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edujournalblogs · 2 years
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What is eLearning for kids?  How do you introduce children to eLearning?
“A mere exchange of information doesn’t engross a child and does not add to his wisdom in any manner” – Benjamin Franklin. 
ELearning has brought about a tremendous change in the growth of education sector during the past couple of decades. With the growth of technology and the availability of various digital resources to support eLearning, more and more parents are taking eLearning seriously and coming forward to providing their child a superior and quality education.  Schools and training institutes around the world have adopted an innovative and attractive ways that makes online learning more fun, interactive, engaging and appealing.  
A learning system for kids based on the formal method of learning, with the help of technology and digital resources is the manner in which,  we impart eLearning to children.  The use of computers with internet connection forms the basis of eLearning.  ELearning is available  in both online and offline mode.  Various forms of eLearning are one-to-one-learning, group-learning, video-based learning, webinars etc.,
As a kid, children have an innate curiosity within them to learn and explore new things around them. But somewhere down the line, these innate qualities get diminished, and they start disliking school and studies.  Fortunately, there are a number of ways to instill a sense of learning among children and develop interest, confidence, motivation and attitude
Today,  our  new gen kids are tech savvy, who enjoy spending their time in front of their tab, lap or smart phones playing games, which was not the case a couple of decades ago. So introducing them to eLearning shouldn’t be a big deal.  However in recent years, technology has played a meaningful role in the educational sector, by engaging  our young learners to eLearning with courses like Abacus, Coding, Spoken English etc, with captivating imagery interface and animation , gamified learning techniques etc., that are interactive, simple and easy to understand. Online Learning has become increasingly popular as they enable kids to engage and socialize, and   learn at their own pace.
The following are some proven tips and strategies that can help introduce your children to eLearning. They are:
1. Develop an atmosphere of learning for children: The physical atmosphere should be such that it creates and promotes learning activities in children.  The key to developing a good conducive environment is   by engaging with learners, have a playful and gamified activities,  promote discussion and interaction, building positive relationships, supportiveness  etc. Teachers must incorporate movement, interaction and tactile experiences by using manipulation. For instance, take the case of Abacus Course (please refer www.edujournal.com for more details).   Initially, the beads are moved using a device called Abacus, from bottom to the middle partition, or from top to the middle partition of the frame, which are indicating numerical values, from which mathematical calculations can be performed.  In the later stages, with constant practice, the device is physically eliminated, and the figure of Abacus is depicted into our minds, and the calculations are performed with greater speed and accuracy, by the movements of both our hands (ie., on the virtual device placed in our mind). 
2. Virtual Classroom sessions: This app enriches classroom experience and provides positive reinforcement and communication management among parents, teachers and student.
3. Introduce game based playful learning:  Gamified learning helps children develop essential skills like logical and math skills, analytical and problem solving skills etc.,   This kind of learning makes the learners to use their imagination and discover new possibilities in a fun and interactive way.  For instance, Flight Simulators used by pilots during their training session is an example of game based learning.
4. Use captivating visuals: Kids respond well to visuals especially when they are engaging and appealing.  Bold and colorful captivating images, graphics, animation etc., can draw children to the learning process. Try to build curiosity and interest in the child and make the session lively and engaging. 
5. Affordability and flexibility:  The cost involved for studying in a traditional setting is much higher compared to studying through eLearning. Therefore you can have a high quality education at an economic cost.
6. Making the course content interactive: Have interactive content like quizzes, polls, assignments, projects, chatting, video-conferencing etc., can spark interest in your child. Easy access to course content and engaging course content can improve interest in learning. The classes may also include their parents to enable them experience their child’s development as well as providing support to their kid. 
7. Provide a short study material and plenty of tasks for practice sessions: Often, young learners wouldn’t have reached a stage where they can read and understand the content from the study material, which should be avoided.  Instead, narrate by animated visuals on the screen. Also, children have shorter attention spans, and this aspect should be kept in mind while designing an eLearning course material. Provide them shorter activities and also keep them hooked in front of the screen only for a minimum duration.  Use voiceovers instead of text to provide information.
8 Unlocking your child’s interests: Allow children to explore and discover the topics that are of interest to them.  Have a plenty of choices in your curriculum.  Identify your child’s passion and interest and provide them resources that will help them to further explore their interests.
9. Collaborative pedagogy: The emphasis of learners, teachers and parents working together in a group makes learning collaborative and interesting.  Project based learning is one such approach where children can learn topics through problem-solving and improve their competencies.  When your child demonstrates their curiosity by asking a some questions, do your best to answer them promptly and clearly.
10. Be supportive and encouraging: Be encouraging, supportive and motivate your children, without putting undue pressure on them, and do not compare your child’s performance with other students.  When the child experiences some sort of a pressure, there is a strong tendency to withdraw from learning.
 The above tips can help you to introduce your children to eLearning.   Online learning broadens one’s scope for academic learning by increasing engagement, collaboration through advanced multimedia tools, online resources that provide easy accessibility and flexibility which ultimately enhances their learning experience.   ELearning can provide your child a perfect opportunity to discover their innate creativity, talent and interest. It gives your child a good exposure and a wonderful opportunity to learn new things. But as a parent / guardian of your child, it’s your responsibility to provide the best and appropriate guidance and resources for your child, so that they can utilize their full potential to develop their skills and talent which ultimately benefits their growth and success.  Schools and training institutes should utilize this trend to improve the overall development of the educational sector even more and utilize the digitally assisted learning tools (ie., authoring tools) to improve learning and teaching capabilities.   With everything turning digital, and technologies evolving, it has had its impact in the education sector as well, and eLearning, no doubt, will become the most sought after technology in the years to come.
URL : https://www.edujournal.com/how-to-introduce-children-to-elearning/
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