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Wipro Kicks off ‘AppLife Contest 2013’ for Engineering Students

Wipro Ltd has announced the official launch of the ‘Wipro App Life Contest 2013’, a 6-month long collaborative event for engineering and science graduates in India to develop their ‘dream app’. The Wipro AppLife Contest launched in 2012, is a unique crowdsourcing-cum-engagement initiative for students to showcase their creativity and expertise in developing mobile applications for consumers and enterprises. Online registrations opened on July 11, 2013 and will continue till December 20, 2013.

The ‘Wipro AppLife Contest’ is aimed at igniting the imagination of students and making them early starters in the mobile application development space. Young tech-enthusiasts will be given the opportunity to show off their app-vision, using futuristic technologies like iOS, Android, HTML 5 and other open source platforms; building, designing and testing bespoke apps geared at smartphones and tablets, while receiving constant guidance and support from Wipro mentors. The contest will be hosted on Wipro’s ‘Campus Arena’ portal, a social learning network aimed at fostering long-term engagements between campuses and the company.

“The Wipro AppLife contest germinated from the need to equip future engineers with the knowledge and right skill set in application development, and prepare them for the next wave of technology adoption”, said Rajeev Kumar, Global Head – Fresher Hiring, Wipro. “We had an overwhelming number of students participate in the first year and going by the entries received so far, we are confident of seeing an equally competitive number this year. We aim to make the AppLife contest a one-of-its kind initiative by providing students effective mentoring strategies, tools and framework to design the perfect mobile app.”

The year 2012 saw over 2000 students register for the contest. The 6–month long contest involved over 30 hours of training by mentors from Wipro’s mobility training academy and 45 collective hours of coding by the students. A total of 25 apps were conceptualized and developed at the end of the contest, and some of the apps created were considered for real-time application development among customers. In a shared first place, Saranath KJ from Velammel College of Engineering and Parathasarathy Nagarajan of AIHT were crowned as the Wipro AppLife Coders for 2012, for developing apps in the areas of Google maps and Memory booster. Mayank Diwakar from BSMIT and Prashant Jain from GLA University, whose apps were centered around gaming and ticket reservations came in a close second and third place.

The contest is open to all final and pre-final year students of Wipro accredited engineering colleges and all offered candidates across India.

GDA Announces All-India Android Mobile App Design Competition for School Students

Global Discovery Academy (GDA), a chain of K-12 schools is organising all-India android mobile app design competition for school students in the age group of 10-13 years. Students from schools across India have been invited to participate in the competition wherein they will have to create a mobile phone application that will serve a social cause. The competition has been designed to challenge and help developing the thought process of the students by exploring and generating their own unique concepts. Participants will be competing in creating problem solving applications in one of the given areas of social concern like Environment, Education, Health and Nutrition, Poverty and Civic facilities.

The only criterion for participation is basic knowledge of computers and Internet applications. GDA will provide the requisite training on mobile phone programming. Students are required to form a team of 2 or 3 members each in order to register themselves as per the competition format. Registrations shall remain open till 01st September 2013, Sunday. There are no cost prerequisites to enroll.

The competition will take place in 3 stages:
Round 1: The participant will give a broad outline of the application with regards to the relevant social cause it has been designed for. The explanation shall address the apps functionality, its end user engagement, design etc. No programming will be done at this stage.

Round 2: The first prototype of the mobile app proposed in Round 1 will be submitted.

Round 3: Selected finalists will get the opportunity to present the app idea and prototype during finale a special event being planned in New Delhi, basis which the winners will be announced. An esteemed panel of judges will be judging the respective entries based on creativity, effectiveness of the app, and ease of use.

Speaking about the competition, Vipul Redey, Chief Product Officer, GDA said, “In the initial phase we have already received a very enthusiastic response from several schools across New Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh and look forward to a similar response in the coming days. This competition has been designed keeping in mind GDA’s philosophy of encouraging students to realise their unique talent. At GDA, we believe in leveraging technology as a tool to take traditional teaching to new heights. These new methodologies and this technology will encourage children to ideate, explore and learn through practical experiences rather than rote-learning”.

He further added “Every student is like a fingerprint – Unique – and hence we at GDA study the dominant strengths of each student (Diagnosis), chalk out a development trajectory for them (Intervention), and continuously check in on their progress on that trajectory (Monitoring)”.

RUSA Proposes to put a cap on Number of affiliated Colleges to improve quality

The Rashtriya Uchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) proposes to put a ceiling of maximum number of colleges to be affiliated to any university at two hundred. The proposal has been submitted following several State Universities having a large number of colleges affiliated to a single university. For example Osmania University has 901 colleges affiliated to it while 811 colleges are attached Pune to University. Rashtrusant Tukadoji Maharaj University Nagpur has 800 colleges with it and Rajasthan as well as Mumbai University have 735 and 711 colleges attached to them. The average number of affiliated colleges per university is 300. This phenomenon negatively affects the academic quality of the University. It is imperative that States create more universities so that affiliation does not result in large number of colleges being tied academically to one university.

The one lakh crore rupees scheme when implemented will lead to setting up and upgradation of new colleges and universities. The scheme may also facilitate increased number of students from secondary to higher education.

The Rashtriya Uchchatar Flagship Abhiyan is a new centrally sponsored flagship umbrella scheme aimed at providing strategic funding to State higher and technical institutions. States will develop comprehensive state higher education plans that utilise an interconnected strategy to address issues of expansion, equity and excellence together. Central funding will be linked to academic, administrative and financial reforms of state higher education.

Canadian varsities come calling Indian Undergraduates

study canadaA group of nine Canadian universities will be on a two-week visit to India  from August 19 to 31 to woo the Indian undergraduates.

The visiting universities include University of British Columbia, Carleton University, Concordia University, Guelph University, McGill University, Queens University, Ryerson University, University of Toronto and York University.

Apart from low living expenses and flexible visa requirements, Canada offers low tuition fees as compared to other foreign education hubs across the world.

The delegates from these varsities will meet Class XI and XII students of select schools across five cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Dehradun, Hyderabad and Bangalore. They will hold information sessions on opportunities provided by Canada as a premier destination for higher education.

The delegation is being organised by the Canadian Higher Education Committee, under the aegis of the Council of International Schools.

According to the Canadian High Commission, the number of Indian students studying in Canada on 2012 was 28,929 compared to 12,112 in 2011.

(Source: IANS)

MHRD launches National Repository of Open Education Resources

Pallam RajuNew Delhi: The HRD Minister Dr M M Pallam Raju recently launched the National Repository of Open Education Resources (NROER). Addressing the Conference on ICT for School Education in New Delhi, he said that the school education has in the recent times witnessed immense growth. Having promised our children the right to education, leveraging technology is important to expand school system.

The National Repository is a collaborative platform which proposes to bring together the best of digital resources for different subjects domains, across different stages of the school system and in different languages.

The Minister of State for HRD, Dr Shashi Tharoor said that Ministry of Human Resource Development is continuously working towards inclusiveness of Education. In order to make education inclusive, the use of ICT would be quite beneficial. Although technology may not replace the teacher yet it will make teaching more attractive.

The Secretary for Higher Education Mr Ashok Thakur said that ICT initiative is not only promoting school but teachers as well as students also. He said that at present we are connecting 400 Universities and 20,000 Colleges through ICT highways.

The Secretary for School Education and Literacy Mr Rajarshi Bhattacharya said that ICT which is developed by NCERT will improve teaching quality at school level.

Over 200 delegates from the Government, NGOs and the private sector participated in the two-day Conference organised by MHRD and NCERT. The National Conference brought together a variety of stakeholders- policy leaders, practitioners, researchers, implementation agencies and developers of content to examine the policy in the light of their insights and impressions, identifying gaps in the system and suggesting a roadmap for implementing the policy.

The Conference aimed to evolve a roadmap for using ICT into schools and help teachers and children make best use of the opportunities that ICTs provide. Based on National Curriculum Framework, the ICT Curriculum for teachers and students intends to provide a holistic introduction to ICT in education.

Mumbai University to launch virtual classroom

bombay_001Mumbai University will start an automated virtual classroom from the coming weekend. The inauguration event to be held on August 17 at the University’s Kalina campus will be live-streamed across affiliated colleges through the facility.

The system is supposed to be modelled on the virtual classroom at Harvard University. The room with 58 seats will also be connected to an auditorium with a capacity of over 300.

All the facilities on the internet will be made available under the NME-ICT (National Mission Education through Information and Communication Technology) of the ministry of human resources development, and the A-VIEW virtual learning tool designed by Amrita University.

The facility will lead to maximum utilisation of limited resources and solve the problem of shortage of qualified teachers. It will also make interactive learning possible. Furthermore, students and teachers of the University colleges in remote places will now be able to attend important conferences or meetings that will be conducted at the university and transmitted in their classrooms.

The University will initially use the classroom to live-stream special lectures by eminent resource persons, workshops and conferences, but it hopes to bring about  a huge change in academic activities at the university and its affiliated colleges in the long run. The session videos will also be available on the University’s site for students who wish to view it later.

Nearly 420 out of 700  colleges affiliated to Mumbai University have already enrolled for the digital system, A-VIEW.

Cyber & Information Securities introduced as a subject at UG and PG levels

Cyber-Security-300x225The University Grant Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have asked Universities and Technical Institutions to introduce Cyber Security and Information Security as a subject at the Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate levels. This was stated by Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr Shashi Tharoor in Lok Sabha recently.

He said that based on the recommendations of the Task Force on the National Security System constituted on the direction of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the UGC has requested the Vice Chancellors of all the Universities to ensure that Cyber Security/ Information Security is introduced as a subject in the universities and technical institutions at the under-graduate and post-graduate levels. AICTE has intimated that following the recommendations of the the Task Force, it has made provisions in the Approval Handbook that out of the two divisions allotted at the Post-Graduate and Post-Diploma levels, one shall be on Cyber Security or in Cyber Security related courses in the Computer/ IT branches of Engineering/Technology.

The Courses on this vital field have been started in 34 institutions at 15 States and one Union Territory.

Allahabad University to soon implement concept of mobile learning

mobile learningAuthorities of the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) at Allahabad University are all set to introduce the concept of mobile-learning. Currently, the University is finalising the needed infrastructure for this technique and it would soon start its trial run on the campus.

The new technology based initiative will use mobile technology enabled learning solution for imparting English proficiency and work-place skill. The programme was launched recently at Centre of Food Technology where a joint training programme of teachers and learners was held.

mEducation, enables anytime, anywhere learning through any portable device, such as a tablet, laptop or even mobile phone that provides access to educational content through mobile connectivity (2G, 3G, or 4G complemented by mobile-based Wi-Fi).

The portable language lab consists of 21 tablets (20 student version + 1 teacher version), packed in a trolley (which provides storage, wireless access point, transportation & charging). Internet connectivity is provided through a CISCO router. The trolley also has a projector and speakers so that teacher can project from anywhere. The tablets are pre-loaded with the course work, English Edge designed by LIQVID, a Noida based company.

Through the new initiative the University authorities aim to improve the way education is imparted and thereby enhancing learning outcomes which includes simplifying access to content and experts, overcoming traditional constraints of time, location and collaboration.

CBSE-Trinity College partner to impart assessment training on communication skills

CommunicationThe Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has tied up with the Trinity College, London to train the teachers of schools affiliated to the board for the implementation of the assessment of speaking and listening (ASL) skills. CBSE introduced ASL in all affiliated schools for classes IX and XI in an attempt to integrate English language in the curriculum. In the CBSE curriculum document for secondary schools there is a provision of 20 marks weightage for assessing ASL in IX and X.

As part of the tie-up, the school Principals will identify senior teachers of English from their respective schools who will be eligible to take the online screening test to qualify for examiner trainers in the ASL. The teachers who qualify will be invited to the examiner trainers workshops scheduled in August, September, November this year and in January 2014. The examiner trainers would then be responsible for cascading the assessment training to teachers in schools in India and affiliated schools abroad.

In an increasingly competitive world, good communication skills play a pivotal role as they raise the self esteem of a student, and CBSE aims that the students acquire proficiency in it by the time they leave school. Over 12000 schools are affiliated to CBSE.

Government initiates opening up of 2,500 model schools under PPP mode

Shashi TharoorThe process of setting up 2,500 model schools under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode has been initiated by selection of entities. This was stated by Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. Shashi Tharoor in Rajya Sabha recently. He said that, however, the estimated number of schools to be set up is dependent upon the interest shown by the private entities. The Ministry has identified 3,203 blocks in the country, which are not educationally backward.

The private entities will acquire land and then develop, design, build, finance, provide infrastructure, operate, maintain, manage and own these schools. The Government will contribute to the recurring cost on a per capita basis for the 980 select students of a maximum student strength of 2,500 per school permitted under the scheme. Besides, a sum equal to 25% of such support for each sponsored student, not exceeding an amount equal to 10% of the capital investment in the school, shall also be provided as infrastructure grant. The initial agreement for such provision of quality education would be for 10 years for each school, which is extendable by mutual consent.

The Government has decided to set up 6,000 model schools at the rate of one school per block as benchmark of excellence. Out of these, 3,500 schools are to set up through the respective State/UT Government in educationally backward blocks (EBBs) and the remaining 2,500 schools are to be set up under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in blocks which are not educationally backward. The model schools are to be set up based on the Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) template with infrastructure and faculty as per norms of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

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