schools get ‘smart’ to woo students - interactive whiteboard and projector

Regardless of student strength or syllabus, schools in the city are scrambling to attract students.
When parents try to get their children to the best possible education, the city's small schools are also taking "smart" classes to keep up with the competition.
Although many schools have installed several computers in special classrooms, some schools have taken a step forward by computerizing each lesson.
The focus here is on improving the whole teaching process.
Bindu Jayakumar, principal of a CBSE School in Kakkanad, has about 500 students, and she says her school has introduced computers for the first time
Assisted teaching two years ago
Two computers were installed in the school, as well as projectors and interactive whiteboards.
Students above class VI have at least two hours of smart lessons per week to teach their different subjects through interactive slides.
"Students first introduce a topic in the classroom by their teachers, and then learn more in the smart classroom.
The children say that after learning about complex subjects through the smart classroom, they are able to understand them better, "she said. Jayakumar.
Many government schools in the area also choose to install smart classes to complement what children learn from their teachers in class.
These courses also provide students who do not have a personal computer at home with the advantage of being familiar with computer operations.
Schools with computers installed in each classroom insist on using these systems as teaching aids constantly, thus reshaping the teaching process itself.
The software has modules specifically designed for students of different ages.
"Smart class systems are installed in most of our classes.
"Teachers can access content related to each topic from a central server and teach materials to students," Fr said . ".
Babu Manissery, principal of an ICSE school in the city.
"The children are excited about the smart classroom.
"If the teacher had to draw a chart on the blackboard earlier to explain the topic, in the smart classroom, each topic was explained in detail through an interactive chart," he said . ".
However, the programme also has its other side. Ms.
Jayakumar says students will get bored with the system once novelty disappears.
"Some students start to get tired of it after the first semester," she said . ".
Parents feel that the problem here is the way teachers use smart classroom modules.
Although the system has been improved, teachers still rely on traditional teaching methods to transmit information through the "intelligent" system.
"Schools have not explored the great potential of smart classroom systems," said Ebenser Chullikkat . " His child studied at a CBSE school in the city that implemented the system.
"Teachers sometimes simply turn on the computer and continue to teach as before.
Smart classroom software actually has a lot of ways to teach kids in interesting ways, and to test how much they learn.
But teachers must also improve their teaching methods according to the new system, "he said.
The latest smart classroom software provides parents with Internet access to collect information about the progress of their children's classes.