‘Clicker’ app clicks well with teachers, students: pilot project running in Pune school

To make learning a fun experience for students, the Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL) has developed a new mobile application called clicker. The chalk and talk method of teaching turns interactive with the usage of the app. Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited is conducting trial run of the project at Abhinav Vidyalaya on Karve road.

The app can be loaded on mobile phones without SIM cards. It is used in the classroom learning method and aims to be user-friendly. The mobile application can be used from kindergarten till Class 10, according to the MKCL officials.

“A few years back, I was on a tour to a village in rural Maharashtra. I saw crowded classrooms and most of the students in the room were unable to understand the lecture. So I, along with my team, decided to make an interactive and fun learning system which engages students better. After two years of research and experiment, we came up with ‘clicker’ and now have been running it on a pilot basis at Abhinav Vidyalaya from February 2019. We are also running the project in selected schools in the state,” said Vivek Sawant, managing director, MKCL.

Sawant said that the firm intends to give best knowledge to students at affordable cost. “We have made the software using all existing tools available. A classroom, a Wi-Fi device, laptop and smartphones are the minimum requirements for running the project,” he said.

“We are in talks with schools and institutions across the state who are willing to implement it in their schools from the next academic year,” Sawant said.

Sawant said that it is easy to use the software. “The teacher has to connect the projector to the laptop, select the subject they want to teach and chose the challenging questions which will come up during the lecture. The students have to provide answers, from the four options given, through their mobile devices,” he said.

According to Sawant, students need to install the application on the mobile, enter the Internet Protocol (IP code), classroom code and students’ pin number. After this process is done, they will be able to access the questions, provide the answers and submit it. A bar graph analysis report about the class’s performance would be given after every question, he said.

“Clicker mobile application is very easy to use and saves time of checking the students’ answers. The app is particularly useful while teaching Maths. Two students share one mobile device in the classroom and listened to lectures on all the subjects,” said Devyani Gadekar, teacher, Abhinav Vidyalaya School.

Students are happy with the mobile application. Mihir Sabnis, a Class 8 student said, “Ever since we started using the application in the class, my concentration has increased and there is a healthy competition among students in the class.”

Sayali Phale, a Class 8 student, said she liked the way the software is designed. “It connects students to teachers, students and the chapter that is being taught.”