How EdTech platforms can benefit teachers in the digital learning era

Internet penetration and technological advancements have given rise to the EdTech revolution in recent years. This has enhanced the quality of education and introduced us to innovative programmes. The industry has achieved promising milestones in improving student performance and opening avenues for wider learning accessibility with time. With the idea of providing integrated educational solutions, EdTech is now also venturing into teacher training to provide comprehensive and relevant education to teachers.

As per the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2018, educational institutions impart generic job skills that are not suitable for the aggressively competitive industry. Often, teachers are not very comfortable or savvy with conducting online classes. Technological tools and the required skills to use them can overwhelm a teacher. Hence, it is a must for the education sector to be agile enough to upskill the educators amidst the emerging EdTech ecosystem. 

"We no longer live in an era when a teacher teaches the same subject matter to all students in their class. Looking at the competitive landscape in every field, the education curriculum needs to embrace diversity in every student's individual needs and demands. Differentiated pedagogical practices have emerged as the suitable solution to meet the need of the hour. Unlike the curriculum centred education approach, today, the focus is on learners i.e. ensuring effective learning for each. In order to be successful at this approach, teachers are expected to constantly develop and enhance their professional knowledge and skills," said Rishabh Khanna, cognitive scientist and co-founder of Suraasa, an online platform for teachers to get mentorship, teaching diploma courses etc. . 

Benefits of using EdTech platforms for teachers

Talking about the benefits of using EdTech platforms for teachers, Khanna has listed some of the useful points below: 

Convenient Learning Models:

E-learning startups have made it extremely convenient for teachers to enrol and learn with them. This has eliminated teachers' problem of logistics, helping them to stay focused on the process of learning by taking online classes within the reach of just a few clicks. 

Imparting of Digital Literacy:

Teachers need to adapt to the needs of a digital teaching and learning environment. E-learning companies understand technology and are training teachers to be hands-on with the use of the latest technologies such as virtual reality, mixed reality, video, audio, and images. It makes the teacher thoroughly proficient at content design, delivery, and assessments rather than just being content consumers.  

Access to International Trainers:

E-learning is a very progressive alternative to brick and mortar models of the classroom as it gives access to learning from the finest trainers from across the globe, that too at the comfort of one’s home. Teachers finally have access to a broader network of mentors throughout the world, not limited to just their school seniors.

Curated Courses in their offerings:

Comprehensive courses are curated that instils core fundamentals in teachers. The course structure is consciously devised and can even be customized keeping in mind the varied requirements, reception capacity, and learning rate of the different teachers.

EdTech platforms are proactive in identifying the problems in the education system. It’s no surprise that every now and then, we see a new EdTech targeting a completely different niche come up. Edtechs focusing on teachers are one such pleasant surprise and it’s exciting to see how this turns out!

(Disclaimer: Views shared by Rishabh Khanna is personal. Republic World does not take any responsibility for it.)