Sustainability
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
Taking a pie from the above said Chinese Quote, if we ourselves start implementing sustainable methodologies at our day-day level and then at family, community, city, state levels one can see the change and its impact in long run. HereSustainability mean every thing like Environment, Health, Education, economic etc that which has social dimensions. I feel one should take always keep in their mind to SEE (Social, Environment, Economic).
SEE can be defined as Social conditions are directly proportional to Environmental conditions which are further directly proportional to Economic situation of any place or society as a whole. The seed of all problems here is Social Conditions, if we can bring change to this, the impact will be on a whole SEE. To change the social conditions the tool could be self sustainable solution.
Self sustainable thoughts should germinate among the youth- the enthusiastic gen next, as this fraternity is going to lead in coming days. Cluster wise implementations should happen leading to a possible full fledged solution. If all the above happens, no wonder within 10 to 20 years we can see Self Sustainable world.
LearnBoost – All in one Solution for Teachers
LearnBoost’s free all-in-one solution allows teachers to manage their classroom by offering an amazing grade book, software for managing and creating lesson plans, tracking attendance, maintaining schedules, integrating Google Apps including calendars, tagging of Common Core Standards, and more to go.
LearnBoost Features
- Access all LearnBoost features for free
- Integrate Google applications including Google Calendars and Gmail
- Manage lesson plans quickly in one location
- Invite others to join LearnBoost through Facebook, Twitter or email
- Translate text into more than 70 different languages
- Lesson plan building etc.
Price is definitely one of the big benefits of using LearnBoost. Anyone can create an account for free. The site does not require any subscription fees or other charges for setting up an account. Even the account registration form asks for very little information and immediately gives the user access to their account.
Suggested for School Teachers, Parents. Affordable and useful which enhances education and methodology to reach students.
Social Media Networking Apps: e-Learning Series
Education needs social media intervention in order to explore ways towards providing learning breaking barriers.
I have gone through very interesting site yesterday by name “Edmodo” which creates free online tools for the education community, for Schools, Teachers, Students, and parents for use in classroom. It is a social learning network for teachers, students, schools and districts. Provides free classroom communication for teachers, students and administrators on a secure social network. It allows the education community to share classroom materials, links , grades, calendar and notices. It even shares all digital content, blogs, pictures, videos, presentations etc. The interesting aspect is that, it is accessible online or by using any mobile device, including Android and i Phones.
Edmodo webpage
I felt like, we have many resources which we can utilize at certain and required levels, but the education community is yet to open its wings in order utilize this simple applications which really helps the teaching and student community providing way for shared knowledge, as many times i say, Knowledge when not shared, it is mere waste.
Knowledge Networking really gonna be the 21st century buzzword which is the next level of Social Media Networking, as far as i feel till date 
Wait for the next Social Media App
Social Media Networking Apps: e-Learning Series
Social media networking is the process of interacting with many individuals through the specific social media tool or community. Social media networking is used for many purposes, starting from product development to selling, ad designing , enhancement, customer care etc. A thought crept into my mind, what could be the number of social media networks existing, i started browsing pages through the help of mother(Google) to identify the children(Social Media Networking web links) and its uncountable, out of which i have segregated each and started reviewing one by one. Here comes the first series starting from E-Learning Tools.
Webpage of Schoology
Schoology(https://www.schoology.com) provides an enterprise level learning management system along with social network. Instructors and students can easily create, share, and manage academic material through a social networking interface, integration of learning management tools into a social environment, Schoology provides a means for teachers, students, parents, and administrators to seamlessly communicate and collaborate on academic issues. API feature is yet to be released, add-on features makes tempts any end user, This sort of application can be used in much better way in Engineering & Management colleges adding some more features like game networking, expert advice, project sharing, project title data base, summer internship etc. This application mostly focuses on school needs , a complete package for student, management, parent. The missing part is little bit ERP, which enhances the value and credibility of application to a higher level.
Watch this space for next post
ICT based Teacher Training
Change is to be accepted, As we are marching towards 21st century carrying Information, Communication, Technology as buzz words with us. One can see rapid transformation in the methodologies of teaching. Today children are getting lot of exposure towards learning new things and lots of questions from their little minds. A question to all of us – Are we ready to face those questions ?
The answer may be Yes or No ! But we should be able to answer atleast few questions, as we would guide them upto certain level. Hence it came in my mind, Teachers and parents need to have ICT based training.
ICT based Training means, usage of Technology and its support to teachers. Along with the Teacher training curriculam one needs to under go training with regards to usage of PC, Digital boards, etc. We can also add concept mapping based education in order to encourage the teacher to train the student in a problem solving orientation and inquiry based education, this would lead to creative and innovative thinking both from the teacher and student mindset.
Teach the Teacher
Each level is categorized with different methods of learning and a collaborative approach would really hel teachers to sustain themselves in a Learn – Un Learn – Re Learn atmosphere.
Learning is part, but implementing effectively is a process where Un learning takes place and innovation arises, this is where every teacher need to concentrate and this would really be helpful for a better student upliftment.
Future – ICT in Education sector
Use of ICT in the education sector, though recent, has picked up fast.
Computer has bought the revolution in the field of education exploring and expanding towards new extremes. Thanks to Social Networking which added pepper to give it a perfect blend. Previously cable television was the medium for expanding the education, coaching classes set up dedicated channels for distance learning. Then VSAT technology extended this to remote regions. Now it is digital television with service providers beaming educational programs for school children into homes and schools. That’s where ICT comes into picture.
We have been witnessing lots of radical changes and fast paced growth in education sector all over the world supported by factors like:
- Digital / Technological Revolution
- Social Networking
- Telecom Coverage
- Hardware Penetration (Laptops, PC etc)
So far we haven’t used much of these Upto satisfactory levels! Infact if we question ourselves, is education reaching all?
It had just begun; we started identifying Information Communication Technology as a medium. Using of technology for delivering has started in most of the developing countries, this would be a good sign, as in developed countries opportunities for education are little ahead.
Availability of prospective and transformative education system is considered to be a crucial factor for the development of human resources for any country, ensuring that fruits of economic growth reach the masses and the development is sustained. The thrust of global economies to emerge as the knowledge economy has also reinforced education as the key economic and business driver.
Here I would like to give you a glimpse of Education how it got transformed into present state.
Traditional refers to pre-industrial and post-agricultural society that was based on linear, task-oriented relationships. The role of the corresponding regime was to create followers of the traditional family based systematic processes.
Education 1.0 refers to post-industrial society that is been driven by glocal and the little impact of Computers. In this paradigm, technology has been entered in the last stages and it has been used as a medium in developed nations for delivering purpose.
Education 2.0 refers to present technological/digital society driven by globalizing thought process and a collaborative approach with ICT as medium of tool in building and transforming the education system. Thanks to social networking, information is no longer as important as the knowledge that’s created as we interpret information and create meaning. Increasingly, people are becoming more valued for their personal knowledge rather than their ability to perform tasks. Moreover, rapidly evolving information and communications technologies allow us to socially construct knowledge in new ways (i.e., social networking tools). The role of Education 2.0 is to develop our talents to compete in a global market with new social relationships, and where we are able to leverage our knowledge.
Education 3.0 refers to the emerging innovation based knowledge society which is not quite here, yet. This is a society that is driven by accelerating change, universalized relationships, and fueled by knowledge networking. In an era of accelerating change, the amount of information available doubles at an increasing rate, and the half-life of useful knowledge decreases exponentially. This requires innovative thinking and action by all members of society. Social Learning takes over Social Networking.
Challenges
Those thinking about tapping the opportunities in the education sector should also take note of the typical challenges. It’s not as simple as installing a PC and running a CBT (Computer Based Training) package. “There are many challenges when setting up projects at each level. One challenge is the consistency in the way teaching is done. The second challenge is that, small schools & colleges with limited staff. The teacher plays multiple roles—as a teacher, administrator, principal and one who is highly respected at the local community level. So the challenge lies in consistency in the delivery of education and also in evaluation. In that context digital technology gives you the ability to bring about a standard in the delivery of education.” Language and contextualization is one of the bigger challenges. “The teachers and students should be able to relate to the content, rather than just mug it up.”
ICT can certainly help in disseminating educational content, and facilitate remote learning. It can overcome challenges like teacher shortage and student dropout—and bridge the digital divide.
Gurukul Education Vs School
Human brain tends to change and synchronizes itself according to circumstances. I have seen this when iam exploring myself at “Kala Ashram”. A place where i met many intellectuals with different thoughts and ideologies along with different set of religions, age group etc. People meet here to learn, engage and share. Guruji shares his experiences in the past, how system used to be and how it used to work etc. Learning comes when we have something in our brain which is eating to explore.
Here i have seen a different world which may be a replica of once upon a time in India. The system is set in such a way, one who visits will feel like he is in some Gurukul.
I don’t know whether we do have similar places any where in India, but in a life time i have experienced it. We shared various views related to the Systems that used to be existed in India, different types of rulings, starting from colonial rule to present system. One realizes what we used to be and what we have lost in life due to modernization and liberalization of course even though it bought development, but still it exploited the culture and customs prevailing according to our Indian System or ecology. So many customs, culture are getting extinct due to present day chaos. Can we get rid of this ? Can we safe guard ourselves ? Can we identify solution ?
Since few days i was reading in many news papers, magazines and Internet articles about Indian Education opened new vistas by allowing foreign universities to set up their campuses within India. I was in a dilemma are we lost some where ?
The concept of School came in the minds of British only after seeing the Gurukul System in India, It is our Vedas gave solutions and thought process for scientific innovation and development, and today we are in a state of extinct.
I accept that foreign universities like Harvard’s, MIT, Yale, CMU etc had lot of intellectual capital and research base, but in my opinion these universities should have collaboration campuses with Universities and affiliated or extension campuses with private colleges. This would bring exchange of knowledge and even development of the Education considering world as global village.
Here i would like to add some information with regards to the various educations systems that used to exist in Indian system, we used to have Pottery, Painting, Clay toys, Bamboo toys, music etc. these are not treated as a course list in any education institute ( Music & Dance is exceptional). These used to be learnt by the traditional family persons and those were exploited in Industrial revolution, now we could not even see a person who knew those. Pre-British our education system was totally different, infact Britishers could break the Indian jinx and could rule us for 150 years only after disturbing our Indian Education system.
I would share few snaps with regards to “Kala Ashram” where i could see some Gurukul is still prevailing in India.
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