Introduction:

Learning has become very important in today’s digital age. Digital learning simplifies the learning process in today’s world.

The main objective of digital learning is to make education accessible to those students who cannot reach school to get education. Students can get education anytime, from anywhere.

Through digital learning students can connect with their teacher. It also make learning easier, more accessible and interesting.

With the help of digital platforms, students can attend their classes and complete their studies from their home otherwise they are forced to stop study and do the house hold works or labourer work.

Importance of Digital Education in India

Digital literacy impacts our society in many ways. Some of the importance of digital education in India are as follows:

• Digital education breaks the age barrier of getting education. Through this any person can study throughout his life.
• Digital literacy reduces the gap in education. It gives an opportunity to study to those who cannot leave their homes. It allows students to learn from wherever they want.
• Studying no longer requires physical infrastructure. That is why the prices of text books, classes, transportation etc. have come down.
• Digital literacy enhances technology efficiency. It gives knowledge of internet platforms and internet related education.
• With digital education, students can learn at their own convenience and pace. Students are allowed to choose when and where they study.
• In digital education, resources and educational materials are available anytime, anywhere. This makes education accessible to students, no matter where they live.
• Digital education makes it possible to continue learning throughout life. For students, education is not limited to the traditional classroom environment.
• They can access webinars and online courses to improve their knowledge and skills regrading internet use.
• Digital education includes interactive multimedia elements. These include movies, animations and quizzes. As a result, learning occurs more efficiently and effectively for students.

Advantages of Digital Education in India

Many of its benefits have been reported in India. Some of which are given below.

Comprehensive range:

Using digital devices, satellites, Internet and digital education can be delivered to remote locations. This guarantees that all areas of the country have access to high quality education.

Flexibility:  

Study hours can be adjusted with digital education. It helps students to manage time between their education and other work. This flexibility reduces dropout rates due to family functions or economic activities.

Economic:  

The availability of high quality education has been transformed by digital education. This has reduced the cost of education and increased access for all, even children from low-income families.

Variety of Courses:

There are many different courses available on different topics in digital education. Students can choose classes that best suit their interests and pursue careers they are passionate about.

Personalized and Interactive Learning:

With the use of animation, digital learning provides a personalized and interactive learning environment. Students can participate in one-on-one question-and-answer sessions and engaging lessons. It meets their specific needs and enables them to realize their greatest potential.

Challenges in Digital Education:

Although India has come a long way in digital education, but when we talk about its achievements, there are some things which need improvement.

Digital education in India certainly has many benefits, but we cannot ignore the difficulties presented by this new education system. Following are some of the challenges that India’s digital education system is facing.

Digital Disparity:

• Digital education is all about internet, technology and gadgets. But it is not accessible to most of the population.
• About 69% of the population in India lives in rural areas which do not have access to internet.
• Despite living in urban areas, people are not aware of technology and do not have access to the gadgets required for digital learning.
• One percent of the country’s population is still without regular connectivity to high-speed internet services.
• The main obstacle to education or digital education in India is the digital divide that exists between the rich and the poor and between the urban and rural areas of the country.

Insufficient Training and Interaction:

To know about digital technologies or digital education, one must be trained according to the technology used.

When most professors do not have the necessary training to effectively instruct students on digital platforms, they often run into problems during class.

This not only affects the pattern of students but also hinders the enjoyable learning environment.

Barriers to education:

Most of the content on internet sites is either in Hindi or English. And the linguistic diversity in India is huge.

The country has 22 main languages along with many other important languages and this makes it quite challenging.

School children, who feel more comfortable in their mother tongue or native language, are the ones who suffer the most.

Health-related issues:

Digital learning requires long periods of screen time, which causes excessive eye strain. This condition increases the risk of vision problems.

There are also additional problems, such as headaches and bad posture that cause back and neck pain.

How to improve digital learning:

For the growth of education it need to update the system and improve the digital learning process. there are some ways to improve the digital learning system:

Efforts to reduce digital gap:

Breaking down barriers in different ways or addressing the digital divide by affordable device provision, improved internet access and provision of technical support & training is important which must ensure that no child is left behind.

Through different state and central government programme:

To educate people about digital usage and digital education, the government has launched various programs such as:

SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds), National Digital Library (NDL), e-Pathshala, DIKSHA, National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER), Virtual Labs, Pragyaata. etc.

Improve teacher training method:

Teachers should receive basic training on digital education methods to realize their full potential and educate student in a righty way.

Accepting new methods of education

The exploration of innovative educational strategies to suit a variety of learning styles has become possible through online learning. Students’ learning can be improved and sustained through the use of virtual labs, gamification, multimedia resources and interactive content.

Adaptability and customization

The ability to tailor learning experiences is a unique benefit of online education. Institutions can create individual programs that are flexible and meet each individual’s interests and preferences.

Plus, students can choose the method that best suits their needs with the hybrid learning model that combines traditional classroom instruction with online learning.

Different aid and programs.

Governments, educational institutions and organizations must work together to eliminate the digital divide to guarantee that no child is left behind. Affordable equipment provision, improved Internet access, and provision of technical assistance and training should all be priorities.

Financial aid and scholarship programs can also be extremely important in enabling disadvantaged students to enroll in online courses.

Conclusion:

Through digital education or STEM education, India’s education system can be radically transformed, this will also help the country become a knowledge economy.

There is an urgent need to stick to the fundamentals and keep pace with the rapidly changing digital education technology. We can improve the Internet infrastructure by working together with readily available and reasonably priced tools.