KVs readying to start online classes

While videos will be uploaded for primary kids, interactive sessions will be held for senior students

As online learning becomes inevitable in the wake of the lockdown, schools under the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan’s Ernakulam regional office are gearing up to launch online classes from May 29.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya institutions are using apps such as Google Classroom, Google Meet and TeamLink to impart lessons to students even as the uncertainty over school reopening lingers on.

Classes will be held between 8.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m., with two sessions of around 40 minutes each a day for a student.

For primary

The Google Classroom platform will be used for teaching-learning activities for primary students. Live classes are not on the cards for them at the moment. Videos on various subjects will be uploaded on Google Classroom, and the students will be given assignments, which can be completed and uploaded on the same platform for correction. Students can view the uploaded videos later too.

S. Ajayakumar, Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, says this feature is helpful in case a student misses the video in the first instance or does not have access to a laptop or mobile while their parents are at work, or two siblings in the same household have to share a single phone or laptop.

Interactive class

For senior students, the school plans to use Google Meet so that direct interaction between students and teachers is possible. Teachers are also being equipped to use Google Meet.

Maya Reghu, Vice Principal, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pangode, says they have staggered timings for the classes so that, to the extent possible, siblings fit into different slots and sharing of phones or computers is possible. Occasional interactive sessions for the primary students will be held through TeamLink, which teachers find easier to navigate. It also enables sharing of diagrams, presentations or videos. Trials have been done for all classes, and for secondary students, studies are well under way.

Access issues

Teachers acknowledge that not all students will have access to online classes, particularly those living in remote areas and where connectivity is a problem. Low-income families without smartphones or computers too will find the going tough. Schools have got in touch with parents to see if there are any hurdles to the e-classes. While most parents are on board, there are a few students for whom access is a problem.

Once classes begin, they will decide on other means of helping such students, if necessary. Moreover, the portions completed will be revised once schools reopened so that no student is at a disadvantage, says Mr. Ajayakumar.