News: K-12 2012

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April 7, 2012

CBSE Students Get Option to Switch to ISC schools

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has issued a circular whch will let Class 10th CBSE students who appeared for the school based-exam this year to apply to Class 11 in Indian Secondary Certificate (ISC) schools. This is the second year that Class 10th CBSE students could choose between boards and school-based exams. Last year, the CISCE said it would not allow students who took the school-based exam to apply to ISC schools, but retracted its decision in July. This year, they have informed schools well in advance.

All ISC schools received the circular a day after the CISCE took the decision.

AIPMT Admit Cards Go OnlineAll India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Test 2012, conducted by CBSE, has made admit cards available online for students appearing for the tests. This year admit
cards will only be available online and won’t be dispatched by post as was the practice during previous years.CBSE has uploaded all admit cards on its website and students are being asked to download and retain them till seat allocation is done at the exam centre. According to Controller of examination (COE), students can rectify mistakes on their admit card till March 23.

CBSE to Add New Courses

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is going to revamp its curriculum with new courses and innovations in Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). There will be new courses such as retail, logistics and fitness and gym. Of these fitness and gym will be introduced in the next academic year.

The school projects will be more syllabus-oriented and done in classroom. So, parents will be freed of project work, and there will be no need to purchase study materials. Teachers should integrate the project with the curriculum in such a way that many subjects are involved.

Students will be guided through skill training for which teachers will be coached and parent advocacy chosen to act as bridge between the Board and the school.

Madras HC stays Govt Order on formation of School Management Committees

The Madras High Court has stayed the operation of a Government Order issued by the School Education Department on December 26, insisting that all aided schools in Tamil Nadu constitute School Management Committees (SMC) for planning, monitoring and implementing the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.

Justice V Dhanapalan granted the interim stay on a writ petition filed by Rehamania Higher Secondary School, represented by its manager and correspondent S.S. Hassan Aboobacker, at Melapalayam in Tirunelveli district.

The school claimed that the exclusion of school management from the SMC amounted to interfering with the right of minorities to administer educational institutions.

CBSE Schools in Chandigarh to Introduce Mass Media Course

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is all set to start mass media as one of elective subjects in Class XI and XII, in the new academic session in Chandigarh.

The course has already been introduced in Delhi and Mumbai last year. The syllabus for the subject will remain the same for students in Chandigarh schools. It is currently available on CBSE’s website. As per the Board’s framework, the students will primarily be trained in creative writing and basic communication skills. In addition, the students will also be encouraged to bring out newsletters.The Board has directed all the 61 CBSE-affiliated senior secondary schools in the city to register for introducing the course in Class XI from this year.

CBSE exam Answer Sheets made Available to Students

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students can now on apply to get a photocopy of their answer sheets after their board results (classes X and XII) are out. Following a Supreme Court order in August 2011, students appearing in an examination have a right to view their answer sheets if they want to. Students will receive photocopies of their answer sheets as per the request within 15 days of submitting their application forms. Students can also continue to avail of the marks verification facility.

Projecting Interactivity

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

Interactive Projectors are gaining momentum in the Indian market, but the penetration of Interactive Whiteboards is still very low among schools and higher education institutes in India in comparison to the west. It is expected that the Interactive Projector market could surpass the Interactive Whiteboards in time to come

By Pragya Gupta, Elets News Network(ENN)

Interactivity has become a most crucial part of teaching-learning in classrooms; the technology has proved its potential with improved outcomes. With the advent of technology, the simple blackboard with chalk and talk method has been converted into a whiteboard with interactive methods of teaching. Technology has shifted and brought new products for better output and to make the processes convenient. Interactive whiteboard is one of those technologies, which has almost shifted the way teaching has been done so far. It has brought new meaning to interactivity from complex set of hardware to the simpler one. The new shift can be seen in the interactive classroom is an interactive projector. Interactive whiteboard has always been supported by a projector as device to project the content. But projector of today has now taken a major turnaround by imbibing interactive features into it.

Interactive Projectors-What and Why

The interactive projectors can turn any screen or surface into an interactive medium, and this is the reason behind the popularity of the system. Interactive projectors also provide the freedom from hassles of buying multiple products to make the experience interactive. Capable of projected on any screen, the device facilitates interactivity required for the classroom.

The complaint of shadow has always been associated with traditional projectors due to the fact that teacher is liable to often step between a board and projector. But as the interactive projectors project their image on the whiteboard surface from a very short distance, no shadowing exists. The entire area under projection area is the interactive area. Educators and students can interact with the whiteboard surface using a pen, and software. Like IWB, calibration is required with Interactive projectors also. However, it offers the benefit at cost effective price.

Technology and Learner Centric Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

Ananya S Guha
IIVET, Shillong

Innovative and optimum integration of technology can lead to more effective dissemination of knowledge

As an educational professional my greatest regret is that very little technology is being used for education today. In fact, for a long time it is only the chalk and talk that have dominated our system of education. But most students find it boring, much to the chagrin of their teachers. The teacher had a veritable image of the omniscient author.

When I was a student, there was hardly any attempt to take teaching out of the classroom. Once I remember one of my classmates requesting the teacher to take classes outside, in the lawns. The teacher replied: ‘Let me get used to the idea!’ This shows that teachers did not want any change, nor were they capable of innovation.

It was just plain class room talking, and no multitasking such as using different patterns, like quiz, discussion or debate. One such opportunity to implement these ideas could have been in the boring Moral Science lessons. I never learnt why a moral was a science and how science was a moral! Here I recollect how a teacher, when I was a student in St. Edmund’s School, Shillong, used the tape recorder or the music system by making us listen to recorded versions of a text. He was surely a progenitor of Distance and Open Education. New technologies such as overhead projectors devices were hardly used profitably.

They were used only in seminars where a gloating author would wax eloquent about his masterpiece – the paper that he wrote. All this time, the radio was a repository of not only entertainment, but also of education. But the school broadcasts, that is radio lessons meant for school children were invariably aired at a time when the students were in the class rooms. No one had the gumption to think that these lessons could have been broadcast when the students were in their homes, or not in the class rooms. So the hapless students had to fall back upon the Binaca Geetmala for entertainment. The point that I am trying to make is that creative and innovative use of technology is entertainment, a mix of education and entertainment. It is what we call ‘edutainment’ today.

Then came the UGC lectures, telecast by Doordarshan; more often than not, they were simulations of classroom lectures. They were not creative expressions of out of the box thinking. They were vapid lectures delivered by renowned people. Technology was being wasted. Thanks to the Open University System, however, pedagogy became more filtered and usable. The combination of the radio, the television, and the computer has been of great use for the adult learner, but in conventional education there must be a more systemic use of the same via emails, chat, Skype etc. Even social networking sites can be a worthy method, but unfortunately, both the young and the old tend to use them casually. My plea is that technology can be an important educational tool. The more we use it, the more are we on the path of demystifying education.

Incorporation of latest technological tools in education is the need of the hour. New technology can be used to further the goals of education from school onwards to higher education. There has to be investments in education with the aim of providing best possible resources to the learner. Further, interactive discussion boards, group interaction, giving responses individually make the entire experience of education, exciting and learner centred, as opposed to a teacher centric form of pedagogy.

While technology in the form of the LCD Projector etc is being used in the classroom, there must be more judicious combination of online and offline technologies so that the education being offered in the classroom situation is more pleasurable and holistic. The ramifications are there to see – there is a multiplicity, divergence and convergence of ‘class room’ pedagogy.

Investing in Education

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

There has been a paradigm shift in education sector in India. Once the sector was viewed largely as a charitable or philanthropic activity, it has since metamorphosed into an ‘industry’ in its own right

By Anoop Verma, Elets News Network

The education sector in India has been garnering lot of attention lately, lot of solutions are being pitched as the proverbial silver bullet that will lead to seminal improvements in the system. The government has come up with many new initiatives like the Right to Education Act and the idea of empowering every student with low cost tablet, called Aakash. Over the last few years, the private sector has started playing an increasingly important role in creation of education infrastructure. Many of the government’s initiatives in education are being carried forward through the Pubilc Private Partnership (PPP )route.

Sanket Deshpande
Associate Vice President, Fortress Financial Services Limited

“After initial big bang investments, the investors have turned very choosy. The last financial year saw some follow up investments and some new investments in companies which have size. The main reason for this scenario is that the investee companies have not performed to the expectations of investors; or to put it in a right way investors got on the wrong foot with the whole theory around education being the recession proof industry”

The complexities of investing in education

A report released by consulting firm Technopak states that the private education sector is estimated to reach US$ 70 billion by 2013 and US$ 115 billion by 2018. Technopak sees enrolments in K-12 growing to 351 million, requiring an additional 34 million seats by 2018. This equals US$ 80 billion at US$ 2400 a seat. Private education companies like Aptech are aiming to become India’s largest global education company.

Ninad Karpe, CEO and MD, Aptech says, “We do have strong ambitions to become India’s largest global education company and have footprints outside India. We are looking at all the emerging economies. Not much capital will be required there because we do follow a model of joint venture in large countries. Most of the content is already done here, so we will require some money, but not large amount for expansion.”

Aptech has entered into an alliance with Microsoft, and during the next three years, the company plans to touch around 150,000 students. In India there clearly exists a huge demand-supply gap in the field of quality education. This mismatch in demand and supply clearly poses as an opportunity for national and international investors. But as education is a tightly regulated sector, entrepreneurs have to follow some thumb rules before they start investing their money.

Kapil Khandelwal
Director and Co Promoter, Makven Capital Private Limited

“There is no issue for private sector participation through philanthropy. However, taxation policy needs to be articulated in other cases where generation of surpluses with profiteering as a motive to ensure entry barriers for private sector operators with a short-term profit orientation. Similarly higher and regressive tax regime for the first seven years needs to be introduced to check profiteering in education sector”

Regulatory Issues

“Regulation is the key inhibitor of growth and investments in education sector in India. The Government needs to deregulate education sector. Education, covered by the ‘Concurrent List’ of the Indian Constitution, is regulated at both the Central and State Government levels. Regulation differs, sometimes radically, from state to state,” says Kapil Khandelwal, Director and Co Promoter, Makven Capital Private Limited.

“Government has taken various initiatives so as to encourage direct and indirect initiatives in the education segment. Be it schemes like ICT in Schools, SSA or RMSA or the recent example of setting up of NSDC. Most investors are wishing for government to make the sector regulation free, but that might not be possible as the central government has a really large mandate,” Sanket Deshpande, Associate Vice President, Fortress Financial Services Ltd, says.

However, despite the regulatory hurdles, the lack of exit routes and a shortage of management and faculty talent that are hampering investment in this space, investments in the education sector continue to witness growth. The big ticket investments in education space include PremjiInvest’s $43 million investment in Manipal Education and India Equity Partners’ $37 million investment in IL&FS Education and Technology Services.

Roy Mathew, Senior Vice President / Business Head – e-Governance, IL&FS ETS Ltd, says, “Education is a prime focus for IL&FS Education & Technology services. Through our education services, we are redefining teaching and recreating learning. The company is engaged in developing solutions for comprehensive learning for a wide spectrum of audiences ranging from children in schools to teachers, adults and corporate.”

Challenge on the Higher Education Front

The recently released India Labour Report by TeamLease Services Private Ltd says, “India’s current higher education system is a bottleneck, as 1 million people join the labour force every month for the next twenty years without adequate training. 80 percent of India’s higher education system of 2030 is yet to be built and needs breaking the difficult trinity of cost, quality and scale. It needs massive innovation, investment, deregulation and competition.”

The truth is that despite enrolment growing from 2 lakh in 1947 to 1.6 crore in 2012, India still lags behind its international counterparts when it comes to education. The gross enrolment ratio in education for India is a mere 11 percent, which is half of the world average. The ratio for developed countries stands at 54 percent. The problems in India gets compounded by the fact that there is an uneven spread of higher education. Some states have as many as 20 universities, while others have only one.

Sishu Griha Montessori & High School, Bangalore

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

www.sishugriha.in

Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) were adopted by the School in 2009-10. Currently, 31 classrooms have deployed IWBs. In an interaction with the School Principal, Sujatha Mohandas, we find out the impact of IWBs on teaching and learning at the School

What is the impact of IWBs on teaching learning process? Has it helped in increasing student engagement?

The last decade has seen a rapid shift to a highly networked, information technology driven world. This transformation makes it important for schools to teach students in ways which are interesting, interactive and realistic. That is where Interactive Whiteboards play a very important role. We adopted DigiClass, an interactive classroom solution by Pearson which comprises an IWB and syllabi compliant content. We have noticed a significant difference in student retention and concept understanding due to use of the technology. It has helped us move towards a more student-centered learning approach and bring in cognitive learning to replace the chalk and black board model.

Do students enjoy lessons using Interactive Whiteboards?

Students definitely enjoy their lessons more since we introduced the Interactive Whiteboards. The new IWB approach relies heavily on cognitive learning, which operates on the simple theory, ie. “what children see they retain better”. Our teachers can now convert entire text books into interesting formats and activities even for complex subjects like Maths, Physics, Biology, and Grammar making them easier to understand and retain.

What subjects are widely taught using Interactive Whiteboards?

Subjects like Math, Physics, Biology, Geography and even English are widely taught using Interactive Whiteboards. Using an IWB, a lesson on Paris is no longer limited to plain facts, children can actually go on a virtual journey to Paris and see its famous monuments for a real-world experience. Similarly a Biology lesson on the human heart actually includes an interactive video showing how the heart functions.

Can you specify the name of the company where Whiteboards are deployed at your institute?

We have deployed Pearson’s DigiClass ICT solution in our institute.

What are the related response systems that have been adopted at your school?

The ICT solution, DigiClass that we have deployed in our schools comprises of DigitALly, a patented teaching software which makes DigiClass a unique and effective solution. Teachers can customise their classroom lessons, add/edit content, create question papers, share content with other teachers and also add/edit new subjects and chapters. This ready-to-use teaching tool is flexible, open to customisation and offers two modes of operation: Teacher In Class (TIC) and Prepare For Class (PFC). The digital content has been developed by Edurite using subject matter experts and instructional designers. It has nearly 500 animations, 1800 2D/3D images, 1200 PowerPoint presentations with 7500+ slides, 3200 multiple choice questions and other learning objects.

Lotus Valley International School, Noida

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

www.lotusvalley.com

S C Arora, Vice Chairman of the Lotus Valley International School shares his views on the role of Interactive Whiteboards in the school.

Lotus Valley International School has been using the interactive whiteboard since 2005. Currently, Interactive whiteboards have been installed in 90 classrooms.

With regard to the impact of IWBs on the teaching learning process, Arora says, “Integrating interactive whiteboards in classroom teaching significantly improves learning outcomes. Interactive whiteboards bring course content alive for the students making concepts easier to comprehend. Also learning with the aid of audio and visuals engages various senses of the students resulting in better retention of concepts. It also makes lessons interactive and engaging for the students.”

All subjects at the school are taught on the interactive whiteboard across all grades. The school is currently using SMART Technologies and Polyvision’s solutions.

Technology@JRE Group of Institutions

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

JRE Group of Institutions, with state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate quality management and technical education, has deployed several technology solutions that help in creating an engaging learning environment for students in the higher education space. The Institute provides global experience to students through academic partnership with Raffles Education Corporation Ltd. Harpreet Singh, President, JRE Group of Institutions gives insights into the technology applications of the institute

JRE Group of Institutions adopted Interactive White Boards (IWBs) in June 2011. So far 10 classrooms and boardrooms have been deployed with Whiteboards.

“The assignments, tests and quizzes are designed to provide students with the opportunity to prepare for online format of examinations …The content provided in classroom provide students an environment for research and application.” Harpreet Singh, President, JRE Group of Institutions

Impact of IWBs on the teaching-learning process

The use of IWBs has brought greater level of engagement of students and has helped in getting and retaining their attention in the classroom. “At JRE we believe in ‘No cramming but understanding’ philosophy, therefore our students are constantly challenged and motivated by being a part of a lively and active community of learning”, says Harpreet Singh, President of the JRE Group of Institutions. The main goal of this community is to maximise the potential for all participants focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship and benchmarked management techniques. Students thus are exposed to a range of learning opportunities like live projects, local, national and international case studies, he adds.

Benefits of IWBs

Singh elaborates on the wide range of benefits of using Interactive Whiteboards. He says that developing students interest in the subject matter in one of the key USPs. According to his observations at the institute, interactivity has helped in maximising retention of content and also in the application of learning in real life. The audio/visual content, in form of concept and case studies, help students internalise various complex concepts.

The technology at JRE enables audio/visual recording of actual black board instructions and instructors voice. This is uploaded simultaneously which can be accessed by the students through Internet. The assignments, tests and quizzes are designed to provide students with the opportunity to prepare for online format of examinations and provide them with online scores as well. The content provided in classroom sessions and 24hour internet access provide students an environment for research and application of their intelligence in research projects. The content for each subject and lecture has been structured to include a pre and post lecture wise online test enabling a continuous measure of student’s learning curve. “Of course students do enjoy the use of technology and they find the sessions much more interactive and full of participation. These boards are also integrated with “ Millennium Learning System” and the Internet. So on the click of a mouse one can get pictures and content relevant to the topic being discussed. Our students also use Tablets to improve their communication skills and many other technologies.”

The technology at JRE enables audio/visual recording of actual black board instructions and instructors voice. This is uploaded simultaneously which can be accessed by the students through Internet

Subjects taught through application of technology

Most of the engineering subjects, and, currently the first year of engineering subjects, are being taught through the use of technology and IWBs.

The Institute will add many more subjects into this league in the coming days. It is also used where ever free hand illustrations are used. “We give regular feedback to manufacturers to suit our requirements. Multiple products are integrated together for best results.”

With regard to response systems that have been adopted at the institute, Singh says, “We already have a Learning Management System (LMS) in place. We are in the process of integrating other systems including Stereoscopic 3D, Real Time Graphic, Gesture Based and Augmented Reality Rich Content. We are working on various technologies to make content more interesting from student point of view”.

Mercury Launches 3G Voice Tablet, mTab Neo2

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

Kobian has announced the launch of mTab Neo2, 3G Voice model, which will support Android 4.0. The Samsung chipset provides excellent picture quality. With a long battery backup of 6 hours and multi-touch capacitive screen, one can enjoy richer experience at both work and play.

Mercury mTab Neo2 powered with a 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 multi tasking dual core processor, 512MB RAM and Google Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread platform which can be upgraded to Android 4.0 in next 4 weeks by the user to experience the rich latest technology. The 7 inch (16:9) capacitive screen comes with 1600K color capacitive and high quality HD resolution for the richer viewing of widescreen movies. One can stay connected with their loved ones with the in-built voice support and 3G module anywhere and anytime.

With the front and rear-facing dual cameras, one can capture their precious moments of life and share the same instantly. From self-portraits, video recording, video conferencing and even live video chatting-two cameras allows one to capture it all. High-quality entertainment is offered by HDMI 1080P Video Output and Flash 10.3 Online video.

It has a 8GB internal storage and supports up to a 32GB microSD card, which means you can keep your HD movies, photos, music, e-books, documents and almost anything else nearby and ready to go.

Sushmita Das, Country Manager – India, Kobian Pte Ltd said “Work, talk and share your stuff at high speed, with mTab Neo2. This product comes with all the features one can ask for in the current tablet ecosystem and a little more with the upgrade to Android 4.0. It’s a beautifully bundled feature rich product from Mercury. The long battery life is the topping the ice which will surely attract more customers and hence will help our partners sell more.”

Mercury mTab Neo 2 comes with MRP of Rs 14,999 and available ex- stock with a one year warranty.

S S B International School, Bangalore

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

Srinivas, Principal, S S B International School, Bangalore shares his views on technology deployment at the schools and its impact on students and teachers.

When was IWB first adopted at your institute?

Interactive Whiteboards we first adopted in 2007. So far, 80 classrooms have been deployed with IWBs.

What are your view on the impact of IWBs on the teaching learning process? Has it helped in increasing student engagement?

The IWB deployed at our school one of the best Interactive Boards in the world. It’s highly accurate & precise. The service which Promethean offers in terms of teacher training, lesson planning, quality resources, and free online courses are unmatched. Promethean Planet integrates online teacher community for a whole universe of content and support.

With the help of unique battery free pen, you can drag and drop the elements, highlight, open tools, pages, web camera, sound etc. Also with the Learner Response Systems (Vote, Expressions) classroom and lessons have become more interactive and interesting to learn.

Do students enjoy lessons using Interactive Whiteboards?

It’s a perfect base on which you can build a full Multimedia Learning Experience. The Antiglare Surface from Promethean enables us to work seamlessly for hours together. The Active Inspire Software provides a lot of advanced tools which in turn help the teachers to prepare their lesson plans well in advance.

Fully functional tools including Math’s Tools, Scale, Compass, Protractor and other tools like revealer and spot light can make teaching very interesting and interactive. Easy to move from page to page, easier to recollect, helps in creating question papers by one subject after another, enhances the reading skills, can draw multi color, identification is clear, can highlight the important words and sentences.

Students enjoy using interactive board for downloading images. It works widely on Geography, Geometry, Graph Sheets, Web Camera and Learners Response System which make the environment more interactive.

Which are the subjects that are widely taught using Interactive Whiteboards?

Geometry, Geography, Science and EVS are some of the subjects which are taught through IWBs.

Could you specify the company name of the Whiteboards deployed at your institute?

We use Promethean Whiteboards in our school.

What are the related response systems that have been adopted at your institute?

Apart from Promethean Interactive White Board, we have implemented other response systems such as Visualizers, Music Systems, CC Cameras, Curriculum Content, Edu-Sports, Math Lab, E-Blocks, Mobile Units etc.

Educomp bags Rs 209 crores ICT@Schools Project from Government of Assam

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digitalLEARNING Network

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April 7, 2012

Educomp has announced that its ICT Division Edureach has won an order worth Rs 209 crores from the Government of Assam under the prestigious ICT@Schools Project.

Educomp signed the agreement with the Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited, Government of Assam, on 23rd March, 2012 for the implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Computer Education Program (RGCEP) under the GOI Revised ICT@Schools Scheme in 1,054 Government High and Higher Secondary schools of the state. Over 650,000 students are expected to benefit from this program every year.

With the addition of 1,054 Government Schools in Assam, Educomp now reaches a total of 12,176 Government schools serving over 6.7 million students across 10 States in the country.

The project will be implemented under Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model for a period of five years where Educomp will provide an IT Lab, teachers, annual training workshops, web-based school management and monitoring software, multimedia educational content as per-state board curriculum covering core subjects like Mathematics, Social Studies, English & General Science as well as courses on Spoken English.

The project lays special emphasis on the quality of computer teachers to be engaged. They will be selected through a state level Computer Teacher Eligibility Test and performance review will be conducted annually through a state level online Computer Teacher Fitness Test. The students will get exposure to a wide range of IT Software and applications in Free Opensource Software and MS Windows platforms. The program for Classes VI and VII shall be on the lines of computer literacy and awareness, whereas for the higher classes, Computer Science shall be offered as an elective subject to students. The project will also facilitate Math and General Science learning through simulated Math and Science experiment kits.

Soumya Kanti, President, Edureach said, “At Edureach, we use technology innovatively to spread education across socio-economic strata and across geographical boundaries. We are pleased that over 650,000 students in Assam will now have access to computers and computer-aided learning as well as cutting-edge learning tools which will bring their learning on par with many of their more privileged city counterparts.”

The Public Private Partnership model has emerged as the most successful model for bridging the digital divide in the country and Educomp is leading the initiative in this segment with an impressive track record of implementing large scale projects under PPP model. Till date, Educomp has implemented ICT programs under the PPP model in 36,401 schools across 15 states. These educational programs involve comprehensive education infrastructure implementation, teacher training and content development projects and have overall had an extremely positive impact on raising learning standards as well as in reducing dropout rates among children in Government schools across the country.

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