Impact of ICT on Teaching Practices in India

ICT India Project Working Paper #46

Anchal Sharma

April 2021

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India 
 
2 
 
Contents 
Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 3 
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3 
Integration of ICT with Classroom Teaching ..................................................................... 4 
Usage of Technology for Classroom Instructions ............................................................ 5 
Some of the Best Practices for Integrating ICT in the Indian Classrooms .......................... 6 
Perceptions of the Teachers on ICT Integration with Teaching ............................................ 8 
ICT for Teacher’s Professional Development .................................................................... 9 
ICT for Teachers’ Training ........................................................................................... 9 
Role of ICT in a positive learning environment ............................................................ 11 
Challenges of Using Technology in the Classroom ........................................................... 11 
Conclusion................................................................................................................... 11 
References ................................................................................................................... 12

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

Abstract

Integration of Information and Communication in the classroom has been transforming the way

learners are learning today. Teachers in India are also experimenting with innovative ways to teach

with the help of ICT tools. They are leveraging various digital platforms for planning their lessons,

delivering them in the classroom setup or virtually, and conducting the assessment as well.

Educational technology is offering effective ways to reach different types of learners and assess

their understanding in more than one way. Teachers' well-equipped preparation with ICT tools and

facilities is one of the main factors in the success of technology-based teaching and learning. The

Indian government has been persistent in implementing policies to encourage technology-driven

innovations in the education sector and encouraging educators to adopt and integrate ICT.

Although the perception of Indian teachers towards the use of ICT is positive, still need more

support with the infrastructure and training especially in the rural regions. This paper will cover

how technology has impacted the teaching practices, perceptions of teachers about the use of

technology in the classroom, and their professional development.

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

Introduction

Technology integration nowadays has gone through innovations and transformed the societies

that have totally changed the way people think, work and live (Grabe, 2007)

. It has profoundly

changed the way of educational interactions around the world and has become an integral part of

most of the educational process. The emerging trends have enabled the teachers to use

technology innovatively to create learning objectives, develop curriculum and instructional

strategies, deliver instruction, embed ongoing assessments, and provide appropriate interventions

based on student needs and track outcomes and learning. The New Education Policy of India,

2020

has also emphasized the usage of technology in education. The policy calls for investment

in digital infrastructure, development of online teaching platforms and tools, creation of virtual

labs and digital repositories, training teachers to become high-quality online content creators,

designing and implementation of online assessments, establishing standards for content,

technology, and pedagogy for online teaching-learning.

The education sector has faced radical transformation with the help of technological

advancements like digital books, multi-sensory classrooms, remote learning, virtual and

augmented reality, and artificial intelligence across the globe. ICT is considered an important

tool for building knowledge societies (UNESCO, 2003) and especially, as a tool in school

education that could help in reconstructing the educational processes and system leading to

effective education for all people. The Indian education sector has also witnessed an extensive

push by the policymakers, educators, and learners in integrating technology with improving the

learning process. It has also led to a considerable shift in the teacher's beliefs in using ICT as a

pedagogical tool. Indian teachers have been optimizing various EdTech initiatives launched by

both national and state governments potentially solving systemic issues such as access, equity,

and quality. The efforts of teachers integrating ICT in the classroom have helped in improving

the quality, accessibility, and cost-efficiency of delivery of instruction to students, and the

teacher-student relationship as well. Thus, playing a significant role in contributing to achieving

the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, by providing platforms for increasing access

to high-quality educational resources and reaching larger numbers of learners.

Integration of ICT with Classroom Teaching

Technology integration in the classroom involves the use of technological resources like

computers, mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, digital cameras, social media platforms,

software applications, internet, to build a deeper understanding of content among the learners.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105224.pdf

https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

With the increased access to mobiles, internet connections, and other digital infrastructures

across the country, Indian teachers are becoming more comfortable using technology in their

classrooms. Teachers are now experimenting beyond linear, text-based learning and engaging

students in more meaningful ways. According to a study

conducted by the Central Square

Foundation

about the adoption of EdTech by Indian teachers, irrespective of the school type,

teachers’ willingness to use technology is high. Computers and mobile phones were the most

digital devices at 94% and 86% respectively. A similar trend was observed in the findings of the

Digital School Survey by the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), conducted across

Maharashtra state in India. 81.5% of schools reported having teachers using ICT to prepare

lessons and 83.3% where teachers are using ICT to deliver the lessons in the classroom

. The

role of technology has evolved from classrooms having a computer set to integrating technology

into the way concepts are taught and assessed. EdTech is helping educators with effective ways

to reach different types of learners and assess students' understanding in more than one way. This

also encourages students to explore tech-related platforms and collaborate among themselves

making learning more student-driven.

Usage of Technology for Classroom Instructions

Lesson Planning

Teachers are using various technological tools and platforms to prepare lessons catering to the

different learning levels of students in the classrooms. Availability of various app and web-based

platforms both public and private are providing resources for teachers to plan lessons using

multimedia. These resources range from unstructured to structured lesson plans which teachers

can directly use or edit according to their classroom needs. National Platform like DIKSHA -

provides a list of multimedia content, teachers can access a pool of multimedia content (image,

audio, videos, etc.) Some platforms are helping teachers with syllabus-aligned ready-to-use

lesson plans. Teachers are also using platforms to provide ready-made lesson plans with

resources like videos, worksheets, quizzes, etc, opportunities to collaborate with people to co-

create lesson plans and receive real-time feedback on lesson plans makes the life of a teacher a

little easy. Platforms like Teacherly

are helping teachers with accessing virtual educator

communities to collaborate and provide feedback on lesson plans. Platforms like Storyweaver

and Seesaw

provide multimedia tools to make lesson plans interesting like videos, audio, slides,

https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/94-percent-teachers-have-access-to-computers-but-only-68-percent-

trained-in-using-technology-in-classrooms/

https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/

https://csd.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/MaharashtraDigitalSchoolsSurveyFinalReport.pdf

https://teacherly.io/

https://storyweaver.org.in/

https://web.seesaw.me/

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

stories, etc. Teachers are also exploring platforms providing them with differential lesson plans

that are automatically created according to student’s progress data and learning levels.

Lesson Delivery

For lesson delivery, the availability of platforms like SWAYAM Prabha

is enabling teachers to

use a platform with a pre-set content and be an instructor in the classroom. WhatsApp has been a

potential platform to deliver the lesson to students using the text service. Platforms like Google

Classroom

, Zoom

are widely used platforms to deliver the content by the teachers over live

tutoring platforms and virtual classrooms. The free web service designed for schools helps in

drafting, mass distributing, and grading assignments. Students can also post their queries and

receive answers on the same platforms. These platforms have become extremely popular for

remote learning. Such platforms have been helping teachers to personalize the content, become a

coach and guide students. The process has helped teachers simplify lessons, organize their

lessons, and conduct them in a multimedia-rich manner.

Assessments

Technology is playing a key role in identifying and creating assessments for a classroom on a

need basis. The presence of platforms checking student’s responses, providing performance

summaries and feedback to the learners is reducing teachers to create engaging assessments.

Teachers are using many platforms which enable assignment and correction of objective, text-

based assessments. Platforms like Mindspark

, a computer-based, adaptive learning program

helps students to improve their skills in Maths and English. DIKSHA platform also provides

resources for assessments in the form of worksheets and question banks. To make assessment

more interesting and less overwhelming for the students, teachers are using gamified versions.

One such platform Kahoot

, a game-based learning platform helps with formative assessment

and insights of the class progress. These platforms are helping teachers with the easy creation of

subjective and objective assessments in interactive formats and provide real-time student

performance data at a deeper level including when students are guessing, key misconceptions,

etc.

Some of the Best Practices for Integrating ICT in the Indian Classrooms

Indian teachers ranging from a primary teacher to a college professor, have been utilizing the

potential of technology and integrating it in their classroom to make education reach a large

https://www.swayamprabha.gov.in/

https://classroom.google.com/u/0/h

https://zoom.us/education

https://mindspark.in/

https://kahoot.com/

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

number of learners. Here are some of the best examples by the Indian teachers using technology

to overcome the challenges they faced in the journey of providing education to their students.

These possibilities show the potential ICT tools and platforms hold in transforming the way

education is perceived in the country. The Source of these stories is the study about teaching

with technology

, by the Central Square Foundation

and British Council

and insights from

focus group discussion as a part of Need Assessment study on DIKSHA platform, by CSD and

TERI team with tech-savvy teachers of Maharashtra.

Ranjitsinh Disale, a primary teacher from Solapur District in Maharashtra has been

using a number of different ways to make his classroom teaching interactive. He used

the technology to get students interested in education and attend school regularly. He

introduced the use of Quick Response (QR) codes in the textbooks to provide

additional resources to the syllabus and as a means to extend the curriculum. He also

used virtual field trips to introduce the surroundings of the science labs and historical

monuments. With the help of services like Google SMSs and WhatsApp groups, he

interacted with parents and managed absenteeism. The Maharashtra Government

recognized the innovation of using QR codes in the textbooks and adopted the

innovation for the state and was adapted by the national level on the DIKSHA

platform

. He recently won the Global Teacher Prize 2020 for his efforts to promote

education.

Shruti Sharma, a high secondary grade teacher from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. She

has been teaching subjects English and Life skills in grades 10 and 11. She used video

conferencing and text-based discussions, on a platform offered by Generation Globe

to connect to classes in other parts of India and also abroad. Her students engage in

exchange programs on different topics. The availability of a fully equipped computer

lab in her school provided students the necessary technology and resources to engage

in video conferencing. This helped her students build confidence levels and

proactively initiate new endeavors.

Mrunal Shinde, a primary teacher from Maharashtra. She started using innovative

ways in her primary classroom to increase the attention span of the students. She used

a digital platform, Skype to help her students interact with students from different

countries. She also used the platform Kahoot to create a quiz based on the knowledge

about these different countries. This helped her integrate subjects like history and

https://www.britishcouncil.in/sites/default/files/teaching_and_technology_case_studies_from_india_final_low_res

_new.pdf

https://www.centralsquarefoundation.org/

https://www.britishcouncil.in/

https://diksha.gov.in/help/getting-started/diksha-mobile-app/understanding-qr-code.html

https://generation.global/

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

mathematics in an interesting manner. She also uses the Microsoft platform

interact and learn from other fellow teachers using different innovative teaching

practices in their classrooms.

Premananad Edward Malyakkal, a college lecturer from Calicut, Kerala teaches

English to degree-level students. He uses technology in a variety of ways to provide

and create overviews of different kinds of literary material. One of his projects

involves creating infographics with his students, summarising the key texts with the

help of mobile-friendly software packages. He identified the problem of students

having a tough time understanding the difficult text. His motive became to give

maximum information to a maximum number of people using very basic and simple

technology. He teaches his students basic computing skills and core applications like

word processing, database management, and spreadsheets with design skills and

infographic making. He uses Piktochart software and allows students to explore

different tools which can be used on their mobile phones.

Suchi Dakoria, a primary teacher from Surat, Gujarat. She addressed the challenge of

maintaining a portfolio of her student’s work and communicating regularly with the

parents. As a possible solution, she started using the app Seesaw

, an online portfolio

tool (e-portfolio) to address both these needs simultaneously. The portfolio contains a

wide range of media: audio, pictures, and videos. Parents were involved with their

child’s progress through the platform. It helped in decreasing the workload of the

teachers as the portfolio is maintained on a regular basis without the rush of only doing

assessments at the end of the year. This also enabled maintaining a regular smooth

way of communication between the school and the parents.

Perceptions of the Teachers on ICT Integration with Teaching

The new-age teachers are adapting to the new ways of classroom teaching with the help of

innovative methods. Teachers are not leaving any stone unturned to take learning to the next

level where learning is not limited to the four walls of the classroom. Technology has been

supporting them in bringing in the knowledge and information from all the possible resources

available. Successful integration of technology in the classroom depends on the teacher’s

perception about using technology with the teaching. Attitudes play a significant role in

analyzing why teachers accept or reject technology (Rogers, 2010)

. A research study by

https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/about/empowering-educators.aspx

https://web.seesaw.me/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336589762_INVESTIGATING_TEACHERS'_PERSPECTIVES_TOW

ARD_ICT_INTEGRATION_IN_CLASSROOMS_IN_DELHI_INDIA

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

Rastogi and Malhotra (2012)

highlighted that examining teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about

ICT integration with pedagogy is particularly important in developing countries like India, where

technology integration is usually not a part of school culture. The data from various studies about

technology in teaching supports the idea that teachers in India have high interests and are

positive about bringing ICT into the classrooms. Their level of expertise with the technological

tools will determine their level of acceptance with the integration. Tondeur et al (2008) found

that teachers who were less skilled in the use of computers had a negative attitude towards the

use of computers and hence their acceptance level was also found below. Some teachers were

reluctant to use ICT due to anxiety and lack of motivation (Duhaney, 2001)

. Thus, effective

integration of ICT in pre-service and on-service of the teachers plays a crucial role in building

positive attitudes technology in education.

ICT for Teacher’s Professional Development

Educational communities around the country have been making continuous efforts to emphasize

the importance of integrating ICT in the classrooms and the need for quality teachers'

professional development to do so. Technological advancements have made it possible to deliver

the large scale of quality training modules for teacher professional development providing

flexibility and agency to teachers for their learning. Various digital platforms are helping

teachers to improve their area of content with conceptual mastery, effective instructional

practices, and improving digital literacy as well. National and state governments are utilizing

different platforms like DIKSHA, NISHTHA and collaborating with private players like Dell,

Microsoft to equip teachers with the required skills to successfully integrate technology in their

classrooms. This helps resources to reach a large number of teachers with the resources available

through a menu of options categorized by subject, skill, topic, and software. They also consist of

dedicated platforms for teacher social communities with forums, multimedia exchange, topics,

etc allowing teachers to engage with each other and form a strong community. Such initiatives

not just help to build ICT skills and competencies but also building positive attitudes and beliefs

among the teachers.

ICT for Teachers’ Training

Teacher training and professional development are seen as driving forces for the successful

usage of ICTs in education. Pre-service teacher training is now focussing on the initial

preparation on pedagogy, subject mastery, management, and using various ICT teaching tools.

While in-service training includes more structured learning opportunities building upon pre-

http://euacademic.org/UploadArticle/22.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334273403_Barriers_Perceived_by_Teachers_for_Use_of_Information_

and_Communication_Technology_ICT_in_the_Classrooms_in_Maharashtra_India

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

service training, directly relevant to the teacher's needs and keeping up with the introduction in

new Ed Tech innovations. National Platforms like DIKSHA, NISHTHA provide online training

courses for capacity building of the teachers with the help of CBSE and NCERT training

modules. These platforms allow registration of the teachers, dissemination of resources, training

gap and impact analysis, monitoring and measuring of the program progress. Till now 30 lakh

teachers have been trained digitally and aim to train 56 lakh school teachers in the coming

academic session. The availability of resources in different regional languages makes it reach

wider across the country.

Other digital platforms like Firki

, ChalkLit, and The Teacher App are also supporting teachers

professionally by providing them effective ongoing training and professional development. Firki,

with the help of a blended (online and offline) learning model, provides continuous support to

teachers by identifying their strengths and building skills to build an effective practice, leading to

improved student outcomes. The platform also provides market-driven accreditations to teachers

on completing the course. ChalkLit, a mobile application provides regular professional

development for in-service teachers through online training with SCERTs/DoEs, teaching tools,

and daily updates from an active teachers community. The platform allows teachers to undergo

self-evaluation to understand their progress and make suitable amends to their

technique.WhatsApp is another popular platform used to bring groups of teachers together at the

school level or national level or global level as well. This way teachers learn from local and

global teacher communities by sharing best practices, resolving doubts, and collaborating with

peers through virtual platforms.

The Indian government has also been collaborating with tech players like Microsoft and Dell

Technologies. India’s All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE) has partnered with

Microsoft on Microsoft Learn for Educator platform

. The platform empowers learners and

educators with future-ready skills. This provides Indian educators access to best-in-class online

learning paths and instructor-led training material through Microsoft's ready-to-teach curriculum

and teaching material aligned with industry-recognized Microsoft certifications. Dell

technologies with its initiative “Dell Aarambh

” equip teachers in India with the requisite

knowledge to implement technology in the classroom. The objective is to improve the digital

literacy of the teachers to bridge the digital divide in the country.

https://www.firki.co/

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/roles/educator/

https://www.dellaarambh.com/

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

Role of ICT in a positive learning environment

The appropriate use of ICT tools helps in catalyzing the paradigmatic shift in making the

classroom a creative space for exploration and experiment for both the teachers and students. It

promotes the acquisition of skills and knowledge for students to become lifelong learners. Thus

making students autonomous learners and bringing the world into their classrooms. The new

ways of teaching and learning create a shift from a teacher-centered pedagogy to student-

centered pedagogy. Various innovative platforms provide an active learning classroom

environment and opportunities to work on real-life problems in depth making it less abstract. By

keeping the classroom environment engaging, technology enables students to become better

focused on their learning. This also helps teachers to juggle various responsibilities like

attendance maintenance, delivering academic content, monitoring student's progress, and much

more.

Challenges of Using Technology in the Classroom

Technology integration can also present significant challenges to educators. There are several

barriers, some extrinsic related to the availability of resources, time, support system, training

facilities, and some intrinsic factors such as attitudes, beliefs, practices, and the resistance of the

teachers. The constant need to keep updating with the new innovations makes it an

overwhelming experience for the teachers. Teachers are constantly adapting the new ways of

learning and teaching at the same time. In a diverse country like India, the digital divide also

plays a major role in access to ICT tools. Availability of limited or no access to hardware

facilities can pose the biggest challenges in adopting technologies for the teachers. Many schools

in rural India lack basic facilities of electricity and internet making teachers rely on textbook-

based teaching. School-level factors such as organizational culture and teacher-level factors as

beliefs about teaching and technology also impact the motivation levels of the teacher. Lack of

digital literacy and adequate continuous training about the use of technology in the teaching

process makes it difficult to navigate with the technology in the classroom. Another constraint is

of insufficient time and content to use their ICT skills. The non-teaching responsibilities and

pressure to complete the textbook syllabus also discourage teachers to use ICT tools. All these

factors contribute to making it difficult for teachers in India to explore digital resources and use

technology with their teaching.

Conclusion

Indian teachers have been adopting various EdTech integration with their classroom teaching and

exploring the potential it holds for improving the learning outcomes of the students. In today’s

time technology is viewed as an important tool that helps teachers in effective classroom

delivery. These technological advancements are helping teachers to reinforce existing

CSD Working Paper Series: Impact of ICT on the Teaching Practices in India

pedagogical practices in innovative ways. It has allowed teachers to create and disseminate high-

quality lesson plans. Technology is helping in transforming the role of a teacher from an

instructor to a guide that supports students learning journey. However infrastructural challenges,

lack of digital content, insufficient time, non-teaching responsibilities, and contextualized

resources are restricting teachers from fully leveraging the potential of technology. The Indian

government needs to address these challenges of poor connectivity and infrastructure. Blended

forms of training with both online and offline resources should be encouraged to have a

sustainable model for continuous teacher development. Availability of more mobile-based

applications for resources for teachers will help in easy access of these resources. Teacher

training through sustained technical as well as pedagogical support will prove to be the

foundation of any investment in education technology. There should be a collaboration of

teachers, policymakers, administrators, and other stakeholders in the decision-making process as

well design and implementation of professional development programs. This will create a

positive perception of technology in a teacher’s mind and will encourage them to optimize it