Video conferencing has always been considered a high-end technology; beyond the reach of ordinary people, especially in the rural sector. However, circumstances have started to show some positive changes lately. Technology has entered rural areas and has also begun to affect the lives of the masses. The basic purpose of video conferencing solutions is enhanced virtual connectivity. Beforehand, remote villages suffered from the unavailability of the necessary services that virtual connectivity has brought to their doorstep.
The greatest impact of audiovisual technology can be seen in the rural education sector. Rural communities have always suffered from the lack of qualitative education at an accessible distance. Stories of people traveling miles in search of quality education and training are not uncommon. Girls in most Indian villages fail to educate themselves in high-end technologies, as their parents are unwilling to let them travel to distant schools and universities. Video conferencing solutions for education have been able to reduce these inconveniences to a great extent.
Benefits of virtual collaboration for education in the rural sector
Experts at the door
Collaborative AV solutions have closed the gap between education and learners. This technology and the solutions based on it have transformed true physical classrooms into global learning platforms. Through live video collaboration, rural students can learn directly from experts in various genres, ask questions, and solve problems without changing locations; thus avoiding travel expenses.
“Classroom without walls”
This is a concept that caused around 125 students from 3 schools on the Kenai Peninsula to spend a night at school to wake up at 4am to attend a video conference with the students in Nazareth, Israel (The Journal.com). This collaborative technology has not only raised rural students to standards where higher-level education is not only limited to their privileged urban or suburban peers, but has also helped them realize the importance and urgency of intercultural collaboration. . We can thank this technology for helping rural students become responsible global citizens.
Parents are in control
As students take advantage of video conferencing solutions to acquire a higher education, parents can relax as their children do not change their foundations for higher education. In the pre-virtual collaboration scenario, desperately concerned parents had no choice but to allow their children to relocate to big cities to satisfy their learning sprees. This also made some parents reluctant to allow their children to pursue a higher education. In this way, slow down their growth, which in turn affects the growth of rural education as a whole. With the virtual collaboration of children, parents are also aware of their children’s academic progress. They can also be part of the virtual monitoring of the performance of their pupils and chat with educators.
Teachers can grow too
In addition to better exposure and interaction with remote students, there are quite a few things teachers can take advantage of from a high-end video conferencing solution for education. Remote collaboration can help teachers, especially those in rural areas, improve their skills. Teachers can therefore not only provide education, but also take part in different forums or peer groups to act on a fruitful knowledge exchange.
Help children with special needs
Children with special needs, located in rural areas, find it exceptionally difficult to access various learning environments. With easily accessible video conferencing solutions, they can now register for various workshops, learning forums, and discussion sessions without having to travel. They can overcome their sense of isolation by joining peers from around the world who have similar needs and being part of the global learning journey.
Initiatives to promote digital learning
Educational institutes around the world are focusing on including digital learning in their curriculum. In India, the E-Kranti program of the Digital India campaign is designed to focus on the digitization of rural education. Under this program, free Wi-Fi will be provided to schools of 2.5 lakh in the next five years. Additionally, devices such as tablets will be distributed to rural students and plans to start Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to help them overcome demographic constraint and learn from global industry experts and eminent mentors. Players like Google and Facebook are also partnering with the Central Government to make the initiative a success.
The centrally sponsored schemes, Rashtriya Uchchatar Siksha Aviyan (RUSA) and the non-profit organization, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) are setups to fund and enhance education, training and skills development initiatives in the country, including digital . learning ventures.
Digital learning efforts around the world are gaining traction. Developed countries such as the US, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union countries have already started to reap the benefits of incorporating the digital learning trend into their existing curriculum. Countries in Africa, Latin America and the Asian subcontinents are following the current trend.