for online and distance learning. This may mean that the actual role of educators will focus on facilitating young people’s development and encouraging the role of technology.