Let’s start with the simplest question: why high technologies are necessary? After all, previous generations studied at ordinary schools, without all these innovations, and everything was fine. Now there are many intelligent people. And how many pleasant memories they have: the scratched knees, the first kiss, ripping the pages from the diary, and the games at the breaks. Why should we change something? It’s practically a paradise, just with a backpack and a notebook.
Do we need innovations at the school?
All the above is true. Adult people recall school days in their memory as something happy and serene. However, in most cases, this is due to the social and not educational component. Few people recall their school years with the words: “I remember how we solved logarithmic equations all day long.”
The same romanticism appears when we talk, for example, about the Middle Ages with noble knights and beautiful ladies. But it is unlikely that someone would agree to send his child to the epoch where people poured out dirty water on the street, and the murder of a human was a common thing. The world does not stand still. It constantly evolves. What was normal 30-40 years ago is unacceptable now.
In the last 10-15 years, educational technologies have not just taken a step forward – they ran away, took a pole and began to conquer all possible heights. Electronic textbooks and diaries, online learning, helpful educational websites (such as a writing service Pro-Papers), augmented reality, interactive blackboards and much more – it is not a complete list of what modern pupils deal with.
Unfortunately, our schools (and students too) just start discovering the world of new technologies. The reason for this, first of all, is conservatism which is observed not only in education but in most spheres of life. For example, it is rather difficult to explain to the 60-year-old boss that, in order to transfer the letter to the accounting department, it is not necessary to go 500 meters to the neighboring building, it’s just enough to send an e-mail. The same conservatism is often observed in the behavior of teachers and, what is even sadder, of parents.
Let’s find out which technological solutions can help the child in learning and facilitate the life of the parent. The main technology to which all the rest will be attached is the student’s electronic card. This is a kind of “passport”, in which all the data about the owner are recorded, and also a payment instrument.
1. Turnstiles
The first thing with which the student’s electronic card is integrated is a system of turnstiles that should be installed at the entrance. When a child comes to school and leaves it, he scans a card. Data about this are recorded in the system, and the SMS is sent to the phone of the parent. Thus, the adults are always sure that the child does not miss classes.
“Concentration camp!” – a twelve-year-old child would scream, but fortunately, the last word is always said by adults. Otherwise, the school would turn into Disneyland with popcorn and candies. The non-attendance of lessons is the main cause of low academic performance of schoolchildren. Moreover, the freed time is spent not on dancing classes and beadwork.
Knowing that, having left the school earlier, the pupil will be punished upon coming home, he will think twice and eventually answer to his careless friend: “I’ll better sit at the lesson.” Such decisions will become a habit and the discipline will be instilled in a child.
2. The cashless payment system in a school canteen
All adults remember what a school cafeteria looks like. Endless fuss, haste, children’s screams, the smell of soup and, of course, money for lunch – essentially, the first money that a child receives for uncontrolled use.
The system of digital payment provides for the complete exclusion of cash from schools. Parents can add money to the card via the personal account on the Internet or through the replenishment terminals. In this case, the possibility that the child will buy trifles is excluded. The card will not be accepted for payment in the nearest fast food cafe or by the administrator of the computer club. Moreover, even purchases of a child in the school canteen can be inspected via the personal account or SMS-notification. There is a difference whether he bought porridge, salad, and juice or 16 cherry muffins.
In addition, this system significantly reduces the problem of queues. Usually, in school canteens, one person takes orders and provides the products, which leads to the formation of queues. As a consequence, children who are at the end of the queue may have not enough time to make an order, get food and eat their lunch.
In the framework of the cashless system, the order is formed using a touchscreen monitor. The employee of the canteen only needs to give the meal to the child. Thus, the speed of receiving food by pupils may be almost doubled.
3. Electronic diary
There are things which most adults did at school, but they would not want their child to do the same. For example, tearing out the pages with low marks from the diary or correcting them with a blade and a red pen. When using the innovative module, all marks are immediately entered into the electronic database of the school and become available online through the personal account.
But this is not all: after the child receives a mark, a text message is sent to the phone of the parent, for example, “Geometry: C-“, so the punishment can be prepared in advance.
Or the following situation:
- – Start doing your homework!
– The teacher did not assign us anything.
Not many have the desire to take the phone, call the teacher and check this information. With the help of the electronic diary, all homework will be available online.
- – Son, get up, you’ll be late for school!
– Our teacher is ill. The physics was canceled. I have to come to the second lesson. (underline whatever applicable)
The lesson schedule is updated online. And if the teacher is really ill, the parent will immediately see it and let his child sleep for another hour.