A very raw definition of productivity says, ratio of outputs to inputs. Now, education is a process of using our time in learning, understanding and implementation of knowledge. The input and output both being invaluable abstracts of time and knowledge
we can easily understand the importance of increasing productivity in this process.
However the main questions remain of what and how.
“Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.”
The ‘what’ part of the question can be easily understood by the above native saying. The revolution brought about by technology in education was based on one simple word, interaction. It interacts with students and teachers and gives them the personal touch, creating interest which is missing in the traditional ways of learning. In the process of making the teachers work easier, involving students can boost the productivity and creativity of teachers and learners.
On any normal day there are numerous activities that consume an inordinate amount of teacher time and productivity as, preparing resources, grading and returning the papers, preparation of supplemental instructional material and the notification and posting of assignments. The list goes on.
For students, compilation of notes, recovering lectures for absent days, etc. use the precious time, which can be utilised for various productive purposes.
Technology is a boon for the above cause. Today, kindergarten students are practicing their letter writing and letter-sounds relations. Basic math facts and numbers are available for all students, which mean there is almost no need for flash cards. Science labs can be conducted and analysed. Interactive books and videos are available in all subject areas. The number and variety of uses for iPads and iPods in the classroom is virtually endless.
Smart use of technology is not just about reducing wasted time, energy, and money. It is also about creating accessible learning opportunities for all students, including low-income students and students with disabilities. Today both Students and teachers use technology inadvertently in their day-to-day lives. Combining these into the classrooms will definitely give the process of learning a more familiar touch.
In a survey, school leaders reported they see technology as a tool to improve productivity and efficiency: 71 per cent say it improves support staff efficiency; 71 per cent say it increases administrators’ productivity; 70 per cent say it improves communications among parents, teachers and the community; and 61 per cent say it increases teacher productivity. (Digital Leadership Divide, 2004)
Technology and teacher productivity
Coming to the how part of the question, a very good example of one such software used in the field is Groupware
. It is designed for attacking productivity issues. Groupware is defined as software used by an organizational group (teachers, parents, and students) to collaborate and share. It allows the collection, organization, and retrieval of instructional information. One can make calendar, notes, share folders, etc. on this portal and can access them from anywhere.
Various cloud services like Drop box
, Google Drive, Evernote, etc. these are some of the tools which make the tedious works of filing, arranging and other stuffs, easy as a click. Plus point they never get lost.
What is the most effective way to enhance learning, or precisely enhance knowledge gain and personality boost for a student?
All the teachers whether tech-savvy or traditional will agree to this that reducing class strength is the best way of enhancing performance for students. Reason is being, more individual attention to each student. Welcome technology, this tool caters to the same. It gives an equal platform for all the students in the form of internet, forums, various software, apps and the individual guidance required.
Thus productivity a rather objective and relative term can be easily dealt with use of technology. Of course the factor of proper and efficient usage plays an important role but in general we can easily observe the significant change in interest, performance and speed in the thinking procedure of teachers and students.
