BERHAMPUR: At a time when underprivileged children can only fantasise access to smart technology, those of Ex-Board Primary School at Mundamarai under Dharakote block in the district have had the fortune of experiencing it. Of the 28 students studying in the school from Classes I to V, most have not even used a mobile phone but thanks to Surya Narayan Sahu, the school’s headmaster, the children have been exposed to the wonders of a ‘smart classroom’. All it took was one smartphone, a flat-screen display and wi-fi.
Sahu, who bought an LCD screen worth `13,000 for the school with his savings, introduced the system of audio-visual education by connecting the television screen with a smartphone via wi-fi. Using a dongle for internet connectivity, he said the method makes the LCD work like a projector with high resolution and teaching more effective compared to conventional methods.
“I split screen through Magic Slate App for a trilingual display including Odia, English and Hindi, which helps a student learn alphabets in these languages. When we teach human organs, they can access YouTube and understand the basics better. Google gives them a wide variety of sources to expand their knowledge base,” said Sahu. He also stated that he uses the method to introduce the children to current affairs and news.
Corroborating the effectiveness of the ‘smart classroom,’ students expressed their eagerness to attend school and how they enjoyed the process of learning. “I ‘d rather be in school than at my house. I love the way we are introduced to the fundamentals of different subjects,” said Basudev Sahu, a student.