Dissemination of Paperless Resource material through a social app (Telegram).

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Objectives of the Practice:

Objectives/ intended outcomes are:

  1. Instant dissemination of Information to the targeted student group.
  2. Reduce the usage of paper for environmental concern.
  3. Supply of editable Resource material to the target group.
  4. Creating awareness among the students about usage of social media for educational purposes.
  5. Providing a platform on social media for group discussion and sharing resource materials.
  6. Facilitate two-way (Teacher to Student and student to Teacher) transaction of assignments/materials.

The Context

Social media is a fundamental part of daily life for most people. Schools and colleges are no exception. Recently, many schools and colleges have started tapping social media to provide better service and assistance to teachers and students.

The most common social media sites/apps nowadays are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, whatsapp, Telegram etc. These sites/apps are not only easy to use and easy to access but are also accessible to all. However, the use of these sites/apps for educational purposes is unexplored by many faculty and students.

For the purpose of achieving the above cited objectives a convenient social app (Telegram app.) has been selected and a number of groups have been created on the basis of different papers as per the B.Ed. and M.Ed. programmes. Through the app students are provided with the study material in advance so that they can come prepared and have more purposeful classroom discussion. The material provided to them can be downloaded in the cell phone, tablet or PC/Laptop, which may be edited whenever necessary and used.

The Target student group can have discussion among the members or along with the concerned faculty in their convenient time and irrespective of place (Other than Class room), allowing a wide range of user friendly environment for study.

Through this app students can submit assignments/project reports to the concerned faculty giving flexibility in evaluation, providing instant feedback and preserving required information.

The Practice

Social media is also a platform where students, teachers, and administrators share insights with one another. Commenting, sharing, posting, etc. can be fun and educative. There are a lot of articles online that can be linked and shared. Posting students’ projects, such as art works, performances, and other activities online can, also, boost the confidence of students. Knowing that a lot of people have viewed and appreciated their work can boost their confidence and motivate them to perform better.

Through this App students can submit assignments/project reports to the concerned faculty giving a flexibility in evaluating, providing instant feedback and preserving the work.

Prompt dissemination and retrieving of information is possible, after correction students can re-submit easily, students’ progress can be recorded, maintained and preserved in economical ways as compared to the traditional methods.

All the above mentioned objectives can be easily achieved by any institute, college or university. This means may be very helpful for higher education to manage, disseminate and retrieve information smoothly and promptly allowing for an eco-friendly environment, saving paper resources with economy of time and money in a user friendly environment.

Evidence of Success: Following are some of the observations;

  • Student teachers have expressed that they are comfortable with the use of the App.
  • Student teachers conveniently share unlimited number of study materials amongst themselves.
  • They are found participating in group discussions.
  • Some of the student teachers submitted their assignments and project works through the app to the respective faculty.

Problems Encountered and Resources Required

Following are the problems encountered:

  • In the beginning students were hesitant to use the App since the practice was new to them.
  • Some students did not have personal smart phones, tablets or PCs/Laptops.
  • Many faculty and student are more comfortable with the traditional means of information dissemination and resource material sharing.

Following are the resource material required:

  • Students and faculty should have personal smart phones, tablets or PCs/Laptops with the App installed.
  • A group need to be created with the faculty concerned and the target student teachers.
  • Student teachers and faculty must have minimum understanding and knowledge of the use of social networking and procuring of online resource materials.

Notes:

            This is very helpful for students and faculty of any higher educational institution as social networking is an important aspect of every one’s life. Such practice will encourage use of social networking for the purpose of educational development and management. This practice contributes towards reducing use of paper for environmental conservation purposes.

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