Indira Gandhi National Open University's (IGNOU) 22nd annual convocation was held in Kohima presided over by Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Public Relation and Economics and Statistics R Tohanba. ''Your success will convey to others that Open Distance Learning has successfully equipped you to face the future'', stated Mr Tobana addressing the convocation. '' He congratulated the Vice-Chancellor and IGNOU fraternity for the achievement made in the field of Distance Education in the country and making its presence felt in 36 countries. He talked about the plans on focusing on Gross Enrollment Rate (GER) to 30 per cent and also said that IGNOU has emerged as the mega university with a student strength of more then 3 million within a span of its 25 years of existence and further lauded the IGNOU for emerging as the global leader in Open Distance Learning. Pointing out that in Nagaland there was only one IGNOU study centre activated under Shillong Regional Centre, NCTE here, Mr Tohanba said that Nagaland has 30 full-fledged Regional Study Centres providing access to higher education to all sections of the society. The Parliamentary Secretary also informed that IGNOU study centres as well as examination centres were activated in all district of the State except in Phek district where the centres offer Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor and Master Degrees at the doorstep of the learners.
MoU signed between AMU, Colombo varsity
A MoU was signed by AMU registrar V.K. Abdul Jaleel and the director of Institute of Indigenous Medicine, Dr. R.A. Jayasinghe to enable both institutions to promote individual contacts among scholars, students and faculty and facilitate cooperation and development in the areas of mutual interest and benefit. This MoU seeks to promote links in teaching and research activities by providing opportunities for exchange of staff and students. Under the MoU, the issues related to joint study programmes, exchange of academic materials and sharing of experience and expertise concerning administration and management of the two institutions will be addressed. The MoU also provides for organising seminar, conferences and workshops on topics of general interest. Prof. Shagufta Aleem, dean, faculty of Unani Medicine, Prof. Tajuddin, department of Ilmul Advia, A.K. Tibbiya College, and Dr. M.H.M. Nazeem, head, Unani Section, Institute of Indigenous Medicine were also present on the occasion.
South Point High School gets CBSE affiliation
The much awaited CBSE affiliation of South Point School now is set to end with the first batch of students appearing for the board examinations for both classes X and XII in 2014. This affiliation will make South point one of those unique schools in India to offer choice of both State Board and CBSE curricula to its students as the affiliation with WBBSE and WBCHSE will continue along with the CBSE affiliation. ''With the affiliation under both CBSE and WBBSE, South Point High School is uniquely positioned to cater to the requirement of a cross-section of parents, in so far as school eucation is concerned,'' spokesman of the School Krishna Damani said. The school will offer option to the existing students of their choice of the Board. The bifurcation will take place from class VI onwards.
Lucknow school to promote children film in fest
In a very significant step, a seven day fest, starting from April 5, has been organized by City Montessori School to promote educative cinema among young audiences and also to promote children's film culture. Out of 304 children's films received as participating entries from 31 countries the school would screen 174 films, which will be promoted and awarded, Varghese Kurian, Festival Director of CMS films and radio division said. Film personalities naming Mukesh Khanna, Rajit Kapoor, Abhijeet Bhattacharya and Shyam Benegal will take part in the event.
Simply Teach with New Technology
After much observation, interviews and listening to teachers regarding what they need, the company created the MimioClassroom product suite, a collection of innovative and affordable interactive teaching products, purpose-designed and built to enable teachers to do what they do best
3D Covering Education
This new age 3D technology provides a realistic and immersive environment for virtual dissection and exploration of human anatomy
Cyber Anatomy Med VR is a three dimensional, virtual -reality model of the complete human body. More than 13000 body parts are displayed in full colour, with medically accurate details. This enables us to understand the spatial relationship between the bones, muscles, arteries, veins and nervous that one finds in actual cadaver. The 3D model allows multiple students to perform the same exercise. Doctors, teachers, and other health professionals using this 3D product are able to explain the anatomy of human body, without fully relying on actual cadavers or sacrificing precious cadaver organs.
Cyber-Anatomy's real time simulation environment makes a full set of interactive functions available. Rotation, dissecting, zooming in/out are just a few examples of the flexibility allowed to students on global scale. This can meet the shortage of qualified medical faculties at many places now and in near future.
Cyber Science 3D for K-12 Education
Cyber Science 3D, an interactive three dimensional educational K-12 software covers important subjects like Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Micro Biology, Human Anatomy, Mechanical Engineering, Earth Science. This allows virtual laboratories in schools, colleges where there are no laboratories or it is not practical to run and maintain these laboratories at great recurring costs. Teachers, professors can advance students' core curriculum and understanding of the human body and other subjects. Cyber Science 3D real time simulation environment makes a full set of interactive functions available. This can meet the shortage of qualified faculties, fully equipped laboratories, at many places now and in near future also.
Dispro Visual Technologies Ltd proudly offers these 3D Educational products equipped with software/hardware set up catering to different segments as:
|
Redefining Interactive Whiteboard Experience
The heart of all Cybernetyx products is the pioneering Visual Touch (VT) technology, which is amongst the world's most advanced 3-D optical tracking engines today. An inspired user of the product provides his views
My brother's son got a new iPad recently and he is crazy about the intuitive multi-touch functionality and the amazing applications on it. He wishes that such kind of gadgets could be used in his classroom to teach all subjects in a fun filled way. I told him that there are Digital Interactive Whiteboards in a lot of good schools today and is growing every day. On this he expressed his discontent of not having seen such interactive system yet, neither in his school nor in his friends' schools.
I was wondering if such iPad can be designed which can be of the size of a whiteboard in the classroom. What if you get large multi-touch systems which will do much more like an iPad instead of the generic interactive board in a classroom?
How will it be better than the normal interactive whiteboards available today where the teacher mostly write/draw and interact on the board using the same old mouse-clicks imitated by a pen/finger?
I did some Google on my own and came across “CYBERNETYX Interaktiv UG”, a leading German firm which focuses on research and development of cutting-edge multi-touch interactive solutions.
To my delight, besides their global headquarters in Stadthagen, Germany, I found out that one of their experience centres is located in India, at Noida and fixed up a quick meeting with their team.
This turned out to be an amazing experience to be in a comprehensive demonstration of a new generation of interactive technologies from Cybernetyx.
The demonstration encompassed not just Cybernetyx's flagship surface-independent, multi-touch, gesture-based interactive whiteboard series, EyeRIS, but also interactive projectors, surface computers, huge multi-touch interactive video walls which go up to a size of 10 X 3 meters, interactive floors, and various other futuristic human-computer interaction devices.
Let me explain what I found very special and different about the IWB technology EyeRIS, from Cybernetyx: If there is no screen and your existing whiteboard in the classroom gets converted into not just an interactive whiteboard, but an iPad like intelligent display device, understanding all your gestures, and multiple inputs to the computer at the same time. How about 3-4 students coming on the board and solving Mathematics puzzle simultaneously on the same board? Apart from this, the sheer awesomeness and cool points earned by making a Venn diagram activity look like a scene from the movie Minority Report using gestures to explain the various concepts. This also brings in the feeling of teamwork and partnership among the students in a classroom along with the competitive spirit which always brings in more from an individual. Incidentally, multi-touch, multi-user capability is one of the key features which will change the way we interact and collaborate as per a recent research.
The other key fe tures were gesture re ognition, ease of deployment and usage of the interactive systems.
This kind of collaboration has never been part of any classroom till now. A generic IWB system still lacks features like gesture recognition and multi-touch capabilities. EyeRIS provides the answer to all of this and is an ideal tool to mediate the relationship among teachers. If students in the classes' plan the teacher chooses some episodes to use them like an effective interactive and participation enhancing tool.
Are you ready for it?
One of the most crucial questions is that are we yet ready for such a product in our classrooms or our office boardrooms?
You need to answer it yourself based on the advantages which we have discussed. The success of iPad and Smartphones has certainly proved the immense acceptability of such technology in the market space.
However, cost plays a major role in such deployment over so many classrooms in a school. When we discussed this with Cybernetyx team, the product manager, Abhijit Potdar, advised that apart from being the most advanced system for interactive teaching and learning, the system comes at a very nominal price as compared to other interactive whiteboards in the market. In addition, 4-6 hours training schedule at your school for the teachers to get familiar with the product which is currently bundled along with the product pricing itself.
Cybernetyx has multiple distributors and partners across India for promotion and distribution of their products in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. For more information, you can visit: www.cybernetyx.com
Leading the Way: Smart in Classroom
Why choose SMART?
Business News- April 2011
Education to get infra status
Investment in education and health sectors has long been on high priority in the country's policy framework. Henceforth, capital stock in educational institutions and hospitals will be treated as infrastructure sub-sectors informed the Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. Stock like railway tunnels, fixed line telecom, solid waste management system and airports May get infra status as well. This move is a step to encourage public-private partnerships in hospitals and schools & colleges and boost the sector will become eligible for capital subsidy through viability gap funding. In the infrastructure bracket, education will enjoy benefits like tax sops and lending from banks.
Sequoia pumps Rs 25 cr in K-12
Sequoia Capital India recently announced capital investment of close to Rs.25 crore into K 12 Techno Services. Through the venture, the company expects to add 25-30 more schools across the State in 2011-12, primarily to have computer and language labs, Abacus Mathematics facilities etc. Last year, significant funds were infused into school sector for setting up the entire infrastructure for several of the 70 institutions run by K 12, apart from adding facilities.
|
Everonn Education on a buying spree |
Learning solutions provider is eyeing acquisitions of small-sized Indian education companies with annual revenue of 100-150 million rupees within a time frame of three months. The areas of expansion include skill development business and its school management business to augment its revenues from providing educational content to schools and college that constitute 60 per cent of overall profits. Moreover, with plans to expand its global footprint and enter South East Asia into countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam with its education solutions business, the company is surely on a growth overdrive. Everonn expects its revenues to go up by 50-60 % in the current fiscal and FY12.Educomp bags Rs 67.93 crore: stocks rise
Global education solutions provider Educomp has received a Rs 67.93-crore order from the Maharashtra Government for implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) in 540 secondary and higher secondary schools covering class V to XII in the State.
The contract resulted in share value gains for the company. Educomp Edureach has received the Letter of Intent (LoI) on March 9, 2011 from the Government of Maharashtra for implementation of phase II of ICT@Schools Project in regions of Nasik and Latur. The total worth of the order is Rs 67.93 crore and will be implemented in build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) model for a period of five years including supply and maintenance of computer hardware, software and lab accessories, training of school teachers, among other things.
Tree House raises Rs 150cr in IPO
As a market debut, Matrix Partners-backed Tree House Education and Accessories Ltd recently engaged in the pre-schools business and is looking at a Rs 150-crore initial public offering.
Tree House plans to use Rs 41 crore of the money raised through the public issue to expand pre-school business, Rs 11 crore acquisition of office space, Rs 15.6 crore to procurement of exclusivity rights to provide educational services , and also construction of infrastructure for educational complexes in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
NIIT alliance with agri ministry brings market gains 
The IT major has been appointed as the training delivery partner by Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, to offer specialized IT training program to the users of National Animal Disease Reporting System (NADRS). The programme will equip users of NADRS with basic computer knowledge to manage their work more efficiently and help farmers adopt modern approach in their livestock management. The news of the tie-up reflected in the outperformance of the company shares vis-a-vis its peers, as the stock trading at Rs.50.10 rose up by 2.14 per cent and hit an intraday high of Rs.51.50.
News India- April 2011
City students part of UIDAI project
The unique identification project started by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) in 2006 finds home gems Samarth Bharadwaj and Himanshu Bhatt part of a team of students from IIIT-Delhi , who are working and contributing to it. Both second-year research students at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Delhi have been working hard on the project which is an initiative to provide and uniqueness every individual to avoid duplicity and fake identities. Bharadwaj had begun working on the project last year and there are four research students from IIIT who are conducting a feasibility study on finger prints of labourers and farmers
