Demo classes on digital demand

It is quite natural that our sparetime interests change as we grow older. It is several years since I listened to softrock music, got into a weekend outing or engaged in DXing with passion. These favourite pastimes have given way to more intellectually stimulating activities of which browsing the academic net is one.

As all dedicated teachers would know, teaching is one of the most rewarding professions if we continue doing our work considering each school period as a `new' one with possible classroom problems and prepare our lessons and teaching methods in the most student friendly manner. I thank God for having blessed me with years of experience such that my students and teacher colleagues liked the way in which I taught (using a range of resources from textbooks and simple locally available materials to digital technology).

A South African website and an MIT website which I browsed a few minutes back took me back by a few years, including 2006, when I used to teach `Momentum' using simple toys to my Class 9 students in a large city school (of which I was the Principal). As you can see, the first one is a revision material (with just 27 minutes running time which is not adequate to include experiments and activities) and the second one, a demo lesson taught by Prof Walter Lewin.       

The videos made me  remember also as to how my mobile phone camera had been very useful in recording simple student friendly processes and activities related to lesson concepts (sometimes shot by students themselves) for use in my classes.

(It is amazing to experience the advantages of digital technology today. We have come a long way from VHS videotapes, 16mm films and audiocassette tapes in our classrooms).

I think that our corporate organisations should strive to partner with government departments of education so that all children can access such quality oriented digital lesson materials to support what children learn in their classrooms.