Global Indian International School (GIIS) has introduced the use of GIIS Virtual Classrooms for its students amid the spread of the COVID-19 infection in Singapore.
Over 11,000 students in GIIS schools worldwide can now connect to virtual classes remotely through the digital classrooms, which are wi-fi enabled spaces equipped with the latest audio-visual technologies for new age learning. GIIS is the first school in the world to deploy virtual classrooms on such a large-scale enterprise, said a statement by the school.
“At GIIS we have incorporated technologies that deliver maximum learning impact for every student, and the Virtual Classrooms are a great example of that. Virtual Classrooms make learning and teaching at GIIS an uninterrupted experience in the event of disruptions and can lead to dynamic exchange of ideas with real life bidirectional interactivity,” said Arjun Temurnikar, Assistant Director of Technology at Global Schools Foundation.
As part of the Virtual Classrooms, students can log-in and participate in an on-going class in the school through their mobile phones or any other personal device. Students who are logged-in remotely can view the screens of their teachers as well as get the full view of the concepts shared on the digital smartboard.
This measure aligns with the Continuity Plan (CP) that GIIS has implemented for its students & teachers to minimise the impact of any kind of disruptions to students in their learning journey. This allows GIIS Singapore students continue to receive education seamlessly amid the spread of the novel coronavirus which is totalling 150 confirmed cases in Singapore as of March 8.
“At GIIS we have incorporated a digital-first mindset in our curricula and teaching, to ensure that students are exposed to technology throughout their learning journey. By launching the virtual classrooms initiative, we are also demonstrating to our students the practical benefits of being equipped with the requisite tech knowledge and expertise. We activated the virtual classroom in view of COVID-19 within 3 days. Singapore was the first campus to run remote classrooms successfully and it has been now implemented throughout global campuses,” said Atul Temurnikar, Co-Founder & Chairman of GIIS.
Other measures taken by the school in view of COVID-19 include temperature screening of all staff, students and visitors to the school, daily temperature checking by parents, and implementing special sanitizing of entire schools as per WHO guidelines, on all days.