Back to school: Say hello to a digitized classroom

MANILA, Philippines - Classrooms have evolved a lot over the past years. Personal computers were replaced by laptops, tablets then become phablets or smartphones. Some schools stopped using chalkboards and floppy disks, and started using digital screens, flash drives and cloud storage. And what more, we can now bring classrooms to the digital age.

Back to school? Say hello to a digitized classroom
Classrooms evolve into digital. Screengrab from Youtube

Citing Microsoft OneNote, it lets students download and study the notes provided by their teachers prior to class. As their teacher discusses the lesson that’s projected on the screen, they can edit and write their own notes right on their own copies. They can also manage their notes and tasks as OneNote carries with it a built-in to-do list feature, a camera and a recorder, productive tools a student can use for academic purposes.


In fact, some members of the Philippine academe already see the potential of having digitised classrooms with OneNote Class Notebook, an app for Office 365 that allows educators to set up personal workspaces for their students and also distribute their lesson materials, which their students can access anytime and anywhere, even offline.

“With OneNote, students will be extra-organized. Everything we need—notes, announcements, syllabus, handouts—can already be accessed through one device in just a few taps. Plus, there’s easy and sure connection with us and our professor,” says Daniella Montiel, a Mass Communication student at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Benedict Gracilla, an Accountancy student from Imus Institute adds, “There is no chance that Microsoft OneNote cannot help in one way or another both the students and instructors. It will benefit not just schools but also other firms who intend to adapt such great technology.”


In classrooms, devices such as Lumia 640 XL, can be used to replace their paper notebooks; while at home or somewhere, they can use the same device or more affordable phones to complete requirements for the next day. They can edit their work, and even ask for their teacher’s input.

 Lumia 640 XL on the go

Beulah Joy Lejano, Assistant Professorial Lecturer 1 at the De La Salle University-Dasmariñas—Communication and Journalism Department sees some of the practical applications of One Note: "outline lectures, record audio notes from conversations, and easily sketch away any presentation which is best for visual learners in school. OneNote makes it so much easier to manage your life.” she added.

Even parents who are sometimes hesitant of additional expenses for school see how promising digitisation of classrooms might become. Microsoft OneNote provides an avenue for them to engage their kids to conversations with their teachers while they are at home. Teachers can hear their students from home, and respond by typing their comments or recording their voices.

Since summer vacation is over and school soon reopens, it is good to know that there is now an option that may allow students and teachers to say goodbye to the struggle of decoding their notes or decluttering rooms full of stacks of paper. OneNote (www.onenote.com) can bring your classroom into the digital age without paying the hefty price tag.

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