With lack of smart phones and poor internet connectivity causing disruption in online learning of students, especially those from rural areas, a teacher of a panchayat union middle school in Cuddalore district has developed an Online KalviRadio to ensure that students with basic phones do not miss out on classes.
A. Karthick Raja, 33, secondary grade teacher at the Panchayat Union Middle School in Kathazhai in Bhuvanagiri block, has developed the website www.kalviradio.com that works on any basic phone with a browser facility.
As many as 75 government school teachers from 20 districts across Tamil Nadu are now connected on Online KalviRadio and imparting lessons from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Online KalviRadio is a technology that can be used in teaching and learning activities and for self-learning.
This technology can be accessed by students anywhere with a basic mobile phone equipped with a browser, he says.
The Tamil Nadu government has been imparting online classes through comprehensive schedule of classes telecast through Kalvi TV.
Online KalviRadio is modelled on a similar platform to make the audio content more widely accessible for students from rural areas.
Bridging digital divide
KalviRadio does not require any radio frequency and helps in bridging the digital divide and keeps students connected with teachers, says Mr. Karthick Raja.
An initial assessment by authorities in the school in Kathazhai revealed that out of a total of 136 students, only a few had access to smart phones.
This prompted Mr. Karthick Raja, who has been teaching around 27 students of Classes 3 and 4, to fill the gap through online KalviRadio.
He developed the website and set up a virtual studio on his own. The audio lessons prepared by teachers as voice recordings are forwarded through Telegram App to Mr. Karthick Raja for uploading on the website.
Playlist option
“The students are made aware of the schedule of lessons being aired at respective time slots. They can access the website through a basic phone with a browser facility,” he said.
“The website also has a playlist option and students who have been unable to attend classes on a particular day can listen to the lectures again and complete the assignments and follow-up with the teachers,” according to him.
Lessons on subjects aired for the week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. are uploaded on the website during the weekends. This will benefit students and they can simultaneously read books while listening to the teachers.
Students can also participate in the sessions and present programmes on the subjects at 6 p.m. everyday.
Online KalviRadio is not only affordable and accessible but the system also ensures that students can enjoy self-paced learning, he says.
