Indian Interviews

3) Please provide some background of the school (number of students in the school, how many grades and divisions does the school have, students in each grade, boy   : girl ratio and student: teacher ratio in each grade.)

No. of students                                     :               798

No. of grades                                                :               7

No. of Divisions per grade               :                4

No. of students per grade :               120 (approx.)

Boy – Girl ratio                                            :               50:50 (approx.)

Teacher ratio                                                :               1:10 (including curricular and co-curricular teachers)

4) Is technology used in the school? What are some ways it is used in the school? We follow an integrated approach where technology goes hand-in-hand with the curriculum. ICT is used by the teachers to: Make their classes more interesting and to allow the students a fair control on their own learning. Also all other processes important for school administration are technology driven.

5) What types of technologies are integrated into the classroom? We have one internet enabled computer in each classroom. Also other technologies like cameras (still and video), projector, KYAN, music systems etc. are used by the teachers as and when required.

6) How often do you use technology in the classroom? I am a computer teacher so use it every day. However, other teachers use it depending on the need of the topic they are teaching.

7) Is technology integrated at all grade levels in the classroom? Yes. It starts from the very first year of the school (i.e. Nursery).

8) What are some ways you integrate technology into teachingBy using it as an enhancer of my instructionsFor re-enforcement of skills and conceptsFor providing extra stimuli to gifted students and as a learning tool for slow learners.

9) Is technology a part of the curriculum, if so how?Yes, technology is very much a part of the curriculum. Students from the very first year of schooling get exposure to technology and are encouraged to use it as a tool through their years of learning. There are ICT integrated projects that are undertaken by the students. Every subject / topic has an ICT component attached to it.

10) Does technology make a difference in teaching and learning? if yes how and if no why not.Technology makes a huge difference in the way teachers teach and the students learn. It shifts the control of learning from the hands of the teacher to that of the students. The learner learns at his/her own pace. Use of technology reduces the duplication of work and effort by the teacher and breaks the monotony of a traditional classroom. We strongly believe that technology “isn’t meant to replace going to school [or learning something] but [should be used] to supplement it” (Wallis, Steptoe). “Technologies should not support learning by attempting to instruct the learners, but rather should be used as knowledge construction tools that students learn with, not from” (Jonassen, Carr, Yueh).

11) What are the major challenges you face as you integrate technology in the classroom?Some major challenges that we face in technology-integration in classroom are:Non availability of resources (eg. Equipment and time)Teachers’ negative approach towards technology usage and inclination towards their traditional methods of teaching.

12) What kind of prior experience do the teachers and students in the school have with technology? Students are very well versed with various technologies and are aware of their usage. Teachers are still working towards the same.

13) What type of training do teachers receive on the technologies they use in the classroom? We have regular workshops on requirement basis.

14) Where is the training held? How long is it? and how often is it held?It all depends on the need and urgency.

15) What time of the day is the training held? Do you get substitute teacher time to attend the trainings? The trainings are mostly held on holidays or on the Non-Instructional Working Days (working days only for teachers)

16) Are there state or national technology standards for teachers and students?At our school, we have the flexibility of setting our own standards which benchmark with National Standards.

17) What kind of support do you have from administrators and parents to integrate technology in the classrooms?We have full support from the administration and the parents in this regard.

18) Where does the school get funding for technology integration in the classrooms?  From the school budget.

3) Please provide some background of the school (number of students in the school, how many grades and divisions does the school have, students in each grade, boy: girl ratio and student: teacher ratio in each grade.)

We start with 32 students who are admitted to the youngest class, referred to as Lower Prep. There are 4 teachers assigned for teaching these 32 students. Grade 11 has a fresh admission process – we take in 22 students at this stage – some from the school itself and those who apply from other schools. Moving on from Lower Prep to Upper Prep which is the Pre-Primary, the school goes from Grade 1 to Grade 12. No divisions – single class, all the way. So that makes it a total of approximately 400 students (assuming some leave school for various reasons)Boy-girl ratio is kept in mind at the Lower Prep stage but this might vary as students leave in older classes.Student teacher ratio is roughly 1 teacher to 8 students in the Pre-Primary and Primary, and 1 teacher to 16 students in the older classes

4) Is technology used in the school? What are some ways it is used in the school?  Yes, it is used. All correspondence for teachers as well as students is via email. School attendance is maintained in the system that has been developed for this purpose and integrated into a bigger system that helps each teacher keep a record of her Time Table, lesson plans, homework etc. Teachers communicate with parents and students via email. Power Points are used extensively for teaching. Teachers also access the web for many resources – from Youtube links to online worksheets etc.

5) What types of technologies are integrated into the classroom? Students are taught using several web-based resources. In turn, students are also encouraged to use technology in their projects and presentations. In recent times, we have insisted on using citations, since information is so easily available on tap.

6) How often do you use technology in the classroom? Almost every day for a subject like History. Less often for English.

7) Is technology integrated at all grade levels in the classroom? It is teacher dependent. There is no common system or pattern across the school.

8) What are some ways you integrate technology into teaching?

Make my own PowerPoint instead of using ready PPTs. Believe in the power of the visual media, but balance it with a fair bit of blackboard usage, references to the text and verbal discussions.Encourage students to use a mix of technology and actual Library resources for their assignments and projects.

9) Is technology a part of the curriculum, if so how?ICT is part of the curriculum. Students from a very young age have a class dedicated to teaching computer skills. Over time this curriculum has gone through changes, given that younger children come more equipped with skills that needed to be taught from scratch.

10) Does technology make a difference in teaching and learning? if yes how and if no why not.I believe that using technology in teaching has revolutionized teaching. It is possible to use a mix of the text book and Library as a resource, blended with the easy access to information using technology. It is in fact imperative to include technology while teaching. Students have easy access to information using technology, and if a teacher does not use technology, somewhere along the way, he/she risks becoming redundant.So while trying not to over-emphasize the need for technology, it is almost a given now. And the sooner we realize this, the better.

11) What are the major challenges you face as you integrate technology in the classroom?In India, band-width being not the best, connectivity might be a challenge. Almost all technology tools come at a cost – this may become a constraint.Ensuring that systems work efficiently might be a challenge as dedicated personnel to look after and support these systems are hard to come by.

12) What kind of prior experience do the teachers and students in the school have with technology?Students, especially this generation, come far better prepared to use technology in the school.For teachers, it is an effort – it requires time, patience and effort – for the older teachers, this might be a challenge. There has to be some effort at self-learning technology skills. For a lot of teachers in the school, the need of the hour has forced this.

13) What type of training do teachers receive on the technologies they use in the classroom? There has been an effort to include training relevant to use of technology in various in-service training sessions held once a year at the start of a new academic term. But post that, it is up to an individual teacher to upgrade her skills. Help is always available with the IT persons in school – but at the end of the day, it is up to the individual to find the time for it.

14) Where is the training held? How long is it? and how often is it held?It is held once a year, over 2 days. But this process that started three years ago may not be regular – really works on the need felt by the school for a certain group to have their skills upgraded – cannot work across the board, given that all teachers would have different skill-sets.

15)  What time of the day is the training held? Do you get substitute teacher time to attend the trainings? It is held across 2 days. Part of in-service held before term starts for students. Or after school hours.

16) Are there state or national technology standards for teachers and students? No

17) What kind of support do you have from administrators and parents to integrate technology in the classrooms?We get a lot of support. A lot of encouragement. A lot of sharing. But it involves changes. And the transition might be easy or difficult as the case may be.

18) Where does the school get funding for technology integration in the classrooms?Has to be included in the annual budget. Might come with increase in tuition fees.