How to Know and Understand our Students in Digital India Initiative while Teaching English?

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"Digital India is an initiative by the Government of India to ensure that Government services are made available to citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity.” –Wikipedia

A critical limitation of teacher’s ability to use technology in Digital India Initiative is too little understanding of technology of teachers while teaching English.  In a sense, this is another example of the productivity costs of a lack of ubiquitous computing literacy.  We should spend a lot on technology in Educational Institutes.  If teachers learned more about computing, they could use it more effectively.


We have to take a comprehensive look at how teachers’ knowledge, confidence, and belief systems interact with Educational Institute culture to shape the ways in which teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. One big issue: Many teachers lack an understanding of how educational technology works.

But the greater challenge is in expanding teachers’ knowledge of new instructional practices that will allow them to select and use the right technology, in the right way, with the right students, for the right purpose.

Until now we were familiar with computational literacy, computing education, computing for everyone, but Digital India Initiative makes it more focused and oriented. Digital India Initiative in classroom is not only teachers oriented, because it extends well beyond that. For many of these classrooms, teachers could be tech whizzes and nothing would change until the whole system is digitized.

 If teachers learned more about computing, they could use it more effectively. It can be more cemented if they learn about computing, Coding, Literacy. If education departments teach them what teachers need to know, it can be a surprising enterprise.

As for everyone else, computing must be contextualized for teachers. Simply learning about computing and expecting transfer to occur is not realistic. In our India, the basic problem is that the local state administrations and boards do not see how technology or rather current technology could be used in the classroom to engage students. They have no access or have one desktop computer when they are teaching English. Indian government should try to educate the boards and to the district administrations.

Teachers will be allowed to applying for grants and accepting donations of IT infrastructure. If a teacher has to work that hard to get IT infrastructure, then its use is not going to happen. The district administrations/ UGC should create tech mentors for Educational Institutes, colleges and universities.

Our whole India need first hand IT infrastructure in the Educational Institute. They have to buy a computer, switch or server. Teaching English Education Technology issues are so multi-dimensional that it is an almost impossible subject to discuss without involving different govt. bodies. We can talk about the major problems for teachers, Educational Institute boards, administrators and parents. There is also the student improvement side of the discussion. A lot of the Teaching English Education Technology sold to Educational Institutes actually improves the teacher’s ability to teach or improve the student’s ability to learn.


Like all learners, each English language learner is different. Each child brings his or her own individual experiences when he or she reaches our classroom. We, the teacher, bring all of our life experiences as well, to educate, differentiate, modify, and communicate to the best of our ability. Knowing and understanding our students can guide your teaching so it is as relevant as it can be to them. What are some factors in the lives of English language learners that can guide strategies for teaching these students through Digital India Initiative?
Five Top Questions before Digital India Initiative while Teaching English:
1.     Place of birth & Home situation of the Learner: Is there any Digital Atmosphere?
2.     Stage of language acquisition or level of proficiency by teachers statewide
3.     Native language literacy & Computer Literacy
4.     Value   education or the Digital product availability in the Classroom
5.     Cultural appreciation of Digital product


Ardhendu De 

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