Students of Dayanand Public School take lessons in their virtual classroom on Wednesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

P. Asha Rani, a Class XII student of Dayanand Public School in Jamshedpur, knows the next time she misses a day at school, catching up will be as easy as a click.

In a couple of weeks, Asha and other students of the cradle can enter virtual classrooms, the first such initiative in Jharkhand.

The school, in a tie-up with Ahmedabad-based education company Iken, will help students go online on a Facebook-like social networking site to discuss academics with peers and faculty.

Set up at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh, www.dayanandjamshedpur.iken.in is like any social networking site, but with a strict academic purpose. Right now, each student, from nursery to Class XII, has started getting an ID and password to enter the virtual classroom.

The advantages? Uploading and downloading home and class assignments and PowerPoint presentations, sharing project work, online testing and queries on subjects.

“We’re happy to be among the first Indian schools to start a virtual classroom. Emerging trends in technology have made it an imperative. We’ve started experimentally, hoping that it helps students to be on a par with global counterparts and better their results,” said principal Swarna Mishra.

For students, used to calling up friends or chatting online to catch up with what went on in school in their absence, a virtual classroom spells excitement.

“Yes, we are on Facebook. But for sharing matters based on academics, this is unique. We can also upload our PowerPoint presentations and assignments and put queries on the site for others to answer. We won’t miss what’s happening in class even if we are ill or on a vacation and haven’t gone to school,” said Shraddha Sen, a Class XII commerce student.

The cradle, however, has issued strict guidelines to prevent students from misusing the facility. Student IDs and passwords will be monitored and chat facility blocked. Parents of younger students will help them access the Internet.

It’s good news for parents, who can keep track of what’s happening in school, though it means extra work for teachers, who have to upload the day’s activities on the website.

“For teachers, it’s more work, but interesting. For students and parents, it’s win-win all the way,” said Mishra.

Will virtual classrooms help students get better grades?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com