E-resource material is the best tool for making teaching effective and dissemination of knowledge in the classroom. It provides a creative scope for interaction and teaching-learning in a classroom. E-resource material encompasses audio, video, animation, illustration, power point presentation tape recorder, radio, projector method etc. It enriches student’s knowledge and learning experience. It is seen that when any aspect of multimedia is used in classroom, theater or public places, it produces effect upon people in straightforward manner towards reaching the set objectives.
Besides stimulation and enchantment, it provides students a frame of understanding towards the concepts and makes it clear through visualization of object. It gives students a lot of opportunities to associate between abstract and practical things. With the use of multimedia, classrooms become lively and center of appeal. It draws attention of students towards the lesson plan prepared by teachers. Multimedia can be used in crucial way in the form self-pacing, self-checking and interrogatory interaction amongst students. At the elementary school, the introduction of video, tape recording equipment which does not require elaborates production or facilitates. Use of television can be shown for the self-assessment of children. Tape recorders can be replayed for the purpose of self-analysis by the group of children or peers analysis with their classmates. Therefore, “small group is an integral part of the Problem Based learning approach, used consciously and conscientiously to achieve the learning outcomes”. 1
Multimedia saves time and labor of teachers, without spending time on monotonous lecture. It also assists in teachers’ teaching method and becomes a form of pedagogical tool. It provides students realistic form of situation which helps setting an understanding of book culture and life culture. The realistic form of situation provides students live picture whereby they can relate themselves and explore the possibilities of meaning.
Multimedia can perform a vital role in bridging the gap between rural and urban diversity. It may be understood in this way for example, Small Science Class 4, 'Where Our Food Comes From' students who study in urban setting schools, are away from technicality of irrigation and method of farming. Many of students may not be acquainted with how crops (rice) are grown. What are processes involves in producing rice? Apart from bookish culture, through video presentation it can be made more understandable and lively for initiating class discussion among students.
A form of video presentation can hold the interest of students and promote exciting learning experience while sitting in the classroom. Students can have better understanding through interesting and appealing visual presentation. Students can make a sense about what process, time and labor involves in rice production; “ploughing, applying manure, levelling, sowing by broadcasting sprouting seeds onto wet nursery plot, seed close-up, sprouting rice seed, seedlings grow, removing seedlings from nursery plot, transplanting seedlings into flooded fields, applying pesticides, weeding, flowering, close-up, drying out in drained field, harvesting, threshing and goes into milling and polishing machine”2
After that students can see “what happens during milling and polishing: after threshing the rice grain is separated from the stalk, milling removes husk, remains rice, polishing removes outer skin and embryo, finally in turns into polished rice, outer skin comes out along with embryo”(abid.).
This is another important objective of using audio visual material, using the application of slides and films in the classroom. Here teachers can use the audio visual aids to reinforce their teaching in the context of a lecture or activities based lesson. Thereafter, teachers can demonstrate any motivational movie according the needs of situation and relevant topic. In the classroom, films, audio tapes and video tapes can be used instead of personal student teacher contacts. These forms of instruction can be used in continuing government schools where the teachers are inadequate.
It is pertinent to not that purposefully designed and small group learning facilitates through the development of audio-visual material that supports and promotes both cognitive and meta-cognitive development. Teachers may show some movie, cartoon and slow-motion animation on a story of water cycle (condensation, evaporation, and perspiration), a story of pollen grains (aspects of pollen dispersal), and presentation on wild vegetables for the use of teaching. Having finished, teacher can instruct children to sit in small group and tell what they saw. The ‘structures’ in small group can be applied as problem based learning, along with the tutorial process and the use of scenarios, help the students to learn how to learn in groups and learn how to anticipate, prevent, cope and deal with the difficulties that they will experience working in this way.
Multimedia will serve effective method in dissemination of knowledge even in overcrowded classroom. Without this technical device, poorly teacher prepared cannot hold the class properly. If teachers use the help of audio visual in class such as projector, which would definitely stimulate imagination and catch the attention of students for construction of knowledge. Teachers often give instruction heavily loaded abstract, verbalisms which seem meaningless sometime. So in case of elementary level, teaching should be in simple and lucid manner. In this way, use of audio visual aid in classroom, would lead towards learning with understanding, Learning by watching would generate interest among students for prolong study, not as a burden. Teachers should know which things are relevant and which are irrelevant, specially how audio visual aid may contribute to an understanding of the lesson being taught. Therefore, it is essential for any teachers who want effecting teaching, must plan carefully and worked out in advance.
Audio visual would be also more useful and meaningful for those students belonging to literature background. All the genre of literature (novel, drama, tragedy, comedy etc.) can be shown easily through this device. Students will learn to understand it very soon before reading. Reading may seem little tiresome and time-taking. But in case of audio visual would maintain and hold the interest of students. The impact of multimedia would be hundred times more than book. Teachers may demonstrate in many types of slide and movie in the classroom. Apart from that “an understanding of the arts-painting, sculpture, the dance, handcrafts-can readily be taught by means of television. And both radio and television are valuable media for teaching musical forms”.3 It will enrich their understanding and vocabulary about the uses of language during conversation. Through recording, radio and tape, teacher can tell telecast many interesting and informative daily news, history and story. These would build a creative environment in primary and upper primary class room.
Learning of children can be influences effectively by the audio-visual aid. Teachers can use television or projector method to explain the scientific phenomenon. It will take less time in describing the minute details of the things comparatively traditional method. Through television children can watch the big image of the object such as solar eclipse, use of water cycle, stories, drama, and vermi-composting in primary science text book etc.
There are some limitations while using e-resource material in the classrooms. Regarding facilities, equipment and capabilities required for extend use of audio-visual materials in schools will differ depending upon a wide variety of factors like space, funding and electricity. The biggest factor is to note that it is not problem of hardware or software but the educational objectives of the teachers and the motivational issues of the children.
Due to use of audio visual aid in the classroom, many teachers feel hesitant, fear making of errors. When they use such technology, they do not feel comfortable. Using of audio visual aids decreases teacher’s autonomy in the classroom. They find themselves as motor which is run by remote control. It also creates frustration and panic fear of committing more mistakes. They do not find natural environment where they deliver their knowledge. This technical device leads disappointed performance. “Electronic equipment may frighten teachers with its apparent complexity. At least part of this fear comes from the expectation that something may go wrong during the lesson causing the instructor the embarrassment of appearing inept, unable to control the teaching situation’’4
Audio-visual aid may be more necessary to typically remote area in order to assist in gaining optimum learning. It is somewhat hard to achieve such learning if there is only one center it is because of schools locations, educational objectives differ from place to place.
When audio- visual material are compulsory for the teaching –learning process, then it is obvious that the teacher could be replaced for these schools by a well-trained projection , functioning equipment and well-prepared self-explanatic material, such as audio visual software materials. When such areas of curricula can be identified in advance, it is clear that a great saving of time and talent of the teacher can be utilized in another creation of innovative work.
Audio visual materials have always been used for instruction in hope of reducing the heavy teaching loads that have been increasing stress for children. It is seen that audio visual materials has been teacher oriented mechanism which is not fair. In such atmosphere, teacher either projects the visuals or plays the audio from a central position at his/her desk. After that, students are supposed to look or listen to the programme presented. It should not be like that rather teacher must encourage among students for healthy and fruitful discussion in the classroom after movie finishes. For growth of learning, interaction is dire of between students and teachers.
Another aspect, socio-cultural context of learner is an important factor which impinges upon overall personality. It is very necessary for the use of electronic devices such as, tape recorder, television, computer, and radio, children‘s family must be educated and sensitive towards implication of these operation. After that, it is possible to make best use of these electronic devices in purposeful and meaningful way. Otherwise, it may bring complex repercussion upon children. Children belonging to WSS (weaker section of society) may not be able to facilitate these things at home and send their children in decent school where these modern technologies are equipped.
Finally, in this way, we understood that E-resource material is becoming the best tool for making teaching effective and the best dissemination of knowledge. It can be said that E-resource material are emerging as pedagogical tool in relieving teachers time and labor, making classroom lively and more interactive oriented and providing scope for different aspects of learning style. However, it can not be overlooked that it has also some certain limitation that all schools whether urban or rural cannot afford and difficult to adopt approach to modern technological devices, multimedia because still many schools have less adequate teachers, poor management, funding and modern infrastructure of classroom facilities.
REFERENCES
1. Benson, G., Noesgard, C. and Drummond-Young, M. (2001) Facilitating small group learning. In Rideout, E. (ed.) Transforming Nursing Education through Problem-Based Learning. Sudbury: Mass, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 75–102.
2. J.Ramadas. Small Science Textbook Class 4, Developed by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. published, (2001) Oxford University Press.(p.75-78).
3. Thomas, M, Kobayashi, (1987), Educational Technology-Its Creation, Development and Cross-Cultural Transfer, (Chapter 4, “Educational Radio and Television-Their development in advanced countries” Pegamon Press. p.116.
4. Thomas, M, Kobayashi, (1987), Educational Technology-Its Creation, Development and Cross-Cultural Transfer, (Chapter 4, “Educational Radio and Television-Their development in advanced countries” Pegamon Press. p.118.
5. Mc Known C. H 7 Roberts B. A (1949). Audio-Visual Aids to Instruction, Mc Graw Hill Book Co. p.6.
