ATI processor for Stanford varsity research project

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October 11, 2006

3D Graphics silicon company ATI Technologies, has announced that Stanford University has released software to utilise its processors for Stanford's Folding@home distributed computing project.

This combination helps in disease research with high-speed computing. With this processing capability, researchers expect to study protein-related diseases, as also Alzheimer's, cancer, Huntington's and Parkinson's. The quest to understand diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's is the reason why the Folding@home programme exists. The programme studies the ways in which proteins fold. While protein folding is critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, today the concept is still considered to be a mystery. When proteins do not fold correctly, consequences include a number of diseases. To study this area, thousands of home computers together worldwide study folding by taking advantage of each computer's processing power to form a distributed supercomputer. This consists of approximately 2 lakh computers, using various computer processors. With support for ATI processors, Folding@home participants and disease researchers are tapping into the new capabilities offered by these advanced architectures performing scientific calculations at high speed.

NIIT, Intel join hands

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October 11, 2006

IT major Intel and NIIT have announced a joint programme to develop training courses in multi-threaded software development.

The two companies would offer expertise to help developers learn new IT techniques to architect, develop and debug the next generation software for multi-core platforms, mainly the Intel processors. NIIT would be launching these multi-core courses at select training centres across India. Later, the two companies would extend these programmes across South Asia.

Indian school board to address depression among school kids

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October 11, 2006

The Adolescence and Reproductive Sexual Health Programme (ARSH) will be part of the National Adolescent Programme (NAP) initiated by Human Resources Development ministry in India and funded by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). It will be monitored by National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

For the first time, mental depression and aggression among kids will also be addressed in the schools through the programme. There was also a tie-up with the Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (VIMHANS) to prepare the curriculum. Though no textbooks will be prescribed, awareness about these issues will be created among kids through compulsory participatory activities like role plays and life skill based education. Different activities will be assigned for kids at different age level. For example, at KG, students will be taught about hygiene and sanitation through quiz while at middle level, discussions will be made about nutrition by games and at senior level, HIV-AIDS, reproductive and sexual health are the areas to be addressed by role plays.

Kids, however, will not be overburdened with exams on the programme. A set of co-curricular activities like quiz and games will be introduced. The report on ARSH will be sent to all schools affiliated to CBSE across the nation for its implementation. CBSE has been inspired by the lifestyle education introduced by West Bengal Board of Secondary Education this year.

Internet emerging as powerful tool for primary research in India

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October 11, 2006

A survey conducted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), in association with the IMRB states that 32 per cent of the active users of the Internet in India rely on it as a primary source of information and research.

This surprisingly comes against the report, when e-mail and chat were the significant drivers of the Internet, though the figure was only 20 per cent in 2001. The survey was conducted for the current fiscal, amongst 16,500 households covering 65,000 individuals across 26 major metros and small towns in India, with an additional coverage of 10,000 businesses and 250 cyber caf

Adobe’s Web publishing tool

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October 11, 2006

Adobe's new Contribute 4 software, a Web publishing tool, has been launched. The new version allows education and Government workers to easily and safely contribute content to the Web without having to learn HTML.

Contribute 4 also offers unified Web publishing so that users can post and publish content to multiple Web sites and blogs, all from a single application. Windows users now have a new ability to post and publish content to Web sites and blogs directly from within Microsoft Office applications. Contribute 4 supports popular blog hosts such as Blogger, Typepad, and WordPress and provides the option to connect to in-house blog servers.

Intel India to chip in for GeNext notebooks

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October 11, 2006

The Intel India Development Centre (IIDC) in Bangalore, which is the largest R&D centre for Intel outside the US will be making contribution to its next generation mobile platforms (notebooks) and server chips.

The next generation chipset for the mobile platforms will see the major design work done out of India. IIDC has already co-developed and designed for some of Intel's latest platform like Napa SFF which forms the core for the small form notebook. Some of the upcoming launches like the new mobile platform “Santa Roa” and the low cost notebook – Classmate PC also had its contributions from India.

Further to the mobile platforms, Intel is also expecting a large portion of development work in server processors to be driven out of India. IIDC has already contributed to certain server processor line and the centre will play a critical role in future development. Intel announced that its low-cost laptop – Classmate PC will be launched in the latter part of this year and would be forming alliances with OEMs to manufacture these devices. The chip major also announced the availability of WiMax chip to support mobile WiMax network. Around 10 telecommunication equipment manufacturers are expected to deliver these products over the next six months.

Microsoft promises Vista security

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October 11, 2006

Microsoft says Vista will contain a raft of new security features, and the new operating system will be more secure than ever. Microsoft has been criticised for flaws in previous systems that left users vulnerable to attacks by hackers.

Beefing-up security was one reason behind delays to Windows Vista. The firm had originally aimed to launch Vista – the first major update since Windows XP was introduced five years ago – in the second half of 2006. The new operating system will now be released to business customers “within the next few weeks” and to consumers early next year.

At the heart of the system will be the new Windows Security Centre which will show consumers any holes in their defences. Vista will also feature new encryption technology designed to protect the data on a computer. Even if someone's laptop is stolen, nobody will be able to use it because it will be fully encrypted. The long-awaited arrival of the new operating system will be a crucial weapon in Microsoft's battle to retain its dominant position at a time when firms like Google are mounting a serious challenge.

Integrate Lessons from Pilots into Policy Making : L K Atheeq, State Project Director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Karnataka, India

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October 10, 2006

How good is the school system in Karnataka? How much better can it become? How can we get every child in school to learn well? Questions that need answers if the state is to take its rightful place in the country. And the counteractive actions taken now within schools and the education system can reverberate for generations to come. ICT as an important initiative in education, there is little option for all concerned but to join the information technology bandwagon given the manner in which it is reshaping the world. Where does the state stand with ICT in the school education system? At present, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan of the Government of India pledges to achieve the task of universalisation of primary education by 2010. In Karnataka, the target year accepted by the Department of Public Instruction is 2007. A state that has the objective to ensure that education becomes a means of genuine empowerment of the individual to achieve his/her full potential by 2007, Karnataka has a literacy rate of 67.04%. The literacy among men is 76.29% and among women it is 57.45%. The literacy rate of the state is 1.66% more than National Literacy Rate. Now where to move from here; and how to move? L.K.Atheeq, State Project Director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Karnataka, adds more to these facts while in conversation exclusively with Manjushree Reddy of Digital Learning.

What is the vision that the education policy is based upon in Karnataka?

The vision of primary education is to provide quality education useful for life to all the children of the state in the age group of 6-14 with no social group or gender differences.

What are the new strategies the state has adopted to take Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to a new high?

Do you see any remarkable change or progress in elementary education? Karnataka state has several initiatives of its own in addition of SSA. The education department and the SSA Mission are jointly working towards consolidation of the gains of our investment in education and improve quality. Community empowerment and involvement of School Development and Management Committees (SDMC) is the key to implementation of SSA. Towards quality of education Karnataka, for the first time in the entire country, SSA has conducted complete assessment of all standard 5 and 7 students and shared the results with each school. These results are being used for working towards improving learning levels.

What are the interventions you have made so far to integrate ICTs in the educational process, elementary education in particular?

We are working towards a policy for ICT in schools and are planning to implement ICT with a strategy to cover all clusters and strengthen the clusters as resource centre for IT. We are also in the process of evaluating the software that is available in order to adopt in our schools.

How conducive is the atmosphere for ICT education in the state? What is the IT Infrastructure and power scenario in the state?

Atmosphere is very conducive and there is a lot of demand. Under SSA we are not able to cover many schools. The state will have to think of quickly up-scaling the various experiments in ICT application that are currently going on in the state. Power in villages is an issue and we are working out various alternatives including UPS that can be charged with low voltage and perhaps solar.

Is motivating the teachers for their committed performance a challenge?

Motivating teachers is a challenge. Under the Karnataka State Quality Assessment Programme we are planning to recognise and reward teachers of schools where the results of external assessment are good.

While implementing the innovative education programmes do you think your state ever needs a state specific vision other than the guidelines provided by the centre?

Definitely. States like Karnataka have their own vision and we have started schemes of our own, which now the centre is thinking of introducing in SSA. Central Government prepares guidelines which should suit all states and justifiably such guidelines prioritise the basic minimum needs firsts. Education being state subject, state governments need to take lead and provide over and above what the centre does. Karnataka provides free textbooks and uniform to all primary school children. We run the largest network of educational hostels. We have recently introduced a scheme of giving schools to all poor girls who are enrolled in 8th class.

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