Satara school teacher creates 16 learning apps
MUMBAI: Even as city schools are spending big bucks to bring technology to classrooms, a zilla parishad (ZP) teacher from rural Maharashtra has received recognition from the state government, for developing 16 educational apps that will benefit of students, teachers and parents.
Balaji Jadhav, 30, an arts graduate who teaches at a small school at Shindevasti village, close to Satara, has no formal education in Information Technology (IT) but he has created apps that make learning interesting and fun for students from Classes 1 to 5. These apps are available to students and schools free of cost. “Both in urban and rural areas, children today spend a lot of time playing games on mobile phones and their attention spans are growing shorter,” said Jadhav. “This inspired me to come up with a learning tool by watching videos online and consulting with experts.”
Jadhav said in his village, 25% students have access to smartphones owned by their parents The school has purchased a couple of tablets and laptops for the students.
The state education department has recognised Jadhav’s invention, and on Friday education minister Vinod Tawde inaugurated these apps. “The central government is talking about digital India and in Maharashtra we have been trying to turn schools digital. We have been conducting regular programmes to encourage teachers to take up technology and Jadhav’s work is an example of how much a tech-savvy teacher from a small village can achieve,” said Tawde.
Catering to all the subjects taught in schools ranging from basics such as recognition of fruits, flowers and vegetables to human anatomy among others, the apps once downloaded can be used offline much to the advantage of students in remote areas who do not have access to internet. They are very smallsized (3-5 GB) so that they do not take up much space.
Jadhav was also featured among the country’s four best educators on
Google India’s blog page on Teacher’s Day