Can blended learning be successful solely on the basis of Ed-tech content?

Blended teaching’s success or failure rests in the hands of the teacher.

Let’s have a look at how?

This topic will provide you with information based on the following points.

1) How does the covid-19 experience shed light on the virtues and disadvantages of online education in k-12 segment?

2) Which learning environments might Ed-tech firms consider for each learner in k-12 segment?

3) What role does the teacher play in ensuring the success of online and self-paced learning?

What does the experience of online classes as a result of Covid-19 tell us?

Covid-19 pandemic allowed us to comprehensively examine the online learning outcomes and gaps. For every educator, it is obvious that online learning alternatives are a fantastic option for advanced learners, but academically challenged students suffer even more.

At the same time, there is a concern rose that the expansion of online education is having a negative impact on a critical group of students, specifically those who are less proficient.

If online education is having a negative impact on a less proficient student group, what can we do about it?

I do not agree completely since, as of now, online learning remains in its infancy and on-line learning is a tool, it can be tailored to meet the needs of any group of students. Online/digital education can be designed with the goal of assisting less proficient students and maximising their potential as a result.

Our Ed-tech giants spend their entire productivity to present excellent and thoughtful content as their first step. They are truly committed to making each student fall in love.

There is a significant gap in personalised learning in the current practical classroom environment. I believe that Ed-techs can certainly encounter this crucial issue by adding to its content features such as gamification, quizzing, concept enhancements, application enhancements, AI guided tasks and a thought-provoking questionnaire…. If these characteristics are present, I believe that learning activities will be more enjoyable and interesting for children, just as they are for games or any other activities that they find interesting.

However, this is just beginning. Once their lessons got underway in the practical classroom with help of teachers, necessary changes and self-learning strategies inevitably occurred, and then the importance of success and significance shift will motivate further progress.

As an educator, when I remember that what I offer in the classroom is trivial compared to what children receive in the end, all of my deliverables will be centred on the needs of students’ learning process. As a result, I may always be ready to change my presentation style at any time in order to ensure that students understand and receive what I’m saying.

Firms in the Ed-tech industry will have to go through an endless process to analyse and optimise each student’s individualised learning based on their technological characteristics.

In a nutshell, we require online learning experiences that embrace learner variability can be designed to be engaging, distinct, and produce great student experiences and outcomes, both for high-achieving students and for those who are less proficient.

Role of the teacher in ensuring the success of online and self-paced learning

The teacher’s role is paramount in Educational initiative, but unfortunately, in my country, the teacher’s role is not taken as seriously as it should be, and as a result, the majority of educational initiatives fail to achieve their intended outcomes. Simultaneously, the issue may stem from the teacher’s lack of adaptability and flexibility too.

Now, let’s see what Sri.J.krishnamurti (a philosopher, speaker and writer) said about teachers :

“The teacher or the educator needs to educate much more than the pupil. And to educate the educator is far more difficult than to educate the child because the educator is set and fixed. He merely functions in a routine because he is not concerned with the thought process, with the cultivation of intelligence”.

To some extent, I agree with this statement, but a few teachers consistently look for ways to spark student interest and encourage them to cherish the process of learning. They have my admiration. Teachers who are unwilling to implement new teaching techniques ensure that the programs fail. Ultimately, the degree of adaptation by the teacher determines the program’s initial success.

The concept of human support, in the form of a teacher, is unavoidable in digital learning as well. In order to achieve the desired outcomes, the teacher cannot be ignored. Essentially, an increase in the level of teacher adaptation is required.

From the teacher’s perspective, digital/online resources must exhibit the following characteristics (in particular k-12 segment):

• Assessment tool based on multiple variables/detailed analysis of each student’s comprehension
• Questionnaires to hone comprehension
• Questionnaires to hone their application skills in their assigned subject.
• Gamification across various topics
• Tools that make it easier for teachers to use their own content
• Great quizzes to ignite the curiosity on each subject/Personalised by teacher
• Specifically, reports on students who are less proficient and students who excel
• AI based subjective examination assessment tools
• Doubt clearance facility tool

Benefits for teachers in the following ways:

• formative assessment tools allow instructors to better pinpoint where students struggle and provide targeted assistance (which is not being possible in larger extent in practical class rooms)
• Like the opportunity to open the black box of student learning
• Learning moments can be designed to support difficult learners by providing further explanatory suggestions
• Opportunity to cater a mix of academically advanced and challenged students

Teachers have a high-quality teaching experience in their classrooms as a result of these technologies, and teachers witness an increase in student’s enthusiasm, confidence and curiosity and moreover teachers become more excited for their next presentation. Such resources, in my opinion, vastly improve a teacher’s adaptability. At the end, the primary responsibility for ensuring that students engage in authentic and productive self-learning rests with the teacher. Even in online/digital learning, the concept of human assistance in the form of a teacher is essential, and the integration of beautiful Ed-tech content with practical classroom experiences is critical to achieving the desired results.

Let’s hope that our students will have a learning environment with an online/digital content integration that encompasses learning variability and encourages all kinds of students. There is no doubt that this learning experience will instil a strong desire for self-learning and life learning in the minds of our young children.