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Why Online Educational Platforms are the needed?

The Indian education system has undergone numerous significant changes over the past decades. Today the focus is more on providing practical knowledge applicable in real life scenario rather than making the students mug up the concepts, theories and definitions without actually knowing their meaning and implementation.

The one thing that has played a critical role in bringing about this drastic change is the advent of online courses or E-learning. However, most modern schools and other educational institution have adopted a method that combines traditional classroom teaching with various online programs to help enhance the knowledge and understanding of students.

Scope of the Online Learning Platforms in India

The online courses platforms in India have opened the door for number of opportunities to attain knowledge anywhere anytime with the boost in the scope of online education in India. Through this technical reform the interaction is enhanced, this aptly indicates how the introduction of this platform has been revolutionized.

According to a recent study in a global level online learning program, India has acquired second highest number of online courses enrolment. Thus, it proves to be a golden opportunity for many who want to be part of this race. This sector is expected to grow in future due to rapid growth in enrollment rates in such programs. Secondly, technological innovation is a helping hand for this sector to balance the supply and demand ecosystem. Digitalization has helped to improve the quality of education and has made it easy for both student and teacher to learn and teach as per their convenience. 

Some of the best Online educational Platforms are:

• YouTube: Vast number of videos are present on the platform. The youtubers like Khan Academy has changed the way topics were explained.
• Unacademy: The number of teachers giving classes on this platform has increased over the years. A student of any class can find the relevant teachers and start studying. The benefit of online educational platforms is that the choice is plenty.
• Udemy: For graduates and post graduates Udemy provides courses that covers vast subjects. The easy to use platform and various choices for teachers make it one of the best online learning platform.

Pros and Cons of the Online Education

Due to the inevitable hindrance, there has been a growing need of introducing online educational platform. Though traditional education system of brick and mortar still has its own significance, but, E-learning or an online course provides more convenience then the former. Where you only need availability of smart phone and a good speedy internet connection facility.

Pros of the Online Education

1. Online education or online courses are way much cheaper than offline mode of education.
2. It saves time of commuting, money we pay as fare and most importantly energy of students we invest to attend offline classes. By this we can effectively work more and allocate much time to pursue other activities. Thus, it is time and cost effective.
3. Learning has no age with the introduction of this platform where from a school student to adult person can study any suitable course. Even a far living person who does not have facilities like school/college/institutes and cannot come to cities can pursue education in order to achieve their goals. Thus, it proves to be efficient accessibility.
4. It allows women, downtrodden classes, and deprived people to achieve education and challenge the traditional ideologies and norms by breaking the barriers both geographically and socially.
5. It helps in imparting knowledge to physically disabled people. Those who cannot step outside due to any form of disability can open the doors of learning at home and can procure degrees, diplomas and build their career online courses effectively.
6. Online educational platforms offer more individual attention and you meet people from diverse culture.
7. Online courses impart you real world skills with top class educator.
8. Online courses have so many features to help each and every student whether it is queries or doubt. There is a feature of chat room, comment facility, e-mail etc to facilitate effortless learning.

Cons of the Online Education

1. Lack of social interaction - social interaction is necessary to build a healthy social life and with online learning we have to forgo the opportunity to socialize.
2. The digital divide – the major challenge in virtual learning is disparity in access to electricity, internet connection and lack of Smartphone’s and computers is very vast. Many people do not have access to required device and internet connection especially in rural India.
3. Smartphone & other devices – both mobile and computer are preferable for attending lectures. But only 25-30% Indian owns a Smartphone which supports the application of virtual learning. Only 11-15% of household possess any type of computer, tablets, palmtop etc.
4. Access to internet –India where access to the internet is pitifully low, the access to internet facility is only confined to 27% of Indian household. While 66% of India’s population lives in villages, only a little over 23% of rural households have access to internet connection. For urban household the proportion is 42%.
5. Among the poorest 20% households, only 2.7% have access to a computer and 8.9% to internet connection. In case of the top 20% households, the proportions to have access to a computer 27.6% and 50.5% to access internet connection.
6. Online courses are easier to procrastinate and it becomes burden if you do not learn simultaneously. These courses give you more freedom, perhaps more than you can handle.
7. Online courses require good time management skills.
8. A conductive environment for study is necessary. While 37% of households in India have one dwelling room.
9. Online courses do not have an instructor hounding, to keep you motivated and focused towards your study.
10. It can make children addict of technology and excess use of technology can impact the mind & health of young adults.

Technology is the way ahead

There has been a significant shift from thinking digital to being digital and it has probably blessed us with many advantages to internet-based courses, but we need to be more developed to accelerate the pace of online learning. There are several steps required to revamp the existing structure of online learning.

Also, what is need is to devise a quality benchmark for education. Urban, rural and underserved hinterlands should be provided equal platform to serve growth in overall development of educational structure. This sector will surely grow in near future due to many factors associated with it. Government should also encourage startups to come up with new ideas and start their business in this growing sector.

Current affairs along with general knowledge are an integral part of any government or competitive exams. Now a days it holds a significant weightage in any exam. It has such a limitless syllabus that even when you study it daily, you would not be able to complete it thoroughly. Since it is a vast subject and you have to indulge in other subjects as well so you cannot excel at it unless you have thirst to know more.

It is an independent section and students try to cover general knowledge from various sites and use multiple resources. As a result, they end up getting confused because it has wide range of topics which can overlap. Although there are number of magazines, apps, books and newspaper that can add value to government examination.

Recent examinations analysis of SSC, UPSC and Railway Banking Exams shows that the numbers of questions from the current affairs are increasing every year. In UPSC CSE exam, even the general knowledge questions from History and Polity are based on the current events that took place in the last year.

Also, in SSC the current affairs question can be asked from any event, national or international, that took place in the last six months. This explains the importance of the current affairs for the government examinations.

Hence, here are some tips to equip you for current affairs for competitive exams:

Books: Books are the widely used and reliable source for preparing current affair. There are a lot of books available universally online, offline, shopping portals.

Magazines: Magazines have become a trusted source of G.K and current affairs for a very long time. It keeps track on the most of the events happening around the world. Some of them are, topper success review, discuss about interview, group discussion, personal interview post exam, Some magazines also use provide the study material, like geography of India, constitution of India, economy and politics. It is available bi-lingual to reach maximum number of students.

Apps & Websites: Websites & apps are widely available as now everyone has access to internet and there are various applications which provide 10-20 summarized bi-lingual current affair for quick read. It improves the knowledge. Besides, also watch news channel regularly because it is easy to remember events through visuals.

Quizzes: Quizzes are also effective in remembering current affair. Time quiz section that test student is another key to learn things as hundreds of new things happen every day.

Newspaper: Newspaper is the best source to prepare for any exam as it covers everything on day to day basis. Regular reading makes you effective reader which will help you in exam and you will be aware of each and every aspect. It will give in depth knowledge of political, national, business, sports, regional and international happenings. Some of the best newspapers are The Hindu, Indian express, and others. It not only helps you to stay up to date but improves your English, vocabulary, reading & understanding skills.

International organizations: World’s major economic organizations like IMF, WTO, WB, IMO are important with exam point of view you must know their functioning, structure. Major political global groups like UN regional groups ASEAN, SAARC. You are expected to prepare about their headquarters, chairperson or any other major reform/event that took place.

YouTube: It has become the most favorite spot to gain knowledge. Any topic can be easily found & helps you immensely to revise current affairs and for the last-minute preparation, you just need to find a best channel for you to learn from videos and tutorial. Also give online mock test to test how much you know and make note of new points it is very essential as you cannot waste time by searching and reading it again and again.

Important topics that need to be covered for general knowledge are:

Recent scientific and technical innovation

Core subjects like polity, geography, economics, and history

Economic / business related issues

National and international social political issues

Environmental and ecological issues

Sports and films affairs

Regulatory body information

“The blend of hard work and time management makes a perfect solution for cracking any exam”.

Log on to the Best Educational Websites in India to explore more about government examinations

https://www.unoreads.com/examinations

India, with a population of over 135 crore people sees around 30 lac students graduating every year. A lot of these students coming from different backgrounds wish to get selected in government jobs therefore the competition today is no piece of cake for a person to take successfully.

Today, you’ll be learning some useful tips that you must apply before appearing for a government exam. Before getting started, always do remember that neither there is any magic potion in the world to clear any exam nor any thumb rule that will grant you success. You will have to attempt with all your strength and some useful tips and suggestions. Let’s get started-

1. Know what you’re getting into- Before you learn how to start and when to start, you must know what you’re preparing for. When you’re studying or done studying, you need to decide what kind of job and profile suits you and accordingly you should prepare for such jobs only. Never be such a person who applies for any job any profile and ends up getting nothing. So make up your mind and let the battle begin!

2. Be an early bird- The time doesn’t favor those people who keep sleeping while they have time and then wake up suddenly someday. In a tough competition like today’s you need to start early than the others. Make up your mind if you’re still studying and if you are someone who has already missed the opportunity of being an early bird, you need to manage you remaining time so effectively.

3. Choice of study material- Whenever you’re preparing for a subject, use any ‘one’ book as your base book to clear your concepts. Never lay down your hands on hundredths of books that you cannot revise again and again.

4. Take suggestions but don’t copy- We see a lot of aspirants following toppers and speakers to make their strategy. It is good to learn from others but you should never copy their way of preparation. Every person is different and all have different capacity to learn, someone’s strategy can never be your strategy. Always make your own study plan and write your answers in your own style.

5. Be a tech-savvy- The technology today offers a lot more than one can digest therefore apart from offline sources; always make use of online sources that are available over the web. Go through the latest information offered by many online learning websites.

6. Never miss current affairs- The concept of asking questions from current affairs has emerged over the past few years in almost every exam. Always be updated and do not miss any important event. You may use newspapers, magazines and online websites for you current affairs preparation.

7. Always go in depth of subject- This step is very crucial in terms of selection. You must have in-depth knowledge of your subjects and should know how and when to apply this knowledge. Make notes of what you learn and keep revising it time to time.

8. Solve past year papers- Do not; I repeat do not appear for any examination without solving past year papers. It helps you to know that how well you know the subject, it helps in time management and more importantly, some questions are repeated every year. So always give mocks and solve previous papers.

9. Be consistent- If you study 14 hours for one day, and then do not study for upcoming 2-3 days or study less, stop this immediately. Keep a consistency, even if you give 2 hours a day, give those 2 hours everyday.

10. Stay fit mentally and physically- This is something that nobody generally talks about, but as the time runs, you need to stay healthy, both with your mind and your body. Focus on your mental health, because if you’re not fit you cannot perform well in any examination.

            Hope this helps. All the best!

Introduction

In today’s time, it is unimaginable to live without electronic devices even for a day. And if you are a student then the mobile and smart phones are indispensable part of your lifestyle.

In 21^st century, you cannot completely rely on books and offline study material for your preparation. The competition is so tough, that to stay ahead of your competitors you need to get knowledge from as many as sources possible. There are many UPSC online classes that provide free up-to-date content. Though most of the online learning platforms provide paid material, but few free online classes for UPSC or SSC or other government can also be found on internet.

There are many apps that provide online exam preparation along with online test series. These apps are well developed, structured and knowledgeable as per your likes. Today we will learn about top 5 mobile applications, which will help you to prepare online for examination.

Mobile Apps

1. Gradeup App- This application is a free online exam preparation application which provides free material for many exams such as- MBA, SSC CGL, UPSC, ISRO, GATE, BARC, SS JE, TET, NEET and IBPS in both English and Hindi language. This application contains many sections like mock tests and GK updates which are very important when it comes to online preparation of examination. This application provides both mock tests like UPSC test series, SSC test series and solved question papers along with it, so that the students are able to practice much better. Apart from this, they provide current affairs too. There are teachers and experts out there on the application, who help you with all the doubts. There is material for examinations, free of cost. Not only this, this app provides examination updates and events on the mobile to you.
2. Adda 247- This application is developed by Bankers Adda team, primary for online banking examinations. However, this application now has many examinations in it. With a very interactive interface, this application has many features like- Current Affairs, Study Materials, Quizzes, Magazines, exam- Related Activities, and Leaning Videos. All the study material available is in both English and Hindi. The subjects are very comprehensively subject. Along with that, it provides online test series for thorough online examination preparation.
3. GK & Current Affairs App- This application is focused on enhancing general knowledge. Current affairs are very important in every examination in every examination in this country. This application also publishes blogs which updates you about everything happening. This app also has GK quizzes and it has a section where you can submit your queries. Every national/international/local news gets updated on this application.
4. Math Tricks- To all the people, who are preparing for mathematics and quantitative attitude for every examination, this application is like a boon for you. It speeds up your calculation and improves math skills. This application is like an online game. It has five options- single game, multiplayer game, joint game, training mode and by heart. All the modes comprise of many challenges. In a nutshell, it brings mathematics and games together and makes it interesting for you.
5. Unacademy- This application is growing day and night in this country. The reason is that this application contains lecture videos for every topic. There are plenty of teachers there which help you to clear your concepts and get proper knowledge of a subject and its grey areas. It is one of the best sources for online classes for UPSC, SSC or other examinations.

Conclusion

Confining yourselves to only books and conventional studies, will certainly do no harm but if you would extend your limits upto online study material and mobile applications will surely benefit you. These sources have all the knowledge you need with all the possible updates for online exam preparation, and it can bring you at a higher pace than your competitors. And most of these sources are free to use, so why not use them as to their best capability. These applications provide you the required knowledge at any time of the day; you have no limitations of the time.