Simplifying digital learning through real life experiences

Teaching and learning are the important elements in school education. Schools are looking for simplified digital tools for classroom teaching. There is a shift, at least in conversations about the importance of digital learning as an instructional practice that ultimately helps students. It makes use of a broad range of technology-enhanced educational strategies. There are number of ways by which this is described – Blended learning, Flipped learning, Personalized learning, Interactive learning, Hybrid learning and many others.

Films as a source of learning…

Most of us watch films for enjoyment, but films are also a great educational resource for helping students understand classroom learning. Films are great resource for learners because they enable students to understand concepts without the barriers that may hinder learning. The use of media in the classroom enables students to see concepts and new examples. Students can experience worlds beyond their own, especially if the media is sharply different from their local environment. Films can show students how different people, in different parts of the world live their lives. This is very useful in subjects like Science, Maths, Geography.

Films offers both cognitive and affective experiences. It can provoke discussion, an assessment of one’s values, and an assessment of self if the content has strong emotional connect. Students can hone their analytical skills by analysing media using the theories and concepts they are studying.

Twig Education…

These visual, real-life situational content is now available for schools in India provided by Twig Education. Twig Education is an award-winning producer and publisher of education multimedia, specializing in short films, media-rich instructional materials, and core-curriculum solutions for Pre–K–12 learning. The content is created by a team of teachers, filmmakers, writers, researchers, designers, academics, and parents, all working together to create exciting and effective student learning experiences. They have successful partnerships with leading universities, including Imperial College London and Stanford, as well as with technology companies like Google for Education. Real-world video content is central to all of Twig Education’s products – in particular, engaging, clear, three-minute videos accompanied by learning materials for students and teachers. The company has progressed from creating supplemental resources to developing complete curricula, and its range of content has expanded to include interactive investigations and hands-on activity kits.

The Indian range…

The India launch will have Twig Education’s range of supplemental resources including Tigtag Junior (ages 4–7), Tigtag (7–11) and Twig (11-16), which together represent a huge range of science, geography and maths classroom content. At the centre of the content are thousands of high-quality films, sourced from the world’s best documentary footage. Curriculum films directly address curriculum points, while context films take learning in inspiring new directions, showing students fresh contexts and understanding of topics.

In addition to films, Twig Education supplementals provide a vast range of support materials, including complete lessons, introductions to topics, interactive games, quizzes, and visuals.

Edtech is the future…

The National Education Policy lays particular emphasis on the development of the creative potential of each individual, in all its richness and complexity. It is based on the principle that education must develop not only cognitive skills – both ‘foundational skills’ of literacy and numeracy and ‘higher-order’ cognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, social and emotional skills (soft skills). In this context Twig is entering the market at the right time.

The World Economic Forum’s reports project that by 2030, India will have more than a billion internet users. The increased penetration of technology into the lives of Indian population is bound to change the nature of knowledge consumption.

The publishing industry is also experimenting with new learning-teaching formats using innovative digital tools, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS).

To attain scale, publishers in India will have to innovate and build technology-based solutions that address the needs of diverse audience segments.

In conclusion, regardless of the pandemic, the digital supported classroom is inevitable moving forward. While there are challenges this model has the solution to make education accessible to everyone, EdTech industry is quickly catching up to meet the demands.