Know More About The Best E-Teacher of India!

Ms. Rashmi Kathuria, honoured as the National Best e-Teacher awarded by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2007, spoke to us about her journey from a teacher to the Best e-Teacher of the country.

In the year 2000, she set up a Mathematics Laboratory in her school that helps students visualise and experiment with mathematical concepts using concrete objects. She supplemented the lab with a blog for students and other teachers, providing over 500 enriching resources, project ideas and more. For making her materials available on the Internet in such a student-friendly manner, she also received the National ICT Award from President Dr Pranab Mukherjee in 2010.

Read our dialogue with Ms. Kathuria below!

For how long have you been using technology in classroom?

I've been using technology in teaching for the past 12 years. I first started with blogs, and I used to share the link of my blog with my students. All my research about the topics are put up online, so that the kids are conversant with all the information on those topics. I also started a Wiki Classroom and I received great feedback from both students and other faculty.

Can you give us some examples of some tech-tools that you've found useful?

I started using tech-tools for teaching mathematics. I use Geogebra for teaching geometry and algebra, the tool comprises of almost every topic that I have to cover in classes. I use a couple more tools to plot graphs, as plotting graphs takes a lot of time in the lectures, and the number of lectures are limited.

Over the course of time I understood that it would be great if I could provide kids with resources to study from, so I began creating resources. You can check out rashmikathuria.webs.com which is where I collate all the teaching resources that I create.

What is the one area that technology has helped you greatly in?

Assessment of tests took a great deal of time and left little time for researching the topics I've to teach in class. So I began using Google Forms to design MCQ tests, and since they were MCQs, Google Forms automatically assessed them as soon as the students submitted their tests. This helped me get instant feedback on how my students were progressing, and saved a lot of time which I could then dedicate to teaching.

What has been your latest tech experiment in classroom education?

Technology helps me plan my lessons better and connect with my students impeccably. I've even started Whatsapp groups for different classes, so as to keep them up to date about the on-goings in the class plus I stay connected with them on a social platform. Each class has a separate Google Document for them to post their queries, which allows me to clear their doubts in real time, without having to wait for the next lecture!

Any tip/ suggestion for new-age teachers?

Incorporating technology in the classroom is definitely an advantage and it's about time we all use it to create a big virtual classroom!