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Baidu.com launches online encyclopedia in China

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digitalLEARNING Network
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China's leading web search company, Baidu.com, Baidupedia, has launched an online encyclopedia modelled on the US-based Wikipedia, which is blocked by Beijing. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

The new service from Baidu.com, Baidupedia, is heavily self-censored to avoid offending the Chinese government. Wikipedia had become increasingly popular in China until blocked in 2005. China has strict laws on Internet use and blocks content it deems a threat, including references to the Tiananmen Square massacre and notable dissidents. This service was launched last month. The number of Internet users in China is set to top 187 million in two years.

UN Africa and Microsoft sign an Agreement

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Microsoft, recently, signed an agreement with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, at an ongoing African Union Summit on Information and Communication Technology. As a part of this agreement, Microsoft is to provide software, technical support and software development. But the company denied, that its partnerships with governmental and nongovernmental organizations are calculated to lock users to Microsoft products.

The UNECA is expected to use Microsoft products and services to enhance policy areas and education, and establish strong architectural networks within African countries. Microsoft is working with major African organizations like the Africa Union, Africa Development Bank, Economic Community of West African States and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). It is also working with several ministries of education in Africa.

Report: Fake enrollments in UK colleges

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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It was told to lawmakers in < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Britain that there could be a large number of bogus students enrolled in over 2,000 colleges in Britain that offer courses to foreigners. An estimated 2,400 colleges are considered by the British Government to be under suspicion. They have allegedly enrolled young people who entered UK using the student visa and are economic migrants in reality. The existence of so many bogus colleges is damaging the international reputation of the education sector, The Commons Home Affairs Select Committee was briefed yesterday, said a report by The Times. Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister told the committee, 'I think the existence of colleges, or so-called colleges, has been a problem for more than a decade.'

< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

Keith Vaz, Chairman of the select committee, asked whether there could be hundreds of sham colleges and tens of thousands of bogus students. Tony Milns, chief executive of English UK, an organisation that accredits English language centres in Britain, said that the Home office and the Border Agency were aware of the scale of the problem since 2004 when it was announced that registration of colleges would be required. Milns told that it was possible that people recruited into terrorism used bogus colleges as a means to get into Britain. He added, 'Most bogus students are economic migrants.'   

 

Microsoft Celebrates Innovative Teachers Awards in Europe

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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The 2009 European Innovative Teachers Forum Awards was the stage where Microsoft celebrated the top innovative teachers across Europe. The Redmond company handed out a total of 10 awards, three of which for innovation in ICT usage, in community and in content, and a special award for Andrea Brauns (The Netherlands), 'Sound Lottery.' Slavica Juric (Serbia), 'The Story About Bread,' is the winner of the Innovation in ICT Usage award, while the top position for Innovation in Community went to Ollie Bray (UK), 'Thinking out of the Xbox,' with Isabel Schapdryver (Belgium), 'Secondhandshop,' winning Innovation in Content. 'A key theme at the European Innovative Teachers Forum was how technology has become a transformative tool and catalyst for improving education, evolving education systems towards a more student-centric approach,' explained James Bernard, worldwide director of Microsoft's Partners in Learning. 'These awards celebrate the achievements of some of Europe's most innovate teachers, and their passion and dedication towards finding new ways of using technology to engage and inspire their students. We have been so impressed with all of the projects showcased here, and we salute the teachers who give so much time and effort to making a difference in their students' lives and education.'

But essentially all categories and teachers recognized at the 2009 European Innovative Teachers Forum Awards are connected with the introduction of technology in the educational process. Microsoft indicated that the Forum was not only meant for outstanding educators to get their fair share of the spotlight, but also for all parties involved in education to collaborate, share and ultimately implement 'winning strategies.' 'Preparing students for life and work in the 21st century means that there has to be a fundamental change in how the teaching profession employs technology both as a learning tool and something to also be taught. The winning projects stood out as examples of best practice in addressing the changes and challenges with teaching today,' said Andrea Rittersberger, from the Konservatorium Wien University, head judge at the European Innovative Teachers Forum.

Oman MoE staff to attend Microsoft ICT Training of Trainers programme

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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To support teachers and ministry staff gain proficiency in a wide variety of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills, Microsoft Oman partnered with the Ministry of Education (MoE), and recently concluded a 'Training of Trainers' programme. The intensive technical training programs and workshops were attended by 25 teachers from different schools and 25 MoE personnel, thereby gaining proficiency in a wide variety of ICT skills from email and calendar support to group projects and communication tools.

The training was a product of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between MoE and Microsoft Oman. The training was meant to implement the globally successful Partners in Learning program in Oman which is committed to empower students and teachers and transform education worldwide. The focus of the above was on three key areas including Innovative Teachers, Innovative Schools, and Innovative Students. The goal of the partnership was to enhance the the transformative power of software to create innovative educational experiences that bring students and teachers closer worldwide. The different topics to be covered in the training included Innovative Teaching Using Technology, Integrating ICT in Education, The Learning Process, Review of software tools for innovative teaching in the classroom and Digital Lifestyle. The objective of the programme was to aid teachers integrate ICT into teaching and learning in a meaningful way and also empowering students to use ICT in their schoolwork and learning.

UPSC announces CRPF – Asstt.Commandants examination result

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the result of written part of the Central Police Forces- Asstt.Commandants (CRPF) Examination, held in October 2008. The Central Reserve Police Force, nodal authority nominated by Ministry of Home Affairs will intimate to the candidates about the date, time & venue of the Physical Standards Tests/Physical Efficiency Tests (PET) & Medical Standards Tests, to be conducted by them.

In case of non-receipt of the call letter for these tests by the 5th week of May 2009, the candidates may contact the CRPF on telephone no. 011-24362802 or on fax no.011-24362479. The marks of candidates who have not qualified in paper-I or both papers of CPF (ACs) Examination, 2008 shall be available on the Commission's Website within 30 days after declaration of result and would be available on the Website for a period of 60 days. Candidates have been advised to intimate change in their address, if any, to the CRPF Authorities, Block No.1, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003 and U.P.S.C. immediately, to facilitate delivery of summon letters to them promptly.

eRate applicants frustrated with audits

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Opinions about the management of the federal e-Rate program have improved over the last year, a new survey suggests. But applicants continue to be frustrated by audits, and they'd like to see more transparency in the program. e-Rate consulting firm Funds for Learning (FFL) released the results of its second annual survey of e-Rate participants June 29. The e-Rate provides US$2.25 billion in telecommunications discounts for eligible schools and libraries each year, but keeping track of the program's many rules and deadlines can pose a challenge to applicants. Nearly 73 % of those surveyed who expressed an opinion about the e-Rate's management gave program administrators a favorable review–up from 65 % last year. Those who strongly agreed that the e-Rate is well managed increased from 14 % to 20 % in the same period, while those who strongly disagreed with this statement dropped from 10 % to 7 %.

Four out of five applicants said the e-Rate is meeting its goal of connecting schools and libraries to the Internet, and 71 % said their organization has more classrooms online as a result of the program–up from 59 % last year. But applicants continue to say the Two-in-Five Rule, which limits a school or library's receipt of funding for internal connections to twice in a five-year period, is not having its intended effect, which is to allow this funding to reach a greater number of entities. In last year's survey, applicants regarded the Bishop Perry Order–a rule change from 2006 that allowed them to make corrections to specific items on their applications, if minor errors are discovered–as the most positive change to the e-Rate program in recent years. This year, however, applicants weren't quite so enamored with the order. The percentage of respondents who believed Bishop Perry would bring no change to the e-Rate program was 36 %, up from 25 % last year.

PDAs to mould the personality of high school children

By
digitalLEARNING Network
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Handheld devices are boosting interest and results in education among the school children in UK.  < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

The initiatives to provide schoolchildren with constant access to information through PDAs are coming with proven results. The handheld device is an invaluable means of supporting personalised learning and has become a buzzword for ensuring the school children not to be treated like homogeneous groups of pupils but more like individuals, with different needs and interests. Some of the free software is so good and powerful that children can handle themselves. However, the devices are considered ideal for secondary schools rather than primary schools.

 


 

 

Rockets launch by ISRO to study solar eclipse

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

A series of rockets will be launched by the Indian space agency from its two centres between Thursday and Sunday to study Friday's solar eclipse and its after effects. Arrangements are being made by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to send up a series of sounding rockets. These rockets are to carry instruments to measure the physical parameters of the upper atmosphere – from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and Thumba in Kerala to study the effects of the solar eclipse. The solar eclipse on Friday will be for a duration of 11.8 minutes. The sounding rockets will be fired before and after.

The nine-meter RH 560 rockets weigh 1.5 tonnes and carry a 100-kg payload of instruments each. The two-stage rocket will take the instruments 500 km above the earth's surface. From Sriharikota, there will be one launch each on Friday and Sunday. ISRO's Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) in Kerala is to launch most of the rockets. On Thursday four rockets will be launched from TERLS and five on Friday. The rockets fired from TERLS are smaller than RH 560. They will reach 75 to 120 km above the earth.

OMATEK exports e-education

By
digitalLEARNING Network
-

Omatek, ventures Plc have decided to extend most of its e-education initiatives outside the shores of Nigeria. The indigenous computer company, last week  assisted the Ghanaian Government in achieving its goal of ensuring that every Ghanaian owns a personal computer. To seal its support, it distributed computers to beneficiaries under the Omatek e-Xpress/Government Assisted PC Programme(GAPP) which is originally a Nigerian e-education initiative of Omatek. Handing over the computers, Group Managing Director of Omatek, Florence Seriki said that Omatek will continue to produce quality products to satisfy the demands of its ever growing customers. She explained that the  Omatek e-xpress consumer scheme makes it easy for civil servants, corporate organizations, educational institutions and students to acquire computers through a convenient payment plan spanning 12- 24 months and is being supported by leading banks in the country.

 

The scheme now in Ghana, forms part of Ghana Government Assisted PC Programme tagged i-Advance which aims at equipping every Ghanaian with Personal Computers at affordable prices. Reactiong to the gesture, Ghana Minister of Education, Alex Tetteh-Enyo commended Omatek for its efforts at bridging the digital divide while enhancing Information Technology penetration in Ghana. He said the Omatek Computer consumer ownership scheme will help beneficiaries keep pace with the latest developments in Information Communication Technology the world over. He however promised to institute policies and strategies in the Education Ministry to focus on embracing ICT in education. Also, the representative of the Minister of Communication, Alice Attipoe said the hand-over ceremony represented a successful collaboration between Omatek and the i-Advance project initiated by the Ministry. Meanwhile, one of the beneficiaries, Doh Castro, who is a teacher to children with disabilities, said the laptop could not have come at a better time, as it would enable him research on new teaching techniques to enhance his job performance. The beneficiaries cut across educational institutions in public and private sectors, the Land Valuation Board as well as other government parastatals and institutions in Ghana.

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