Newspaper by rural Indian women wins UN literacy award

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November 17, 2006

A newspaper produced entirely by women in rural India is among the four winners of this year's Literacy Prizes awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Khabar Lahariya, the fortnightly newspaper distributed to more than 20,000 readers in Uttar Pradesh, is entirely created and marketed by newly literate “low caste” women who are training as journalists in Chitrakoot and Banda districts. The King Sejong Literacy Prize was given to this fortnightly paper, started by Nirantar – a centre for gender and education based in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. In 1989, the UNESCO'S King Sejong Literacy Prize was instituted by South Korea. It is named after Sejong the Great of the 14th century who created the Korean alphabet Hangul and is remembered for his contribution to education in the areas of science, technology and literature. Each winner is awarded US$20,000.

Nirantar has developed a method of training women as journalists, which involves developing their literacy skills as well as honing their reporting abilities. This includes talking to public figures, gathering information and sharpening their editing skills. The coverage of Khabar Lahriya includes politics, crime, social issues and entertainment for their readership that spans 400 villages in both districts of India's most populous state. The publication began in May 2002 in Chitrakoot and a second edition was launched in the adjoining Banda district in October 2006, according to the NGO's website. It is written in the local dialect Bundeli for its Bundelkhandi readership. The theme for this year's awards was 'Literacy and Empowerment' and the laureates were proclaimed by UNESCO Director-General Ko chiro Matsuura on the recommendation of an international jury.

Microsoft brings Live@edu to Moodle

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November 16, 2006

Microsoft is bringing its widely adopted Live@edu collaboration suite to Moodle, the open source learning management system (LMS) that's installed at more than 35,000 registered, validated sites worldwide. Microsoft also unveiled today its new Education Labs site, which will serve as a repository for education software developed on an accelerated cycle. Through a new plugin developed by Microsoft and released today, Moodle users will be able to take direct advantage of Live@edu features, including calendaring, search, e-mail, shared workspaces, storage, and instant messaging.

Live@edu is Microsoft's free portal, communications, and collaboration suite for education. The cross-platform service provides a range of hosted solutions for education institutions, including mail (with 10 GB per user), Windows Live SkyDrive storage (25 GB), and Office Live Workspace collaboration and document sharing, among others. According to Microsoft, it's now in use by more than 9 million students worldwide. With more than 24 million users participating in more than 2.2 million courses, Moodle is generally recognized as the most popular learning management system on the market, open source or otherwise. It supports both small and large deployments (with several sites well beyond 100,000 users) and includes course management tools, various Web 2.0 technologies, online assessments, and other features common to learning management systems.

PrimeVoices launches e-Learning tool

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November 15, 2006

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The leading European voice-over agency, PrimeVoices is providing new facility to allow fast and cost effective e-Learning product to dub in over 40 languages.

PrimeVoices is providing a special voice-over, dubbing and postproduction tools for e-Learning video or flash modules to use on Internet or Intranet. According to PrimeVoices' CEO, Grazia Rossi, the e-Learning tool provides appropriate recording script and dialogues in any language. PrimeVoices is an international company specializing in voice-overs and dubbings in multiple languages, as well as full video production and editing. PrimeVoices works with selected voice talents to provide the finest presentations to studios and producers all over the world.

Africa University boosts for e-Learning plans

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November 14, 2006

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< ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Africa University is making its first door steps on e-Learning plans. The United Methodist Council of Bishops held the meeting on information & technology on November 1 to 6.

African University has shown the use of e-Learning methods to establish virtual university on campus. According to to Nodumo Dhlamini, the university's director of communication technology, e-Learning will allow the university to reach out several African countries in its initial phases including Mozambique, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia. African university is planning to open virtual university across the Africa. The University is planning to serve the whole continent through satellite channel.

BSNL offers real time education programme in India

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November 14, 2006

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Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is planning to provide real time interactive education programme on its Internet platform.

BSNL, country and sate owned mobile operator has tied up with Maharashtra Knowledge Commission (MKC) to carry out the project. BSNL will offer programmes education programmes from elementary school level courses to complex courses like real estate design courses. User can use this interactive programme by using broadband connection on a computer or on a TV. If user is using TV, then user can directly interact with their teachers. Through the remote, the teacher would be able to know about queries and student would be able to get their answer immediately. MKC is expecting is expecting, soon BSNL will give clearance to this project start planning to start the project on its commercial services from Pune.

Jharkhand Government (India) promotes computer education programme

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November 14, 2006

The Jharkhand Government has rolled out a computer education and computer-aided education programme to down link based education at the local level. The programme would be covered in 440 schools across the 22 district of the Jharkhand, India. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) and the Jharkhand Agency for Promotion of Information Technology (JAPIT) are jointly implementing the project as a part of e-Governance initiative. Core Projects and Technologies Ltd. (CPTL) will provide technology support to the project. The project would be implemented in the duration of five years on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis. CPTL will develop the software of the project. According to S.K. Barnwal, director, JAPIT, the project would be based on Child Tracking System (CTS) modules, which will compile all information of children up to 14 years. Each school would be mapped on the Geographic Information System (GIS). Another project is also in the pipeline, which would be based on audio and video technologies. The government is planning to introduce video surveillance system. These projects would be backed by ISRO and IGNOU and would be integrated with the CTS module. According to Alok Pathak, president of CPTL for US operations, CPTL will provide dotnet, Microsoft, Java eApps, Oracle based products. Even the company is also talking with other State Governments like < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Maharashtra, Orissa and Chhatisgrah for similar projects.

MDeC boost study programmes in India

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November 10, 2006

Soon < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Malaysia's Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) will open its first representative office in Bangalore, India. < ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), Malaysia, Dr. Jamaludin Mohd Jarjis, will officially launch the set up. The Malaysian representative office will increase the business and investment between India and Malaysia in the areas of ICT as well as it will make resource point for Indian students to study in Malaysia. The main development features of MDeC are, creative multimedia content, outsourcing and shared devices, hardware design, software development, support and services and Internet based business. In future, MDec will expand its centres throughout India.

MCAST to take on more ICT students

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November 10, 2006

The Government of Malta has made arrangements with private institutions for a course in ICT at MCAST for all those students who applied to undertake the course.

Ministers Louis Galea and Austin Gatt have announced this. In previous years a total of around 600 ICT students were attending a course at MCAST, this year there were over 600 new applicants. But the institute did not have enough teachers to cater for the overwhelming demand and 320 students were left on the waiting list. in the past years a total of around 600 ICT students were attending a course at MCAST, this year there were over 600 new applicants alone, but the institute did not have enough teachers to cater for the overwhelming demand and 320 students were left on the waiting list. Under the new scheme, MCAST will be accepting all the students. The students will be attending for lessons at one of four approved centres, which also form part of the myPotential scheme, recently launched by the IT Ministry, and not at the institute itself. Minister Austin Gatt said that while the large number of applicants for ICT-related courses is encouraging, the sector is growing and there is an ever-growing demand for trained workers in the industry. Both the Ministers, Louis Galea and Austin Gatt expressed government's commitment to keep coming up with new initiatives in favour of training in ICT. By year 2009, the government is targeting to have 1,500 students graduating in ICT from MCAST and University every year.

A Weymouth school in UK wins ICT Excellence Awards

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November 9, 2006

A Weymouth school in UK has won a national award for using technology to improve educational standards.

The ICT Excellence Awards are run by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta). Becta is the government's lead partner for their strategy to develop technology in schools. The curriculum award recognises schools which have a carefully-planned ICT curriculum with access to wide range of resources. Westfield Technology College has beaten secondary schools across the country to win the ICT Excellence Award for Curriculum and

Microsoft supports for Community technology learning centres in rural India

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November 8, 2006

World's largest software company, Microsoft and < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Delhi based Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals, a not-for-profit organization that undertakes livelihood promotion activities for the rural community are working together for an innovative project of community technology learning centres (CTLCs).< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Microsoft and Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals are working together to set up CTLCs at 350 villages to provide training in IT skills to rural area. The project is part of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Programme. According to P.V. Thomas, Chairman, ISAP, Microsoft will provide software and partial financial help to implementing agency ISAP for the technology training in Parbhani, Aurangabad, Jalna, Sangli, Beed, Latur and Jalgaon villages. ISAP trainers have already done such training programmes in such 60 centres. The total cost of the project is INR 4.5 crore, in which Microsoft is contributing INR 1.5 crore for the syllabus of course, certification of participants at the end of the training.

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