A resourceful educational tool for underprivileged areas

Education forms the backbone of the development of individuals. Over the period of time, the educational segment has been ever-evolving. Technological advancements have indeed upscaled the learning for the students.

Television as an educational tool for rural India

The impact and the appeal of television are immense. While earlier it was considered a mere source of entertainment; the potential of television as an educational tool is significant. It has been recognized widely at the global level as well as in the Indian market, especially in rural areas. In fact, it plays a major role in the learning processes of the students, specifically within the classroom setting.

TVs adorning the role of an innovative resource for learning

Television has been existing for ages and has been an important part of every student's life. Hence, modifying it and using it as an educational resource is indeed an innovation. TVs already have a strong market in the rural areas and hence transforming them to be used as an educational tool has not been a cumbersome task for schools.

Various studies suggest the fact that students are more likely to retain the knowledge gained from TV programs and videos as compared to merely learning from lectures. With television, they are able to understand the concept better. Students eventually enter into a dialogue in the classroom wherein they participate in discussions and voice their opinions rather than just listening to what the teacher is educating.

Television enhancing the educational experiences

TV in the rural classroom is used for a variety of reasons. The primary one is to foster a better understanding of the content being taught. Instilling motivation amongst the students to learn is another reason. Television enables the students to respond to a variety of learning styles by offering a unique combination of sight, sound, motion, effects, and emotions.

This also enables them to learn and retain better as the theoretical concepts are brought to life. For instance, the working of the solar system, the rotation, and revolution of the earth, the changes in moon patterns, or comparing the adaption of the novel into a movie, all can be explained well with audio-video content.

TVs are one of the cost-effective resources and make use of technologies that are easily available in rural areas. Hence, they are a tool that can be availed by students in remote geographies without being financially straining for their families. Integrating television sets with the web or other tools for recording can help teachers to tailor the recorded programme as per their lesson plan. Providing the option to customise content in regional languages, television allows students to comprehend in an enhanced manner. It is also a powerful influencer contributing in shaping students' perspectives as well as behaviors.

Summing up

With the growing prominence of ed-tech platforms, the notion that now does the rounds is that they will overpower the conventional resources. However, the fact of the matter is that new technologies cannot replace the charm and value of old tools such as television which is now used in a different avatar.

Innovations are being implemented to transform TVs into effective educational resources. Using television sets in schools helps students in remote areas where the demand-supply gap is significant. This implies that pupils are plenty but the teachers are less in number. However, the power of this resource is such that with just one television set, many students can be educated at once. Being both accessible and user-friendly, we can rightly say that television is an ideal educational resource in rural locations. TVs are an effective tool and if used wisely, they can be utilized both as a source of entertainment as well as education.

(The author is the CEO and Founder, iScuela)