By IANS,
Kochi : Edualert, a US-based Education Management Company with an avowed aim to revolutionise the education system in India, has just launched a new education tool, Learn 360, which adjusts to the capabilities of the students.
The content for this tool has been generated by over 200 providers — among them Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Discovery Education and BBC Education.
The product is designed for students in the Class 5-to-12 range.
Through the click of a mouse using the new tool, students can search for videos, animation, simulations, digital textbooks, slides and images, all catered to their age and level of comprehension.
Another feature is that students can interact with study groups, peers and teachers, and have group discussions.
The brain behind the programme is 34-year-old Akbar Narendran, an IT specialist who spent his childhood in Thiruvananthapuram and then shifted to the US.
At the recently concluded Emerging Kerala-2012 investor meet, Narendran met education experts and state government officials who invited him to present a full fledged proposal.
“The single biggest advantage we have over competitors is that our product adjusts to the capabilities of the students based on age, class of study and memory retention, since we use the intuitive learning graph (ILG), for which our patent application is pending,” Narendran told IANS.
There is also a cost advantage, as the new tool costs a tenth of comparable programmes.
“If a school buys our product, students can use it on a computer, tablets or smart phones through a password,” said Narendran.
But do Indian schools need such snazzy technology?
“Education is about adapting to a changing world. How and what we teach has to change and skills learned in public schools today will be obsolete by the time students graduate. We must keep pace and stay relevant, keep students engaged, and offer them the best things to read and think about, in ways that they can understand,” said Narendran.