Effective Student Engagement

Magazine

By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 29, 2012

Intelliclass allows schools to deliver educational concepts to students with greater ease

Sanjeev Bhasin
Managing Director

Company Name: Ceeco Technologies Pvt Ltd

General Manager
S C Rathi

Management Team
Puneet Sharma, Manager;
Anu Ghai, Manager

Address
C-105 Naraina Industrial Area,
Phase- I, New Delhi – 110028
Telephone: +91 -11-4765565
Email: contact@intelliclassonline.com

Website: intelliclassonline.com

Sales and after-sales support helpline: support@intelliclassonline.com

Contact Person for Clarification: Suresh Mishra, +91-11- 47655655

With a vast experience in innovative technology solutions, Ceeco’s Intelliclass has revolutionised teaching pedagogy and has brought back the joy of learning. The K-12 content modules have been carefully designed to enhance student engagement in the class and create an interactive and immersive environment. The high quality ELearn Hardware components increase educational effectiveness and ensure value-addition to the use of ICT in education. The ELearn product line is seamless, userfriendly and cost-effective. Intelliclass comprises of a strong team of experts in the field of technology and education. Moreover the highly trained technical team compliments it for effective training and support.

Product and Service

Multi Media/3D Content, AV Equipments, Interactive Whiteboards, Training Equipments. Intelliclass allow schools to deliver educational concepts to students with greater ease. The quality of educational content across all classes and subjects enables students to grasp the concepts and improve subject retention. The in-built features improve teacher student interaction -specially in the Kindergarten sections with large number of Animated Rhymes & Fun Activities.

Intelliclass has launched HOME GURU for the home segment. HOME GURU facilitates better understanding and retention in the students and give them a competent and interactive environment. A large number of students are already benefitting from this product. It is pre-loaded with educational content for one class, available for classes KG-XII covering all subjects. It can be used with any PC/Laptop (Windows 7 / XP / Vista)

Target Vertical(s):
K-12

The Key Challenges in ICT Integration with Education

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 29, 2012

Today everyone is talking about enhancing the scope of modern education through the use of ICT, but it is also true that ICT is by itself a quite recent phenomenon. Most of the landmark developments in ICT that we see around us have been popularised during the last five or ten years. Even something of as much proven value as the Interactive Whiteboards was relatively rare in our educational institutions till about five years ago.

We at digitalLEARNING know about the struggle that the education entrepreneurs had to wage for having their ICT solutions accepted by the broader education establishment. The magazine has been in print for last 8 years; 8 years ago, it was only the avant-garde thinkers and the intrepid entrepreneurs who could visualise the magnificent role that ICT could play in education. Now it is an established fact that ICTs greatly facilitate the acquisition and absorption of knowledge, offering developing countries like India unprecedented opportunities to enhance educational systems, and promote literacy in all sections of the society. However, it is not as if all the hurdles in the path of digital education have been overcome. For instance, when students are using the digital tools and the Internet to access educational material, they can be confused due to the multiplicity of resources from which they can gain information. So the role of teachers becomes important. It is teacher who can guide the student to the best possible repositories of education.

The current issue of digitalLEARNING is the Annual Resource Guide. The focus of this issue is to celebrate the rise of ICT in education space. We have endeavoured to cover entire array of ICT entrepreneurs who are playing a stellar role in the education space. You will find their profiles and learn about their key achievements. Any talk of ICT in education cannot be complete without having the opinion of the leaders of our schools and higher education institutions. We carry a range of interviews and write-ups that shed light on the progress and also the lack of progress in the implementation of ICT in education. The coverage of Ryan Group of Institutions might be of particular interest to you. We have covered this institution from different angles and we have managed to distil some amazing perspectives on education in general.

A key highlight of the issue is the exclusive interview with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit. The provisioning of quality education to all the youngsters in the nation’s capital is a key priority of the Sheila Dikshit government. She has presented a range of ideas through which her government is planning to make the concept of “education for all” a reality.

Let me also remind you that the eINDIA, India’s most prestigious ICT event, is scheduled for 15th and 16th November 2012 in Hyderabad. One of the key attractions of the event will be eINDIA education summit, where all the leading stakeholders in the education space will gather to discuss and debate the value proposition that ICT is bringing to the education space. You can even think of the Annual Resource Guide as a precursor to the prestigious eINDIA 2012 event. We hope to see you there rubbing shoulders and exchanging ideas with other thought leaders.

Dr. Ravi Gupta
Editor-in-Chief
Ravi.Gupta@elets.in

Indian varsities should draw inspiration from Nalanda: Lord Swraj Paul

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 28, 2012

Indian universities, which failed to make it to the top 200 World University Rankings, should draw inspiration from ancient academies like Nalanda to be recognised globally, says NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul.

Paul, an MIT alumnus and Chancellor of two British universities, said that his own experience in higher education suggests that the concept of community building brings significant benefits and results.

“Wherever possible I have encouraged and promoted this idea. In every instance there has been a radical improvement in the performance and ratings of the university concerned. This is not especially new thinking.

“It is present in the spirit of the ancient academies like Nalanda, which we are now trying to rebuild, and in the notion that education is Goddess Saraswati’s gift to India,” he said.

His comments came after no Indian university figured on the list of top 200 universities on the prestigious QS World University Rankings announced earlier this month.

America’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) grabbed the top slot from UK’s Cambridge University on the list of 700 universities that were ranked under the scheme.

Paul said the ranking criteria used to define the top 200 universities “could be a bit too harsh” on Indian institutions as many of them were doing well in their academic endeavors.

Examining the possible reasons for Indian institutions not figuring in the top 200 ranking, Paul said that they were under-funded.

“I believe, on average, higher education in India is substantially underfunded. We need to invest more money into advancing educational excellence and we need to encourage more endowments supported by private funds. This has begun in some areas but needs to be accelerated if it is to produce any visible results in the near future,” Paul said.

He emphasised the need to cultivate the concept of “community and inclusion” which, according to him, cuts across generations and gives alumni, faculty and students a sense of participation and joint endeavour.

Paul wondered whether Indian universities were too conscious of hierarchy and over-regulation? Is the division between state responsibilities and central responsibilities appropriate or too restrictive? Is the education in the states too politicised? Do quota systems promote or retard educational advancement?

“Our (Indian) students are unquestionably among the best and the brightest anywhere. The time is long overdue for our advanced education to have the same high ranking,” Paul, who graduated from MIT six decades ago and is the Chancellor of Wolverhampton and Westminster Universities, said.

Source: PTI

Unique e-learning formula by IT firm

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 28, 2012

Technopark-based educational technology research and development company Oztern on Tuesday launched a unique formula for effective e-learning.

The e-learning formula, developed by Oztern, has the right mix of study content, adaptive learning technology and user engagement with game play mechanics.

Oztern is introducing study packages for entrance test preparation for medical, engineering and chartered accountancy courses.

Other courses include foundation programmes for students in Classes 6-10, interactive learning programmes for students in Classes 1-5, English language programmes and employment coaching for competitive exams in government and banks.

The formula is designed to impart personalised learning by which it can assess and understand the individual student strength and weakness and with its innovative adaptive learning technology can deliver high quality content customised to meet a student’s specific needs.

Students do not need the Internet to study the content available in the gadget. These educational gadgets are powered by ‘Cloud Computing’ using normal USBs/tablets and computers.

The technology developed by Oztern continuously optimises learning for each individual student and instructs the content parts which the students are most ready to learn. As the student studies through a course, and regularly reassesses the student to ensure that topics learned are also understood.

Saiju V. Stella, CEO Oztern Technology said: “The coaching market in the country, worth US$12 billion, is mainly divided into three segments – private tuitions till Class 12, entrance test preparation and employment coaching.

“This market is expected to grow 12 percent every year but is highly fragmented and localised. With our new technology, we bring this fragmented sector under one umbrella and thus bring in a radical change in the existing educational learning experience,” said Stella.

The new technology engages students by incorporating gaming into the study programme. The system rewards the student’s achievements and motivates them to reach their study goals within the available time.

“Our game play mechanics helps them to build competitive spirit and confidence in their learning,” Stella added.

Source: IANS

Decline in employability of management graduates, says expert

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digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 28, 2012

The allure of Indian B-schools, barring the top 25, is fading and the employability of management graduates is on a decline, says an expert.

Recruitment avenues for management graduates are on a decline, considering the fact that the economy is growing at the lowest pace in nine years, besides the financial sector is also witnessing sluggish growth rate.

Moreover there are serious questions being asked about the quality of some B-schools (barring the top 25) and their pass outs.

“The number of management schools and engineering colleges in India is somewhere around 10,000 – 12,000 and there are serious questions about the employability of the graduates coming out of some of those institutions (barring the top 25),” IIT Delhi, professor and head (retd) Department of Management Studies, Rajat K Baisya said on the sidelines of an event organised by SkillTree.

In late nineties India’s management education sector saw a boom period as the number of business schools multiplied in no time. But this situation is starting to deflate as people are realising that expensive courses in these kind of schools would not guarantee them a well-paid job.

In the last five years however, the number of MBA seats in India has grown almost four fold — from 94,704 in 2006-07 to 3,52,571 in 2011-12 — resulting in a five-year compounded annual growth rate of 30 per cent, but their employability rates have fallen.

According to another expert who did not wish to be named new management colleges neither have proper infrastructure nor proper faculty and their quality of education is also not as per the requirements of the industry.

According to a recent MBAUniverse.com – MeriTrac employability study 2012, which covered 2,264 MBAs from 29 cities and 100 B-Schools, beyond the Top 25, only 21 per cent are employable.

The previous study of 2007 by MeriTrac had placed employability index at 25 per cent.

Source: PTI

HDFC Launches Credit Card For Teachers

News

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digitalLEARNING Network

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September 27, 2012

HDFC Bank launched India’s first credit card for teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. The Teachers’ credit card offers special features like multiple reward points, weekend bonanza points, petrol surcharge waiver and 500 teachers’ day special gift reward points credited annually on Teachers’ day. At the National launch of HDFC Bank Teachers’ Credit Card in Mumbai, Mr. Atul Barve, SVP & Regional Head, Branch Banking, HDFC Bank and Mr. Parag Rao, Sr. Executive Vice President, Business Head, Credit Cards & Merchant Acquiring Services, HDFC Bank handed over the first Teachers’ Credit Card to Mrs. M. Chandrashekhar, Principal, Bombay Scottish School.

As per the CSFB Report by KPMG Analysis, Education is one of the largest service sectors in India with a combined market size of more than 450 million students and growth rates of 10-15% expected over the next decade. The industry is also largely fragmented with over 95% held in the unorganized sector. Research indicates a huge demand supply mismatch, only corrected with an approximately investment of USD 100 billion by 2014. With the total market of education institutions expected to increase to Rs. 2,500 billion by the end of 2012; the education sector will have attractive margins.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Parag Rao said, “Education is a top priority for Indians and the Guru-Shishya parampara is held in high regard in the country. Like the doctor’s credit card that we launched recently, HDFC Bank’s Teachers’ Credit Card is a small token of appreciation towards lakhs of teachers across India who play a pivotal role in shaping the lives of millions of children. HDFC Bank believes in providing diversified products to an extensive customer base, which includes professionals like teachers, doctors, etc. We are adapting to industry specific needs, particularly sectors that haven’t been adequately tapped into.” HDFC Bank is the largest issuer of credit cards in the country with a customer base of 5.60 million as of March 31, 2012.

RBI Launches Quiz Competition For Schools

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digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 27, 2012

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched an all-India RBI inter-school quiz competition called RBIQ as an initiative to promote financial literacy at school level. The quiz will be conducted among students in of classes 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th. As this is the first year of the quiz, select schools located across the length and breadth of the country across all educational boards have been invited to participate.

The RBIQ strives to create an awareness and interest about the history and role of the RBI, banking and finance, economics, current affairs and personalities and events that have contributed to the growth and progress of India over the years. It is an effort to build a ‘connect’ between the RBI and the young students across the country and to disseminate financial literacy among them. The quiz seeks to recognise and encourage bright young students and provide a national platform for their talent.

The question format will be kept interesting so as to keep the participants and audience engaged and to make them keen to learn more about the topics covered. It will be conducted by Mr. Barry O’Brien, one of the leading quiz masters of the country and his frequent team-mate and co-host Mr. Ryan Shaw who will also help RBI research for the quiz.

After the elimination round in more than 30 cities, the zonal finals would be conducted in mid-November, 2012 and the national final would held at Mumbai in the third week of December 2012. The winners will be given attractive prizes at the hands of the Reserve Bank Governor. All participant students will be felicitated with participation certificates.

Foreign delegates visit Amity University

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 25, 2012

A delegation comprising of representatives from six foreign universities on Monday visited Amity University to explore potential areas of mutual collaboration with the Indian varsity.

The delegation of 10 members from the universities in USA, Canada and Australia was led by director of Indus Foundation (USA) and vice-president of Educomp, Mahesh Gandhi.

The members represented University of Hawaii, Hofstra University and Arkansas Tech University from USA, Mount Saint Vincent University from Canada, CQ University and Curtin University from Australia.

Source: PTI

Odisha prefers OJEE over NEET for medical entrance

Higher Education

By

digitalLEARNING Network

-

September 25, 2012

Odisha government on Monday said it prefers Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) for admission to under graduate courses in medical colleges to National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

“We prefer JEE to NEET as students of Odisha may not compete with others in national level. We require more Odia doctors as they will serve in rural pockets of the state,” said health and family welfare secretary P K Mohapatra.

Stating that the state faces shortage of doctors, he said there is no point in allowing students from other parts of the country to study under graduate course in medical colleges in the state.

“Once we accept NEET, the state would have to take outside students in medical colleges. It is not in the interest of the state,” Mohapatra said.

Health and family welfare minister Damodar Rout said the state has presently implemented a policy where the students are required to work in rural areas for certain period or pay penalty.

Also Read: NEET 2020: Students to upload live photos at the time of registration, read details

“Once the students come through All India Medical Examination route, the state may not be able to make it mandatory for students to accept rural posting,” he said.

The state’s problem of doctors scarcity could not be solved if the government allows NEET instead of the state- level JEE, he added.

Source: PTI

600 posts of instructors in ITIs to be filled: Punjab govt

By

digitalLEARNING Network

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September 25, 2012

The Punjab government will soon fill 665 vacant posts of instructors in ITIs across the state besides providing them requisite infrastructure to enable them to develop professional skills among the students.

Disclosing this here on Monday, Technical Education and Industrial Training minister Anil Joshi said that presently there were 111 government and 294 private ITIs in the state which are providing professional training to over 64,000 youth every year.

Joshi said that he has issued instructions to complete recruitment process in the most transparent manner.

The minister said that besides filling the vacant posts, the state government has also chalked out a plan to install the machinery with latest technologies.

He said that technical institutes have been told to weed out obsolete trades and focus on only those trades that were required by the industry and could assure placement to youth getting training there.

He said that the state government had already taken path breaking initiatives in the field of technical education for which they have established four multi-skill centres in the state.

Source: PTI

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