What are the major impacts that Interactive Whiteboards and Audiovisual equipments have overall in transforming education system?
The universal appeal and educational impact of Interactive Whiteboards, of which more than 750,000 units were sold and installed worldwide in 2009, derives from their ability, when utilized by appropriately trained teachers to create lessons and learning exercises that are more engaging and stimulating to students.
How does the use of IWB and AV aids change the dynamics of the classroom?
Given that today’s students tend to be already “digital” in their awareness and orientation, one could also argue that use of Interactive Whiteboard in the classroom simply makes the environment more relevant for students. Most students recognise that the world they will enter as adults will be characterised by ubiquitous information technology and that both social and professional communication, interaction and collaboration will be enabled by digital tools. The IWB and related interactive systems at work in the classroom not only utilise the power and versatility of digital media and information as content for learning but also synchronise the classroom context with the contemporary world outside the school.
How do you see the Indian market of IWB and AV aids is growing in comparison to the international market?
While India is at an early stage in the adoption of classroom technologies like IWB’s, we see three important factors at play, in addition to India’s huge population size, which are likely to catapult India to the forefront of large markets for educational technology in the near future.
Firstly, there is probably no other nation which has seen the transformative impact of a well educated and technologically literate workforce on the national economy that can accelerate the extraordinary growth of the Indian economy in the future. Secondly, India already has some of the worlds most highly innovative providers of ICT to education. India the fastest growing and one of the largest markets for mimio outside of North America over the past two years.Thirdly, that the rapid growth in adoption of ICT and IWB’s in the private schools sector will migrate to the public or government schools sector in the coming years and when it does, will be of unprecedented scale.
What is the comparative ratio of the usage of IWB and A/V aids in India comparison to the global perspectives?
In mimio’s experience, most IWB and A/V adoptions in the K-12 educational system of India are primarily in the private schools today, with some some of the national government schools just beginning to trial some solutions.I would describe government education authorities’ position today as one of interest, analysis and trial more than active support of adoptions but that can and probably will change quickly and fairly soon.
Could you please mention about the range of the products the price range?
At this moment, mimio provides a range of portable and highly affordable solutions for creating Interactive Whiteboards in classrooms. The cost of these systems can start at prices as low as Rs 32,000. The additional of whiteboard digitizing tools and accessories or RF wireless computer interface can increase the price up to as much as Rs 60,000 but overall the combination of low product cost, negligible installation costs, and unsurpassed warranty (5 years) and low warranty service costs makes mimio an ideal solution to bring ICT to a maximum number of students within any given budget.
How do you see the future picture in terms of usage and the tentative market size?
India will undoubtedly become one of the world’s largest ICT markets in the coming years. It already has an exceptional world class infrastructure of knowledgeable expert companies fully capable of delivering highly effective ICT implementations nationwide. In my opinion, what will both trigger and catapult the growth will be the alignment of these highly capable Indian private company resources and suppliers of world leading solutions with government policy and commitment to applying the powerful leverage of ICT to Indian public education.
