‘Classroom’ fun is back as students adapt to world of online teaching

Nagpur: “Please mute/unmute your mic” is certain to become the most used sentence during online classes by the time the world reopens for business as usual.
As many schools began or resumed online classes this week, the agony and frustration of technical glitches was soothed by classroom fun and frolic as everyone ventured into the new normal.
High school students are definitely continuing their classroom banter in the virtual set up as well. Anmol Badjatia, principal of Jain International School, said the tech-savvy seniors always find a way out. “They will split the screen between the online class window and web version of WhatsApp. While studying they will also be chatting with their classmates on the side,” said Badjatia.
She added that teachers too have now caught these harmless pranks and pull up students from time to time. Some strict monitoring also brings them in line.
“We have given strict guidelines that videos must always be on and mic on mute. And every 10 minutes my teacher clicks on a student’s video and interacts with her to ensure that they are paying attention,” said Mrunalini Dasture, principal of The South Public School (Onkar Nagar).
“Nosy” parents are a new addition to classrooms, especially for primary classes. A teacher, who did not want her school to be identified, said it’s common to hear parents prompting their kids. “We can hear them egging their kids to sit straight, speak loudly or ask a question with the sole reason of registering their presence. Then there are technical glitches like the audio going off or someone’s video going blank,” she said.
Limiting hours spent online is the key to balancing this new system, feels Br. Shine Alex, principal of Montfort School. “I think the government guidelines of maximum three hours a day are perfect. With appropriate breaks in between, a conducive environment can be created for learning,” said Br Shine.
Google Classroom is the most commonly used platform in Nagpur among schools and company officials say the lockdown has increased the focus on it.
Bani Dhawan, Head of Education - South Asia, Google, said, “While the need for students and teachers to stay connected online has always existed, it came into sharp focus when teachers and students were forced into the confines of their homes due to the country-wide lockdowns. With easing of restrictions not being on the immediate horizon, continuity of education has become a very urgent need and we worked quickly to make helpful resources available as widely as possible.”