Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), incorporated by an act of Parliament was the first self funded organization in < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />
Mr. R M P Dayawansa
SLIM First to Launch OnLine Education in Sri Lanka
India news
India launches National Teachers' Portal
A national portal for teachers was launched by Smt. Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of Teachers' Day. The portal www.teachersofindia.org developed by Azim Premji Foundation with the support from the National Knowledge Commission, aims to act as a medium to improve the quality of education in schools and will also improve the teacher-student interaction in class.
Over the next few months the portal will offer content in several languages as well as provide access to other communities such as students, parents, teacher educators, etc. This includes the uploading of material created by and for teachers in five languages (Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada).
Central university in each state by 2012
The University Grants Commission (UGC) is formulating the National University Act for the establishment of 30 central universities across the country. The move comes following the government proposal as mentioned in the 11th five-year plan (2007-12) to establish one central university in each state and provide assistance for establishing one college in each district with a low gross enrolment ratio in higher education.
The proposed universities will be modeled on the lines of the New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University and the financial requirement is estimated at INR 4,800 crore. The cities identified are Pune, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Mysore, Vishakhapatnam, Gandhinagar, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Kochi, Amritsar, Bhubneshwar, Greater Noida, and Guwahati.
World Bank funds INR 2,400 crores for SSA
The World Bank funding is part of the Rs 4,000 crore, external assistance towards the second phase of the SSA. In this phase, the focus of the programme will be on quality improvement, augmentation of upper primary classes as well as completing the residual agenda of equity and retention. The two other agencies that will contribute to the INR 4,000 crore under external assistance are UK's Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Commission. DFID has committed INR 1200 crore and European Commission has agreed for INR 400 crore for SSA.
India towards Integrated Knowledge Network
The national network was one of the recommendations of the National Knowledge Commission, and is expected to encourage sharing of resources and boost collaborative research and develop inter-disciplinary dialogue. Prime Minister has stressed the need for facilitating creative public-private partnerships in education. He said many eminent educational institutions all over the world were partnering with industry to set up collaborative 'knowledge partnerships' on campuses. The knowledge industry is driven by innovation and that innovation is incubated in institutions of higher learning and research.
The 11th Five-Year Plan was basically a knowledge investment plan and his government's effort was to create the next big wave of investment in higher education. Finance Minister P Chidambaram has proposed to provide Rs 100 crore to the Ministry of Information Technology for the project. In higher education, we are building eight new IITs, seven new IIMs, 16 central universities, 14 world-class universities and five new Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research.
Technology Centre to assist differently-abled learners
The Centre for Assistive Technology was inaugurated for education and life skill training of differently-able persons, in Bangalore. There are presently 15 students with learning disability enrolled at the Centre for Assistance Technology for Education and Self Help Skill Training (CATELST) at the Spastics Society of Karnataka.
The Centre will develop and promote innovative technologies to address learning disabilities. An initiative of the Spastics Society of Karnataka in association with US-based Pacer and IBM, will provide innovative technology to aid the children. The centre is equipped with assistive technology software and other material to aid differently abled persons in communicating and learning exercises. It will be open to public from January 2009, for assessment and consultation on technology-based solutions.
AIIMS collaborates with TCIL for pan Africa e-Network
The pan-African e-Network, envisioned by the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam would involve giving tele-consultation and tele-education by the Institute to 53 countries of the African Union. The project is being funded by the Centre and the External Affairs Ministry has been designated as the nodal agency. TCIL would design the network, procure and install the equipment, provide support for five years after commissioning the network and provide consultancy to the External Affairs Minister on all matters related to the project.
CIET to collaborate with ASI for outreach of digital learning material
Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) is in talks to join hands with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to reach out to the children outside historical monuments and other heritage sites in the city.The move comes as the promotional activity to increase the awareness and outreach of learning materials to students.
The CDs contain the digital version of programmes aired by CIET throughout the country to train teachers in different chapters as well as provide learning material for students. From nursery rhymes for tiny tots and mind games for teenagers to learning material on different chapters and live lab experiments for the students of classes X and XII. CIET is also planning to upload the learning material on NCERT's website www.ncert.nic.in
CII to train around 50,000 people for skill development
CII in collaboration with industry, government and the National Skills Development Mission is gearing up to
India news
AIMA signs MoU with IGNOU to offer e-learning and doctoral programmes
To cater to the growing demand for talent in sectors like Retail, Banking and Finance, All India Management Association has joined hands with Indira Gandhi National Open University to offer sectoral programmes for emerging industry.
Talking about the highlights of the programmes which will be jointly offered by AIMA and IGNOU, AIMA President Kewal Handa said, ‘We have not finalised the specific programmes as they are under process. The programmes will be taught by faculties of AIMA and IGNOU.’
More girls taking to engineering studies in India
More girls in India are taking to engineering studies these days. The enrolment of girls in technical institutes in the country has gone up from 22% in 2002 to 125% this year, with most preferring system engineering and information and communication, says a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India.
The survey was carried out under the Social Development Foundation on ‘Rising Trend of Women towards the Technical Education’ and covered over 20 engineering schools, including the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). It was discovered that females’ participation in acquiring engineering skills since 2002 onwards was more towards system engineering followed by information and communication, environmental and electrical engineering.
PwC and IIM-C join hand to offer IFRS training
Auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and Indian Institute of Management – Calcutta have entered into an agreement to launch dedicated executive programmes on International Financial Reporting Standards which will be adopted by India by 2011. Besides training, PwC and IIM-C will also develop the concept and position papers on various IFRS-related technical matters and industry related issues.
IFRS is the standard which would be adopted by more than 100 countries in next few years and financial reporting by an organisation under this format would be acceptable globally. The training courses are expected to be introduced from November.
Maharashtra plans bill to keep CBSE, ICSE students out
Maharashtra government is contemplating a law barring admission in junior colleges to students passing out of ICSE, CBSE and IB board schools, according to an announcement made by School Education Minister Hasan Mushrif in the Legislative Assembly. The move has been proposed following allegations that these institutions do not comply with the statutory norms laid down by the state school education department.
Of the 3,500 English medium schools in the state, ICSE, CBSE and IB schools number around 500. The state also plans to bring all unaided schools under the control of the government by giving them aid.
IIM Ahmedabad to launch carbon finance course
After the Indian Institute of Management – Lucknow, it is now the turn of IIM Ahmedabad to launch a programme on environmental management strategies with special focus on carbon markets, a market in which India is now the second largest seller in the world. The course, to be launched this academic year, is aimed at providing conceptual and practical understanding of the anthropogenic forces causing climate change, the global legal and institutional framework and mechanism to deal with it.
The course has been divided into 14 sessions and will introduce the evolution of the global carbon market, the current state of international negotiations on climate change and developments following the Kyoto Protocol.
Bihar allocates INR 58.6 crore for NIFT branch
Bihar government has approved the allocation of INR 58.6 crore for the setting up of a branch of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Patna. The amount will be spent on NIFT’s infrastructure, including building and equipment. Of the total amount approved, INR 27 crore will be spent in the current financial year.
The classes are expected to begin this academic session. It will initially have a small batch of students and function from a temporary building, which is being renovated.
UGC committee recommends additional 735 universities
To increase the enrolment rate in higher education, a UGC committee has suggested starting additional 735 universities in the country during the 11th Plan ending 2012 to increase gross enrolment rate in higher education to 15% from the current 10%.
The committee, set up to suggest reforms on the affiliation system and monitoring of education in 11th Plan, has worked out a formula of 20,000 students per university to achieve the target. At present there are 388 universities in the country.
IGNOU to launch new medical courses
Indira Gandhi National Open University has joined hands with Christian Medical Association of India to launch a set of medical courses through its distance learning model. The university will offer short and long term training courses in health related areas like medical, allied health, among others.
The IGNOU signed a MoU with CMAI for setting up of ‘CMAI-IGNOU Chair for Health Sciences’ in this regard. The new health care courses will be ‘need based’ and emphasis will be on developing and imparting professional and quality health care training.
OLPC to launch student laptops in Indian languages
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, launched by MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte, will now introduce laptops with various keyboards in local Indian languages. Research is being conducted on introducing these laptops in regional languages like Urdu, Hindi and Bengali so that education is digitalised.
According to OPLC, at present a few laptops were given to students in Khairat village of Raigadh district in Maharashtra, under the project. These laptops have been localised and have come with Devanagari script.
IGNOU to set up national centre for IT-enabled education
The Indira Gandhi National Open University is setting up a nodal centre to facilitate collaboration in research among colleges, universities, and R&D establishments across the country.
The Advanced Centre of Informatics and Innovative Learning (ACIIL), to be established as a hub institute on the lines of National Education Grid, will work as an autonomous inter-institutional centre of excellence under Open University Act and will be governed by the UGC.
The ACIIL will conduct academic research at post-graduate and PhD levels in areas such Information Sciences, Applied Computer Sciences, scientific database management apart from development of web-r
World News
New York plans to implement an affordable student loan programme
NewYork has plans to implement an affordable student loan programme in an effort to make it more competitive with other states. The administration plans to introduce legislation for it in the budget for the next year.
A report was released about New York state’s higher education system which listed the requirements of such a programme in its top ten major recommendations. It also proposes infusion of around US$3 billion for the research and hiring of at least 2,000 new teachers. Academic research is also one of the central focal points of the report.
Quality of teaching tops the list for international students: Study
Quality of teaching is the single most important factor considered by international students when deciding where to study, according to research published by Study Group. Also ranking near the top of the list were personal safety, reputation of the college and country of study, according to the majority of the 671 students surveyed.
The ‘Choice of Destination’ survey was conducted by the International Graduate Insight Group (i-graduate). The respondents were from a variety of countries (including China, Russia and Greece) and studying at one of the UK’s four Bellerbys international colleges. Bottom of the list of 19 factors were the availability of scholarships, future work opportunities and whether their friends studied in the same country.
New British universities could struggle to survive
Newer British universities may disappear because of global competition forcing them to spend more, ratings agency Standard & Poors has warned. It warns of ‘certain universities ceasing to exist’ because of increasing competition from China and India and within the UK. The analysis suggests that more research-intensive universities will be in a stronger position to cope.
‘From a credit perspective, the UK higher education sector has made positive strides over the past few years, but faces increasing risks in the medium-to-long term,’ the report states.
UDcast delivers e-Learning network to universities in Oceania
UDcast, a global provider of enterprise network optimisation and mobile television solutions, has delivered a network acceleration system to the universities in Papua New Guinea. The network was ordered by the Papua New Guinea Academic and Research Network, a consortium of private and state universities.
Papua New Guinea still lags with one of the lowest internet usage ratios in the world — 2.8% among the 6 million citizens. So far, 21 ground sites have been equipped with secure broadband satellite connection. Each site features an UDgateway that provides protocol acceleration, caching and security in conjunction with iDirect VSAT modems.
EduWave Live launched in the Middle East
EduWave Live, an e-learning and educational management solution, was launched in the Middle East with the aim of providing the educational sector in the UAE and across the region with an advanced software platform that will help to enhance the management of the region’s schools and universities, and facilitate country-wide collaboration between teachers, students and educational administrators.
EduWave Live is ITG’s next-generation award-winning, comprehensive e-Learning and educational management solution that is built on the latest collaborative Microsoft technologies. Together, Microsoft and ITG, a Jordanian partner, have designed, developed and will market EduWave Live, a multilingual, comprehensive and user-friendly e-Learning Platform that caters to schools from K-12 onwards and the educational community as a whole.
Teachers in Rwanda to receive ICT training by year end
Teachers in the country will be equipped with ICT and management skills by December this year, Secretary General, Ministry of Education, Justin Nsengiyumva said on the occasion of a week-long training of 45 head teachers in ICT and management in Nyarugenge district.
The training was aimed at easing and speeding up management work that has been affecting these teachers’ performance. With ICT access and knowledge, Rwandan teachers will get Internet connection for research and able to compete globally. The training is being facilitated by a British project known as VVOBFlemish Technical Cooperation which will be in charge until its completion. 
Technological Challenges in Distance Learning
Arvind S Patil
Technical Officer
IIT
The distance education initiative of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has been in operation since 2002 and its core strength is live interactivity between teachers and students with the use of the best of what ICT has to offer.
The expertise of exceptional teachers at IIT Bombay is being tapped with the use of satellite and internet technologies. Thus addressing a gap that exists between the demand of expert faculty and need for quality education across regions. In other words, the interaction between teacher and student is being extended outside the classroom using technology.
Efforts are on to make the traditional classroom kind of interaction available live at the individual level. The number of classrooms from where the transmissions could happen could be increased substantially. Efforts are on to make all classrooms at the institute digitally interactive.
An exponentially expansion of this model is viable if other institutes start using newer technologies. This article will provide insights into the current technologies in use; discuss the challenges as faced while offering education in distance mode and possible next generation technologies which could be roped in to address these.
Current technologies
Two basic technologies used in distance education are satellite and internet. IIT Bombay has been using satellite based-technology for the last seven years for reaching remote areas not so well connected even today.
This is how it works: Signals are generated at a ground station and beamed to the satellite kept in geostationary orbit about 36000 km away above the surface of the earth. The satellite is always in the line of sight of the ground station and receives signals constantly.
The satellite in turn can transmit the signal received to far away places through the transponders on the satellite.
The EDUSAT launched by ISRO was made available to transmit courses from IIT Bombay on its extended ‘C’ Band channel. Initially, the bandwidth was shared with two other programmes on the same channel but with the growth in the activity from IIT Bombay offering as many as 13 semester long courses; the entire bandwidth of 1 MBPS was made available to IIT Bombay.
The working arrangement of the EDUSAT communication is shown
at Fig. 1
Following is the cost wise break-up: the receiving equipment set cost ranging from Rs. 10 to 20 lakh, reducing with time. The bandwidth charges ranged from Rs. 21 lakhs to Rs. 39 lakhs; again reducing with time.
Internet and web based transmission picked up in India after it became affordable and available. Typical MTNL internet lease line annual charges are shown in Table – 1. below:
Participants are increasingly demanding courses through internet as this is more affordable. Though the web technology is well established in the West, the feature that is added at IIT Bombay is of interactivity between the participants and the teachers, and also between the participants themselves.
Interactivity in satellite transmission is the niche of IIT Bombay’s distance education programme that has an edge over other distance education programmes.
In a way it simulates a typical classroom session at many places and entire groups of participants become part of an extended classroom.
The second live interactive technology used at IIT Bombay is video conferencing over the internet. It has limitations on the number of users who can simultaneously connect as it is dependent on the bandwidth available.
The bandwidth gets shared between the users and hence a larger bandwidth is required at the transmission point. With 2MBPS leased line up to 40 locations could get connected by using additional equipment like MCU and using software to achieve compression and decompression of data.
The communication is simultaneous. The offline interaction is arranged by a Learning Management System called ‘moodle’ developed by Mr. Martin Dougiamas of Australia; available in open source and used as effective support to live interaction.
The instructor or teacher controls the communication through moodle. There could be number of teachers for a single course. The participants, as decided by the teacher, are given a login in the moodle page of a particular course and then only they are able to post questions, answer questions posted by others, correct or debate answers given. The teacher could post the lecture-wise presentations progressively through moodle for the benefit of those who may have missed a live session.
The quizzes, examinations could be conducted through moodle. Previous question papers could be posted for solving by the participants collectively. Any other communication possible through internet is possible in moodle.
The support in the learning is possible by providing the course content as compressed audio video files on portable media like VCD or DVD. This is termed as offline classroom. The course could be viewed at Remote Centers asynchronously and interacted though LMS.
Additionally, limited live interaction between the course instructor and the participants is possible at a scheduled time using satellite transmission or internet based video conferencing. This methodology is increasing rapidly as matching course delivery schedules at all remote centers is avoided.
The course content supplied by IIT Bombay is a good support material to supplement the study material used by the local instructor. This helps the local instructor and the receiving institute to take care of its curriculum while receiving courses from IIT Bombay.
The other technology available is to enable courses receiving by a participant through DTH. DTH or Direct to Home as it popularly known uses Direct Broadcast Satellite Service for transmission. So, the issues related to satellite transmission are common to Live Transmission and DTH to a large extent. The recipient is directly connected to a satellite broadcast and receives the same through a dish antenna directly at home.
The broadcast is non-interactive at present but efforts are ‘on’ to make it interactive. The Video on Demand (VOD) feature of DTH is gaining popularity as it facilitates viewing of the lectures at one’s convenience.
Challenges faced
The live interactivity through satellite is manageable with about 100 receiving terminals (SITs) of EDUSAT connected and would be meaningful if about half of them join a particular course transmission on an average. The number of SITs is limited by the infrastructure that is required to be in place for reception.
There is practically no limit on number of SITs otherwise. The quality of Video which is at present a constraint and is because of the input to the satellite codec is in analog form. Once the input signal gets changed to digital; there shall be remarkable improvement in the quality of video at the receiving end.
Mark Your Calendar, Sep08
September
Learning Technologies Africa
8 – 10 September 2008
Abuja, Nigeria
http://www.LearnTechAfrica.com
iPED International Conference 2008
'Researching Academic Visions and Realities
8 – 9 September 2008
Coventry,
United Kingdom
http://www.coventry.ac.uk/iped2008
e-Learning Asia 2008
10 – 11 September 2008
Seoul, Korea (South)
http://www.kelia.org/user/eng/elearningasia2008.jsp
The 2nd African Conference on Curriculum Development
16 – 18 September 2008
Willow Park Confere Centre,
Kempton Park, Gauteng,
South Africa
http://www.unisa.ac.za/curriculumconference2008
Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Conference for the
2009 World Conference on Higher Education
24 – 26 September 2008
Macao, SAR Macao,
China
http://www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/macao2008
Digital Resources for the Humanities & Arts (DRHA08)
14 – 17 September 2008
Cambridge, United Kingdom
http://www.rsd.cam.ac.uk/drha08
VIDLATEL '08 – 1st International Workshop on Visual
Design Languages and Applications for Technology-Enhanced Learning
17 September 2008
Maastricht, Netherlands
http://elearn.pri.univie.ac.at/vidlatel/
CREATEL08 – International Workshop Creation of
Technology-Enhanced Learning Solutions for 24/7 Professionals
16 September 2008
Maastricht, Netherlands
http://www.createl08.net
37th Annual NSEE Conference
24 – 26 September 2008
Orlando, FL
United States
http://www.nsee.org
Innovations in Learning
24 – 26 September 2008
San Jose, California
United States
http://www.brandonhallconference.com
Enhancement of Knowledge on Higher Education and its
Dissemination: Imperative for Policy and Practice
25 – 27 September 2008
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
http://conference.ubbcluj.ro/hej/
College Teaching and Learning Conference
29 September- 2 October 2008
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
http://www.CluteInstitute.com
October
CREAD 2008
5 – 8 October 2008
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
http://www.cread2008.com.br
HighEdWeb 2008: Infinite Solutions
5 – 8 October 2008
Springfield, Missouri
United States
http://www.highedweb.org/2008/
Utopia
1 – 3 October 2008
Cairo, Egypt
http://www.freewebs.com/utopia-2009
|
Announcement |
|
SIRCA 2008 Grant Cycle Announcement & Guidelines
The awards are intended to ensure capacities to conduct research in the area of Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) are built in Asia. This applies particularly to emerging researchers based in Asia who are relatively new to ICTD research. The programme promotes broad-based high-quality multidisciplinary research in ICT development, e-services, new media use and social impact, and policy for the benefit and advancement of individuals, organisations, nation and society. This grant focuses on social science research, in particular, the relationships between ICTs and society. Projects focusing on developing ICT applications or other similar types of action research without the social science element would fall outside the scope of this grant. There are three categories of funding |
21st Century Education Reinventing the Classroom
Amit Gupta
CEO
S Chand Group
To say that there is a disconnect between what is being taught in classrooms across the country today and the expected skills a student needs to be ready for the 21st century workspace, is stating the obvious. In a world fast shrinking to a global village, skills like global literacy, computer literacy, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication and collaboration skills are essential for any child to grow up to be an effective and productive part of the society.
The emphasis is not just on knowledge of core subjects but also on 21st century interdisciplinary skills and the ability to assess available information, analyse it and be able to apply it to new situations. This highlights the underlying need for deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge. These standards engage students with the real world data, tools, and experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life — students learn best when actively engaged in solving meaningful problems and allows for multiple measures of mastery.
This is the mantra for success in the digital economy. This change begins in our classrooms where teaching – learning activities address the 21st century learning requirements of the students. And technology can be the catalyst for bringing about this change.
In a 21st-century learning environment, all students should be able to learn. Project-based learning allows students to acquire 21st-century skills in the context of real-world scenarios, and the integration of video and other media to support instruction links students with outside resources and enables teachers to address many learning styles at once. Never before have we had so much information as to how children learn and we must seize this opportunity to bring about much needed changes in the way curriculum transaction takes place in our classrooms. We must actually allow creativity in our children to blossom rather than stifle any desire for learning under the labour of rote learning and repetition. Motivating self- learning early in our students is the key to life-long learning.
The first prerequisite for developing a 21st century learning community is the involvement of all the stakeholders including district leaders, principals, teachers, students, parents, and the business community. It is imperative that all stakeholders be involved in putting together a road map to bring about the requisite changes in the educational system to prepare students for the workforce.
But the moot question here, so many discussion forums
later, is – how prepared are we really to address this urgent need? Are we giving the right direction to our students and preparing them for the world they are stepping into? Are our teachers adequately prepared and supported to be able to bridge the gap between the ground reality and the high expectations for 21st century learning? The answer, unfortunately, is no.
The solution lies in implementing changes in the way we teach. By training our teachers and empowering them to be able to use the tools and technology effectively in their teaching practices. By providing the basic infrastructure for sustained change in the form of technology – enabled learning environments. We need to provide spirally organised multimedia content based on sound pedagogical approach. This will ensure that the student can grow from one level of learning to the next, constructing new ideas based on their existing knowledge. Only if we address all these components of education can we provide an effective solution to the growing need for 21st century learning
Innovative Recording Solution
Danny Nagdev, dannyn@mkcl.org
Namit Kasliwal, namitk@mkcl.org
Ratul Dutta, ratuld@mkcl.org
Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation, India
MKCL- Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited- is a public limited company established by the Government of Maharashtra, to create new paradigm in education and socio-economic development through universalisation and integration of Information Technology in development processes by bridging the Digital Divide. MKCL delivers 8+ hours of Lectures daily on .Net and Java Software development track at 6+ locations spread across India through Video Conferencing. A need was felt to record these live lectures for repeated viewing by students.
MKCL devised a Recording solution which was a low cost, high quality, easy to use, maintenance free and required low disk space. This solution also allows to convert the recordings in different formats for streaming the lectures on dissimilar devices like iPods, Web Browsers, etc. This article talks about the problem description, evaluation methodology, proposed solution and benefits of the proposed solution
In a short span of six years, MKCL has emerged as a high-tech and high-touch initiative focused on design, development and delivery of innovative eLearning, eGovernance, and eEmpowerment technologies, solutions and services to the masses. MKCL’s technology and management frameworks are comparable to the best in terms of architecture, performance, mass personalised services and direct value addition to its millions of customers in India and abroad. MKCL incorporates a world class work environment, including a state-of-the-art software development facility, high-end server infrastructure and broadband connectivity.
Introduction to MKCL Finishing Schools
MKCL Finishing Schools has a transformative agenda of shaping the destiny of young graduates for emerging knowledge-based society. It builds a “Bridge from College to Careers” in the form of courses imparting actionable Academics knowledge leading to rewarding careers. MKCL Finishing Schools conducts several advanced courses in many cities of India.
Due to the scarcity of quality teachers it was decided that the courses would be conducted through Video conferencing which would facilitate two way interactions between the students and the teachers across India.
MKCL Finishing Schools Network Architecture
Video Conferencing requires various high-end equipments and stable network connectivity.
The equipments used at MKCL Finishing schools comprise of a Central Multi Conferencing Unit (MCU), Central Studio and Remote end Video Conferencing Equipment.
MKCL Finishing Schools are connected to the MCU using a 512Kbps dedicated MPLS VPN Network. Backup of 384 Kbps per site is also provided by using Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
A brief description and features of the Video Conferencing equipments used are given below:
Multi Conferencing Unit or Multi Control Unit (MCU)
Multi Conferencing Unit or Multipoint Control Unit is a device in videoconferencing that connects two or more audiovisual terminals together into one single videoconference call. The MCU collects information about the capabilities of the systems at each of the videoconference endpoints and sets the conference at the lowest common denominator so that everyone can participate.
Features offered by the MCU are as follows:
Multi-network support for voice, video, and unified conferences: IP (H.323) and ISDN (H.320) video, PSTN and VoIP voice.
Audio and video system capacities
Audio: PSTN, 480 ports, VoIP, 384 ports.
Video: H.320 ISDN/T1 @ 384 kbps,
61 ports, H.320 ISDN/E1 @ 384 kbps, 64 ports, H.323 IP @ 384 kbps, 192 port.s
Transcoding: Audio Algorithms G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.723, G.728, Siren 7, Siren 14, Networks – IP, ISDN, T1, Network Speed – 128 Kbps up to 2 Mbps, Resolution – QCIF or CIF, Video Algorithms – H.261, H.263, H.264+, Frame Rate – 7.5 fps-30 fps – 60 fields-per-second, Data Rates – 6.4-46.4 Kbps MLP, 64-128 Kbps HMLP.
Resource Sharing
Software Resource Sharing: MGC operating system software, Unified Conference Suite, IVR/DTMF audio & video, Greet and Guide, Virtual Conference Suite, Virtual meeting rooms, Single number per conference, Auto-detect endpoint capabilities, Auto-extend and terminate the conference and Packet Commander.
Hardware Resource Sharing: MGC platform, Audio, video, network, and data modules, IP QoS support, Reorders and synchronizes incoming IP packets, IP Error Resiliency, IP Precedence Support, IP DiffServ Support
Firewall Security: Works with existing data firewalls, MGC platform firewall solution is Check Mark certified, Polycom MGC platform management tools, MGC Manager – Windows®-based application for configuration, scheduling and monitoring, WebCommander – Web-based scheduling and management, Personal Scheduler – Microsoft® OutLook conference scheduling, IVR/DTMF – Touch tone UI to conference features, API Software Developers Kit (SDK) and CDR Collector.
Audio support: G.711a, G.711u. G.722, G.722.1, G.723.1, G.728, Siren 7,
Siren 14.
Video support: H.261, H.263, H.264+, 30 frames per second, 60 fields per second, QCIF and CIF video resolution, Conference data rates and 128 Kbps to 2 Mbps.
Network interface support: 10/100 Ethernet, 2 PRI Interface ISDN and Dedicated, T1/E1, 4 PRI Interface ISDN and Dedicated, T1/E1 and 8 PRI Interface ISDN and Dedicated, T1/E1.
Video Conferencing End Point
Each far location has a Video Conferencing endpoint which enables the students at that location to attend the video conferencing lectures
Design Features: Designed for medium to small meeting rooms and shared office environments, Elegantly designed all-in one set-top unit that fits easily on any standard television monitor and Integrated wide angle view camera with extensive zoom, pan
and tilt.
Application Features: Join up to 4 video and 3 audio sites with optional embedded Multisite functionality, Best possible call for each Multisite participant with rate matching and transcoding, Powerful live presentations through one-step PC plug-in or LAN connection, View presentations and presenter simultaneously with Duo Video and H.239 Dual Stream and
URI Dialing.
The Problem (Opportunity)
As the delivery of courses started through Video Conferencing, aneed was felt to archive the lectures. A need was also felt to provide these recorded lectures to students for review. Thus, a search for a high quality and affordable recording, archival and streaming solution was started.
We found various recording, archival and streaming solution was started.
We found various recording, archival and streaming solutions on the Internet. All the solutions seemed to be a perfect match of what we required. Therefore, we stared evaluating these solutions,
one by one.
Getting the demo equipments
from the vendors was very time consuming. The courses had started and we had to start recording the sessions urgently.
Solution 1:
Initially we tried recording the lectures by using a DVD Writer which is the most recommended solution by the Video conferencing vendors. After recording few lectures we noticed that the data clarity (Power point and Desktop Sharing) in these recordings were very poor. However, the recorded quality of the video of the lecturer was satisfactory. Our search for a stop-gap arrangement continued.
Solution 2:
We started using Microsoft Windows Media Encoder along with a TV Tuner Card to record the live lectures. This helped us archive the lectures in .wmv format which can be streamed to all centers using Windows Media Streaming Server.
The data clarity offered by this solution was still poor but at least it gave us a stable and good stop gap arrangement. We developed a portal using which the students in the centers could access these recorded lectures and review them.
Now the problem which emerged was the size of the recordings. Approximately 4Gb of disk space was utilized for 8 hours of lecture time. We started running out of disk space ant it became tough to manage the setup.
Solutions offered by Vendors
We approached vendors like Polycom and Codian who are re-known for their Video Conferencing products. After constant and rigorous follow-up we could get their recording devices for evaluation.
A thorough evaluation for Video / Data recordings was carried out using various bit rates on these devices. Technically the evaluations were successful on all the products. The only problem now remained was the price tag. These equipments come with a very high price tag which we felt was not acceptable to us.
The Final Solution
After a long research on various products available in the market today, we finally found the solution to our problem. A product named Camtasia Studio was discovered which perfectly matched our technical requirements at just 2% expenditure as compared to
the prices offered by Video Conferencing vendors.
Camtasia Studio was versatile
enough to record live PowerPoint presentations, personalised training sessions, and rich software demonstrations. We used Camtasia Studio to capture live Teacher’s Computer Desktop Screen, Teachers voice and video (using a external camera) simultaneously.
Camtasia Studio helped us to create dynamic, multimedia recordings that we can publish on our Learning Management System, upload onto our website or copy to CD.
Camtasia Studio can create interactive movies in minutes. It allowed us to add narration, background music, captions, quizzes, and more. Also enabled us to make any edits we wanted, and then share it in a variety of formats, including Flash, Windows Media, on CD and DVD, and online.
Camtasia Studio helped us change the way we train and present to our students.
We used it to post online lectures. For educators, Camtasia Studio was the answer for absent students, class supplements, and review materials. With the instructor’s voice and lectures available 24 hours, students could improve their learning experience, and educators their teaching techniques.
It allowed us to train using technology or communicate lesson concepts without having everyone in the same room – but enabled us to replicate the live training experience for our students because they could see the screen, hear the voice, and even have the option seeing the teacher’s face.
Sample Output of Camtasia
Advantages offered: Easy to use and affordable, Can share videos and other multimedia content with anyone, anywhere, Allows to publish videos and MP3 files for iPods and portable media players, Enables editing of video and adding own voice and data, No knowledge of Flash or HTML is necessary and Allows creation of classroom lecture videos that students can use to learn at their own pace.
Other Features in Final SolutionQuizzing
Provision to assess learning and comprehension with multiple choice quizzes. You can create open book questions that can be accessed at any time in the video, or you can designate that the viewer must take a SCORM-compliant quiz at a specific point.
508-Compliant Captions
Closed captioning for videos isn’t just about helping the hearing impaired get access to your material – it’s about getting your message across quickly, and effectively. Camtasia Studio’s ground-breaking captioning makes content more memorable as well as accessible. You can add your own text captioning, import speaker notes from PowerPoint, or import text from any document into the captioning field. If you’ve ever tried to make 508-compliant captions, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is with Camtasia Studio.
Smaller Flash Files Deliver the best quality content at even smaller file sizes.
Production Wizard
Our new Production Wizard makes video creation and production easier than ever, so that both students and teachers can use the best format and settings for their purposes
MKCL- Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited- has started
using the innovative recording solution comprising of Camtasia Studio Software and other Audio Video components. This has helped to provide high quality low cost lecture recordings to the students of MKCL Finishing Schools
Intel Reaches Himachal Pradesh with Technology Aided Learning
Intel announced the extension of the Intel Teach Program in Himachal Pradesh 
in a joint event with the state government called Sankalp (Pledge) with an aim to ensure that the teachers and students of the state are equipped with the right tools to connect them to 21st century opportunities.
The event, organised at Hotel Holiday Home on July 11, 2008, also saw the unveiling of a CD-ROM containing technology aided lesson plans, created by teachers who have been trained under the first phase of the Intel Teach Program in the state.
The CD-ROM unveiled at the event, has been evaluated by SCERT Solan prior to the release. It will be replicated by the state Education Department and copies will be provided to all government schools as readily available technology based lesson plans across K12.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal said the initiative taken by Intel in Himachal Pradesh was commendable, and further appreciated the ‘noble example of Public Private Partnership in the field of education’. Prof. Dhumal was of the firm view that the use of technology with broadband connectivity is a must for the teachers and students in this changing world. He also stressed that in the 2nd phase of this programme thousands of more teachers will be trained so that technology based education extends to the reach of every student and community.
‘If you teach a man only one person is taught, if you teach a woman one whole family is taught, and if you teach a teacher one whole institution gets taught. Therefore I thank Intel and the HP education department for taking this initiative and training the in-service teachers’- Chief Minister (Himachal Pradesh)
Prof. Dhumal also appreciated the Project Based Learning concept of Intel Teach Program and applauded the social community awareness project done by students of Govt. Senior Secondary School Basdehra, Una to raise the sensitive issue of declining female
sex ratio.
Rahul Bedi, Director CAG Intel South Asia, introduced the audience to the INTEL world Ahead Program and complimented the governance in the state as both the Chief Minister and Education Minister had stressed on Broadband Connectivity for schools as an essential requirement. This corroborates with the Intel World Ahead Program and the 511 vision.
Valsa Williams, Head CAG North and East, detailed the Intel Teach initiatives in Himachal Pradesh which were highly appreciated by the Chief Minister and Education Minister.
The evening ended with all present signing their names on the pledge board and taking a Sankalp to assure the availability of the right tools required for 21st century opportunities.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Intel Teach Program has trained 15062 teachers till date. Through the implementation of computer-based education and innovative teaching methods in government schools, the programme aims to make learning easier and more interesting for students, and facilitate the creation of 21st century skills, including digital literacy, problem solving and critical thinking.
A positive impact of the Intel Teach Program in Himachal Pradesh: Project on Female Foeticide at Una by students of G.S.S.S Basdehra.
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The district of Una had been seeing a decreasing female ratio as per the last 1991-2001 Census.
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To understand the ill-effects of an unbalanced population, students from G.S.S.S Basdehra worked on a school project with the help of their Economics teacher.
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The students initiated speech competitions, interviews in surrounding areas on female foeticide, based on which they arrived at findings which were very biased towards the male population.
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The students used technology tools Internet, MS Office, Digital Camera, Printer etc to extensively support their project and prepared presentations, brochures, flyers and interacted with local people to create awareness of the ill-effects.
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As a result of their awareness creating project, the Mahila Mandal held a presentation on gender inequalities for the villages of the district.
Asia News
Japan offers help in setting up new IIT in Hyderabad
Keen to enhance ties with India in the education sector, Japan has offered its assistance for setting up the proposed IIT in Hyderabad. The offer was made during the visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura.
During the visit, Japanese minister expressed willingness to support the IIT by providing best of the technologies. Both the countries also emphasised the need to have more youth exchange programmes.
WB aid to Bangladesh improve secondary education
Now the Bangladesh government’s efforts to improve the quality of secondary education and systematically monitor learning outcomes will get a major boost with World Bank approving a US $130.7 million credit to the country.
The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project will finance activities in 121 upazilas aimed at improving education quality and poverty-targeted stipends and tuition for girls and boys to increase access and retention. The project will also strengthen the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education in Bangladesh both at central and local levels.
Philippines Education Dept tie-up with Smart to expand Smart Schools
In an effort to improve IT understanding among students and quality of basic education in the country, Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) has signed an agreement with major telecommunications company Smart Communications Inc. for expanding the department’s Smart Schools programme.
The tie-up with Smart Communications Inc. and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) would pave the way for expansion of the department’s Smart Schools programme to an additional 30 public high schools and a similar number of elementary schools this year. More and more public schools are coming into the programme since it addresses their need for Internet access, content and training.
South-East Asian school principals agree on improving school management
Southeast Asian school principals have agreed to enhance school leadership and management capacity and to develop the use of information and communication technology in education. This was decided at the first conference of the Southeast Asian School Principals Forum (SEA-SPF) held on August 15-16 in Indonesia.
The forum also deliberated on key strategy, financing and partnership issues as well as time and place for the next two meetings. The forum also approved its drafted vision and mission and details of its organisational structure, membership, financing, and possible collaboration with relevant regional or international organisations.
Indonesian President Yudhoyono launches online repository of school textbooks
In a move to encourage equitable education and also safeguard its quality, an online repository of school textbooks has been launched in Indonesia to enable students and teachers to access textbooks at affordable prices.
The repository has been designed by the Education ministry, which owns the copyrights to a number of books available in it. It contains 407 titles of textbooks which can be accessed from the website.
Japan, ADB to help Viet Nam develop model research universities
Plans by Viet Nam to boost its higher education sector are getting support from Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Japan Special Fund, through ADB, will provide US$1 million in technical assistance to finance a feasibility study that will pave the way for an ADB loan to build two model research universities in the cities of Ha Noi and Da Nang. The Government of Viet Nam will provide an additional US$ 200,000.
The new model research universities are expected to become core scientific centers and will play a critical role in research and teaching, leading to enhanced research and development capacity for the country
