digital learning April 2012

Asiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier Monthly Magazine on ICT in Education

volume 8 I issue 04 I April 2012 www.digitalLearning.in

I ISSN 0973-4139 I ` 75

Interactive Whiteboards

Bringing

Innovations into Education Cover Feature p-12

Interactive whiteboard & projector special issue

Investing in Education

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Education An Analysis

Interactive Whiteboard Vs Interactive Projector

p-66

p-60

p-32

ORGANISERS

CO-ORGANISERS & partners

23 - 24 July 2012, Le Méridien, New Delhi

Conclave of Global Leaders in Education Programme chair

Programme co-chair

Nominate for WES Awards Prof. SS Mantha

Prof V S Ramamurthy

Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)

leaders gracing the World education summit 2011

Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Former President of India

Shri Kapil Sibal Hon’ble Minster of Human Resource Development and Communications and IT Government of India

World Education Conference

Dr N Jadhav Member, Planning Commission, Government of India

Loynpo Thakur Singh Powdyel Hon’ble Minister of Education Thimphu, Bhutan

Dr Taseer Al Nuaimi Hon’ble Minister of Education, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The Conference would be a unique platform for sharing of knowledge, challenges, ideas and best practices amongst the various stakeholders in the domain of Education. Bureaucrats, technocrats, academicians, industry personnel and civil society members along with Education experts, senior leaders and management teams of various schools, foreign education representatives, practitioners, business leaders and stake holders would all benefit through thought provoking sessions, workshops, one on one interactions etc.

previous Speakers Vibha Puri Das Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

Dr Veera Gupta Secretary, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

Shri N.K. Sinha Additional Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

www.worldeducationsummit.net

Amit Khare Joint Secretary Bureau of BP & CR Education Policy UNESCO, INC & ICC Department of Higher Education, Government of India

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Contents

ISSN 0973-4139

volume 08 issue 04 April 2012

Cover feature

Interactive Whiteboards Bringing Innovations into Education By Sheena Joseph Cherian, Elets News Network (ENN)

Case Study 22 S S B International School, Bangalore

higher education 24 Technology@JRE Group of Institutions

By Harpreet Singh, President, JRE Group of Institutions

32 Interactive Whiteboard Vs Interactive Projector 38 For Hassle Free Projection By Pragya Gupta, Elets News Network

66 Investing in Education By Anoop Verma, Elets News Network

Corporate Diary

k-12 27 Lotus Valley International School, Noida

Abhilesh Guleria, Head, Multimedia Product group, NEC India Pvt. Ltd

64 Joy Ghosh, Vice President (Sales and Marketing), Edaxis Systems India Pvt Ltd

analysis 60 Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Education An Analysis

By Anand Agarwal, Elets News Network (ENN)

Vocational Education & Skill Training 70 IGNOU in Pursuit of WomenEmpowerment Through Education in North East Region By Dr Bini Toms Regional Director,

28 Sishu Griha Montessori & High School, Bangalore

48 Rajeev Singh, Country Head & GM, BenQ India

46 Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Delhi

52 Hemant Agarwal, Senior DirectorDisplay Solutions, Delta India Electronics Pvt Ltd

54 Policy Matters

55 Kulbhushan Seth, Head (Sales and Marketing), Casio India

68 K-12

perspective 30 Projecting Interactivity By Pragya Gupta, Elets News Network

www.digitalLEARNING.in

56 Aroon Saxena, VP-Sales and Marketing, CYBERNETYX

EDNERU hqrs, IGNOU

news

58 Corporate

Higher Education

EDITORIAL

A Reality Check for Indian Education Sector Education in India has seen several positive changes in terms of policy practices. The last few years saw a series of reforms being proposed which have been eulogized for their revolutionary role in this segment. As many as nine bills for reforms in the higher education sector have been proposed. The latest budget of 2012 has increased the spending on education by 18 percent. With all the reforms and policy documents put in place, now is the time to also look back and mull over the actual implementation and realities. The focus of the Government to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio, with a major thrust being given to educational institutes, was all in good intention. But the fallout of this has been a series of educational institutes that have sprung up without proper regulatory approval and with students now facing the problem of having to do with a degree which is of no relevance anywhere. The Right to Education Act completed two years of existence on 1st April 2012, but several issues are still to be addressed. No grievance redressal mechanism has been instituted yet, in order to facilitate smooth operation. Accountability is an aspect that has to be seriously considered here. Use of ICT in education has gained increased momentum with Government policies that have encouraged the integration of ICTs in schools across India. It is for us to see how the well intentioned policies are going to play out in the coming years. In this issue, we put our focus on technology trends that have strengthened the teaching and learning process and have provided a tool that can be replicated across different sectors. Interactive Whiteboards and interactive solutions are now creating waves in the education sector, with innovative technologies also being a part and parcel of the overall education policies. Technology is sure to act as a leveller in the coming years. I am also proud to announce the World Education Summit (WES) 2012, which will carry forward the incredible success of the same Summit held in the year 2011. The education platform, this year, will highlight innovations and best practices in the education sector. The Summit will gather together ministers and secretaries of education from across various countries, stakeholders from civil society organisations, educationists, academia, Communities of Practices (CoP), corporate houses, International and national developmental organizations, donor and funding agencies, and decision-makers from the education industry. It will aim at enriching global efforts at inclusive education and at analysing the role of governments in the development and implementation of education policies. With the able mentoring from Prof S S Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and key participation from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS); Ministry of Labour and Employment; National Council for Education, Research and Training (NCERT), the WES platform is hinged to become a one of a kind platform that will gather education leaders from across the globe deliberations on issues that are pertinent to the education community. I invite all to join in this platform and be a part of the resurgence in the education sector.

Dr. Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in

www.digitalLEARNING.in

What if

a team of world-class engineers

collaborated with administrators and teachers to develop the most comprehensive suite of user-friendly interactive teaching tools?

(Imagine that.) In the world of interactive teaching, MimioClassroom stands apart. The MimioClassroom™ family of innovative tools helps you teach creatively and lets your students learn actively. The MimioTeach™ interactive system transforms ordinary whiteboards into interactive whiteboards. You can capture your whiteboard notes and drawings with the MimioCapture™ ink recording system, and save them—in color—to your computer. With the MimioPad™ wireless tablet, you can move about the classroom while teaching with your whiteboard. You can shoot high-resolution images and video and incorporate them in your interactive lessons with the MimioView™ document camera. The MimioVote™ assessment system simplifies assessment, grading, and record-keeping, and its intelligent handset is easier for students. Five tools that can stand alone or work seamlessly together, all powered by MimioStudio™ software.

MimioClassroom resources include a full lineup of MimioTraining programs and the MimioConnect™ interactive teaching community at mimioconnect.com, where you can share ideas and collaborate with other teachers. Interactive tools and comprehensive resources—allowing you to simply teach.

Schedule your free demonstration: visit mimio.dymo.com/C7i call:+91-120-2488809 Email:mimioinquiry@mimio.com

Advisory Board Prof. Asha Kanwar Vice President, Commonwealth of Learning Dr. Jyrki Pulkkinen CEO, Global eSchools & Communities Initiative (GeSCI) Subhash Chandra Khuntia Principal Secretary to Government, Public Works Department, Government of Karnataka Prof. V N Rajasekharan Pillai Former Vice Chancellor, Indira GandhiI National Open University (IGNOU)

Prof S S Mantha Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) President: Dr M P Narayanan Editor-in-Chief: Dr Ravi Gupta GM Finance: Ajit Kumar dgm Strategy: Raghav Mittal Programme Specialist: Dr Rajeshree Dutta Kumar Partnerships & Alliances: Sheena Joseph, Shuchi Smita

Inbox “The school is excellent but there are no educational tours offered till now. Hope to have them soon.” Mahipal Jain commented on ‘A’s Steward Morris School Bhilwara, Rajasthan’ via digitallearning.in “It is a great way to improve students. Mind capture power by involving digital media in course. By this way students can take interest in studies.. Thanks for sharing the information.” commented by Eduberry on the news ‘CBSE Schools in Chandigarh to Introduce Mass Media’ posted by digitallearning.in “Nice to see discussion on web based learning, which is need of the hour. A central nodal agency with content development with quality has to be in place. Our students are computer savvy. But our faculties are not. Hence, training of faculty (practically) is a must and the administrators should catch with the latest ICT. Sudhakara A M, University of Mysore commented on the article “Integrating Curriculum with the Web” via digitallearning.in “Wow it’s great announcement by the government, It should be done by every country for making their education flow fast and education ratio 100 percent.” Eduberry commented on ‘Budget 2012-13 Highlights on Education and Skill Development’ via digitallearning.in

Editorial: Divya Chawla, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, Anand Agarwal, Pragya Gupta, Shally Makin (editorial@elets.in) Sales & Marketing Delhi & ncr: Fahimul Haque, National Sales Manager, Mob: +91-8860651632, Jyoti Lekhi, Ragini Shrivastav, Rakesh Ranjan (sales@elets.in) Mumbai: Rachita Jha | Pune: Shankar Adaviyar Bangalore: Puneet Kathait | Hyderabad: Amit Kumar Pundhir | Ahmedabad: Sunil Kumar Circulation & Subscription: Jagwant Kumar, Mobile: +91-8130296484; Gunjan Singh, Mobile: +91-8860635832 subscription@elets.in Design & Creatives: Bishwajeet Kumar Singh, Om Prakash Thakur, Shyam Kishore Web: Ishvinder Singh, Anil Kumar IMG: Gaurav Srivastava IT Infrastructure: Mukesh Sharma, Zuber Ahmed Events: Vicky Kalra Human Resource: Sushma Juyal Legal: R P Verma Accounts: Anubhav Rana, Subhash Chandra Dimri All India Distribution by Ibh Books & Magazines Distributors Pvt. Ltd Editorial & Marketing Correspondence digitalLearning - Stellar IT Park Office No: 7A/7B,5th Floor, Tower - 2, C-25, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301 Email: info@digitalLearning.in digitalLEARNING is published by Elets Technomedia Pvt. Ltd. in technical collaboration with Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS). Owner, Publisher, Printer - Ravi Gupta, Printed at Vinayak Print Media D-320, Sector 10, Noida, U.P. and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30, Sector - 50, Noida, UP Editor: Ravi Gupta

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cover feature

Interactive Whiteboards

Bringing

Innovations into Education Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) are gradually being seen as an essential requirement for teaching in schools. Several studies highlight the impact that technology has made in making the classroom proceeding more engaging for students. We interact with leading vendors and stakeholders in this segment to find out their views on the use of Interactive Whiteboards By Sheena Joseph Cherian, Elets News Network (ENN)

nteractive Whiteboards, which are completely technology enabled, are extensively used in developed countries with an estimate of over 90 percent of schools using IWBs in UK, US and Australia. Several studies have suggested that there are more than one benefits of using Interactive Whiteboards. Studies on teaching outcomes of those using Interactive Whiteboards have shown that student engagement in classroom teachings have increased on account of the use of IWBs. Also, there has been a positive impact on student motivation in classrooms. According to a study conducted by Miller and Glover, it was found that the effectiveness on learning and student engagement was much higher when students were given the opportunity to interact with the Whiteboards. Certain investigations have shown that IWBs have had positive impact on even the lowest performing students. Interactions with leading players in this segment have shown a unanimous endorsement of the fact that there is tremendous potential for growth of IWBs in India. This can be attributed to several factors including the presence of a large number of schools, which have very limited amount of technology inte-

www.digitalLEARNING.in

gration. Tier 2 and 3 cities have shown the greatest potential for growth. Players in this sector also have a reason to cheer as the Indian Government has taken several proactive steps in promoting the use of ICTs in schools and higher education institutes through legislations like National Mission on Education Through ICT (NMEICT) and National Knowledge Network (NKN) to name a few. Other than IWBs, several new technologies have been added to this mission. These have now come out as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;interactive solutionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which are also being used by schools. These are a set of interactive classroom solutions that are a step ahead of IWBs although IWBs form an integral part of the same. Huge opportunities also pose associated challenges. Some of them include the need for constant teacher training, which needs to become an integral part of the strategies for deployment of ICT in educational institutes. So also is the need to create awareness and demystifying myths, fears and apprehension related to adoption of technology. The ensuing coverage will provide perspective from the industry leaders on the Interactive Whiteboard segment.

cover feature

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

cover feature

“Penetration Will Increase Rapidly Due to Falling Prices of IWB”

D S Krishna Murthy Chief Operating Manager, Almoe Digital Solutions Pvt Ltd

Factors driving the IWB market in India and scope for its growth in the education space The IWB market is seeing a rapid growth as most of the major content companies like NIIT, Extramarks, Edurite, Zee Learn etc are embedding this technology in teacher’s pedagogy. The sustained use of this technology for the last 5 to 6 years by teachers has had a very positive impact.. The IWB when connected to the school’s network and via broadband to the internet acts as a gateway to a wide range of resources. It is impacting the way lessons are taught, as the teachers themselves become co-learners along with their pupils. Children’s level of interactive engagement increases with the use of IWB and is able to understand complex, abstract and difficult concepts.

www.digitalLEARNING.in

The place of IWB in Indian schools is now established and the penetration will only increase rapidly due to falling prices of IWB.

Emerging technologies LED Projectors, Interactive Projectors,

Learner Response System, Portable Visualizers are some of the emerging technologies.

Opportunities and challenges in the IWB market Government policies are not yet friendly enough for the mass deployment of ICT and Interactive Classroom Concept. Private schools require more refined and supportive policies from authorities, to be able to have or require sufficient funds for a reliable and productive ICT implementation.

Strategies adopted by vendors to promote product Good product offering with bundle offer, advertisements, events and road shows are some of the promotional strategies for vendors.

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digitalLEARNING / april 2012

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“Lack of Proper Awareness and Training is One of the Problems” Factors driving the IWB market in India and scope for its growth in the education space IWB products should be economical in price and yet be the best in technology with ease to learn and operate. Some of the other essentials are prompt pre and post-sales support with extensive warranty coverage. It is also essential to provide training to educators on technology products for interactive teaching, so that they can focus on their core responsibilities of teaching in-spite of wasting time in understanding the technology. The scope for growth of the IWB market is enormous since the saturation level will not arrive before 2015 in India. So far only 4 -5 percent of market has been captured, and that too by the major private players. The real potential will only get visible once the Government (both Central and State) get involved and open doors for players to convert classrooms of government schools into interactive classrooms.

Emerging technologies New technologies in this sector, include Interactive Projectors, Multi-Touch IWB

products is one of the key restraining factors. Resistance to learn new technology and product by majority of teachers is also an impediment to the adoption of IWBs. So far only 3-5 percent of the entire potential has been captured so remaining is the huge opportunity in education vertical. Once the government starts adopting various teaching aids in their schools, then market will see the huge demand for IWBs.

Strategies adopted by vendors to promote product

Nitin Joshi Regional Sales Manager – Indian Subcontinent, Mimio systems, Automatic voting system/clickers for immediate assessment of students using multi-choice questionnaire.

Opportunities and challenges in the IWB market The lack of proper awareness and education among the end-users about interactive teaching technology and various

Programme chair

23-24 July, Le Meridian, New Delhi

ORGANISERS

There is a need for direct reach to the end-users to make them aware about the technology and their benefits by adopting the same into their day to day teaching activities , especially in higher education. Continual training & up gradation to end-users on latest updates of both hardware & software to keep the endusers up-to-date on everything regarding the technology. Taking part into education and ICT related events & exhibitions to showcase latest offerings & updates to dedicated visitors who really wants to know what is happening in the industry related to technology on one of the promotional strategies.

Programme co-chair

Prof. SS Mantha

Prof V S Ramamurthy

Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)

CO-ORGANISERS & partners

World Education Awards 2012 Nominations invited from · Schools · Higher Education Institutes/Universities · Vocational and Skills Training Institute · Education Companies

Visit www.worldeducationsummit.net

www.digitalLEARNING.in

cover feature

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) are a Delivery Platformâ&#x20AC;? Factors driving the IWB market in India and scope for its growth in the education space The IWB market in India has the potential of growing at a very good rate as there are a large number of schools in India and each school has abundant class rooms. As on date, an average school has deployed only 5 Digital Classrooms, and therefore, there is huge scope of growth even with the existing customers as well. Vendors are promoting IWB as a delivery platform for digital content and diluting the features and potential of IWB as an independent product.

Emerging technologies Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) are just a delivery platform but there is more scope of involving students in to class while learning to have Interactive Sessions in true sense, observes Manish. Schools are now using Student Response System to have interactive sessions. This system also enables the teacher to monitor each and every individual performance on various topics covered in classroom. It also assists teachers to identify students who need more attention Schools have started thinking of education beyond the stipulated eight hours with Virtual Campus being deployed in schools. Student can access teaching content, assignments, virtual labs at any time from any place. School libraries are opting for Learning Tablets with preloaded course material which makes students learn their subject from anywhere and at any time and even during travel! Basic rules and laws and application of Science and Technology are demonstrated in labs with various hardware training products that give real time experience to students. This is a very popular concept in overseas schools.

Schools are now using Student Response System to have interactive sessions. This system also enables the teacher to monitor each and every individual performance on various topics covered in classroom

Manish Joshi Deputy CEO, Scientech Opportunities and challenges in the IWB market There are good opportunities for IWB in the education segment but vendors have limited itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usage just for delivering digital content . There is major scope if schools buy IWBs independently.

Strategies adopted by vendors to promote product IWB vendors are promoting their products to increase the numbers and are working on very less margin. It seems that the focus is on having more number of clients and gain major market share. Vendors are promoting the EMI concept in promoting Digital Class Rooms but schools should also understand the economics, ie., if they buy the Complete Solution by paying up front, it will allow them to have more number of Class Rooms in the price of what they pay for EMI and with their ownership of hardware and software from the first day of installation.

digitalLEARNING digitalLEARNING / / april april 2012

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“Biggest Opportunity is the Relative size of the Market” Factors driving the IWB market in India and scope for its growth in the education space The IWB market in India is expanding due to a number of factors, including the nation’s emphasis on making quality education, delivered with tools, methods and materials, accessible to all. Another important factor is the wide availability of educational software to millions of classrooms.

Emerging technologies As “digital learning” continues to evolve, we anticipate customers will ask for more than a simple interactive solution. They are looking for cost-effective, portable solutions that allow for flexibility. Luidia’s eBeam technology products meet all of these requirements today and their ability to work with mobile devices and integrate seamlessly with other products like visualisers, smart phone and digital camera is expanding. Interactive learning should not be limited to the school day and Luidia has applications designed to keep students connected to their learning resources from home, public libraries, or anywhere they can access data on a computer, phones or other mobile device.

Opportunities and challenges in the IWB market

Mohammed Ghouse Regional Sales Manager (South & Western Asia), Luidia

Most classrooms still do not have or effectively use interactive technology to improve critical thinking and conceptual and practical understanding of material 18

www.digitalLEARNING.in

The biggest opportunity from our perspective is the relative size of the market. Most classrooms still do not have or effectively use interactive technology to improve critical thinking and conceptual and practical understanding of material. Now is the time. That said, challenges do exist. Competitors are re-inventing their products to offer better deals on price, but in doing so often compromise quality and customer service. They also build proprietary systems that limit classroom and technology innovation. Luidia’s eBeam technology is designed to integrate with other technologies, not limit their effectiveness and use. Additionally the market needs to be concerned with environmental sustainability. Luidia manufactures eco-friendly products built to last with a warranty extendable to seven years.

Strategies adopted by vendors to promote product Strategies include but are not limited to presenting excellent demos that show eBeam technology in the context of educator and student needs and needs and benefits. Another strategy is to illustrate how the methods used to teach with interactive technology are closely aligned to curricular goals, and student achievement and engagement. Others include researching customers who are well positioned to successfully implement the products, helping customers secure funding and presenting to customers a plan for professional development and training post sales.

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digitalLEARNING / april 2012

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“Emerging Technologies in this Segment Include Social Learning” Teaching and absorption methods are keenly watched over and this in turn drives the IWB adoption since it translates into better learning experiences

Deepti Lamba Vice President at IL&FS Education & Technology Services Ltd (ICT and KYan)

Factors driving the IWB market in India and scope for its growth in the education space IWB technology is now affordable and mainstream. This is allowing a broader spectrum of schools to buy and use IWBs to enhance the teaching learning expe-

rience. There is a preference for schools that are ‘brands’. The reputation of the school depends on their teaching abilities and feedback from the students and in turns the parents. Teaching and absorption methods are keenly watched over and this in turn drives the IWB adoption since it translates into better learning experiences. Children are increasingly using tactile surfaces to access information (e.g. touch phone, tablets, kiosks with touch). When this is also brought into their learning environment, it translates to better rates of involvement leading to comprehension and even retention. IWBs are built around students interacting with the content and their experiences being recorded. This is a proven in effectiveness compared to the earlier chalk-and-talk methods combined with passive note taking. This factor makes are massive differ-

ence in learning. This is a major factor that is triggering IWB adoption

Emerging technologies The emerging technologies in this segment include social learning (utilizing social media and social methods for learning); web integration for sharing; multi-touch devices and learning environments (like Exploriments)

Opportunities and challenges in the IWB market The factors that are triggering adoption of IWBs are also the opportunities. In addition to this multi-curriculum mapped content availability is an opportunity for learning providers as is teacher training for helping teachers adapt to and use the IWB environments. Challenges include availability of quality content (that is validated) and ICT integration in nonurban markets.

23-24 July, Le Meridian, New Delhi

Avail Early Bird Registration Discount Register NOW to participate. Visit www.worldeducationsummit.net

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“IWBs Offer Interactivity and Encourage Collaboration” ing education socially inclusive and has also issued various policies to make ICT accessible to students from all sections of the society. Apart from education, the corporate sector has also given impetus to IWBs in India. IWBs offer interactivity and encourage collaboration while also allowing colleagues to participate in discussions, regardless of distance or location. These tools save valuable time and costs and are quickly becoming an indispensible business tool for meetings and corporate workshops.

Emerging technologies

Sanjiv Pande MD - India & South Asia, SMART Technologies Factors driving the IWB market in India and scope for its growth in the education space India today holds at a strategic advantage with more than 50 percent of its population under 25 years of age. It is critical to impart quality education to the students to create a talented workforce which could contribute significantly to the economy. The immense benefits of technology in making lessons engaging and lucid, have spurred the demand for comprehensive value-added educational solutions such as SMART Board interactive whiteboards. With five million classrooms in India and only a current 1 percent penetration with interactive whiteboards, there is tremendous opportunity in the education market. Integrating technology in classrooms could effectively address the disparity in education standards amongst various types of schools. The Indian government is recognising the potential of ICT in mak-

The market for educational technology products has grown significantly in India over the past few years. Recognising the immense benefits of implementing ICT in education, more and more Indian schools are introducing technology in classrooms. This growth has spurred the demand for IWBs which facilitate easy content generation allowing teachers the flexibility to develop and customize lesson plans as per the requirements of the subject matter and the learner profile. The transition from traditional chalkboards to Interactive whiteboards has introduced a new market of educational devices and applications which complements the Interactive whiteboards enhancing its utility. Thus, Interactive Whiteboards which offer interoperability allowing various enhancement devices and software would drive the market in future.

Opportunities and challenges in the IWB market Education is the fastest growing segment in India. According to Futuresource Consulting, a leading research company that has been following global interactive whiteboard and other technology product shipments since 2004, there are more than 5 million classrooms in India and only 1 percent have interactive whiteboards. Thus, we can

safely say that India’s education sector is poised for substantial growth and progress. Acknowledging the benefits of integrating technology in education, many schools and higher education institutions are adopting technology solutions to make learning an engaging and interactive experience for the learners. The government has also recognised the benefits of technology in education and has announced the launch of various policies giving an impetus to ICT adoption in Indian schools. The biggest barrier in successful integration of technology in education is teachers being able to effectively use this new technology. To ensure maximum benefits for students and teachers, educators must first become comfortable with the use of technology – so professional development and training is the key. Low internet penetration in rural areas and infrastructural issues such as frequent power cuts, shortage of adequate funding to allow schools to invest in interactive whiteboards and other classroom technology are some of the other challenges hampering the growth of IWB market in India.

Strategies adopted by vendors to promote product Most Indian schools generally prefer vendors which provide complete solutions addressing all the technology needs of the institute. There are numerous Education Solution Providers (ESPs) in India offering this to schools in collaboration with SMART. In addition to working with ESPs, SMART solutions are also offered to customers through distributors and re-sellers. Apart from providing the solutions SMART also works with schools, training the teachers to ensure optimum utilization of technology in classrooms. Hardware components, digital content, software and services as well as training and professional development of teachers are a few areas that sets SMART apart. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

Case Study

S S B International School, Bangalore

Srinivas, Principal, S S B International School, Bangalore shares his views on technology deployment at the schools and its impact on students and teachers.

When was IWB first adopted at your institute? Interactive Whiteboards we first adopted in 2007. So far, 80 classrooms have been deployed with IWBs. What are your view on the impact of IWBs on the teaching learning process? Has it helped in increasing student engagement? The IWB deployed at our school one of the best Interactive Boards in the world. It’s highly accurate & precise. The service which Promethean offers in terms of teacher training, lesson planning, quality resources, and free online courses are unmatched. Promethean Planet integrates online teacher community for a whole universe of content and support. With the help of unique battery free pen, you can drag and drop the elements, highlight, open tools, pages, web camera, sound etc. Also with the Learner Response Systems (Vote, Expressions) classroom and lessons have become more interactive and interesting to learn. Do students enjoy lessons using Interactive Whiteboards? It’s a perfect base on which you can build a

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full Multimedia Learning Experience. The Antiglare Surface from Promethean enables us to work seamlessly for hours together. The Active Inspire Software provides a lot of advanced tools which in turn help the teachers to prepare their lesson plans well in advance. Fully functional tools including Math’s Tools, Scale, Compass, Protractor and other tools like revealer and spot light can make teaching very interesting and interactive. Easy to move from page to page, easier to recollect, helps in creating question papers by one subject after another, enhances the reading skills, can draw multi color, identification is clear, can highlight the important words and sentences. Students enjoy using interactive board for downloading images. It works widely on Geography, Geometry, Graph Sheets, Web Camera and Learners Response System which make the environment more interactive. Which are the subjects that are widely taught using Interactive Whiteboards? Geometry, Geography, Science and EVS are some of the subjects which are taught through IWBs. Could you specify the company name of the Whiteboards deployed at your institute? We use Promethean Whiteboards in our school. What are the related response systems that have been adopted at your institute? Apart from Promethean Interactive White Board, we have implemented other response systems such as Visualizers, Music Systems, CC Cameras, Curriculum Content, EduSports, Math Lab, E-Blocks, Mobile Units etc.

THINK

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MAKE A MARK WITH TOUCH SCREEN EASE !! with SHARP’s Interactive Touch Screen Displays (PN L 802B/702B/602B)

ffective communication is an important factor when it comes to education. The more the convenience for the teacher to explain and the students to understand, the more effective is the communication. SHARP’s highly intuitive integrated touch-screen LCD monitor, the PNL802B/702B/602B makes conventional presentation tools look out of touch with the communication needs of academic institutions and schools. Its bright, energy-efficient LED backlighting and large, 80/70/60-inch high-resolution display (1920 x 1080 pixels) provides maximum satisfaction both to the user and the viewer and delivers the message with a great impact. With a highly sensitive touch-screen, and original user-intuitive pen software, it is the ideal tool for classroom lessons, and other applications where communication is the key like meetings, videoconferencing, presentations, corporate training. The SHARP display in the classroom or office opens up a whole new world of education or business possibilities. Connectivity allows the teacher to incorporate video and online content into the lesson. Displaying it on a big, powerful screen ensures that all student eyes are front and centre. Timesaving and versatile, the SHARP touch screen display enables students to stay focused and teachers to perform more effectively. The teacher can emphasise points by enlarging them on the screen, and by supporting them with crystal-clear images. The teacher can write and draw directly on the screen surface using the touch pen or a finger. Everything that appears on the screen, even handwritten annotations such as text or drawings, can be saved or exported for printout. With a quick click of

SHARP’s Interactive Touch Screen Displays • • • • • • • • • •

Spectacular 80”, 70” and 60”class screen size Touch-screen operation with touch pen or finger Brilliant high definition LCD panel Display, annotate, store and share information Exclusive Sharp user-intuitive whiteboard software Allows writing on MS Excel/Word documents onscreen & saving the file with the annotations Direct Sharp MFP connectivity to import/export data Engineered for 24/7 certified commercial use Video conferencing Uniformly Bright Screen with Low Energy Consumption

the bundled touch pen, this user-friendly interface links directly to on-screen functions for pen-colour selection, screen erasing, and so on. Meanwhile, students make this a truly interactive display system by using tablet PCs to give their own input to the lesson. It has the advantage over the projector that the projection is not blocked due to the person making the presentation. Moreover, the teacher can share multiple lessons at the same time on the screen by sliding the existing sheet with a touch. These are just a few of many advantages that the SHARP display has over the conventional Projector IWBs. The Display can be connected with a SHARP Multi Function Printer (MFP) or a

PC, and the notes and changes made on the monitor can be saved and printed or sent/ mailed to the students making this a tool for faster and smoother communication. The Display can turn time- and moneyconsuming conferences into smooth-running and cost-effective videoconferences. All participants, no matter where they are, can interact by writing on shared screen images in real time. It’s just like having everyone at a meeting—but without the wasted time and expenses. SHARP’s state-of-the-art interactive touch screen display indeed is the ideal display solution for the emerging futuristic classrooms of India. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

higher education

Technology@

JRE Group of Institutions JRE Group of Institutions, with state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate quality management and technical education, has deployed several technology solutions that help in creating an engaging learning environment for students in the higher education space. The Institute provides global experience to students through academic partnership with Raffles Education Corporation Ltd. Harpreet Singh, President, JRE Group of Institutions gives insights into the technology applications of the institute

“The assignments, tests and quizzes are designed to provide students with the opportunity to prepare for online format of examinations ...The content provided in classroom provide students an environment for research and application.” Harpreet Singh, President, JRE Group of Institutions 24

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RE Group of Institutions adopted Interactive White Boards (IWBs) in June 2011. So far 10 classrooms and boardrooms have been deployed with Whiteboards.

Impact of IWBs on the teaching-learning process The use of IWBs has brought greater level of engagement of students and has helped in getting and retaining their attention in the classroom. “At JRE we believe in ‘No cramming but understanding’ philosophy, therefore our students are constantly challenged and motivated by being a part of a lively and active community of learning”, says Harpreet Singh, President of the JRE Group of Institutions. The main goal of this community is to maximise the potential for all participants focusing on innovation, entrepreneurship and benchmarked management techniques. Students thus are exposed to a range of learning opportunities like live projects, local, national and international case studies, he adds.

Benefits of IWBs Singh elaborates on the wide range of benefits of using Interactive Whiteboards. He says that developing students interest in the subject matter in one of the key USPs. According to his observations at the institute, interactivity has helped in maximising retention

higher education

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

higher education

IWB at use at JRE Group of Institutions

of content and also in the application of learning in real life. The audio/visual content, in form of concept and case studies, help students internalise various complex concepts. The technology at JRE enables audio/visual recording of actual black board instructions and instructors voice. This is uploaded simultaneously which can be accessed by the students through Internet. The assignments, tests and quizzes are designed to provide students with the opportunity to prepare for online format of examinations and provide them with online scores as well. The content provided in classroom sessions and 24hour internet access provide students an environment for research and application of their intelligence in research projects. The content for each subject and lecture has been structured to include a pre and post lecture wise online test enabling a continuous measure of student’s learning curve. “Of course students do enjoy the use of technology and they find the sessions much more interactive and full of participation. These boards are also integrated with “ Millennium Learning System” and the Internet. So on the click of a mouse one can get pictures and content relevant to the topic being discussed. Our students also use Tablets to improve their communication skills and many other technologies.”

Subjects taught through application of technology Most of the engineering subjects, and, currently the first year

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The technology at JRE enables audio/visual recording of actual black board instructions and instructors voice. This is uploaded simultaneously which can be accessed by the students through Internet of engineering subjects, are being taught through the use of technology and IWBs. The Institute will add many more subjects into this league in the coming days. It is also used where ever free hand illustrations are used. “We give regular feedback to manufacturers to suit our requirements. Multiple products are integrated together for best results.” With regard to response systems that have been adopted at the institute, Singh says, “We already have a Learning Management System (LMS) in place. We are in the process of integrating other systems including Stereoscopic 3D, Real Time Graphic, Gesture Based and Augmented Reality Rich Content. We are working on various technologies to make content more interesting from student point of view”.

k-12

Lotus Valley International School, Noida www.lotusvalley.com

S C Arora, Vice Chairman of the Lotus Valley International School shares his views on the role of Interactive Whiteboards in the school.

otus Valley International School has been using the interactive whiteboard since 2005. Currently, Interactive whiteboards have been installed in 90 classrooms. With regard to the impact of IWBs on the teaching learning process, Arora says, “Integrating interactive whiteboards in classroom teaching significantly improves learning outcomes. Interactive whiteboards bring course content alive for the students making concepts easier to comprehend. Also learning with the aid of audio and visuals engages various senses of the students resulting in better retention of concepts. It also makes lessons interactive and engaging for the students.” All subjects at the school are taught on the interactive whiteboard across all grades. The school is currently using SMART Technologies and Polyvision’s solutions.

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digitalLEARNING / april 2012

k-12

Sishu Griha Montessori & High School, Bangalore www.sishugriha.in

What is the impact of IWBs on teaching learning process? Has it helped in increasing student engagement? The last decade has seen a rapid shift to a highly networked, information technology driven world. This transformation makes it important for schools to teach students in ways which are interesting, interactive and realistic. That is where Interactive Whiteboards play a very important role. We adopted DigiClass, an interactive classroom solution by Pearson which comprises an IWB and syllabi compliant content. We have noticed a significant difference in student retention and concept understanding due to use of the technology. It has helped us move towards a more student-centered learning approach and bring in cognitive learning to replace the chalk and black board model. Do students enjoy lessons using Interactive Whiteboards? Students definitely enjoy their lessons more since we introduced the Interactive Whiteboards. The new IWB approach relies heavily on cognitive learning, which operates on the simple theory, ie. “what children see they retain better”. Our teachers can now convert entire text books into interesting formats and activities even for complex subjects like Maths, Physics, Biology, and Grammar making them easier to understand and retain. What subjects are widely taught using Interactive Whiteboards? Subjects like Math, Physics, Biology, Geography and even English are widely taught using Interactive Whiteboards. Using an IWB, a lesson on Paris is no longer limited to plain facts, children can actually go on a virtual journey to Paris and see its famous monuments for a real-world experience. Similarly a Biology lesson on the human heart actually includes an interactive video showing how the heart functions.

Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) were adopted by the School in 2009-10. Currently, 31 classrooms have deployed IWBs. In an interaction with the School Principal, Sujatha Mohandas, we find out the impact of IWBs on teaching and learning at the School

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Can you specify the name of the company where Whiteboards are deployed at your institute? We have deployed Pearson’s DigiClass ICT solution in our institute. What are the related response systems that have been adopted at your school? The ICT solution, DigiClass that we have deployed in our schools comprises of DigitALly, a patented teaching software which makes DigiClass a unique and effective solution. Teachers can customise their classroom lessons, add/edit content, create question papers, share content with other teachers and also add/edit new subjects and chapters. This ready-to-use teaching tool is flexible, open to customisation and offers two modes of operation: Teacher In Class (TIC) and Prepare For Class (PFC). The digital content has been developed by Edurite using subject matter experts and instructional designers. It has nearly 500 animations, 1800 2D/3D images, 1200 PowerPoint presentations with 7500+ slides, 3200 multiple choice questions and other learning objects.

perspective

Projecting

Interactivity Interactive Projectors are gaining momentum in the Indian market, but the penetration of Interactive Whiteboards is still very low among schools and higher education institutes in India in comparison to the west. It is expected that the Interactive Projector market could surpass the Interactive Whiteboards in time to come By Pragya Gupta, Elets News Network(ENN)

nteractivity has become a most crucial part of teachinglearning in classrooms; the technology has proved its potential with improved outcomes. With the advent of technology, the simple blackboard with chalk and talk method has been converted into a whiteboard with interactive methods of teaching. Technology has shifted and brought new products for better output and to make the processes convenient. Interactive whiteboard is one of those technologies, which has almost shifted the way teaching has been done so far. It has brought new meaning to interactivity from complex set of hardware to the simpler one. The new shift can be seen in the interactive classroom is an interactive projector. Interactive whiteboard has always been supported by a projector as device to project the content. But projector of today has now taken a major turnaround by imbibing interactive features into it.

Interactive Projectors-What and Why The interactive projectors can turn any screen or surface into an interactive medium, and this is the reason behind the popularity of the system. Interactive projectors also provide the freedom from hassles of buying multiple products to make the experience interactive. Capable of projected on any screen, the device facilitates interactivity required for the classroom. The complaint of shadow has always been associated with traditional projectors due to the fact that teacher is liable to often step between a board and projector. But as the interactive projectors project their image on the whiteboard surface from a very short distance, no shadowing exists. The entire area under projection area is the interactive area. Educators and students can interact with the whiteboard surface using a pen, and software. Like IWB, calibration is required with Interactive projectors also. However, it offers the benefit at cost effective price.

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perspective

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

perspective

Interactive Whiteboard Vs Interactive Projector Do interactive projector cannibalise interactive whiteboard market in India? dgitalLEARNING has asked this question to various Interactive Whiteboard and projector players

Harish A K

Senior Business Manager- Visual Instruments, Epson India

“Interactive projectors are the need of the market and it takes involvement of students to the maximum. Whiteboards are expensive, and have built in electronics.Repairing in India is a challenge in many cases. Built in interactive white board in projector is must.”

“The advantage of an Interactive Projector is that it can turn any surface into interactive display. We expect in times to come, the interactive projector market will dig into the market share of interactive whiteboards. We have a range of Interactive projectors which are set to revolutionise lessons and presentations by replacing whiteboards.”

Milind Kshirsagar

Rajeev Singh

Founder and Chairman, Tirubaa Technologies Pvt Limited

Country Head & GM, BenQ India

“Both interactive projector and interactive whiteboard have their own share in market, Interactive whiteboards are useful when coming to elementary teaching as these whiteboards connect to desktop and laptop computers using a USB port or through wireless technology. It is due to this space where we see tremendous demand that we have introduced Interactive Whiteboard projectors in India.”

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“Interactive projectors have still time to cannibalise the boards as the mechanism is not up to the market needs and the cost factor is another hindrance. A lot of improvements need to come for interactive projectors.” RadhaKrishan

Head ( Interactive & Educational Products), Aveco Technologies Pvt Ltd

perspective

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

perspective

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“K-Yan (includes an Interactive projector) is easier to set up since it can project on any surface. All one needs is an interactive pen and even a wall that can become an interactive board. This reduces the school’s technology spending by over 60-70 percent. Moreover, a fixed Interactive Whiteboard is at danger of being scratched by children since it is out in the open.” H

Nitin Joshi

Sales Manager - Indian Subcontinent, Mimio

“The cannibalising of IWBs market by Interactive Projectors will completely depend upon how Interactive Projector companies are going to provide learning (awareness of IP to end-users), continuous training to end-users to and post-sales support for newly launched products. As this is the entry year for Interactive Projectors, so it is a long way to go for the companies, and there is a large market for them to cover.”

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Se ema n ni So or Dir t Aga luti e Ele ons ctor-D rwal ctro , De isp l nic l s P ta Ind ay ia vt. Ltd

Abhilesh Guleria

Head, Multimedia Product group, NEC India Pvt. Ltd

“Interactive Whiteboard and interactive projectors will grow simultaneously. Interactive Projectors are taking the interactive feature integrating into the projector. That is good thing and hence, it will also grow. NEC is trying to bring a solution, which combines the IWB and projectors. Interactive Projectors will definitely try to overlap.”

perspective

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

perspective

Aroon Saxena

VP-Sales and Marketing, Cybernetyx

“There is no real cannibalization in real sense but yes the market of Interactive Projectors is increasing fast as compared to just the Interactive projector devices. For the clients who are already using the projectors in their classrooms/board rooms, they will always prefer the Interactive Whiteboard solution independently. However, for a customer who is looking for the projector and Interactive Whiteboard combination; it makes real sense to go for Interactive Projector solution as such.”

is h hos s, EdaX G y n Jo td atio

r L Ope Pvt India s India VP ystem S

“Interactive Projectors (IP) will overshadow Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) in future. As they offer various advantages over IWB like enlarged screen size diagonally. Interactive Projectors come with lifetime warranty. IP is a future proof solution that works with any content or software. IP weights less than interactive whiteboard and much more.”

“Interactive projectors are catching up these days, the reason being that if you have an interactive board you are working with two devices. Second thing is that from a safety or security perspective, and maintenance perspective, an interactive projector is more useful because if you have an interactive board and a guy damages that, then you have to replace one part of it because it is accessible, you can touch it, use it. I think the interactive projectors are slowly eating up the interactive whiteboards. I will not say that it will cannibalise 100 percent.”

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Abhinav Dhar

Director (K 12 Business & Operations), Educomp Solutions Limited

“Images do not come from a projector or whiteboard but comes from a computer connected with it. Interactivity is enabled by different kind of technologies. There is a camera that locates the position of the pen or the finger with which you are touching the board. If you put that camera on the white board, it will become an interactive whiteboard or if it is place with projector it will become an interactive Projector. So, there is a wrong perception that there is a thing called interactive projector.”

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je arke sh Se ting thia , Sys Tata In tem tera s ctiv

Announcing

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perspective

For Hassle Free Projection

Projector has become an essential tool for today’s classrooms. For procurement managers, it is a difficult task to choose the right projector for their school or institute. Projector is not a regular investment, as it involves huge cost, which should bring value to investments. Therefore, opting for the right projector is mandatory to make a classroom smart and future ready. By Pragya Gupta, Elets News Network (ENN)

ere are some points for procurement managers, which will help in understanding what should be taken into account while going in for the projectors… • Understand your classroom’s current and future needs: where is the ideal position for your screen, how

www.digitalLEARNING.in

• • •

far is the farthest student from the screen, prevailing technology, upcoming technologies, etc. Analyse your budget Do some market research Type and technology of Projectors available in the market: Understanding the projector type and

technology is important as it keeps changing. It is important to go for technology that is future ready for at least the next five years. There are three projector technologies available in the market among them the most popular is DLP technology. DLP means Digital Light Processing.

perspective

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digitalLEARNING www.worldeducationsummit.net

/ april 2012

perspective

It is a proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments. It works quite differently as compared to LCD. Instead of having glass panels through which light is passed, the DLP chip is a reflective surface made up of thousands of tiny mirrors. Each mirror represents a single pixel. According to some vendors, DLP projector technology has been offering advantage for years and continues to raise the bar through innovations that expand instructional reach for teachers and lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for schools at the same time. With Filter-free designs that require less maintenance and offer lower operating costs, DLP projectors help your school save money. Plus, unlike other technologies, DLP projectors are virtually immune to colour decay so you will have a reliable system even after years and years of use. With 3LCD ultra short throw projectors one can light up a big screen (102” diagonal) at a distance of 19” from the screen surface. A projector with the designed 3-panel Liquid Crystal Display (‘3LCD’) system uses dichroic mirrors to break the white light from the lamp into red, green and blue light. Each of the three colours of light is then passed through its own LCD panel and recombined by a prism before being projected onto the screen. The result is smoothmoving images with rich, full colour, since all three basic colours are included in each pixel of the projected image at all times. • Lamp life: Lamp is the most important component of a projector. Lamps constitute more than 50 percent of the projector’s total costs. Lamp life should be compared in details to avoid additional cost. • Warranty and after sales support: Good after sales support and technical support will improve overall product experience. Ensure to check the service type, service locations offered by the vendors. Committed time for service delivery is also very crucial. Vendors usually offer support though their distributor or directly. Service record of vendor should be checked before buying a projector.

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Understanding the projector type and technology is important as it keeps changing. It is important to go for the technology that is future ready for at least the next five years

• Credibility of the vendor: Credibility of the vendor is must to choose the brand. The brand must have been present in the market for at least one year. Check out the case studies. Talk to their customers about experiences with them. • Demo: Demonstration is very important factor in choosing the projectors. Invite different vendors to provide demo to you your teachers and students. Take feedback from students and teachers about their overall experience of teaching-learning using different projectors including ease of operation, software compatibility, clarity, etc. Then conduct cost analysis and evaluate the amount of difference it makes to finalise one for the classrooms. • LAN or Wi-Fi connectivity: It is very difficult and tiring for a system administrator to control all the classroom projectors and provide them support by running around. Today’s projector comes with LAN and Wi-Fi connectivity options, which enables the administrator to control the entire set-up from a single location. • Calibration: Interactive Projectors require calibration. Do check with the vendor for minimum point calibration. Today software is available that saves calibrations for one click use. • 3D Ready: 3D Projection technology is the new buzzword. 3D systems have taken the world by storm, as they are capable of creating most compelling experience on the screen. The market for 3D projection technology is gaining momentum beyond the field of television and movies in the emerging areas such as education, sports etc. 3D with naked eye is also getting developed. • Interactive Projectors: Interactive projector is a new technology that is evolving with whiteboard technology. The main advantage of Interactive Projector is that it can turn any surface into interactive display. • Total Cost of operation: Even if the capex for the projector is comparatively high, the model should be chosen in a way that the cost of operation (Opex) is at minimum.

corporate diary

“Next Three Years Can See Higher Levels of

3D Projector Deployment”

Abhilesh Guleria, Head, Multimedia Product group, NEC India Pvt. Ltd, talks to Pragya Gupta about the growing popularity of projector technology in the education space and emerging trend of 3D projectors in India…

Tell us about your views on the projector market in the Indian education space. The demand for projectors has been growing year on year. The growth trend is expected to continue. Currently, the education market is around 46 percent or so. The value of the units is gradually coming down. We introduced a new V3 projector this year. The V3 is specifically targeted at the education sector, and it is getting phenomenal response. 18 months back, we started our focus on education sector and we have already made significant progress. Our products are geared to give great performance and we also provide good service setup and backup. We can say proudly today that NEC Projectors are powering more than 7000 smart classrooms. Can you throw some light on the awareness among academia about the advantages of having 3D projectors in the classrooms? There has been a lot of excitement about how 3D technology can be used in the education sector. The most important thing is that when we use 3D technologies or 3D projectors, it is possible to enhance the scope of education that is being offered. It gives a special edge in the whole learning experience because it is exciting, it is immersive and it is also more effective than the conventional teaching method. Imagine showing a heart beating in 3D rather than reading the text and showing a 2D diagram. The students

and the consumers are immersed in the internet technology, so they find it better if they are thought through projectors. The comprehension and retention of the students shows a marked increase when they are being taught through visual media. What about your presence in Higher Education segment? Higher education is a strong customer base for NEC. We thought about the value that we can bring to our customers and so we started these strategic alliance programmes, which focus on bringing in solution, based approach in our products. Universities like SRM University and Sharda University have adopted multiple power projectors. Almost all the IITs are hiring our Power Projectors for educational initiatives. We are also focusing on the 3D technology space. What are the challenges that you are facing in generating and providing 3D content? The main challenge is that all the education content has not been developed with 3D in mind. So the first problem is the development of 3D content. Earlier we had content which was contextual and the first step of digitisation was focussed on making that content digital. Later the incorporation of multimedia elements came into picture, and interactivity came into being. Now we are talking about 3D. Creation of 3D content is also going to be a gradual process. Content providers also understand that creation of 3G content is a critical area. They have now started working on it. The next few years are going to be interesting and we will see more and more 3D adoption happening in classrooms. Can there be any side effects in students if they watch 3D content for extended hours? The important point is that if an institute is deploying 3D technology, they cannot afford to cut corners. They have to get their equipment from best solution providers in the market. You cannot have a Chinese kind of a 3D glass which might have medical effects. I think today’s technology has evolved to a level where it can be deployed safely. I think during the next three years we are going to see much higher levels of deployment, when it comes to 3D projectors. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

Product Profile

Projectors on Demand Company Name: BenQ

Company Name: NEC

Projector Name: BenQ MX 880UST Projector Type: Ultimate Short Throw projector Target Vertical: School & Higher Education

Projector Name: v-series Projector Type: Portable Projector

Tech Specs & Features DLP technology by Texas Instruments, Brightness: 2500 ANSI lumens, Contrast Ratio: 3000:1 (Full on/Full off), Color: Full 1.07 billion color palette. Lamp 230W, 3500/5000 hours (Normal/Economic mode), On Screen Languages: 26 Languages, HDTV Compatibility: 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p Features: MX880UST completes BenQ’s world-leading shortthrow projector series with ultra short-throw projection, 3D ready capability, PC-less presentation, multi-display functionality and LAN control versatility. USP: It offers picture quality excellence defined by astonishing color performance and well-focused text projection with its very own asphiercal lens design.

Tech Specs & Features Long life lamp 5000 hours (Eco Mode on), High brightness 3000 ANSI lumens (V300X), High contrast ratio 2000:1, Built in 7W speaker for integrated audio solutions, Wired LAN Connectivity (V300X/V260X), High altitude mode (5500ft / 1700m* or higher) Verified by the TCO certification for the XGA models. The lamp life of the series is up to 5,000 hours when used in ECO Mode, which lowers power consumption. A green ECO Mode button that works in conjunction with the carbon footprint meter to encourage the use of the ECO Mode. Its unique virtual remote software to allow users to control the projector via the VGA. Security bar and password protection functions are also provided in the projector. Front ventilation for effective heat dissipation also added in the projector. USP: Project 3D content like DVDs, video games, and computer’s video files with a single projector. The projector provides 3D images to a user wearing commercially available DLP Link compatible LCD shutter eyeglasses. The V300X is certified as a display device for NVIDIA 3D VisionTM, which allows you to view 3D images by using with supported graphics board or software. Price: Rs. 27,000-50,000 (price varies as per model)

Company Name: Epson Projector Name: Epson EB-450wi Projector Type: Ultra Short Throw Interactive Projector Target Vertical: K12 & higher education Tech Specs & Features Lamp Life - 2,500 hours (normal mode) / 3,500 hours (Eco mode),Brightness / Contrast - Up to 2,500 lm / 2,000:1, Screen size (projection distance) , 59 to 97” [0.465 to 0.766 m], 74” screen [0.585 m] , Native Resolution - 1280 x 800 (WXGA)

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Ultra-Short Throw Distance, Integrated Interactive Feature, Superior Image Reproduction with 3LCD Technology, Simplified Network Monitoring and Control Multiple Connectivity Options , Integrated Speaker , Extended Lamp Life USP: Epson EB-450wi can project onto any existing whiteboard, wall or other smooth, hard surface, providing virtually unlimited installation flexibility. It also features a digital infrared pen that allows Users to write with “virtual ink” on the projected area, manipulate interactive onscreen objects and features, or use it as a computer mouse. The interactive projector comes with a wall mount for easy installation

Product Profile

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

Product Profile

Company Name: Casio

Company Name: Viewsonic

Projector Name: Casio Short Throw Series & Casio Pro Series Projector Type: Short Throw / Pro Series

Projector Name: Viewsonic 7383i Projector Type: 3D ready interactive network capable Short Throw projector Target Vertical: School and Colleges

Tech Specs & Features XGA (1024 X 768) , USB , WLAN, Whiteboard Ready, 3-D Ready, MobiShow (Smartphone compatible), 10W Monaural Speaker, HDMI Type A x 1 (Locking Type), USB memory (commercially available), Intelligent Brightness Control, Eco- Friendly & Power saving Projectors, and quick On and Off within 8 seconds of time. USP: CASIO’S Unique Laser & LED Hybrid Light Source supporting high-brightness projection without mercury, Long- Life Light source of 20,000 hours (Approx). Warranty: Main Projector Unit: 3 years from the date of purchase, Light source unit: 3 years or 6000 hours, whichever occurs earlier from the date of purchase. Price: Price ranges from Rs 69,995 to Rs 1, 54,995

Tech Specs and features: 3D-ready, USB wireless dongle with a WiFi range of up to 328 feet and a driverless, auto display USB presentation functionality allowing the teacher to run a presentation without connecting to a PC. All devices also feature USB and LAN display, providing the flexibility of choose how to send content to the projector either via USB or LAN, rather than having to use a video cable. Short throw projection allows 80-inch images to be projected from less than one metre away. This will put an end to teachers being blinded by the bright light. Bundled RM Easy Teach software assists this innovation, with seamless integration of the hardware and curriculum software for a swift return on investment. USP: Interactive Projector

Company Name: Tirubaa

Company Name: Hitachi

Projector Name: Tirubaa Eduprojector Projector Type: LED, single LCD

Projector Name: Hitachi CP-AW2519NM Projector Type: Interactive Ultimate Short Throw Projector Target Vertical: All sectors

Tech Specs & Features Schools, Higher Education, Vocational training institutes based in rural areas where electricity is not available. Single LCD based LED projector, Lamp 100 watts led, Technology 5 “ LCD projection, Native Resolution Svga (support upto 1080p HD), Built in PC Intel 2 GB Ram 500 GB HDD, Interactive white board built-in, online exam, Dust Proof, zero maintenance. 22,000 Hours lamp life. The entire system is run on 100 watts led bulb and uses less than 120 watts of DC power which is supplied via Solar panels, as electricity in rural areas is a big concern. The projectors can run for 16 hours a day without a stop or overheating. very handy (310*240*120 mm) and weighs only 4.5 kg. USP: All in one device working on Solar Power for Rural Areas. Price: Not yet launched in India, will be launched in April 2012.

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Tech Specs & Features It is a WXGA projector with contrast ratio of 2000:1. It has High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) by which you can display High Definition videos. It has Inbuilt Networking features- which help for network presentation. It has hybrid filters for low maintenance. This mirror type projector features Ultimate Short Throw. It can project an image of 80” from a distance of only 22”. By virtue of above feature, this projector eliminates shadows and glare which you get in case of a normal projector. Thus enabling teacher or presenter to see the audience and audience can also get a clearer view. This projector has integrated sensor which converts any wall to interactive surface. It works with Infrared Technology. USP: Ultimate short throw, Interactive, with feature rich software and educational contents.Life time software upgrade.

Product Profile

Company Name: Vivitek Projector Name: Vivtek D795WT Projector Type: DLP Projector/Ultra Short Throw Projector Tech Specs & Features 3000 lumens of brightness with a 2500:1 contrast ratio, 3Dready via DLP Link, DLP and BrilliantColor technologies by Texas Instruments, Connectivity options include: HDMI v1.3, two (2) VGA-in, composite video, Svideo, VividWheel III for improved color reproduction and automatic gain control, Top-loading, cover forquick and easy lamp replacement USP: Extreme Short-Throw Advantages with Crossover Possibilities. The Vivitek D795WT WXGA crossover projector can create a 93” image from about 1.3’ away. This extreme short-throw projector features 3000 lumens of brightness, a 2500:1 contrast ratio, DLP and BrilliantColor technologies for impressive color reproduction and amazing picture performance. With its assortment of connectivity options and a built-in speaker, the D795WT is the ultimate solution for the latest multimedia and widescreen needs.

Company Name: Boxlight by Edaxis Projector Name: ProjectoWrite2 Projector Type: 3 LCD and DLP Interactive Projector Tech Specs & Features 3000 Lumen in standard mode and 1900 in economy mode. 1024X768 XGA, up to 1600X1200 UXGA supported resolution, 80% brightness Uniformity, m 600:1 contrast ratio, projection distance is 4’ to 30’, 1.2:1 Zoom Ratio, 4Z digital with Pan function, +/- 30 degrees keystone correction, 220W lamp, Quick on/off, image freeze function, Multi Language Support. It features write on the image or text with included colors and highlighting tools. Use the mouse function to interaction with any other interactive software, as well as web pages,the onscreen keyboard, and any other mouse application. Target Vertical(s)- School , Higher education Price: INR 90K to 140K (Varies with model)

Price: MRP: 1, 20,000

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

k-12 k-12

Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Delhi Renu Sabharwal, Principal, Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Surajmal Vihar, documents the impact of Interactive Whiteboards (IWB)

Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya got its first Interactive Whiteboard installed in October 2011. The school has a common Computer Aided Lab (CAL) which has Interactive Whiteboard installed. The lab is shared amongst teachers to teach their respective subjects as per a fixed schedule.

Impact of IWBs on the teaching learning process “We have noticed a higher level of engagement amongst students post the installation of Interactive Whiteboard. Students are more attentive in the class when taught using the interactive whiteboards. They are also better able to comprehend the concepts and lessons taught in the class.” The school primarily uses Interactive Whiteboards to teach English, Social Studies and, Biology. “SMART Technologies collaborated with the government to install their whiteboard solutions in our school, says Renu Sabharwal’s, Principal, RPVV, Surajmal Vihar Apart from Interactive Whiteboards the school also has a LCD Projector and scanner installed.

Renu Sabharwal Principal, RPVV, Surajmal Vihar

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Trusted, Reliable & Comprehensive Testing

The international standard of excellence in achievement testing for over 80 years is now available in India - Stanford 10 The Stanford Achievement Test Series,Tenth Edition (India) measures student progress towards high academic standards. A range of user-friendly score reports, designed with the input of administrators and teachers across the country, supports teaching, learning, and accountability requirements. School Administrators obtain critical data to document and monitor the progress of all children. Teachers receive specific information to support instructional planning for individual students and the class as well as to improve their teaching. Parents better understand their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achievement level and get direction for home involvement.

Features of Stanford 10: India norms available from schools across India l Comprehensive assessment of achievement from students tested on English, Mathematics and Science l Wide age range covered through eight test levels, from classes 3 to 10 l Detailed reports result in accurate measurement of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress and growth l Full-colour testing materials & Easy-to-navigate test documents l

For further information on the Stanford 10, please contact: Krishnendu Dutta Landline: 0120 4190100 (Extension 181), Mobile: 09810669678, Email: krishnendu.dutta@pearsoned.co.in www.stanford10india.com

corporate diary

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Trend has Started to Favour Short Throw Technologyâ&#x20AC;? Rajeev Singh, Country Head & GM, BenQ India talks about the role of Projectors in enhancing teaching-learning outcomes Please give an overview of projector for education market in India? What part of your projector business comes from education? Technology adaptation in India is happening at a very rapid pace, BenQ is leading the charge with its futuristic technologies and products customized for the Indian market. Projectors are used in India in a big way in the education sector for schools & professional institute. Our education system is evolving with digitization of content which makes it simpler for students to learn new things with high level of retention. In the education industry the trend started with SVGA projectors. However due to advances in Short throw technology and our constant promotion of the same, the trend has now started to favour Short Throw projectors due to inherent advantages in a classroom environment. The projector market in India is growing at an annual rate of 75 percent over the last three years. Our market share under the projector category business in India is more that 20 percent, we have more than more than 35 percent market share in education segment and are clear leaders. Education is contributing to 50percent of our total projector business, hence is the most important vertical. In the year 2011 we installed projectors in more than 20000 class rooms which in itself tells that BenQ has been the choice of educationists.

Rajeev Singh Country Head & GM, BenQ India

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Please comment on the factors driving the Projector market in Education. The market size for digital classrooms is likely to touch almost 1,00,000 classrooms with a phenomenal growth rate of more than 100 percent in the recent years. This trend is expected to continue for the next several years. While private schools and colleges are going for a digital classroom concept for each of their classrooms, in government schools, trend is to make atleast one classroom digital. However, it will still take few years to reach a high level of adoption as sheer number of schools itself is very high, with government school number touching 15 lacs while private schools are almost 1 lac. The way education is delivered and the importance it has in developing modern India is driving the changes in the educational set up. Also, globalisation is effective in bringing the latest teaching methodologies and tools to Indian market.

corporate diary

The latest teaching delivery mechanism includes the student having a networked computer at his disposal, fully networked classrooms, multimedia method of delivery and study content in soft form. The class rooms are becoming connected in real time and interactive in nature What is the role of BenQ in this space? BenQ is the worldwide leader in the education projector business. We have the largest product portfolio with more than 40 different types of projectors for Indian market for every requirement set in the education segment, be it short throw, interactive, auditorium or network. We have pan- India sales and service team, working towards technology implementation in education, not simply as a seller but as a technology advisor and consultants to education institute. We regularly participate in various education forums and summits across India in order to reach for direct consumer interaction. We are also working closely with the government of India in its reforms and efforts in the education segment. What are the opportunities and challenges in the projector market, with specific reference to the education segment? The education segment in India is among the fastest growing segments in the world with close to 15 lacs Government Schools and 1 lac private schools in India alone. Out of this, only 7-10 percent of the private schools have tapped the potential of multimedia classroom teaching whereas in government schools, the perspective figure is even low. In addition to this, there are colleges and higher educational institutes which together give us a huge educational market available for technology adoption. The Government has also extended support by earmarking a budget of close of USD 6 billion for technology adaptation in education in India. However, the actual user’s understanding of the right projector technology for their application is still low. In government set-up specially, lack of efficient teacher training and irregular electricity further adds hurdles in technology embracing. Systematic training and orientation is required to fight the initial apprehensions of technology adoption. What distinguishes you from your competitors? BenQ is the global leader in DLP Projector market. We have the largest range of products in Indian market offering projection solution for any kind of requirement. Along with this, BenQ have a nationwide presence to sell and service its projectors. With a large portion of our investment going in research & development, our focus is always in bringing in futuristic technologies to the consumers. For example, BenQ’s new projector LW61ST with the revolutionary laser LED Hybrid lamp technology, 2000 ANSI Lumens, more than 20000 hrs of lamp life and over 90percent reduction in electricity costs offers the consumer an efficient, eco-friendly projection system. Another one would be BenQ’s SmartEco projector range of more than 10 projectors, that is highly popular in the education industry as it is way more efficient than the traditional

Up, close & personal birth 2 October, 1969 education B.E (Electronics) from Regional Engineering College, Bhopal; MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai Passion Technology & People

Hobbies Reading (Non Fiction); Travelling-Exploring new places. Achievement Making BenQ India a market leader in Projector business.

Success mantra Relentless focus on Customer Delight Vision Taking BenQ India Turnover to 1000 crores in the next 3 years.

Financial barriers of educational institutes can be overcome through low-cost and adaptable solutions projector lamps, increasing the lamp life hours upto 6500+ hrs while lowering the electricity consumption by almost 60 percent, that too without any impact on image quality. This is BenQ’s proprietary technology, not available with any other manufacturer giving us an edge over the others. Please share new innovative projectors tools that are available with your projectors for more effective student- teacher engagement. BenQ’s interactive projectors features the latest PointDraw Pen 2.0 to support faster response time and remote interactivity up to 25 feet away from the board or projected surface, as well as the newly designed Q-Draw 2.0 interactive software which supports dual pen writing so one pen can be with teacher and one can be in the class giving a real boost to interactivity in the class. Projector installation can be a hassle for some. How do you help administrators address these installation challenges? We have nationwide presence through our partners. BenQ has experienced System Integrators who are capable of doing installation at large scale and deep in remote areas as well. They all are equipped with all forms of support and service capabilities to cater well to our consumers. We have several training programmes in place to train the service staff to overcome service & installation hassles at the ground level. In 2011 alone, we conducted around 50 personalized training programmes nationwide. BenQ has been associated with Sarv Sikhsha Abhiyan for the more than 5 years now and enabled more than 15,000 class rooms in India, several of them in remote locations. We have been able to sustain our leadership position in India with strong capabilities in the after sales service and reliable product design. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

advertorial

Tablet Enabled Education

The Future T

echnology has changed the way we live our lives today. It has more relevance in today’s educational environment than ever before; rather it’s steadily replacing rote learning.

We are also seeing progressive measures by the government to introduce technology in the education domain. In the recent budget presented, the govenrment has provisioned Rs 765 crore for 50 lac Akash II tablets. These will be distributed to college students at highly subsidized prices. Even the newly elected UP Chief Minister Sh. Akhilesh Yadav in his very first cabinet meeting announced to provide 25 lac tablets free to all students passing grade Xth exam this year. Developments like these clearly indicate 2012 to be a turning point in education industry where we will see tablets taking education to the masses. “Use of tablet PCs for education delivery is the most disruptive change ever in the education landscape and holds great promise for a country like ours,” said Sanjay Purohit, CEO, iProf India. Today every school can play a role in making education smarter by introducing the right technologies. In today’s scenario, tablets promise to be the game changer and take e-learning to the masses with some unmatched advantages. Anytime, anywhere: One defining feature of tablets is their ability to transcend time and space making asynchronous learning possible. Tablets act as great enabler to learn at one’s own pace and place. Content once loaded on tablets gives liberty to watch lectures and reading material, whenever you want and from wherever you may be. Access to remote learning resources: For all we know, the best teachers for IITJEE preparation were in Kota. Now tablet based education facilitates access to the best teachers, mentors, experts, professionals and peers — all over the world, and thus learning becomes agnostic of location. There are numerous tablet suppliers in In-

www.digitalLEARNING.in

“Use of tablet PCs for education delivery is the most disruptive change ever in the education landscape and holds great promise for a country like ours,” said Sanjay Purohit, CEO, iProf India

dia like Samsung, HCL, Sony and Reliance who are supplying the tablets at price ranging from Rs 3000 to Rs 30,000. However the question remains that where to get high quality education content for the Tablet. iProf has build a library of highly interactive content for various Indian and international entrance exams, with the help of best faculty and world’s most respected companies like Kaplan. Presently iProf is providing test preperatory content for most entrance exams like Engineering-IITJEE (Now ISEET), Medical (AIPMT), Civil Services (Both Prilims and Mains), Management (CAT & GMAT) and other School curriculum subjects for both CBSE and ICSE. Whats more, iProf content is compatible with most Android powered tablets avail-

able in the market today. Active learning: ICT-enhanced tablet based learning also mobilizes tools for examination and analysis of information. This makes learning less abstract and more relevant to the learner’s life like situation. In this way, and in contrast to rote learning, tablets promote increased learner engagement. This means higher retention, and reduced time of learning. By adopting new technologies, educators hope to bring about beneficial educational and administrative changes. If used appropriately, tablets will enable new ways of teaching and learning. iProf, pioneered tablet based education in India in 2009 and is all set to change the future of millions of students. As a teaching aid, iProf on a tablet is a complete package of well-explained concepts, exercises and model questions that are solved step-by-step to help students grasp the subject. It is the future, where smarter learning will make a student independent.

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corporate diary

“3D Ready

Projectors Empowering Educators with Life-Like Experience” Hemant Agarwal, Senior Director-Display Solutions, Delta India Electronics Pvt Ltd talks to Pragya Gupta, ENN about Vivitek and education projectors in India. excerpts.

www.digitalLEARNING.in

corporate diary

Please throw some light on Vivitek? Vivitek’s line of digital projection and display products incorporates the latest innovations and technologies to deliver superior products to our customers, partners and channels. The extensive line-up consists of projectors for home cinema, education, large venue and data projectors. Vivitek was the first to launch full high-definition LED home cinema projector and was among the first to offer Full HD projectors to the mass market consumer, as well as 3D-ready digital projectors featuring DLP link from Texas Instruments.

“We have created a dedicated Regional Distributors followed by Large Resellers to provide solutions to the educational institutions”

Please give an overview of projector for education market in India? How much does education constitute of your projector business? As institutions have moved to integrate ICT into education, the demand for digital projectors has increased considerably over the years. Education system nowadays is moving out of the realm of conventional methods of teaching to a digitized mode of imparting knowledge. The education sector has adopted the e-learning and audio-visual mode of integrated learning. The projector growth has essentially been fueled by the growing demand from the education segment, which constitutes nearly 50 percent of the overall projector business. What are the types of projector available for the education segment? Wireless connectivity, LAN connectivity, interactivity, ultra short throw and 3D technology are the new trends prevailing in this segment. Today PC less projection is becoming popular, which means that customers can project their contents or presentations directly from a pen drive. Embedded m bile projectors are close to finding their way into consumer electronics. This projection technology will help to pave a way for projectors that are built into devices such as mobile phones. The biggest innovation in the projector space is Ultra Short Throw projectors the perfect solution for space limiting environments such as classrooms and tutorial rooms. These projectors are placed right in front of the projection screen without leaving any space and give the same picture quality just like other regular projectors which are mounted on top. It is designed to eliminate the problem of the teacher’s shadow falling on the screen or distractions from ambient light. Another revolution is the 3D technology. Today the 3D technology has is consumer-oriented. It has been made affordable so that educational institutions can afford to use this technology for providing a better learning experience to their students. 3D technology is also beneficial in higher education. If we talk about other innovations in education projector space, LCD/DLP-based projectors are also currently popular. LED too is a coming trend due to its long life cycle. 3D is one of the biggest revolutions in this space. How do you maximize impact of learning with 3D? The 3D projection market in India is gearing up with new brands, solutions and technologies. As 3D has become a

buzzword, most of our projectors are 3D Ready and Vivitek is the first to launch 2D to 3D conversion technology in India by introducing 2D to 3D Series under its projectors line up. Vivitek 3D-ready projectors enable students to visualize complex concepts, such as geometric shape calculation and gain true-to-life experiences such as dissecting the human brain through 3D demonstrations with the help of suitable educational media. Dissections in medical science now can be done through this technology. In the field of education especially in engineering, medicine and architecture, Vivitek 3D ready projectors have empowered teachers and students with a lifelike experience for learning. We have got overwhelming response by institutions for our 3D projectors for bringing this advance technology which has given an altogether different viewing experience to them. Given the huge demand for projectors coming from the education sector, what is your approach to tap this sector? Please share your future plans. Education is one of the most lucrative sectors for Indian Digital Projectors. To tap this sector, we have created a dedicated Regional Distributors followed by Large Resellers Chain. These RDs provide solutions to the educational institutions such as schools, colleges and tutorial classes which are high in fashion these days. We also have association with large educational System Integrators who does large government projects on education. The biggest priority of Vivitek at this moment is to develop the Vivitek Reseller Plan as much as we can. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

news policy matters

Govt Announces Interest Subsidy on Education Loan Ministry of Human Resource Development has formulated an Interest Subsidy Scheme to provide full interest subsidy during the period of moratorium on educational loans taken by students belonging to economically weaker sections. It can be availed from scheduled banks under the Model Educational Loan Scheme of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) for pursuing any of the approved courses of studies in

technical and professional streams from recognized institutions in India. Students with parental income less than Rs 4.5 lakhs per annum and enrolled in recognised technical & professional courses, after class twelfth, in India are eligible under the scheme. Educational loans of such students disbursed from 1st April 2009, irrespective of date of sanction are eligible for interest subsidy.

World Bank Approves US$500 Mn credit to Education Project

IGNOU, NHRC to train cops on Human Rights

The World Bank has approved a US$500 million credit to the Secondary Education Project to finance the Government of India’s efforts to make good quality education available, accessible and affordable to all young persons at the secondary level (grades IX and X). The Project will support all activities as envisioned in the US$12.9 billion Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) programme, a flagship Government of India programme for gradual universalisation of secondary education. The government has made great strides in the area of elementary education over the past ten years. Net elementary enrollment rate stands at 96 percent and girls are almost equally represented in elementary education as boys. Attention is now needed for secondary education where the gross enrollment rate stands at about 50 percent and quality of education is very low. Access is also unequal and many poor households cannot afford the direct and opportunity costs of secondary education, particularly in rural areas.

Transferable Officers’ Wards to get 60% seats in Sanskriti Schools Guidelines for setting up Sanskriti type schools in the country have been framed with a provision of 60 percent seats for the wards of transferable officers of All India Service/Central Services. In case land is provided free of cost by the State Government, 10 percent (out of the above 60 percent) seats will be reserved for wards of State Government employees. As per guidelines, the proposal to set up Sanskriti type School in any State Capital may be initiated by the State Government or Association of All India Services/Central Civil Services Officers in consultation with the Central Government employees Coordination Committee, justifying the need to set up such a school at that Station. A proposal to open a Sanskriti type school in Shillong, Meghalaya has been received. However, no decision has yet been taken on the proposal.

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The Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOU’s) School of Law (SOL) in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) organised the third threeday Training of Trainers programme (TOT) on Human Rights for police personnel at the IUC Lab, IGNOU, main campus at New Delhi. The three-day training programme was attended by 26 police officials from all over the country. The main objective of this workshop was to sensitize the police functionaries on Human Right principles and values.

Canara Bank Develops Portal for Implementation of NSIGSE Dr D Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development has launched a web portal for implementation of the National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education (NSIGSE). Also present were Smt. Anshu Vaish, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy and Shri A K Gupta Executive Director, Canara Bank. The Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education” was launched in May 2008 with the objective to establish an enabling environment to reduce the drop-outs and to promote the enrolment of girl child belonging mainly to SC/ST communities in secondary schools. The Canara Bank has developed a portal to implement the scheme. The portal will facilitate on line submission of data of the beneficiaries and on line disbursement of the amount on the day of the maturity into their accounts directly after certification by the State Nodal Officer that the beneficiary is 18 years old and has passed class X examination.

corporate diary

“Education Sector Must use LED Based Projectors” Kulbhushan Seth, Head (Sales and Marketing), Casio India, talks to Pragya Gupta about innovations in Projector technologies How much does education sector contribute to your projector business in terms of revenues? Education market has already been covered by the projector wave. Projectors are one of the fastest growing product lines in India thanks to the booming education market. Changing lifestyles, decrease in price and growing spending on electronics has led to an upsurge in demand for high-end products including projectors. The market in India is expected to grow at around 30 percent. There are also various emerging segments, which are booming with demand for projectors. Currently education contributes around 40 percent in Casio Projector’s business in India. We have sold 2000+ units to education segment. What factors drive the Projector market in India? What is the scope for its growth in the education space? Education segment are the main force that drive projector sales. Education market contributes nearly 40 percent of the unit sales due to the increased competition among schools to adopt state-of-theart technologies. Besides, the government is investing in a big way in Projects like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and ICT@ Schools that envisage having at least one multi-media lab in each school fully equipped with state of art technological products like Projectors, Audio Visual etc. Tell us about the major competitors you have in the education space? Casio has continued to evolve its lampfree technology during the last two years to meet growing market demands, thus

Kulbhushan Seth Head (Sales and Marketing), Casio India

producing brightness output that is unmatched by competitive offerings. We believe Casio’s lineup of projectors are quickly becoming the preferred solution across all industries including corporate, government, higher education, digital signage and rental. The total cost of ownership is reduced based on the lamp-free technology; combine this technology with high brightness and quick response these projectors become the go-to product for any industry looking to reduce cost. What is the difference between DLP, 3LCD and LED technology in projectors? Please mention Pros and cons of each for education vertical? LCD projector uses Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) light gates. This is one of the most common and affordable systems, mostly used for home theatres and businesses. Its most common problem is a visible “screen door” or pixilation effect,

although recent advances have to a large extent led to mitigation of this problem. DLP projectors use DLP technology. This uses one, two, or three microfabricated light valves called digital micromirror devices (DMDs). The single- and double-DMD versions use rotating colour wheels in time with the mirror refreshes to modulate colour. The most common problem with the single- or two-DMD varieties is a visible “rainbow,” which some people perceive when moving their eyes. Education being the highest contributor and user of the Projectors today worldwide, should use LED based Eco-friendly Green Projectors due to operating without conventional mercury lamps, which give Long Life Light source with a life time of up to 20,000 hours. How do you see the role of phones with projectors in education? The new Mobi Show app makes it possible to link mobile phones and tablet PCs directly to the projector via WLAN. Presentations and teaching materials can thus be prepared on a computer and then presented from your mobile device whenever desired. The Mobi Show app enables presentations without a computer. Leave your laptop home and make your presentation from your mobile device. Select Casio models will project from iPhone, Android, iPad, iPod and Microsoft Windows Mobile, via a WiFi 802.11b/g/n connection. Software is required and included with select Casio USB models. Device Application is also required and available by free download with select Casio USB models. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

corporate corporate diary diary

Innovative

Multi-touch

Interactive Products

for

Educators

CYBERNETYX Interaktiv is a privately held, fast growing technology corporation with its key innovation, research and development operations in Stadthagen, Germany and global offices in Victoria, Australia and National Capital Region (NCR) of New Delhi, India. In conversation with Aroon Saxena, VP-Sales and Marketing, Pragya Gupta finds out more about their innovative products and solutions

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What is EyeRIS Interactive Solution and what does EyeRIS stand for? Cybernetyx develops and markets one of the most advanced multi-touch interactive products in the world. EyeRIS stands for Eye-like Rapid Imaging System and EyeRIS is a superior multitouch gesture based Interactive Whiteboard solution for converting a boring classroom into an active digital learning environment. What are the benefits of your Interactive solution to the schools and higher education? The most important thing for a teacher is the ease of use and user friendly tools. This is where Cybernetyx solutions stands tall as compared to other competitive solutions. The key focus while developing our products has always been on the user experience and the objective remains ‘to make life easier for the educator in the classroom.’ Infact, with our ‘Profiling’ feature, now teachers who carry their laptop to the classroom don’t have to do the calibration time and again in every classroom they enter. Expecting the teachers and professors to do the whole calibration activity on their own in every classroom is too much of a load and this of course reduces the usage of IWB in classrooms. Our ‘Profiling’ feature is first of its kind in the industry and we expect industry to follow us on such unique features. How will EyeRIS improve the achievement and learning in school students? With multi-touch and NUI (Natural User Interface), the attention span of students increases since today’s children are aware of the latest technology trends like iPhones and iPads. With our solutions, we have brought

the same user friendly tools from the reach of an individual to the classroom for a larger audience. EyeRIS is a Multi-touch and Multiuser Interactive Whiteboard system unlike other Interactive Whiteboards, where only 1 or 2 people can interact with data on the Board. EyeRIS supports up to 255 simultaneous touch points. What are the distinctive benefits to schools and colleges? EyeRIS works on the principle of Teamwork, Collaboration and Competitiveness. With Multi -touch and Multi-user capability, now the user experience increases enormously and with multiple students interacting simultaneously on the same board. The feeling of Teamwork and Competitiveness gains the momentum & the whole classroom experience is more engaging. These things are really missing in today’s classroom since most of the solutions available only promote Single user environment. What is unique about the technology behind Cybernetyx Products? EyeRIS works on 3D Stereoscopic optical technology. Cybernetyx’s Visual Touch is the world’s most advanced technology across Interactive Whiteboard Industry, which enables EyeRIS to convert a projection on any surface (wall, projection screen etc.) or any output device with a VGA input (LCD, Plasma, Monitors etc.) into Touch-enabled Interactive surface. How can teachers use IntelliSpace software which comes with EyeRIS to personalise learning for students? IntelliSpace has tools which help teachers in creating their own content for circulating it

corporate corporate diary diary

Up, close & personal birth 18 October 1977 education B.Tech, MBA Hobbies Travelling, listening to music, reading books & writing songs Achievements He is a young Turk with a entrepreneurial mindset, heading the Sales &

Marketing division at Cybernetyx Interaktiv. He has been Instrumental in building up the various companies he worked for; bringing them from nascent stages to among the Top rated organizations in the Country. Success mantra While plans & goals are important, the most crucial aspect for success is execution; and one needs

Perseverance, Drive & Commitment to achieve the same. Vision The vision is to constantly provide eco-friendly & innovative Interactive solutions. This helps in developing interfaces that seek to become invisible, bringing people closer to their content and removing their barriers for collaboration.

with students and even for later reference and gets stored in the Resource library directly. So, customised self developed content is created in the most effective manner by IntelliSpace software. Students can refer to the lessons later, either in Audio/video or PDF/Picture format as per the choice. Apart from this, multiple lesson plans can be created for which several tools are provided in the software.

Aroon Saxena VP-Sales and Marketing

What is the proposed growth in the Indian market for Cybernetyx? Cybernetyx is growing at a three digit growth rate in the Indian subcontinent. We have close to 3,000+ classrooms deployment in 2011 and we intend to increase this to around 5,000+ classrooms in this financial year. EyeRIS solution in conjunction with NEC Projectors build an amazing Interactive Projector Solution. Infact, this Interactive Projector Solution got the Award for â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the Most Innovative Productsâ&#x20AC;? at the recently concluded Bhubaneswar IT Expo in December 2011. What is your outlook on the future of education based on interactive learning based digital classroom? Well, the future demands all of us to move towards technology based lifestyle and learning, not just in the classrooms but also in our personal life as well. The understanding of the concepts and the subjects is much deeper with visual and practical learning from the Interactive Whiteboard and Visualiser combination. For example, a topic relating to the brain can be best explained with a 360 degree view point if the diagram from the text-book is shown using a Visualizer, with content (in video and picture format) taken from the cloud access and some relevant definition/data shown with our inbuilt Browser inside the IntelliSpace teaching software. Never before has this kind of learning been possible in a classroom scenario and the students going through with such understanding of subjects will grow as a much better and intelligent individual.

What are the other existing and upcoming solutions from Cybernetyx for Indian market? We have recently launched our EyeSIGHT solution, which is an intelligent Visualizer and it is integrated within IntelliSpace, our IWB teaching software. The next solution in line is the IntelliDesk, which is table-top computing solution for classrooms. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

news corporate

Pankaj Chandra, Director, IIM-B Joins MindTree’s Board of Directors

Inopen Technologies,GurujiWorld join hands to Create Digital Content

Professor Pankaj Chandra, Director, IIM Banglore has joined MindTree Limited’s Board of Directors with effect from March 19, 2012. Speaking on his appointment, Professor Pankaj Chandra said, “It is an honor to be part of team MindTree, one of the most admired companies in the industry. I have been following MindTree for some time and have been impressed with the Company’s remarkable growth rate. I look forward to helping MindTree achieve profitable and sustained growth across a global footprint.”

Inopen Technologies has entered into an alliance with GurujiWorld to provide digital content at schools that will offer Inopen and GurujiWorld capacity building opportunities in the space of Computer Education & IT Literacy. Both the companies intend to create a Joint Venture as well as consortiums which will feature products and services from both the companies as agreed in the MoU. They would together work on “Opportunities in the field of Computer Literacy, K12 Education and Technology Based training in ICT and training projects”. The venture will be equally owned by both companies. They will strive to

St Xavier’s Group of Schools Opt for digitisation Mexus Education has partnered with St. Xavier’s Group of Schools in Uttar Pradesh to complement the learning environment and philosophy of the group. These schools have opted for technology integration to further leverage the creativity of students by creating a complete learning environment. This partnership would complement the learning system that offers adequate opportunity to every learner to avail quality education transcending textbook education. All the 45 schools of the group spread over Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow and other areas in Uttar Pradesh have opted for digitisation through partnership with Mexus. These schools have opted for complete school solutions including Iken Library for a digital classroom, Iken Evaluate for remote-based objective test, Iken Learning Labs to introduce hands-on conceptual understanding. This partnership would build upon the learning standards by supporting teachers to teach the concepts in the classroom with the help of interesting animations, videos, real-life concept applications that enhance involvement of students in the lessons.

excel and come out with the best in the field of Education Delivery through Technology servicing the Computer Education training needs of various School boards and Government departments. The JV Company that GurujiWorld and InOpen will create, will work aggressively towards standardisation of the IT Literacy curricula in various Schools boards and Government departments. InOpen with IIT Bombay will be providing the academic support and GurujiWorld will be providing its technology support to create innovative lightweight digital contents for new delivery platforms like Tabs/Web/Mobile/iPads, etc.

ComGuard Focuses on Education Market in India ComGuard, a part of Spectrum Group, Dubai, and value added distributor (VAD) of networking and security products across Middle East and Africa, has announced its entry into the Indian market. As most of the sectors are performing well in India, the market opportunity for IT security and networking is really huge, which can go up to multi billion dollars but there is a paucity of VADs to address the whole market, therefore there is a natural gap. To start with ComGuard will focus on enterprises and education markets and introduce global brands for networking and security products to cater to this market.

SMART Technologies Launch Professional development Program for Teachers SMART Technologies has launched the SMART Professional Development Program for Teachers – India. The program was unveiled by Linda Thomas, Vice President, Products, for SMART Technologies and is focused on addressing the need for training teachers in the use of interactive educational technology tools. The aim of the program is to help educators acquire technology skills enabling them to actively integrate digital learning tools in their teaching process for improved learning outcomes. The company aims to train up to 8,000 teachers in 15 major cities across India in the first wave of the program. Under the SMART Professional Development Program for Teachers – India, SMART Technologies’ team of Education

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Consultants will conduct a series of workshops across 15 major cities in India in order to prepare teachers in the use of technology tools including the industry-leading SMART Notebook collaborative learning software. Over six million teachers have activated SMART Notebook software to create and deliver engaging lessons for more than 40 million students in 175 countries around the world. The award-winning software enables educators to bring course material alive for learners with the aid of various interactive tools, videos, images and activities allowing lessons to be highly engaging and dynamic for students. The training sessions will be offered to teachers at no cost.

Technology for Effective Language Learning.

We at Sanako have worked closely with our customers for nearly 50 years towards a single goal: to enable better speaking, comprehension and communication skills for language learners. Sanako offers software- and hardwarebased language labs that allow teachers to choose any content they wish to use in teaching - from audio CDs and internet to teacher-created content. Sanako products are not limited to certain languages; they can be used to teach and learn virtually any language. Sanako has helped national governments and ministries of education around the world to achieve national education goals by delivering region- and even nationwide solutions.

Sanako Corporation (India) Regus Gurgaon Metropolitan Business Centre Pvt Ltd. JMD Regent Square, 6th Floor, Room No: 602 MG Road, Gurgaon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 122022 Tel : +91-124-4711769 Fax: +91 124 471 2001 info@sanako.com www.sanako.com

analysis

India’s Education

An Analysis The Union Budget’s outlays on education have gone up by more than 300 percent since 2005-06, but is the money being spent? And spent well? Where is higher and vocational education headed? By Anand Agarwal, Elets News Network (ENN)

n the Budget for 2012-13, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has increased the total outlay for the education sector to Rs 61,427 crore – an increase of more than 17 percent over last year’s allocation. The largest increase has been in the outlay for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan – the flagship programme for Universalisation of Elementary Education. Adoption of technology in education has also been given a big boos by making an outlay of Rs 765 crore for procurement of Aakash tablets, 50 lakh of which the Ministry of Human Resource Development wants to give away to students for free. The Budget also looks to leverage ICT for improving the country’s knowledge delivery system by making an outlay of Rs 360 crore towards the National Knowledge Network that will connect educational institutions across the country and enable students in smaller institutions to access lectures by faculty in elite institutions. An interest subsidy scheme for students with limited financial ability would also promote access to higher education. Overall, all sectors have seen healthy increases in outlays, and if money is a measure of intent, the government has demonstrated its commitment towards the education sector in ample measure. However, the problem lies more in the quality of spending. In solving problems, the focus has to be on results and not primarily on the money being spent on the problem. In spite of impressive increases in absolute expenditure, there is vast scope for improvement in quality of learning available to a ma-

jority of Indian students. A recent Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study – Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – placed Indian students above only Kyrgyzstan in a 74-nation survey of math and reading skills. Although the PISA covered only the states of Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, a far more comprehensive survey – Pratham’s Annual State of the Education Report (ASER) paints a similar picture. As per the latest ASER, while the goal of universal enrolment has almost been achieved, with over 95 percent kids enrolled in schools, there are far bigger issues to worry about. Attendance of students is falling, learning quality – as measured by basic math and reading skills – has shown a decline from the previous survey in most states, and in spite of the Right to Education Act wanting to shut down unrecognised private schools, enrolment in such schools is rising – a reflection perhaps of the lack of trust that parents have in state-run schools. A recent study jointly conducted by India Institute and the Newcastle University (United Kingdom), covering nearly 1,500 schools in Bihar capital Patna found that 65 percent of all students in the city were enrolled in private schools, as against the national average of 20 percent. What is more, the attendance and learning outcomes in these schools were found to be better than at government-run schools, which comprised around 20 percent of the 1,500 schools surveyed.

Budget 2012-13: Highlights for the Education Sector • • • • • •

Total outlay on education sector increased by 17.6 percent to Rs 61,427 crore Rs 15,458 crore earmarked for higher education School education to receive Rs 45,969 crore 22 percent hike in allocation for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) 29 percent increase for the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) Rs 11,937 crore for the mid day meal programme – an increase of roughly 11 percent from last year

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• • • • • •

Rs 4.5 crore to give free cycles for girl students from minority communities – a step aimed at checking school dropout rates Provision of Rs.150 crore for setting up of new IIMs Provision of Rs 25 crore for setting up of new IIITs University Grants Commission Rs 6,362.15 crore towards funds for funds for central and deemed universities Corpus of National Skill Development Fund increased by Rs 1,000 crore. It now stands at Rs 2,500 crore 6,000 model schools to be set up at the block level. Of these, 2,500 to be established under

analysis

digitalLEARNING CAMPUS ICT READINESS SURVEY 2012 aims at mapping & ranking the ICT readiness of educational institutions of various genres imparting techno-managerial education spread all across the country. The Survey evaluates an institution under the following Campus ICT Readiness Framework which comprises of: • ICT Institutionalization at the applicant campus - vision, policies, practices, and management structure, etc. • ICT Investment made • ICT Infrastructure in place • ICT Interventions – applications, solutions, usage of ICT in teaching, learning and administration • ICT Innovations

ICT Institutionalisation

Benefits: ICT Innovations

CAMPUS ICT READINESS FRAMEWORK

ICT Interventions

ICT Investment

ICT Infrastructure

• •

•

Eligibility: • Institutions of various genre imparting technical or management education across India are eligible to participate in this ﬁrst ever national Campus ICT Readiness survey • Applicant Institutes must be recognized by a statutory body like AICTE, UGC etc. established by Government of India or State Government

Every qualified survey application would get a FREE Print & e-copy of the Campus ICT Readiness Survey Every qualified survey application would find due mention in the Campus ICT Readiness Report – 2012 which would be released during the World Education Summit on July 23-24, 2012 at Le Méridien, New Delhi Every qualified survey application would entitle the institution a special discount of 50% on digitalLEARNING magazine’s biannual subscription. Every qualified survey application would entitle the institution a special academic discount of 25% on the delegate fee in the World Education Summit – 2012

To participate log on to www.digitalLEARNING.in digitalLEARNING / april 2012

analysis

Analysing the SSA Expenses PAISA (Planning, Allocations and Expenditures, Institutions: Studies in Accountability), a joint initiative of Accountability Initiative, Pratham and the National Institute of Public Finance Policy tracks government spending in the social sector. The latest PAISA report (for 2011, released March 20, 2012) says that while nationally, per child allocation under the SSA has more than doubled from Rs 2,004 in 2009-10 to Rs 4,269 in 2011-12, with state-level variations, there are issues of concern. The study notes that the largest share of SSA budget goes to teachers (salaries, training and teaching inputs such as Teacher Learning Equipment). In 2011-12, teachers accounted for 44% of the budget, with some states spending as much as 72 percent of the SSA outlay on teachers! School infrastructure was the second biggest component at 36 percent, while expenses on children were only 10 percent of the total SSA outlay. In order to establish the correlation between outlays and outcomes, PAISA 2011 studied per child expenditure data for 2009-10 and compared it to the ASER learning level data for 2010. The report claims there is a positive correlation between per-child expenses and learning outcomes, but admits that its study is very rudimentary and needs further analysis. More interesting is perhaps the fact that the PAISA does not find any correlation between the expenditure incurred on teachers and the learning attainment of the children, in spite of such high proportion of expenses being made on teachers.

A Crisis in Higher and Vocational Education The India Labour Report 2012, jointly developed by TeamLease and the Indian Institute of Job Training (IIJT) presents some stark data – 374 districts in India have a gross enrolment ratio (GER) less than the national average – a figure which is itself around 50 percent of the world average. 58 percent of Indian college graduates have some degree of unemployability and lack formal on-the-job exposure. The economic reforms of 1991 have not had much impact on the composition of the labour market and three important indicators (proportion of labour force in informal sector, share of manufacturing in total employment and share of the self-employed among all workers) remain at 1991 levels. Informal sector still employs around 92 percent of the workforce, manufacturing still contributes only around 12 percent of all employment and the self-employed still constitute nearly half the total working population. A recent report says India would overtake China and emerge as the world’s leading economy by 2050, by when it would have a GDP of around USD 86 trillion. The demographic dividend theory says India would have an expanding labour force at least till 2026, which should translate into economic gains for the country by way of increased productivity. But the moot question is:

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have we made the investments required to reap these dividends? As the India Labour Report notes, “1 million people join the labour force every month for the next twenty years without adequate training. 80 percent of India’s higher education system of 2030 is yet to be built and needs breaking the difficult trinity of cost, quality and scale. It needs massive innovation, investment, deregulation and competition.” This data signals a growing crisis, and the government has shown signs of taking steps for addressing these. The establishment of the National Skill Development Corporation as a Public Private Partnership (PPP), the Prime Minister’s Skill Development Council, and efforts by the HRD ministry to integrate vocational education with ‘mainstream’ education, providing for both vertical and horizontal mobility between the two streams are some noteworthy initiatives. The government is also running a number of skill enhancement schemes through which it hopes to address the issue of skills deficit. The Rural Self Employment Training Institute (R-SETI) is one of the larger schemes for skill training. Modelled on the lines of the Lead Bank concept for priority sector lending, PSU banks have been asked to adopt districts and open skill training centres that would impart not only job training but also offer business advisory and handholding as well as soft loans to Self Help Groups and the rural unemployed youth. While some centres have started operating, it is still too early to comment on their success or otherwise.

Outlook Ahead Overall, while there have been a number of welcome policy initiatives in the education sector and the level of finances available has also increased substantially, empirical evidence points to the need for an urgent rethink on some aspects of current policy, particularly building in a component of quality monitoring into programmes such as the SSA and the RMSA, and adoption of innovative models in the field of higher and vocational education so that the burgeoning youth of the country can be harnessed as an economic asset.

corporate diary

Education has Fuelled the Growth of Projectors What is the global positioning of BOXLIGHT? Do tell something about the company. BOXLIGHT has been developing, manufacturing, selling and servicing projectors for schools, government agencies, houses of worship, and every customer in between since 1985. Over 25 years ago, BOXLIGHT sold the 3rd LCD panel ever made. Today, we manufacture LCD and DLP projectors - projectors is what we do. Our corporate headquarters are located in Belfair, Washington and houses our sales, marketing, technical support and service staff. Additional offices and manufacturing are located in Hsinchu (Taiwan), WuXi (China), and Mexico City (Mexico) – meeting TAA compliance and GSA standards. We also assemble in the United States. And globally projectors are exported from USA. We are also planning to start a world class Projector manufacturing unit in India.

Headquartered in the USA, BOXLIGHT, has intensified its operationsaround projectors in India. Joy Ghosh, Vice President (Sales and Marketing), Edaxis Systems India Pvt Ltd, talks about the market dynamics of BOXLIGHT in India

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What are the reasons behind the rapidly growing market of projectors in India? I think education and government verticals have truly fuelled the growth of projectors in India. If you take the example of education segment, this alone has created huge scope for projectors and allied solutions. This is indeed one of the key verticals which every projector player operational in India wants to tap fully. The sheer number of schools (both government as well as privately run), coaching institutes, colleges, technical institutes (including medical colleges) and business schools have brought in a huge market opportunity to projector vendors. As the world’s leading projector company, BOXLIGHT also aspires to harness the projection opportunity emanating from India’s education sector. Our projector series

including ‘Projectowrite2’ and ‘ProjectoWrite3’ are immaculate fit for classroom environment. On the other hand, government sector (both central as well as State ones) offers a sustainable market opportunity to BOXLIGHT in the country. Even from a conservative market estimate government sector alone absorbs more than 60,000 units of projectors in the country. Also, the growing prevalence of home theatres has opened up a demand spurt of projectors in India. In fact, educational and home segments deploy more than 300,000 units per year. What is the marketing strategy of your company around projectors in India? Our strategy is again simple, we just want to give top-quality projectors to our customers cutting across verticals with assured warranty tags. On the projection technology front, BOXLIGHT has been a self-reliant entity. We have our own RDD setups manned by highly innovative and hard working professionals. We have our own manufacturing plants. We don’t import cheap projectors and put labeling on them. We’re an original company. So far as marketing activities are concerned, we very much focus our efforts on key verticals. In this endeavour, our partners hugely contribute as they are the ones who incessantly interact with institutional buyers spread across the country. Our marking initiatives incorporate customer awareness campaigns through interpersonal meetings, workshops and advertisements in various IT magazine operational in India. But we need to do much more on this. Our after-sales services are handled by our engineers and partners. We promptly respond to any issue arising at customers end.

15-16 June 2012, Le MĂŠridien, New Delhi, India

UID

Open Data

Rural Development

Transparency

Urban Governance

egovernance

Connectivity

Data Analytics

Cloud

mGovernance

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perspective

Investing in Education There has been a paradigm shift in education sector in India. Once the sector was viewed largely as a charitable or philanthropic activity, it has since metamorphosed into an ‘industry’ in its own right By Anoop Verma, Elets News Network

The

education sector in India has been garnering lot of attention lately, lot of solutions are being pitched as the proverbial silver bullet that will lead to seminal improvements in the system. The government has come up with many new initiatives like the Right to Education Act and the idea of empowering every student with low cost tablet, called Aakash. Over the last few years, the private sector has started playing an increasingly important role in creation of education infrastructure. Many of the government’s initiatives in education are being carried forward through the Pubilc Private Partnership (PPP )route.

The complexities of investing in education A report released by consulting firm Technopak states that the private education sector is estimated to reach US$ 70 billion by 2013 and US$ 115 billion by 2018. Technopak sees enrolments in K-12 growing to 351 million, requiring an additional 34 million seats by 2018. This equals US$ 80 billion at US$ 2400 a seat. Private education companies like Aptech are aiming to become India’s largest global education company.

Sanket Deshpande

Associate Vice President, Fortress Financial Services Limited

“After initial big bang investments, the investors have turned very choosy. The last financial year saw some follow up investments and some new investments in companies which have size. The main reason for this scenario is that the investee companies have not performed to the expectations of investors; or to put it in a right way investors got on the wrong foot with the whole theory around education being the recession proof industry” 66

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Ninad Karpe, CEO and MD, Aptech says, “We do have strong ambitions to become India’s largest global education company and have footprints outside India. We are looking at all the emerging economies. Not much capital will be required there because we do follow a model of joint venture in large countries. Most of the content is already done here, so we will require some money, but not large amount for expansion.” Aptech has entered into an alliance with Microsoft, and during the next three years, the company plans to touch around 150,000 students. In India there clearly exists a huge demand-supply gap in the field of quality education. This mismatch in demand and supply clearly poses as an opportunity for national and international investors. But as education is a tightly regulated sector, entrepreneurs have to follow some thumb rules before they start investing their money.

perspective

Kapil Khandelwal

Director and Co Promoter, Makven Capital Private Limited

“There is no issue for private sector participation through philanthropy. However, taxation policy needs to be articulated in other cases where generation of surpluses with profiteering as a motive to ensure entry barriers for private sector operators with a short-term profit orientation. Similarly higher and regressive tax regime for the first seven years needs to be introduced to check profiteering in education sector” Regulatory Issues “Regulation is the key inhibitor of growth and investments in education sector in India. The Government needs to deregulate education sector. Education, covered by the ‘Concurrent List’ of the Indian Constitution, is regulated at both the Central and State Government levels. Regulation differs, sometimes radically, from state to state,” says Kapil Khandelwal, Director and Co Promoter, Makven Capital Private Limited. “Government has taken various initiatives so as to encourage direct and indirect initiatives in the education segment. Be it schemes like ICT in Schools, SSA or RMSA or the recent example of setting up of NSDC. Most investors are wishing for government to make the sector regulation free, but that might not be possible as the central government has a really large mandate,” Sanket Deshpande, Associate Vice President, Fortress Financial Services Ltd, says. However, despite the regulatory hurdles, the lack of exit routes and a shortage of management and faculty talent that are hampering investment in this space, investments in the education sector continue to witness growth. The big ticket investments in education space include PremjiInvest’s $43 million investment in Manipal Education and India Equity Partners’ $37 million investment in IL&FS Education and Technology Services. Roy Mathew, Senior Vice President / Business Head – e-Governance, IL&FS ETS Ltd, says, “Education is a prime focus for

IL&FS Education & Technology services. Through our education services, we are redefining teaching and recreating learning. The company is engaged in developing solutions for comprehensive learning for a wide spectrum of audiences ranging from children in schools to teachers, adults and corporate.”

Challenge on the Higher Education Front The recently released India Labour Report by TeamLease Services Private Ltd says, “India’s current higher education system is a bottleneck, as 1 million people join the labour force every month for the next twenty years without adequate training. 80 percent of India’s higher education system of 2030 is yet to be built and needs breaking the difficult trinity of cost, quality and scale. It needs massive innovation, investment, deregulation and competition.” The truth is that despite enrolment growing from 2 lakh in 1947 to 1.6 crore in 2012, India still lags behind its international counterparts when it comes to education. The gross enrolment ratio in education for India is a mere 11 percent, which is half of the world average. The ratio for developed countries stands at 54 percent. The problems in India gets compounded by the fact that there is an uneven spread of higher education. Some states have as many as 20 universities, while others have only one. digitalLEARNING / april 2012

news k 12

CBSE Students Get Option to Switch to ISC schools The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has issued a circular whch will let Class 10th CBSE students who appeared for the school basedexam this year to apply to Class 11 in Indian Secondary Certificate (ISC) schools. This is the second year that Class 10th CBSE students could choose between boards and school-based exams. Last year, the CISCE said it would not allow students who took the schoolbased exam to apply to ISC schools, but retracted its decision in July. This year, they have informed schools well in advance. All ISC schools received the circular a day after the CISCE took the decision.

AIPMT Admit Cards Go Online All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Test 2012, conducted by CBSE, has made admit cards available online for students appearing for the tests. This year admit cards will only be available online and won’t be dispatched by post as was the practice during previous years. CBSE has uploaded all admit cards on its website and students are being asked to download and retain them till seat allocation is done at the exam centre. According to Controller of examination (COE), students can rectify mistakes on their admit card till March 23.

CBSE to Add New Courses The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is going to revamp its curriculum with new courses and innovations in Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). There will be new courses such as retail, logistics and fitness and gym. Of these fitness and gym will be introduced in the next academic year. The school projects will be more syllabus-oriented and done in classroom. So, parents will be freed of project work, and there will be

Madras HC stays Govt Order on formation of School Management Committees The Madras High Court has stayed the operation of a Government Order issued by the School Education Department on December 26, insisting that all aided schools in Tamil Nadu constitute School Management Committees (SMC) for planning, monitoring and implementing the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Justice V Dhanapalan granted the interim stay on a writ petition filed by Rehamania Higher Secondary School, represented by its manager and correspondent S.S. Hassan Aboobacker, at Melapalayam in Tirunelveli district. The school claimed that the exclusion of school management from the SMC amounted to interfering with the right of minorities to administer educational institutions.

CBSE Schools in Chandigarh to Introduce Mass Media Course

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is all set to start mass media as one of elective subjects in Class XI

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and XII, in the new academic session in Chandigarh. The course has already been introduced in Delhi

no need to purchase study materials. Teachers should integrate the project with the curriculum in such a way that many subjects are involved. Students will be guided through skill training for which teachers will be coached and parent advocacy chosen to act as bridge between the Board and the school.

and Mumbai last year. The syllabus for the subject will remain the same for students in Chandigarh schools. It is currently available on CBSE’s website. As per the Board’s framework, the students will primarily be trained in creative writing and basic communication skills. In addition, the students will also be encouraged to bring out newsletters.The Board has directed all the 61 CBSE-affiliated senior secondary schools in the city to register for introducing the course in Class XI from this year.

CBSE exam Answer Sheets made Available to Students Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) students can now on apply to get a photocopy of their answer sheets after their board results (classes X and XII) are out. Following a Supreme Court order in August 2011, students appearing in an examination have a right to view their answer sheets if they want to. Students will receive photocopies of their answer sheets as per the request within 15 days of submitting their application forms. Students can also continue to avail of the marks verification facility.

8th

7 - 9 November 2012 | KTPO Trade Centre, Bengaluru

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IGNOU in Pursuit of Women-Empowerment Through Education in North East Region

A By Dr Bini Toms Regional Director, EDNERU Headquarters, IGNOU

lthough the population of women in India is more than the overall population of many countries, facts reveal that women in our country, in general, do not enjoy even basic rights to health and education. The situation in the North East Region (NER) of the country is not much different, rather grimmer. The North East Region of India is ethnically distinct from the rest of the country and has strong ethnic and cultural ties with Southeast Asia. It has advantages due its strategic location and because of the boundaries it shares with our neighbour countries, which can facilitate cultural and educational exchange. The region has tremendous potential in terms of its natural resources and scenic beauty. However, it cannot be denied that there are lacunae owing to the educational deficit that the region faces. Today, we realize the importance of human resource development for the overall development of any region. An academic organisation has a greater role in empowering to the society especially neglected

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sections like women, by giving them, access to education, equal opportunities to which they have a right and thereby the hope of an equal world. As rightly said, “Women’s empowerment is intertwined with respect for human rights”Mahnaz Afkhami. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), through its unit, the Educational Development of North East Region Unit (EDNERU) with its excellent team of people in the NER is in the forefront in the development of NE states. The unit was initially sanctioned as the North East Project (NEP) in 2000 by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) out of the Prime Minister’s non-lapsable funds. Since then, it has contributed significantly to the establishment of a network of open and distance learning (ODL) in the region, supplementing the conventional forms of education. With the mandate of providing access to higher education, uplifting and empowering the weaker sections including women in the NER, EDNERU has opened five in-

vocational education & skill training

digitalLEARNING / april 2012

vocational education & skill training

Fund Allocation Funds earmarked for north east India by the government have increased each year: 21.58 crores in 2008-09; 28.28 crores in 2009-2010 and 30.09 crores in 2010-2011. This has facilitated the activation of special study centres for women and to take on new initiatives for women’s development. There are proposals in process, focusing on development of women, on developing courses for women and on setting up an institute for women.

As a part of its commitment towards development and welfare in North East Region, IGNOU through its Special Study Centre in Central Jail, Shillong has imparted short term vocational training programmes to women inmates stitutes and 9 regional centres (RCs) in all the eight states of NER, including Sikkim. The study centres of IGNOU form an important part of the overall structure of the University and are designed to provide extensive and efficient student support services to its learners. In pursuit of reaching the unreached, some of these centres are in remote, inaccessible and far-flung areas. In pursuit of women empowerment, special study centres have been set up for women in the north eastern states. Besides the regular programmes offered by IGNOU, need based education and training/entrepreneurship development programmes are also being developed and conducted. Considering the importance of creating an environment for entrepreneurship development, training programme in small sectors like fruit processing was conducted by the EDNERU’s Regional Centre (RC), Agartala and Institute-ICRTA (IGNOU Centre for ODL in Research and Training in Agriculture), Agartala, for women trainees in the State of Tripura. ICRTA has conducted several trainings exclusively for female agricultural labourers. In the past one year, more than 150 women have been trained by ICRTA. RC Shillong has recently conducted a training programme on handicraft and loofah for women. As a part of its commitment towards development and welfare in NER, the University, through its Special Study Centre in Central Jail, Shillong has imparted short term vocational training programmes to women inmates. RC Imphal is also working on similar lines for the benefit of jail inmates. As an increasing need is being felt to protect and improve the quality of life of women and girls, RC Imphal and Aizwal have activated a course on anti human trafficking, developed by the school of law which is the beginning of a sensitisation programme by these centres to eradicate social evils. IGNOU Aizawl Regional Centre, with the help of the state government and existing non-government organisation like

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Young Mizo Association (YMA), women organization named Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), Hmeithai Association and other Self Help Groups, the Regional Centre has been involved with education extension activities like training in food processing, poultry farming and other skill development trainings all over the state. In this connection, special emphasis has been given to empowerment of women in particular. The IGNOU Institute of Vocational Education and Training (IIVET), Shillong has conducted several training programmes exclusively for women some of which include Communication Skills & Computer Literacy for School Dropouts/Domestic Workers; Fashion Designing; Interior Decorations; Electronic and Conventional Tailoring for women; Theoretical Course on “Physics of Welding” for girl students; Multi-skill Development to develop an integrated view of Skills Development and Kouna - Chumthang Crafts for women in Manipur. Till date, over 200 women have been imparted vocational education through IIVET. The future plans are to have repeat of a Kouna-Chumthang Crafts training programme, multi-skills for women, tourism, citizen journalism, fashion designing and interior decorations etc. and to conduct these on a regular basis. All these vocational courses and trainings have well-designed follow-up strategies, whereby students are placed or given financial assistance and guidance to develop into entrepreneurs themselves. The regional centres and institutes carry out regular awareness campaigns to sensitise the population on need based issues like the one conducted by RC Guwahati on the world environment day. Through its institute the North East Centre for Research and Development (NECRD), Guwahati, the university also provides funding to major and minor research projects in order to provide opportunities to researchers to undertake advanced studies and research on issues pertaining to the NER. As a part of its research activities, the EDNER unit runs a full-fledged fellowship programme of Research and Teaching Assistantship (RTA) for researchers working from North East and also for those from outside working on North East issues, on the lines of UGC fellowship, to pursue Ph.D., majority enrolled being girls. The nine RCs functioning in NER have a total enrolment of about 10,000 female students, enrolled for this academic year. Efforts are being made by these RCs to encourage female candidates for pursuing higher education in ODL mode. Further, IGNOU, through the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education and Development (MGIED) in Nagaland is running a full-time, regular masters programme in social work in which the number of girls enrolled this year is much more as compared to the previous year when there were more boys. Under the supervision of RD Kohima and PD MGIED, the Institute is all set to take major strides in imparting education in the face to face mode in agriculture, Gandhian philosophy, Naga art and culture and provide vocational and teachers’ training. As IGNOU continues its efforts for empowering women through education, let us hope that the nation as a whole realizes that, “The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all”-Aung San Suu Kyi.

Presented by

STEERING e-INCLUSIVE ECONOMY CONFERENCE | EXPO | AWARDS 27 April 2012 Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan, Nariman Point, Mumbai

key speakers at emaharashtra

Prof (Smt) Fauzia Tehseen Khan Honâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ble Minister of State Government of Maharashtra

Rajesh Aggarwal Secretary, Department of IT, Government of Maharashra

R A Rajeev Commissioner Thane Municipal Corporation

Ramnath Sonawane Commisioner Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation

Smt Neela Satyanarayana State Election Commissioner, Government of Maharashtra

Dr K Shivaji Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of Maharashtra

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Tata plans to set up a National Vocational Training University The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is going to set up a school for vocational education at its Deonar campus. TISS has taken this step towards a larger plan to set up a national vocational training university. The school will offer two-year-long certificate courses and students who pass out will qualify as technicians. TISS and the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which is promoting vocational education at top institutes in India, will sign a memorandum for the new school. The AICTE will provide financial assistance of Rs 10 crore for three years to TISS. The AICTE, through the National Vocational Educational Qualification Framework (NVEQF), wants to develop and manage vocational education in the country and integrate it with academic streams of higher technical education, noted a statement released by the AICTE. Apart from training students, the school will focus on research in vocational education, conduct studies on skill requirements, build content for various sectors, develop teaching methodologies and pedagogy, train the trainers, and prepare a system for measuring skill assessment. The school will set up a joint working group with members from TISS and the AICTE, which shall regularly review the working of the courses.

AIMA President, Rajiv Vastupal, Joins IIM Bangalore Board of Governors Rajiv Vastupal, the President of the All India Management Association (AIMA) has joined the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B). In October 2011, Vastupal took over as the President of AIMA, the apex body of professional management – it was after a gap of 20 years that someone from Gujarat became the president of AIMA. Vastupal received an invitation to join the Society and Board of Governors

of IIM Bangalore from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government

of India. Prior to his appointment at IIM Bangalore, he was member of the Board of Governors at IIM, Rohtak. Speaking about his new appointment, Rajiv Vastupal, CMD of Rajiv Group said, “I am extremely happy to be a part of the prestigious IIM Bangalore. I shall focus on working cohesively with leaders from India Inc. like Mukesh Ambani and Kris Gopalkrishnan and other members of the board to take the institute to even greater heights.”

Harvard Business School Inaugurates its First Classroom in India

Panjab University’s Application Forms go Online

Harvard Business School has opened its first classroom in India at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. Ratan Tata, Chairman – Tata Sons, inaugurated the amphitheaterstyled classroom in the presence of Nitin Nohria, Dean – Harvard Business School and other distinguished dignitaries. Addressing the inaugural class, Ratan Tata, Chairman – Tata Sons said, “India now has a facility to provide people participating in courses and I am very pleased that the Taj Lands End and Tata Group could do what I thought would be a fitting proposition to Harvard to give them a physical facility that would enable them to provide a touch and feel of executive education in India. I am very proud that we have been able to provide them with this facility; you will now have a classroom that will give India and the participants a real feel of business school without being in Boston”.

For admission to post-graduate and undergraduate courses in Panjab University (PU), the applications are now available online. For Common Entrance Test (CET) and Other Common Entrance Test (OCET) exams, which offer admission to over 50 courses, candidates have to first register and get a pay in-slip for paying the fee to any branch of the State Bank of India reported the Express News Service All the entrance tests will be applied online except MD and MS courses for which there are nearly 60-70 seats offered by the Government Medical Hospital and College.

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IGNOU Receives Japan Aid for Electronic Media Centre

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has received the third Japanese grant-in –aid to strengthen its Electronic Media Production Centre (EMPC) recently at an outlay of 787 million Yen. The centre is the hub of electronic and broadcast media and is aimed at reaching the learners using a variety of communication technologies. The MoU was signed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the conference room of the Vice Chancellor’s office between Joint Secretary (ABC), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and the Ambassador of Japan to India. Prof M Aslam, VC, IGNOU, on the occasion stated that this bilateral cooperation between the two countries, in the form of the current grantin-aid programme would augur well for the future especially in the light of the rapid advances made in the field of ICTs.