VIRTUAL CLASSROOM

Now, children from lower-income groups can also stay in-step with the latest trends in Information Technology.

The recent initiative of the Chennai Corporation to link all schools on the net, through its 'Virtual Classroom' programme, is the first such initiative by a Corporation in India.

More than 60 Corporation schools have been individually provided with Internet facilities, which are linked, to the server at Ripon Building (the Corporation headquarters). The server, which is linked to VSNL, has a separate, dedicated line and students can log on anytime.

The site specially created for the benefit of children, covers 18 different subjects. All the subjects have been given useful links. The main attraction of the site is that the students can actually do a frog dissection online. They also have facilities to browse various national newspapers.

Online testing in various subjects, both in English and Tamil, is an added feature for the students. Srilakshmi, a student from Corporation Girls Higher Secondary School, Saidapet, says "It is very useful for me as I am able to rate my preparation in various subjects. Now with this facility I am totally confident that I will get distinction in my Higher Secondary Examination". Another student Sri Vidya says that her doubts are cleared online by her teachers.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section is an instant hit. Questions, which are frequently asked, are stored in this section. Going through this section the students can be sure that the question will appear in the examination.

The student can also use the site to elicit views and discuss with friends in other Corporation schools. The Corporation Education department most often suggests the subject for discussion. This section has received good response. The site also enables students to prepare for their professional course entrance examinations online. The test section has multiple-choice questions in various subjects and the scores are represented graphically so that they can judge their performance in comparison to other students. A total of 16 schools can simultaneously log on to the site.

The civic body has tied up with NIIT to train the teachers and headmasters to access the computers and for updating the content.

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