The project aimed to provide better education to rural students in Maharashtra, India through the development of an interactive classroom device called "Klassmate". The device was implemented in several small, rural schools and helped improve student academic results, engagement, and 21st century skills like collaboration. Through community fundraising and support, the project demonstrated how technology can enhance learning opportunities for students in under-resourced areas.

1. Virtual Classroom Tour - VCT
Global Forum 2012
Prague November 28 – December 1 Text

2. Name of Project: Klassmate
Educator(s) Anil Sonune
School Zilla Parishad Primary School, Nimkheda District Jalna Maharashtra, India
Brief description of
Zilla Parishad Primary School, Savargaon is one of the reputed school in Maharashtra run by Zilla Parishad
school context
Jalna, A District Local Administrator body. Which runs 90% of primary schools in district. 1035 primary schools in
the district with 7890 Teachers and 280000 students. The school educates students from Grade I to Grade VII .
This specific school has 210 students and 8 teachers.
School Website http://www.baljagat.com/
Content/Subject Languages, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies.
Areas
Age/Grade level Grades 1 to 7
Microsoft Office 2010, Media Player, Photo editor,
Internet Explorer, Windows Movie maker, Microsoft auto collage, Bing Maps, Learning Content Development
System, Mouse Mischief, Microsoft Kinect SDK, Microsoft Mathematics
Project Objectives The main objectives of the project are
• To provide rural schools with low cost educational solution.
• To make optimum use of resources which are limited to give best classroom experience to learners.
• To help learners to achieve better academic results.
• To spread awareness which ultimately targets to evolve each child into a responsible citizen.
• To develop 21st century skills in children

3. Project Description The project is aimed at providing better education to rural students. To find the solution for small
schools for learning through ICT. The idea to build such device came in mind when one of my
Brief description of the project fellow teachers asked If we, from neighboring schools can share low cost interactive board. This
and the background. was a challenging job as these schools were small and did not have as much budget in investing
What are the stated objectives LCD Projector, PC. So If the load was shared between two or three such small schools so that It
and learning outcomes? Is the was possible to them to have chance to teach with better tools. It was a great experience for
learning activity long-term? Does students as well as teachers as they have the same information and technology tools as any of the
it call on students to plan their big school would have. As these villages are as small having population between 200 to 400
work and assess their work over peoples. Now these schools also having the Interactive whiteboard. Some of the outcomes are
time? • Increased overall progress of students.
Please add background • Absenteeism decreased.
information files if needed. See • All the fund was raised by School Management Committee and villagers.
how to embed documents in • Students also find their learning joyful and now love school.
notes. • Developed 21st century skills like Creativity, Communication, Team Work, Critical thinking,
Collaboration, Initiative and Problem solving
• Brought about an attitudinal change to villagers about their school.
Design of the Learning
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Environment The project involved the open ended Project Based Learning approach in which the Self designed
Examples of planning (e.g. Product Named Klassmate , and various Microsoft tools such as Microsoft Kinect SDK, Mouse
pedagogic approach, links to mischief, LCDS, Microsoft Office 2010, SkyDrive, Photo story , Bing Maps, were used in combine
resources used). Please highlight to enrich the learning experience of student. Klassmate is a device which is a all in one
creativity and innovative teaching multimedia interactive multimedia solution for classroom teaching. Project was run on Zilla
practices. Emphasize to Parishad Primary School Savargaon , Jalna, Maharashtra. After One academic year results were
what extent the planning for very good and teachers from along the district visited school to know more how they can
learning facilitates the implement on their own school.
development of different
dimensions of 21st century skills
e.g. knowledge building, use of Review Define
ICT for learning, problem-solving Project Interdisciplinary Klassmate
and innovation, self-regulation, Learning Approach
collaboration and skilled Manage cycle Plan
communication.
Do
PBL Checklist

4. Evidence of Learning Students were taught using Klassmate. Various tools such as Microsoft Learning Suite,
Google Sketch up, G Compris Learning Suite for windows were used as per the
Examples of products and requirement of the content. World wide telescope was used inteaching Geography,
outcomes created by the Sketch up models were used to illustrate various body parts in 3D environment. As
Kinect in
learners throughout the project well as Kinect was used as an input device. Various applications such as Kinect mouse,
Classroom
– including use of ICT. What FAAST were used to perform various classroom activities.
sort of ICT is used and how Students of age group 6 to 10 years use kinect mouse and various G Compris activities
has it been used in the project. to build basic skills like addition, Subtraction, matching shapes, Vocabulary games,
etc. Mouse Mischief
To what extent do students use Students of age group 11 to 14 used Google Sketch up models in learning of science.
ICT in ways that support They can explore various body parts in 3D space. Microsoft Mathematics helped
knowledge student in equation solving , graph plotting, It was possible for them to visualize the
building, collaboration, or problem so they can understand the solution. Interactive
learning beyond the Whiteboard
classroom? Does ICT use
enable new knowledge-
building/collaboration/learning
beyond the classroom World
opportunities that would not Photo story and windows live movie maker were used in about all subjects. With the Wide
have been possible without it? help of these tools it was possible for them to understand the concepts thoroughly. Telescope
Have digital tools been used in They also asked additional questions which were answered using internet when
imaginative and ground- possible.
breaking ways to support Microsoft Mouse Mischief was used to evaluate the lessons after teaching.
Google
learning processes?
Sketch up
Please add files, videos etc.
which documents clearly the
learning process and evidence Impact
of students’ learning
Classroom Teaching Sample Lesson

5. During the project students of age group 11 to 14 were divided into groups for discussion
Knowledge about the learned topic. They were given some brainstorming questions. Which they should
have answer with discussion with fellow students.
Building & Critical Some examples are
Thinking
• Do you think that there is a life on any planet other than Earth ?
Examples of how the • What will happen if we do not use water carefully?
learning activities • What will be the alternate fuel if hydrocarbon fuels stock ends?
Save Girl Child Rally
require students to
move beyond For age group of 6 to 14 activities like mock bazar, in which students sell and buy something
to another.
reproducing what they
A survey was done by students about the water resources of village. 7 grade students were
have learned to building asked to collect data of no. of wells and bore wells when they were in grade 1st. And no. this
knowledge through year. What was the impact of these numbers on water level of village?
interpretation, analysis, • There were 5 bore wells and 9 wells in the village and surrounding in year 2005
synthesis, or evaluation. • The number increased to 26 bore wells and 37 wells around village.
• The impact was in summer where water level of 5 wells was enough, now almost every Uniform to Girls
well is dry in February.
Extended Learning
Beyond the 40
Classroom 20 2005
If the learning 0 2012
experience is not bound
by classroom walls, wells bore wells Play on “Girl’s
time-frame of
As main business in the area is farming students were taken to farm of Shri. Raghunath Education”
conventional lessons,
Mhaske, who uses latest methods of farming. They were demonstrated how water amount
subject parameters –
used in drip irrigation and Sprinklers is much low than that of traditional method.
please show examples They agreed that in future this is the only method if they wanted to conserve water for
of this.
If the project addresses
real world issues (i.e.
authentic situation and
data from outside the
classroom) or has
meaningful impact on
communities locally and

6. As this project was run on small rural schools our means for fund raising was villagers. So each
Collaboration student asked their parents to contribute in the project so All the Fund needed for the project was
raised from community. Student played main role in convincing their parents as well as other villagers.
Examples of how the students At Zilla Parishad Primary School Zirpi and Zilla Parishad Primary School Sonakpimpalgaon in the
work with other same manner funds were raised by village. And both the schools are equipped with Interactive
people, sharing responsibility whiteboards.
while making substantive Block Education Officer of Zmbad Panchayat Mrs. Mangala Dhupe asked teachers of taluka for
decisions for developing a making their school e-school, fifty more schools also agreed to make the same thing happen in their
joint product, a design, or an villages.
answer to a complex The main thing about the project is not a single penny was expected from government, every
question. Students may be where funds are raised by community.
collaborating with their peers
in the classroom, or with As a impact Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad Jalna( Local Administrative Body) allocated fund of
students or adults outside the 34 lacks for installing interactive whiteboards throughout 24 Zilla Parishad Highschools.
classroom Within coming year 104 clusters of district will have atleast one school so that student can benefit
from it. As a process of that core group of teachers at district level is developing digital content based
Cutting Edge Use of on syllabus and soon there will be online portal of Zilla Parishad Schools to share the resources
Technology for Learning created by teacher throughout he disrict.
The learning activity involves
students’ use of ICT –
whether or not the use of ICT
helps students build
knowledge/collaborate or
learn beyond the
classroom, and whether or
not students could build the
same knowledge/ collaborate
or learn beyond the
classroom in similar ways
without using ICT

7. Educator as Innovator and
Change Agent Due to the Ipact of the Project Klassmate, various privete schools are also interested in
building their own Interactive classrooms, zilla parishad schools have installed their units at
In environments where schools and project is running successfully at these schools, as a results Chief Executive
innovative teaching is Officer Mr. Radhakrishnan B. decided to allocate funds to for Zilla Parishad Primary schools
challenging, have innovative for the implementation of the project.
teaching practices and ICT It is the Klassmate due to which Students enjoy the learning experience. As they enjoy
been used in instrumental various activities with this state of the art device.
ways to change how students Various National and Regional newspapers also took published special articles and news
learn. Does the educator on the features and efforts about the Project Klassmate.
demonstrate evidence of
continuous improvement in
their professional
practice, model lifelong
learning and exhibit
leadership in their school and
professional community by
supporting other educator’s
development and
understanding of the impact
on learning of the effective
use of digital technologies?