School Networks - The strength of performative ties : August 2006 Issue by digital LEARNING Magazine - Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd

The monthly publication on ICT and Education for Asia and the Middle East

Volume II Issue 8 August 2006

www.digitalLEARNING.in

ISSN 0973-4139

School Networks Learners

Educators

Schools

The strength of performative ties

Networks

European Schoolnet Networking Schools in 30 Countries PAGE 6

Technology education in Asia Keeping a Multiple Approach to an Integrative Framework PAGE 32

Practitionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice: Lida Jacob Secretary, Department of General Education, Kerala PAGE 40 FORTHCOMING EVENTS 23-25 August 2006

In action: International Education and Resource Network PAGE 15

We build

We explore

Documentation We search

We capture We cooperate We advocate

Discussion

We converse We inform

We collaborate

We share

Dissemination

We interact We deliver

We propagate We serve

We reach out to communities

We bring change for progress www.digitalLEARNING.in

Contents

Verbatim

Volume II Issue 8, August 2006

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Alvin TToffler offler The world does not pay for what a person knows. But it pays for what a person does with what he knows. Laurence Lee Experience is a good school, but the fees are high. Heinrich Heine Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. John Cotton Dana Getting things done is not always what is most important. There is value in allowing others to learn, even if the task is not accomplished as quickly, efficiently or effectively. R.D. Clyde

Cover Story

European Schoolnet Networking Schools in 30 Countries Stella Kefala, Laura Massoli, Brigitte Parry and Riina Yuorikari

School Track

Woodstock New Age Skills at a 152-yearold School Jeffrey Thomas

India Statescan

40 Kerala Towards bridging productivity Practitionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice: Lida Jacob, Secretary, Department of General Education

Network Focus action 15 In International Education and

Regulars

Resource Network Hasnah Gasim

Features

The government action plan India Bolstering ICT in Schools Manjushree Reddy

Shifting the paradigm Learning and Reform on Sundry Waves Yin Cheong Cheng

Technology education in Asia Keeping a Multiple Approach to an Integrative Framework Michelle Selinger

14 18 30 44 45 46

News India M-Learn

News Corporate News Asia News World Bookshelf Mark Your Calendar

digital Learning invites authors We invite editorial contributions from our readers in the field of Digital Learning. While no guarantee is made or implied, we will make every effort to incorporate all views and experiences in the relevant issues so as to better serve the ICT and Education community at large.

Next issue: ICT in Education Policy

Please be sure to read and follow the Editorial Guidelines above. Note that contributions may be edited for space and/or clarity. Unsolicited manuscripts and artwork will not be returned.

Editorial guidelines Digital Learning contains articles and features on the theme of “ICT and Education” and related issues. Authors are requested to follow the following guidelines while sending their articles to Digital Learning. a. Articles should not exceed 2,000 words. For book/ website/ conference reviews, the word limit is 1000. Longer articles will be considered only in exceptional cases. b. Articles/ reviews can be sent through email as an attachment or through post, typed in Times New Roman, 10 point. c. Relevant figures/ tables/ photographs should be sent. Hard copies of submitted photographs should be of high quality in a recommended size of 5 inches by 7 inches. Soft copies of imagery should be scanned at 300dpi at a minimum width of 4 inches. d. Passport size photographs and brief biodata of the author(s) must be enclosed with the article. e. For bookshelf contributions, please mention the title, name of the author/s, publisher/s, year of publication, price, number of pages and a high quality photograph of the cover. Books on Digital Learning related themes published from the year 2000 onwards are preferable. f. We are keen to cover conference/ workshop/ seminar reviews. Please mention the theme, venue, date, and name of the organiser, if you are reporting about an event. Please send photographs of the conference/workshop/ seminar. The conference held in the past two months of the forthcoming issue will be preferred. g. The Editor reserves the right to reject, edit and adjust articles in order to conform to the magazine’s format.

All correspondence should be addressed to: The Editor, Digital Learning G-4, Sector-39, Noida, India Tel +91-120-2502180 to 87 Fax +91-120-2500060 Email info@digitalLEARNING.in

AY ining its S R a YOU l has been amliatyin. Wt ell done! Jour

m nuja ma a ce R a R. ist n of D f. P. en o r p r o P fess a l O hi o n r o i P Del Nat tor, ew dhi i re c n N D a , ) er a G OU Form , Indir (IGN n y o t i i t s ca er Edu Univ

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August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

digital LEARNING Volume II, issue 7 July 2006 President M P Narayanan Editor Ravi Gupta Editorial Consultant Jayalakshmi Chittoor Sr. Assistant Editor Rumi Mallick Sr. Research Associate Manjushree Reddy Research Associate Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastav Designed by Bishwajeet Kumar Singh Web Zia Salahuddin, Ramakant Sahu Editorial and marketing correspondence digital LEARNING G-4 Sector 39 NOIDA 201301, India Phone +91 120 2502181-87 Fax +91 120 2500060 Email info@digitalLEARNING.in Group directors Maneesh Prasad, Sanjay Kumar Printed by Yashi Media Works Pvt Ltd New Delhi, India digital LEARNING does not neccesarily subscribe to the views expressed in this publication. All views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors. digital LEARNING is not responsible or accountable for any loss incurred, directly or indirectly as a result of the information provided. digital LEARNING is published in technical collaboration with GIS Development (www.GISdevelopment.net)

Editorial From Digital Divide to Digital Dividend: Making it happen! Introduction of digital technologies in the formal school system with ICT interventions, and those that focus on learning improvements means that the school children will have an early on exposure to the information society. Such interventions can prove to be social dividend, if the networking in schools motivates teachers and students to improved learning. This has happened in European Schoolnet programme reaching nearly thirty countries, and focusing on community workspaces in the online realms combined with improved teaching and learning techniques. Across Europe and beyond, there is a growing faith in the power of education to change peoples’ lives. The school networking initiatives of European Schoolnet discussed in this issue of Digital Learning reflects how countries learn from each other. The development of ICT-based schools that create networks linking schools within and between countries has great potential value to enhance teaching and learning and as a powerful force to promote development. The linkages between schools can facilitate the sharing of common values, knowledge as well as the preservation, practice and promotion of local cultures. Installation of computers and modems in schools and their connection to the Internet should be encouraged and, where appropriate, assisted. For developing countries, the assistance necessary may include support for the acquisition of hardware, software and telecommunications connectivity, as well as training in network operation and maintenance through capacity building. A network of support agencies needs to work in this direction now, wherever possible, in existing relationships, to keep these projects in working condition. The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samitis and Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) also play very important role in networking of schools in India. As part of ICT @ school scheme of Government of India, Navodaya Vidyalayas have taken up providing computer literacy to the students of local schools, neighbouring Navodaya Vidyalayas, apart from the fact that around 500 Navodaya Vidyalayas have been provided with computers and accessories and a computer teacher to ensure computer education programme goes on successfully. Digital Learning wishes to play a role in acting as an advocate on behalf of countries needing assistance to participate in such networks and linkages; in facilitating the sharing of information, resources and good practices; in actively promoting high standards of quality; and in addressing sustainability. ‘Digital Learning India 2006’has created a new progressive agenda for the upcoming conference to be held in New Delhi from August 23-25, 2006. This conference brings in multiple stakeholders, practitioners and programme implementers in one platform. Several exciting workshops are planned, as is a showcasing of products and services. We are pleased to invite you at Digital Learning India 2006.

Ravi Gupta Editor Ravi.Gupta@csdms.in 5

Cover Story

European Schoolnet

Networking Schools in 30 Countries Stella Kefala [STELLA.KERFALA@EUN.ORG], Laura Massoli [LAURA.MASSOLI@EUN.ORG], Brigitte Parry [BRIGITTE.PARRY@EUN.ORG] Riina Vuorikari [RIINA.VUORIKARI@EUN.ORG], European SchoolNet

While celebrating the 10th anniversary of its launch at the end of 2006, European Schoolnet (www.eun.org) has developed into a strong European service organisation. From the 16 Ministries of education who signed the original consortium agreement, the EUN has grown to almost 30 members and is currently serving three main groups, comprising schools in Europe and their teachers and pupils, ministries of education and other education authorities and agencies, and the European Commission, particularly Directorate Generals for Education and Culture and Information Society. Since its establishment EUN has worked to promote the European dimension in school education and the use of new technologies to improve and raise the quality of education. A key aim has been to build a rich, multilingual European community for innovation and collaboration in educational policy and practice. 6

August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

lthough the term e-learning has become part of the common vocabulary in the last few years, European initiatives to promote the use of ICT in teaching learning have a longer history. The creation of European Schoolnet goes back to March 1997 when the Ministers of Education of the European Union and the European Commission agreed to support a Swedish proposal, which came under the European action plan entitled “Learning within the information society”. European Schoolnet was officially launched in September 1998 after a formal agreement between the partners was adopted in Lisbon, in June 1998. The decision-making body of the EUN is the steering committee, comprising one representative from each of the partners taking part. Day to day management of the EUN is carried out by the EUN Office located in Brussels. The office has an international and multilingual staff of over 30 people. The financial resources come from contributions from Ministries of Education. The European Commission plays a big part in the financing via a large number of special projects developed within the framework of educational or research and development programmes specific to the European Union. EUN’s work is organised in three strands corresponding to its core objective of supporting the efficient use of ICT in education and the European dimension in education. 1. School Networking Services: Work aims to create a living European dimension for schools through international joint activities using ICT. EUN acts as a network of networks, providing common services and tools, online communities and activities to develop international activities for young people 2. Knowledge building and exchange on ICT Policy and Practice: The strand aims to build a community of ICT policyDigital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

makers based on an informed knowledge base of intelligence and foresight in ICT policy-making, timely analytical papers and regular meetings and workshops. Interoperability and content exchange: Work aims to encourage the exchange and interoperability of learning content in order to facilitate the implementation of learning technologies in schools across Europe. This includes work related to architectures, web services, standards, authentication federated searching and rights management.

The most visible sign of the EUN’s activities are its portals: EUN provides major European education portals for teaching, learning and collaboration, offering a wide range of services for teachers, pupils, school managers and policy makers.

The EUN School networking methodology The EUN office school networking team consists of a core multicultural group of highly experienced teachers with a thorough understanding of old and new ICT tools, learning and teaching environments and pedagogical innovation, international projects and network interactions both at policy and end user levels.

School networking and services

Around this core group revolves a galaxy of experts groups, clustered and managed according to the needs of our different projects (science, environment, arts, citizenship, etc). Those experts are based in schools and in all EUN related networks; they are in daily contact with pupils.

School networking has always been considered as a main priority for European Schoolnet. Within the framework of our projects, it can be defined as “facilitating the creation of organic web-like networks of schools (big and small) that communicate and work together as they wish or as they can on projects that make sense for them and their pupils” (Brigitte Parry – School networking manager). At the dawn of the century, school networking is currently the best way to prepare young people, and through them society, for a successful future.

This network of networks of experts is instrumental in the success of all our projects with schools. They offer teachers from all European countries opportunities to work together around themes that can be adapted to their curriculum and through the discovery of new technological tools. For each project, it creates an online platform, develops applications, templates and tools for pedagogical activities, produces guidelines for teachers and gives high international visibility to the resources and events created by the pupils through the projects. 7

Successful school networking project Virtual School Project: ‘For European Teachers by European teachers’ One of European Schoolnet’s very first school networking projects was the Virtual School project (VS). The Virtual School was a virtual meeting place for teachers to exchange material and discuss experiences and was launched to meet teachers’ need for relevant content for their work. Teachers were encouraged to submit anything from ideas for activities or events to fully-fledged online lessons. The VS editors and web team made sure the material offered was relevant, safe and useful. The Virtual School was one of the EUN’s key networks and led the way in the development of many other initiatives helping teachers.

eTwinning: school partnerships (http:// www.etwinning.net) European Schoolnet currently runs the Central Support Service and international portal for the European Commission’s eTwinning action. More than 15,000 schools have registered so far and more than 1,500 collaborative projects have been set up between schools from different countries. The ultimate goal of this action is to give as many European pupils as possible opportunities to use ICT to exchange and learn with other pupils from other countries before the end of their school years. eTwinning successfully contributes to the development of many teacher training materials and workshops, and therefore to the development of European education in general. 8

MyEurope: youth awareness of European citizenship (http://myeurope.eun.org)

Xplora: Science education (http:// www.xplora.org) Xplora, the new European Science Education Gateway is focused on serving science teachers and pupils, as a resource to stimulate compelling innovative teaching, to raise interest in science and scientific careers among young people. The portal offers content, services and tools also for science educators and communicators. Xplora is built by European Schoolnet together with a consortium of partners, including ECSITE (European Network of Science Centers and Museums) and thirteen science museums across Europe working within the framework of the Pencil project. The PENCIL project is one of the results of the DG Research call for proposals for the “European Science Education Initiative”, aiming to provide Europe with 700,000 additional researchers by 2010, by encouraging more young people to take up science at university.

My Europe is a 6 year-old project built on a very active network of more than 5000 schools. It was originally created to link up schools from old European member states and candidate countries. In 2004, ten new countries joined the European Union, and the myEurope project had achieved its goal. Its main aim is now to provide sets of learning objects on themes related to citizenship and Europe. Those learning objects are meant to be used by teachers directly in the classroom and in different languages. SpringDay 2006: Learn, share, debate, speak out (http://www.springday2006.org) Spring Day in Europe is a citizendriven event project on democracy and citizenship where young people learn and make their voice heard on topical European issues. It is a day of debate and dialogue symbolically, the first day of spring of each year – prepared several months in advance through pedagogical activities in the classroom and with the participation of national and European decisionmakers. The wide involvement in the event of a large number of members of the European Parliament and Commissioners has been inspiring for schools. One of the main assets of Spring Day is the combination of several human and institutional networks.

Xplora is offered in three languages: English, French and German. It has a team of teachers from Europe, the target group of Xplora, to develop material, disseminate it in their regions and guide the development of the gateway. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

Coordinated by European Schoolnet, a group of teachers/pedagogical advisors based in 29 countries interact with a network of representatives from all ministries of education who guarantee the legitimacy of the project within a school curricular context. Both groups collaborate with European Commission and European Parliament representations. Members of the European Parliament, together with local, regional and national personalities, participate in debates with young citizens on Spring Day and around the topic of the year. The success of Spring Day in Europe largely rests on this set of intertwined and complementary networks of professionals. This year, 7,501 schools from 29 countries organised events and debates about the future of the European Union. Spring Day in

Europe can be considered as the largest and most successful initiative to raise European awareness among schools. Insafe: Internet Safety (http://www. saferinternet.org) Insafe is a European network of 23 nodes in 21 countries, dedicated to raising awareness of internet safety. It includes a broad range of organisations including educational authorities, universities, media councils and charities. The network is coordinated by European Schoolnet, which has been mandated by the European Commission’s Safer Internet Programme to become European leader in this global community. Its mission is threefold: empower citizens to use internet effectively, help them avoid its potential pitfalls and protect the privacy of their information.

The Insafe portal offers links that lead to a steadily growing source of information collected by awareness raising partners across the world with the aim to provide users with a comprehensive overview of a wide range of internet safety issues. Comenius Space (http:// comenius.eun.org) This initiative is a moderated online platform offering information and partner-finding tools to any school or institution interested in the European Commission’s Comenius action. This action is closely linked to the previously mentioned eTwinning action. Comenius Space is a very successful online platform, which provides the elements necessary for schools to set up micro networks and get European funding for their work over a 3-year period.

Knowledge building through exchange on ICT policy and Practice EUN is as much concerned in providing intelligence on ICT use to schools and policy makers in Europe and beyond, as with providing rich activities and immediate support to teachers in the classroom. To be sure, the EUN Insight Observatory for New Technologies and Education is an informed knowledge base of intelligence and foresight in ICT policy and practice in European schools. The Insight portal (http:// insight.eun.org) serves as a reference School Network in Cyprus

point for policy-makers, researchers and school innovators and/or all those who want to be informed about the main developments of e- learning in European countries but also gain insight into specific topics dealing with school practices in using ICT in Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

innovative ways, in e-learning policy making and in questions related to interoperability. Key documents of the Insight portal are the Insight’s Country reports that are regularly updated in-depth

descriptions of national developments in different areas of e-learning policies in schools and compulsory education. Insight also provides an annual ‘trends and issues’ report identifying the main tendencies across European countries, as well as briefings and 9

Projects, competitions, activities, communication and information exchange at all levels of school education using innovative technologies, this is how EUN strives to meet its goals, being at the crossroads of national and regional education networks, building synergies between communities of teachers, learners, developers, researchers and policy-makers updates on EU ICT-related policy issues. As such, these documents constitute a unique tool for policy makers and other education professionals to identify latest e-learning and education trends in their neighbouring countries and the EU. One of the most popular divisions of the Insight portal is the School Innovation section. Here visitors can find information, research findings and reports about innovative ways to implement ICT within the school environment. A key feature of this area is the ‘Insight Schools Gallery’ with portraits of schools that have been selected to take part in a range of projects since 2000 (e.g. e-watch, Ernist (http://www.european schoolnet.org/ww/en/pub/eun/ projects/coordinator/ernist.htm), P2P (http://p2p.eun.org), Calibrate (http://calibrate.eun.org)). The schools showcased in this section are excellent examples of school collaboration, and with their inspirational practices are leading the way in e-maturity. The Interoperability section of the Insight portal deals with issues around interoperability and content exchange, which has become one of the main foci of EUN and its partners in the last years. Interoperability is not only seen from the technical 10

angle, but rather as an enabler for sharing pedagogy, infrastructures, tools and resources (both digital and non-digital including human resources). This section regularly features news and emerging issues related to the Learning Resources Exchange (LRE, http://lre.eun.org), a service that provides the means to share digital content among all partners (Ministries of Education, regional educational authorities, commercial publishers, broadcasters, cultural institutions and other non-profit organisations) of the LRE and their users. In this section, one also finds the ‘monthly insight to interoperability’ in which international experts are questioned on the current issues on standards and harmonisation of eLearning services, both on the system and content level. Additionally, this section also informs its readers on actions on European Interoperability Framework for eLearning (LIFE) that seeks to bring together actors from different sectors (schools, academia, government, industry, education and training) to discuss common issues such as learning object repositories, learner profile, accessibility, etc. Insight also highlights specific themes and issues drawing from the

areas mentioned above (policy, technology and innovation) and offering a one-stop insight into specific education-related issues such as innovation, leadership, internet safety or quality in education, just to mention a few under the ‘thematic dossiers’ section. European Schoolnet, the unique notfor-profit consortium of almost 30 ministries of education in Europe provides major European education portals for teaching, learning and collaboration and leads the way in bringing about change in schooling through the use of new technology. Projects, competitions, activities, communication and information exchange at all levels of school education using innovative technologies, this is how EUN strives to meet its goals, being at the crossroads of national and regional education networks, building synergies between communities of teachers, learners, developers, researchers and policy-makers. EUN invites to participate in the EUN community, a free online collaborative platform aimed at schools and institutions that want to set up and run cooperative online projects 9http://community.eun.org/enter.cfm), or subscribe to the newsletters (www.eun.org). August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

News INDIA Pondicherry tapping e-Learning for school education The Pondicherry Government has planned to improve the quality of school education through e-Learning. According to the Education Minister M. O. H. F. Shahjahan, a blueprint had been prepared. The teachers would train students in e-Learning with the support of centralised laboratory. A coaching centre to prepare students for various professional courses was also on the anvil. The thrust areas would include infrastructure development, orientation courses for teachers and helping children overcome their disability to learn fast. The anganwadis would be made a hub of educational activities to encourage opening of kindergarten schools.

Deemed varsities need not get UGC approval for new courses In a relief to deemed universities, the University Grants Commission has

clarified that they do not require its approval for starting new courses or post-facto clearance. It was only a few days ago did the UGC write to most of the 103 deemed universities in the country seeking information on the courses they offered and asking them to give an undertaking that they would not start any new programme or vary student intake without its approval. Reversing its stand, the UGC in its communication said its approval is not required for starting new courses.

Progress review on Education for All movement The Human Resources Development ministry has reviewed the progress of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) in India and has approved steps to fill up infrastructure gaps so as to provide education to children with special needs (CWSN). The National Mission for SSA focuses on improving the learning level of children thereby increasing the literacy rate in the country. On the

Indian student invents Braille software A visually challenged class 12 student in India, Satveer Singh has invented a software that can translate the Braille into the Devnagari script. One of the main advantages of the software is that anyone who can read or write Braille will now be able to use it to translate whatever they write into a script. Instead of using the Braille stencil, one can use just six keys of a normal computer keyboard and the software then automatically translates the Braille script into Devnagari. With this software, visually impaired people can correspond easily even with people who can’t read Braille. But unfortunately Satveer does not have the financial or organisational support he needs to take his software to other visually-impaired people. Such issues however, have failed to dampen Satveer’s spirit and he is ready to invent a software that will translate Braille into Marathi and Kannada and another that can be used without a keyboard. Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

occasion of the second Meeting of the Executive Committee, the HRD minister released a publication by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) on District Information System for Education (DISE) data for the year 2005. This is an analytical report based on the Education Practices for children at their home. Another document- “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: Discovering New Paths in Inclusion” was also released which was a record on the initiatives being undertaken by states to impart home-based education to Children With Special Needs (CWSN) in SSA. States have adopted different methods to provide home based education to CWSN.

Cyberage PC in Goa faces conflict The Cyberage PCs continue to be a bone of contention for the Goa IT Channel Association and the government in the state. The state government in India has decided to continue with the scheme and there is a requirement for about 22,000 PCs to be supplied to the high school students in Goa under it. The Cyberage PC is a government of Goa initiative, which began as an attempt to take computers to schools in Goa. Under this scheme, high school students are to get a PC virtually free, paying a nominal sum of Rs 1,000. The PCs are supplied through the IT channel to the principals of the various schools who then pass it on to their students. But Computer professionals in the state have questioned the scheme and have asked whether it would not make more sense to hand out PCs to schools, to be used collectively. There are other questions on whether the computers have been delivered as promised, and on schedule. 11

AICTE’s new Web Portal to make admissions easier The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will soon launch a new section under it’s site www.aicte.ernet.in where students will be able to get any information regarding admission process and even apply to more than 9000 technical institutions in the country. The portal will not only make the admission easier but also help the students to choose their best institutes on the basis of teaching standard and other facilities. The candidates who have been qualified in the AIEEE (All India Engineering Entrance Examination) will no more face problems of traveling to more than one institute for submission of application forms. They will be able to apply online and also pay their fees through credit cards. The final selection list and waiting list will also be available on the net.

Global publishers eye India to outsource e-Publishing projects

10 lakh Indian schools to be linked through Internet The Internet will soon become the medium through which one can enter the classrooms of about 10 lakh schools in India. Information regarding the state of the classroom, number of teachers and students, playing facilities as well as examination results will also be available online. Not only government schools but even top private schools like Delhi Public School, RK Puram, Modern School, Bharakhamba Road and Doon School in Dehradun or Lawrence School in Kasaulli will be part of one of the biggest school interlinking exercise the country has ever undertaken. Just about 50,000 schools are not covered under the programme. The National Institute of Education Planning and Administration (NEIPA) will put report cards of over 10 lakh schools, for which it has collected data, on the Internet. There will be a report card on each school available. Information from each school has been converted into a school report card for putting it on Internet.

Indian e-publishing houses are able to meet the clients’ requirements. While the opportunity is tremendous, the hunt is for trained manpower. There is no formal educational institute on digital publishing. People are trained by companies. Only in the last few years have Indian companies forayed into copyediting and the orders are really heavy.

India rubbishes MIT’s laptop scheme for kids The Human Resources Development ministry in India has rejected the idea of ‘one-laptop-per-child’ (OLPC) being aggressively marketed by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT Media Laboratory. India is all set to emerge as a hub of ePublishing because several global publishers such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Prentice Hall, Macmillan, and Pearson are eyeing at India for outsourcing their e-Publishing projects. According to A. Elangovan, Managing Director of Cadgraf Digitals, the Indian companies in the e-publishing space are currently working on books and journals for overseas clients. The process the Indian publishers follow is completely different from others. He said that 12

The ministry says, India must not allow itself to be used for experimentation with children in this area. The ministry’s detailed objection based on technical, social and financial grounds were sent to the Planning Commission few times back. Negroponte had made a presentation on OLPC seeking to sell one million laptops at the rate of USD100 per unit for children, the cost to be borne by the government. HRD contends that spending INR 450 crore on digital empowerment can be better spent on primary and secondary education. The ministry says 6-12 is a

highly vulnerable age group to cover in an area of human technology interface, which is so new and heavily debated.

Educomp launches online mathlearning portal Delhi-based Educomp Solutions Ltd. launches a math-learning portal for classes 6 to 12 based on the NCERT curriculum. The product, Mathguru.com, will provide step-by-step solutions for all math problems from NCERT schoolbooks through visual and voice explanation. The subscription to the site comes at INR1,200 a year for each student. The company is targeting a subscriber base of 75,000 students in the current fiscal and 2,00,000 students by the end of the next fiscal. The portal would also have solutions categorised on the basis of chapter so that students of other boards can also find solutions. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

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M-Learn

Wiki defines M-learning as the delivery of learning to students who are not keeping a fixed location.This is the term given to the delivery of training by means of mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs and Digital Audio Players, etc. If e-learning took learning away from the classroom or campus, then m-learning is taking learning away from a fixed point.The small size of the device and the wireless connections make these devices available anytime and anywhere and that keeps m-learning in an advantageous position.The purpose of this new column is to connect the m-learning paradigm to explore the relationships with e-learning developments and to provide some practical answers to queries like what is the educational information we need to provide/ how do we develop the structure/ for which mobile devices do we develop/ which tools / software do we use/ for whom do we develop and the likes. HP to established m-learning centre in Anna University Hewlett-Packard recently announced that Anna University in India has been awarded a “Technology for Teaching Grant” to transform the way subjects are taught on its campus. HP will help Anna University to establish a mobile learning (m-learning) Center, wherein students taking Computer Science and IT courses will be able to access content using hand-held computers.

M-Update The university will receive approximately USD70,000 worth of technology including HP Tablet PCs, external storage and optical drives, wireless net-working cards and printers, as also a stipend for staff to work on projects that have to be completed in 15 months. This initiative is aimed at supporting the development of mobile technology in higher education environments to transform teaching and learning models; to engage faculty in adopting and implementing these models; and to foster opportunities for academic leaders to understand the potential of mobile technology in university environments. The m-learning center will maintain a portal and a digital library, and will assist with content management and 14

Mobile technology for mobile students The Kentucky Migrant Technology Project (KMTP) (http://www.migrant.org/) The project serves public school children of migrant workers in more than 19 districts in the west-central part of Kentucky in the Southern United States. The children’s frequent moves cause discontinuity in their education. KMTP provides services and technology to help students overcome this discontinuity.

M-learning case study Using a collapsible portable keyboard that opens up to about the size of a laptop computer’s keyboard, migrant students can write short essays and homework assignments on their PDAs. The students then use the built-in infrared communications capability to beam their completed assignments to a teacher’s PDA. Once teachers have collected all their students’ assignments, they can dock their PDAs to a desktop computer and upload all the assignments at once. The devices also enable students to carry educational content around with them easily. development. Further, students will be able to tap a server-based opensource wireless laboratory, built on existing low-end computers and wireless technology. Enterprising students will be able to submit project proposals to a Project Incubation Center that will be set-up under this grant.

M-Research Global Cellular Shares 2005

Source: “CellularOnline, http:// www.cellular.co.za”

Lesson Plan Lesson Plan is software for teachers to track the lesson plans for their classes. One can enter, edit, track and print lesson plans for up to 25 classes with this. Search by keyword.

M-Tool Lesson Plan will run on any handheld running Palm OS® 3.0 or later. The PC version of Lesson Plan Desktop will run on Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, and XP. There is a Macintosh version for Mac OS 8/9 and a native OS X version as well. The features and more information on Lesson Plan are available at http:/ /www.tapperware. com/LessonPlan/ One can download the free trial version of Lesson Plan at http://www.tapperware.com/LessonPlan/ download.html

August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

In action

International Education and Resource Network has been linking schools internationally since 1988. Active in 115 countries, iEARN is the world’s largest K-12 project-based Internet supported learning network. All projects in iEARN are initiated and designed by teachers and students, and provide powerful examples of how new and emerging technologies can make a difference in teaching and learning iEARN, the International Education and Resource Network, is a Network of educators and students from 20.000 schools over 100 countries spread around the world. It has the vision to save the planet by improving the environment, the welfare and quality of life of the people around the world through online collaborative projects among participating schools. iEARN programme has the goal to: • Stimulate student’s engagement and service in their community • Arouse civil awareness and responsibility • Improve learning and teaching practices • Integrate technology in the curriculum in meaningful projects As part of iEARN’s mission to improve the quality of life on the planet, iEARN projects include magazines, creative writing anthologies, websites, letter-writing campaigns, reports to government officials, arts exhibits, workshops, performances, charity fundraising, and many more examples of youth taking action as part of what they are learning in the classroom. Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

These projects enable students to develop: • language, literacy, research and critical thinking skills • experience with new technologies • cultural awareness • the habit of getting involved in community issues.

A strong network in the Asia Pacific region, iEARN Indonesia (www.iearnindonesia.org) is formed under UNESCO Associated School Project Network (ASPnet). ASPnet as UNESCO experimental projects is a UNESCO vehicle to achieve peace through development of educational innovation by implementing the four pillars of learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, and learning to live together. ASPnet activities among others are: access to education and raise quality of education, provide life skills Safe environment, build a peaceful community, build a cross-cultural understanding, provide school health services, and provide ICT for learning to live together to safe the planet.

iEARN Indonesia made great strides in July 2006 with two successful workshops for teachers that took place in Aceh. The workshops aimed to empower teachers who fell victim to the Tsunami of 2004. On July 19th, the first workshop took place with the Madania School. After a complete one-day training in how to join a discussion forum, introduction to iEARN Online Projects and how to use and navigate a computer - 30 new teachers joined the iEARN family. The second workshop took place on July 22-24 in Banda Aceh. 15 teachers were trained representing three different schools. This workshop focused on the benefits of collaborative learning. Through these activities, iEARN Indonesia brought support to many teachers who not only wish to pursue online collaborative learning, but also desire to benefit from professional development opportunities and resources. (With inputs from Hasnah Gasim (aspnetind@cbn.net.id), Country Coordinator, iEARN Indonesia)

iEARN Network in Asia-Pacific Region iEARN Uzbekistan (http:// iearn.uz/) grows out of a collaboration with IREX to conduct professional developement workshops for educators and others in Uzbek communities.

Pakistan (www. iearnpk.org) in collaboration with its partners, is committed to work with umbrella organisations, academic bodies, universities, non-government organizations, and government agencies. It expresses purpose of supporting the youth of the world in developing and implementing educational and humanitarian projects.

Kazakhstan Working with the Open Society Institute, iEARN-Kazakhstan (http:/ /I-earn.samal.kz) was created in 1996, which is based in Almaty, involving about 40 schools.

China The iEARN-China Center has been active since 1991. Schools are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Hohhot, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xian and other cities.

The iEARN-Mongolia (http://www.owc. org.mn/iearn/) programme started in 1998, with assistance from the Open Society Institute and Mongolian Foundation for Open Society in Ulaanbaatar. Teachers from a number of communities across the country have been through workshops on global project-based learning.

Nepal iEARN-Nepal (www.iearn.org.np) is based in Kathmandu, and works with schools from all regions of the country to deliver teacher training and student exchange programs.

www.iearnindia.org is a registered trust â&#x20AC;&#x153;Education and Resource Network-Indiaâ&#x20AC;? and is working with educators in Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Calcutta and Madras to expand Indian student global networking.

Bangladesh iEARN-Bangladesh (www.iearnbangladesh.org) works with a number of schools and youth organizations in the Dhaka area. Teacher training workshops have been held to bring online projectbased learning to Bangladeshi students and teachers.

iEARN started working in Sri Lanka in 2000, made possible through a special project with the U.S. Department of State to use iEARN projects as a means of enhancing civic education combining physical exchanges and telecommunications. Out of this initiative has come an iEARN-Sri Lanka prgramme. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

www.jearn.jp/ eng iEARN-Japan brings Japanese children into the iEARN world, supports school teachers and boards of education, and provides various kinds of seminars and workshops for iEARN projects.

iEARN in Taiwan is a non-profit educational telecommunications network. iEARNTaiwan (www.taiwaniearn.org) works in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the Taiwan Academic Network (TANet).

Thailand iEARN is working with the Bangkok International School as a basis from which to branch out to national schools in Thailand.

Connecting youth South Korea iEARN is working in South Korea with Chungbuk National University, which has identified a number of schools to participate in pilot projects. Students and teachers are working in Korean and English with peers in Korean-American communities in the U.S.

Malaysia iEARN is working with the Ministry of Education, the E-Learning for Life program, UNDP, Apple Malaysia and other public and private sector partners to deliver teacher-training workshops and to open global opportunities for Malaysia teachers and students.

Philippines iEARN includes a small number of schools in the Philippines in project work.

Cambodia iEARN works with the Open Forum youth organisation in Pnom Penh, whose students have been active in the iEARN Holocaust-Genocide Project.

www.iearnindonesia. org works with the UNESCO-sponsored Associated Schools Project to connect schools throughout the country and conduct teacher professional development workshops.

Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

Since 1988, this largest nonprofit global network, iEARN has pioneered on-line school linkages to enable students to engage in meaningful educational projects with peers in their countries and around the world. Over 1,000,000 students each day are engaged in collaborative project work worldwide. There are over 150 projects in iEARN all designed and facilitated by teachers and students to fit their curriculum and classroom needs and schedules.

To date over 800 teachers from 45 countries have completed iEARN online courses. Since 2001 iEARN has trained over 800 educators in 77 countries. YES is the iEARN programme for secondary school students from some countries to spend up to one academic year in the US.

www.iearn.org.au was one of the founding members Centers of iEARN. Teachers and students in Australia are very active in coordinating a number of significant iEARN projects; including The Teddy Bearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Project, The First Peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Project, Faces of War, The Fight Against Child Labour Project, Lewin, Labs Alive and Kindred.

iEARN is currently responsible for the recruitment of students from Pakistan, Arab-Israel, and Bangladesh, with students from Mali, Senegal, and Ethiopia joining in the 2007-08.

New Zealand iEARN-New Zealand (www.lyttonhigh.school.nz/home/lulu/iEARN) has been active since 1995. Recently, the work of iEARN has been included in a Waikato University Telecommunications and Education paper raising the profile of the organisation amongst teachers and pre-service teachers.

News

updates, information on examinations, timetable or the syllabus. It enhances interactions between students, parents and teachers and serves as a stage for inter-school interactions. Once registered, each class of a particular school would have separate links to be managed by a teacher designated by the school.

Everonn aims big in satellite education in India

CORPORATE American Higher Education in India North America-based American Higher Education has entered the Indian education market with online offerings from Columbia University, Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Boston University Corporate Education Centre. The programmes in the company’s offerings include Columbia University’s unique disciplines of engineering like earth, environmental, finance to name a few – none of them require extensive laboratory usage. The ‘Wide World’ programme from Harvard has a skill-enhancement programme for teachers and administrators on integrating and leveraging technology in their teaching process. Priced between INR20,000-23,000, the company believes the programme has the potential in creating a talent pool.

eschoollinks.com to make school management easier Interactive Concepts Digital Technologies (ICDT) Private Limited, a Hyderabad-based communication and software company has come up with a portal that promises to make school management easier. The company has completed the portal – eschoollinks.com that would display performance record of students, fee 18

Everonn Systems, an e-learning solutions company in India, has set up two studios as part of its Zebra Kross programme which provides virtually interactive, satellite-based education to various institutions. The company set up its own V-SAT based studio two years back in Chennai to offer a gamut of educational and training programmes to the varied segments in schools and colleges. Virtual and Tech Enabled

Learning Solutions (ViTELS) offered curriculum and job oriented courses to colleges and schools under the company’s own brand, Zebra Kross. Everonn is in partnership with HughesNet Global Communications Ltd to bring management courses from premier business schools, offered under the brand name, Direcway Global Education.

Winners of Red Hat Scholarships Programme 2005 2006 announced Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions to the enterprise, announced the winners of the Red Hat Scholarships 2005 - 2006 programme. Red Hat Scholarships is an open source programming competition, conducted jointly by the eKALAVYA open source initiative at IIT Bombay and Red Hat India. The first place prize of INR2 lakh was given to a two-member team from IITBombay. The second (INR1.5 lakh) and third (INR1 lakh) place prizes were won by all-women teams from the Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune and the Shri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore, respectively. The Red Hat Scholarships 2006-2007 programme has been expanded to cover countries in the Indian sub continent, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Srilanka and Bhutan.

Software to help students clear exams A new software claims to help an average student crack exams without burning the midnight oil. Named ‘’CLEaRS,’’ acronym for Compuertised Learning, Evaluation and Review System, the software has been developed by New Yorkbased multinational, Learning Accord (L A). The software teaches exactly what the student does not know, what he needs to know and is knowable to him, in the time frame available before his exams. The software has two versions, one for the Medical College Admission Test for students in the U S and Canada and another for Indians taking the board examinations and entrance tests for medical and engineering institutions. It maps the student’s mind 18 times per second to work out a strategy. After mapping his activities, it tells the student what time of the day he is most attentive and formulates a strategy for preparations. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

Motorola develops Canopy for village schools in India Motorola has developed a unique wireless broadband solution called ‘Canopy’. The ‘Canopy’ will be used to connect rural India to its urban counterpart through e-Education, e-Governance and e-Health. This project will be envisaged by the Motorola Foundation, an NGO run by mobile phone major Motorola. It will soon introduce virtual classroom at the very same village school, with a teacher from one of the best city schools teaching the students in the hinterland. What this means is that a teacher can simultaneously teach students across five different schools, a doctor can easily reach out to patients in several villages and a farmer can find out the latest price that his produce commands without having to travel miles. For its pilot e-Education project, Motorola has selected four schools run by the NGO Deepalaya in Delhi.

Microsoft to train 45 million Africans in ICT

Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, has announced that his company is planning to assist in giving ICT training to more than 45 million people in Africa by year 2010.

established in over 16,000 villages of the state as part of the Core Infrastructure Projects development scheme of the Government. Intel also plans to introduce the course of chip designing in the top technical colleges of UP. The top chipmaker in the world is willing to impart its expertise in preparing the curriculum of the technical and engineering colleges of the state in this regard and also free training for students and teachers at Banglore.

Cisco launches School Messenger to improve attendance rates

During this announcement, Gates highlighted Microsoft’s long-term approach to investment in Africa, including collaborations between Microsoft, local and global organisations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.

Intel promises help in Uttar Pradesh’s computer revolution

Harbinger in global top 20 learning process providers list Harbinger, a Pune-based e-Learning company in India finds its name in the top-20 list of specialised learning process providers, brought out by TrainingOutsourcing.com, a leading analyst in business strategies for learning, based in the US. Harbinger made it to this global list as a content development tools provider. Other international and Indian companies in this top 20 list include Hewlett Packard, Hewitt (admin services), Thomson Prometric (assessment and testing) and Adobe (content development tools), Tata Interactive Systems, Genpact, IBM Learning solutions and Convergys.

IBM, Micorosoft protest Indonesia’s open source policy A number of US informatics technology companies such as IBM, Microsoft and Oracle have criticised Indonesia‘s open source application policy.

Intel Corporation has shown interest to set up production unit for low-cost battery operated ‘’Rural Personal Computer’’ in Uttar Pradesh in India.

Cisco Systems has unveiled automatic communication software called SchoolMessenger for Cisco Unified Communications, which will enable schools to convey important information to parents more efficiently.

This battery operated PC would be useful in the common service centres, which have been proposed to be

SchoolMessenger, a US parental notification company, has integrated its system with the Cisco telephony

Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

application, which is based on Internet protocol (IP). Teachers can record a personalised message, select a preprogrammed calling list, and send a message to parents from a computer or IP phone. It helps improve attendance rates and increases student performance.

Under its open source application policy, Indonesia uses systems without licenses formed by the user country itself and for its own interest. Microsoft considered that Indonesia has discredited the license product protected by property rights such as what was produced by Microsoft. Microsoft said that Indonesian government‘s support to the open source application could threat market of informatic technology (IT) software produced by some US IT giant companies such as Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle. 19

Shifting the paradigm

Learning and Reform on Sundry Waves

Yin Cheong CHENG [YCCHENG@IED.EDU.HK],, Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association, Hong Kong Unlimited, continuous improvement and successes are the aims of the learning community. Learning is a journey, and has intrinsic merit if moves on in the right direction, thus requiring frequent shifting in many things. Developing the right paradigm is most important of all. A new triplization paradigm of learning has been proposed and discussed largely in this article where triplization refers to the process including globalisation, localisation and individualisation.

n facing the challenges of globalisation and international competitions, there seem three waves of educational reforms in different parts of the world, representing paradigm shifts in redefining the nature and effectiveness of learning, teaching and integration of Information and Communication Technology in education.

Three waves of educational reforms integrating ICT Assuming that education is knowledge delivery and learning is mainly a process of students receiving knowledge and skills from their previous generation such as teachers and other senior people, the first wave of educational reforms introduced since the 1980s focused on enhancing ‘internal effectiveness’ of educational institutions. The role of ICT and other technological innovations in education aimed to 20

improve the internal performance of educational institutions, particularly the methods and processes of teaching and learning. In the 1990s, as a response to the worldwide success of marketisation and business management, the second wave of educational reforms came up which was mainly concerned with interface effectiveness of educational provision that was often determined in terms of stakeholders’ satisfaction and market competitiveness. Implicitly or explicitly the role of integrating ICT in education was to add values to the educational service, enhance the marketability of educational provision, and ensure the process of learning, teaching, and schooling meeting stakeholders’ expectations. In the second wave, the greater satisfaction of stakeholders with ICTrich educational provision represents the greater effectiveness of integration of ICT in education.

In facing the tremendous impacts of globalisation and knowledge economy at turn of the new century, people began to doubt if the initiatives of the first and second waves are sufficient for revitalising schooling and pedagogy so as to ensure that the younger generation can meet the challenges of rapid transformations in such a new era. In particular, even though the first and second waves of educational reforms emphasised the role of ICT in delivery of knowledge and satisfaction of stakeholders, both failed to address some key concerns of sustainable development of individuals and the society in the future, such as whether the application of ICT can contribute to learners’ sustainable development and effectiveness in future and whether ICT can be used to facilitate paradigm shift in learning and teaching in a fast changing context of globalisation. In the new millennium, the emerging August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

third wave of educational reforms focuses on future effectiveness of education, defined in terms of the relevance to the future development of individuals and the society as well as the relevance to the new paradigm of education concerning contextualised multiple intelligences (including technological, economical, social, political, cultural and learning intelligences) and triplization (an integration of globalisation, localisation and individualisation) in education (Cheng, 2005 in New paradigm for re-engineering education: Globalisation, localisation and individualisation). Differently from the first and second waves, the nature of learning in the third wave is to develop contextualised multiple intelligences (CMI) of learners for multiple and sustainable developments (including technological, economic, social, political, cultural and learning developments) in both local and global contexts.

students can find the knowledge and information easily with the help of information technology and Internet. Therefore, the focus of learning is on how to learn, think, and create. In order to sustain learning life-long, learning should be facilitated as enjoyable and selfrewarding.

Learners in networked groups, communities and

Paradigm Shift in Learning

Learning in a Networked Human & ICT Environment

According to the previous research, there is a paradigm shift in learning from the traditional site-bounded paradigm to the new triplization paradigm of learning. In the traditional thinking as in the first wave, studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning is a reproduction process of the knowledge and manpower structure to sustain the existing society, particularly in the social and economic aspects. But, in the new paradigm, learning should be borderless and characterised by individualisation, localisation, and globalisation with the support of ICT and networked environment. It is a triplization learning. Individualised Learning: Student is the centre of education process. Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning should be Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

facilitated to meet their needs and personal characteristics, and develop their potentials particularly contextualised multiple intelligence (CMI) in an optimal way. Individualised and tailor-made programmes (including targets, content, methods, and schedules) with the support of ICT for different students are necessary and feasible. Students can be self-motivated and self-learning with appropriate guidance, ICT literacy, and facilitation. Learning is a selfactualising, discovering, experiencing, and reflecting process. Since the information and knowledge are accumulated in an unbelievable speed but outdated very quickly, it is nearly impossible to make any sense if education is mainly to deliver skills and knowledge, particularly when

Localised and Globalised Learning: Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning should be facilitated in such a way such that local and global resources, support, expertise, and network can be brought in to maximise the opportunities for their CMI developments during learning process. Through localisation and globalisation, there are multiple sources for learning. Students can learn from multiple sources such as teachers, experts, peers, scholars and all types of experienced people inside and outside their schools, locally and globally, not limited to a small number of teachers in their own schools. Participation in local and international learning programmes (e.g. learning activities conducted in the local community; overseas study visits or language immersion) can help them achieve the related local and global outlook beyond schools. They are grouped and networked locally and internationally with the support of various types of ICT networks. It is expected that learning happens everywhere and is life-long. Education is just the preparation for a high-level life-long learning and discovery. Learning opportunities are unlimited. Students can maximise the opportunities for their learning from local and global exposures through Internet, web-based learning, videoconferencing, cross-cultural sharing, and different types of interactive and 21

Paradigm Shift in Learning New Paradigm of Triplization Learning

Traditional Paradigm of Site-Bounded Learning

Individualised Learning: • Student is the centre of education

Reproduced Learning: • Student is the follower of teacher • Standard Programmes • Absorbing Knowledge • Receiving Process • Focus on How to Gain • External Rewarding School Site-Bounded Learning: • Teacher-Based Learning • Separated Learning • Fixed Period and Within Institution • Limited Opportunities • Site-Bounded Learning • Mainly Institution-based Experiences

• Individualised Programmes • Self-Learning • Self-Actualising Process • Focus on How to Learn • Self Rewarding Localised and Globalised Learning: • Multiple Sources of Learning • Networked Learning • Life-long and Everywhere • Unlimited Opportunities • World-Class Learning • Local and International Outlook

multi-media materials With the support of ICT and networking, students can learn from world-class teachers, experts, peers, and learning materials from different parts of the world. In other words, their learning can be a world-class learning. New vision of teaching: With the paradigm shifts in learning, there should be a new vision of teaching that includes at least three major key components: (1) to facilitate students to experience paradigm shift towards the triplization learning; (2) to provide a triplised environment (including a networked human and IT environment) for students’ selflearning; and (3) to develop students’ triplised independent learning ability and contextualised multiple intelligence.

Learning in a networked human and ICT environment According to the new paradigm, students’ continuous independent learning and development of CMI should be globalised, localised and 22

Paradigm shift in application of ICT

individualised with the support of ICT and various types of international and local networking. Mok and Cheng (A theory of self learning in a human and technological environment: Implications for education reforms, 2001) has proposed a theory of selflearning in a networked human and technology environment to show how students’ individualised self-learning can be motivated, sustained and optimised through the wide local and international support from the borderless and networked human and technological environment. This networked environment can create unlimited opportunities for students’ triplized learning because it re-defines and optimises (1) the boundary and nature of the learning context; (2) the composition of players involved in the learning process; (3) the format, speed and nature of communication and feedback to learning; and (4) the generation, management, sharing and utilization of knowledge during the learning process.

Given the paradigm shift in learning, there is also a corresponding paradigm shift in applying ICT in education, as discussed above. Since the traditional paradigm of the first and second waves emphasises delivering knowledge within the site boundary and satisfying the multiple stakeholders’ expectations in the local community, the role and effectiveness of ICT in education are very limited. But in the new paradigm, there is extensive application and integration of ICT in education that can create unlimited opportunities for students’ learning. The effectiveness of ICT in education is mainly based on the following considerations that are completely different from the traditional thinking: 1. How well can the application of ICT help to globalise, localise and individualise students’ learning? 2. How well can the application of ICT maximise students’ learning opportunities through the locally and globally networked human and ICT environment and various innovative learning programmes? 3. How well can the application of ICT ensure students’ learning to be sustainable as potentially life long? 4. How well can the application of ICT facilitate the development of students’ ability to triplicate their learning and development? 5. How well can the application of ICT facilitate the development of a CMI-pedagogical environment, in which students are immersed and inspired to be self-actualising and developing CMI themselves? The implications for paradigm shift in applying ICT in education are substantial. The effectiveness of applying ICT depends mainly on whether they can facilitate students to develop themselves successfully in terms of CMI and ability for triplization in learning. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

www.egovonline.net/egovindia

www.i4donline.net/indiantelecentreforum

w w w. d i g i t a l L E A R N I N G . i n / D L I n d i a

23-25 August 2006, Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi

Organisers

knowledge for change

Co-organisers

Department of Information Technology Government of India

Media partners

UN DP

L CATION

Supporting partners

Exhibitors

Sponsors egov India 2006 Silver sponsor Technology partner

Sponsors Indian Telecentre Forum 2006 Technology partner

Sponsors Digital Learning India 2006

Associate sponsors

Dinner co-sponsor

Banking services partner

Learning partner

Registration counter sponsor

Silver sponsor

Tea- coffee co-sponsor

Key Speakers in egov India 2006, Indian Telecentre Forum 2006 and Digital Learning India 2006 Shri Kapil Sibal Hon'ble Minister of Science & Technology and Ocean Development Government of India

Aruna Sunderarajan CEO, Common Service Centre Initiatives Government of India

Aminata Maiga Afrilinks Mali (Africa)

Dr Dorothy Gordon Director, Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT South Africa

Justice Gopi Chand Bharuka Chairman, e-Committee Computerisation of Courts

Edilberto de Jesus Director, SEAMEO Thailand

Hyunjung Lee ICT Specialist/Economist Knowledge Management Center Asian Development Bank

Kiran Karnik President Nasscom

Michael Gurstein Centre for Community Informatics Research, Development and Training US (North America)

Mark Surman Managing Director telecentre.org

R Chandrashekhar Additional Secretary Ministry of Communications & Information Technology Government of India

S Sadagopan Founder Director Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore

Tess Camba Director of Operations, Community e-Centres programme, Government of Philippines (South East Asia)

Klaus Stoll Chasquinet Ecuador (LAC)

Maxine Olson UNDP Resident Representative in India

Morten Falch Center for Information & Communication Technologies (CICT) University of Denmark Denmark N Vijayaditya Director General National Informatics Centre Government of India

Basheerhamad Shadrach Sr. Programme Officer Telecentre.org

Dr Yin Cheong CHENG Director Asia-Pacific Educational Research Organization Hong Kong

Prof. M S Swaminathan Chairman M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Neelam Dhawan Managing Director Microsoft, India

Subash Khuntia Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource and Development Government of India Subhash Bhatnagar egov Practice Group World Bank

Wajahat Habibullah Chief Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission Government of India

The Digital Learning India 2006 conference aims to take stock of the progress made by India in using technologies as an enabler of education. The conference will deliberate on the enabling policies and infrastructure, challenges of resources, identify the critical success factors that build and sustain initiatives in ICT in education, and the role of the school principals/teachers and strategies/programmes to strengthen their capacities to achieve the goals of education.

Panel discussion on Technology in schools-Building Partnerships for Success American India Foundation (AIF) focuses on education as a way to bring social and economic change in India. AIF will lead this session to address some the key issues of balancing technology and education. While recognising the effectiveness of ICTs in education, the AIF panel, will see key educationist and ICT experts deliberating and debating on the impacts of ICT-enabled education vis-à-vis the key objectives of education and the all round development of children.

Workshop on ‘ICT for Children’ Plan International works worldwide to achieve lasting improvements in the lives of children especially with respect to improving their access to education. This workshop will see ICT experts, practitioners and lead private sector solution providing interacting and discussing with education practitioners on the various options, availability and viability of technology and content for children in rural areas. This workshop will also address the issues of initiating and sustaining ICT in education initiatives for children.

Panel discussion on Framework for ICT in Education policy GeSCI founded under the UN ICT task force is mandated to support developing countries to create and deliver strategies to harness ICTs for education. In the context of technology use in education, having a sound policy, as well as an implementation strategy, is crucial for a systematic introduction and use of ICT in education. GeSCI will lead this panel discussion on the need and relevance of an ICT in education policy and framework along with key experts from Namibia and the Government of India

Panel discussion on Public Private partnerships for ICT in Education Public-private-civil society partnerships are emerging as one of the most effective process of introducing technologies in education and capacity building. While the QUEST partnership focuses on capacity building of youth and school teachers through ICTs, this session will showcase the successful partnership models through the QUEST alliance, deliberate on what works in partnerships and discuss the relevance of public private partnerships as the way forward for ICT in education.

Panel discussion on Successful Technology integration in classroom Technology integration in classroom needs to be such that it not only makes teaching more effective but also creates a learning environment that stimulates learners and improves the learning outcomes. Educomp Solutions Ltd looks at the learning process from a 360 degree perspective with a multi-modal strategy that includes technology, content and pedagogy. Educomp will lead this session along with key practitioners and experts to deliberate on the best strategies for effective integration of technologies for classroom learning.

SPECIAL SESSIONS Key National and International experts will discuss current educational developments and schooling in various countries, education reforms, management and policy framework required to support education in a global knowledge economy. • International perspectives in ICT in Education

• Indian Government perspectives in ICT in Education

'egov India 2006' aims to focus mainly on how IT in public sector could be an instrument to increase India's competitiveness for fostering a leadership economy. It will address other important e-Governance issues reflecting present situation and future aspirations. It would also provide a platform to hear case studies and debate on the realities and strategies of e-Governance in India.

Indian Telecentre Forum 2006 aims to discuss, and deliberate multi variate issues concerning policy, technology, best practices and business models relating to implementation and sustainability of rural ICT centres and their returns in terms of socio-economic development. The event is expected to follow a consultative mode, with due consideration for making it highly partici patory and interactive, bringing together the best of minds, thought leaders, practitioners and stakeholders from government, business and civil society.

SESSIONS

Panel Discussion

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Indian government initiatives in telecentres

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India’s e-Government Journey: Where will India be in 2010?

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International perspectives on telecentres

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e-Government in India: How not to re-invent the wheel?

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Mission 2007 - The way forward

Harnessing Public-Private Partnerships for e-Government

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Indian telecentre networks

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Rural connectivity model for telecentres

Technical sessions

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Telecentre models - Global experiences

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Capacity Building: Roadmaps & Roadblocks

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Telecentre - where can India be in 2010

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Standards and Interoperability

Panel Discussion

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Central Mission Mode Projects: Current Status and Way Forward

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State Wide Area Network: Implementation Issues

Exhibition

3 conferences - 6 tracks - 40 sessions - 50 exhibitors - 600 people ...AND YOU?

The ICT triple conference will host an exhibition of latest e-solutions, services, initiatives and case studies from across Asia and beyond. Professional service providers, IT vendors, consulting firms, government agencies and national/international development organisations involved in the ICT in Education domain are participating in the exhibition. Exhibition Fee (per square meter) Shell Scheme INR 9800

Important Contacts For Exhibition Rakesh Tripathie (rakesh@csdms.in) Mo: +91-9899821364 For Registration Himanshu Kalra (himanshu@csdms.in) Mo: +91-9818485406

“Investing, Engaging, and Impacting the telecentre movement in India for poverty reduction and achieving the MDGs”

Register NOW ! Participation in all three events is through registration only. All registered particiants are free to attend any of the conferences and/or sessions. Individuals interested in participating in any of these events are encouraged to register themselves online at http://www.egovonline.net/egovindia/ del_registration.asp.

Conference Registration Fee Conference

Academics/Institution

Govt.

NGO’s

Private

Delegates

INR 3000

INR 4000

INR 5000

INR 7500

Spot Registration

INR 4000

INR 5000

INR 7500

INR 10000

The Delegate Registration entitles the individual to participate in all technical sessions, workshops, keynotes and plenary sessions and social functions for all three/any Digital Learning India 2006, egov India 2006 & Indian Telecentre Forum 2006 conferences.

Entry to the Exhibition is FREE CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS), G-4, Sector 39, Noida - 201301, India, Tel. : +91-120-2502181- 87 Fax: +91-120-2500060 Web: www.digitalLEARNING.in/DLindia, Email: info@digitalLEARNING.in

The government action plan

India Bolstering ICT in Schools Manjushree Reddy [MANJUSHREE@CSDMS.IN],, Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies, India If we start counting the illiterates, the number is more in India than any country in the world, but at the same time India has highly competent human resources as well as a strong base in information and communication technologies (ICT). India has one of the largest ICT workforces in the world. The country has made major strides over recent decades, increasing by six-fold the number of children enrolled in primary schooling. Still recent government analyses show that more than 25% (59 million school-aged children) are not now in school, and probably a larger number of older youth received little or no schooling at all. Another dimension of the concern for increased quality of education in India is the relative lack of ICT resources and access in the schools. In light of these growing concerns for universal basic education, the Government of India is moving forward with a variety of plans to increase access to education for all sectors of Indian society and now with a design to take advantage of ICTs to assist in all dimensions of school education, it has drafted the ICT in schools scheme that can influence the country’s overall growth other than opening up the window of ICT readiness in education sector only. Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

ndia recognised the importance of ICT in education as early as 198485 with the Computer Literacy And Studies in Schools (CLASS) Project introduced as a pilot. A total of 12,000 computers were distributed to secondary and senior secondary schools through the State Governments. 2598 schools including 325 Kendriya Vidyalayas were covered under the CLASS scheme during the 8th Plan for providing instructors, maintenance of hardware, consumables and textbooks for students and training of teachers in schools. During the 9th Plan period, CLASS scheme was discontinued and a revised scheme was launched during 2001-02. The review of the scheme has shown that in spite of challenges in implementing the CLASS scheme, the overall response that it has generated in the various states has been extremely encouraging. Some states like West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh and Manipur have achieved remarkable success. National Task Force on Information Technology and Software

Development constituted by the Prime Minister in July 1998 then made specific recommendations on introduction of IT in the education sector including schools. The Report recommended provision of computer systems to all educational Institutions up to Higher Secondary/ Secondary Schools by suitable investments (about 1-3%) of the total budget during the next five years. The centrally sponsored scheme of ‘Educational Technology’ and ‘CLASS’ have been suitably modified keeping in view the past experience, the feedback which has been received and changing needs to form the new scheme of ‘ICT in Schools’. The ‘ICT in Schools’ scheme is a window of opportunity to the learners in the schools of India to bridge the digital divide. The scheme is not a simple merger of the earlier CLASS and ET Schemes but is a comprehensive and well thought-out initiative to open new vistas of learning and to provide a level playing field to school students, whether in rural areas or in the metropolitan cities. The ‘ICT in Schools’ Scheme is not a stand-alone 27

scheme while actively soliciting the partnership of States, Union Territories & other organisations in a mutual endeavour.

Financial parameters The States would have the option to incur expenditure to an overall maximum limit of INR6.70 lakhs per school. The Central Government’s share would be restricted to INR5.00 lakhs per school.

Managing further At least two schools in each of the identified educationally backward blocks would be taken up for assistance under the ICT in Schools scheme. The provision for software shall include Learning Management Systems & curriculum based courseware apart from operating systems & other application software. Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samitis would convert one school per State/Union Territory into a SMART school subject to availability of funds. At least one section (of 40 students) in each of the class IX – XII is hoped to be fully computerised. Thus a school having 160 computers @ 40 computer for each IX to XII classes may be called a SMART school under the scheme. Both KVS and NVS have identified the schools, which will be converted into a SMART School.

ICT@Schools: Anticipated outcomes • • • • • • • • •

Proposed activities • The project will illustrate the following activities. • Production of Audio, Video and Multi Media programmes in the project mode by the State Institutes of Educational Technology established at Pune, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram • Training to teachers and teacher trainers in the production of lowcost audio-visual aids, help in script development, media production, editing, 28

•

• •

•

Widespread use of ICT in schools during the 10th Plan period leading to enrichment of existing curriculum and pedagogy Enabling students to acquire necessary skills needed for higher education and for employment A total number of 9380 schools to be covered during 10th Plan hosting and accessing quality educational content nation-wide that shall be available online and through other access devices Two SMART schools to be established in each State and Union Territory by KVS/NVS KVS and NVS to cover a minimum of 8,000 schools Establishing projects to introduce the use of technology for the education of children with special needs SIET to become substantially self-financing Each SIET to produce and transmit at least 200 programmes each year communication research, setting up and operation of audio and video studios and computerisation of its various processes by Central Institute of Education Technology/State Institutes of Education Technology (SIET) Financial support to States/UTs on the basis of their Computer Education Plans Support to KVS/NVS for opening of SMART schools and for imparting computer literacy to students in neighbourhood schools Development of multimedia content for use in schools Development of teaching tools, designing training modules for teachers Financial support for conversion of content into regional languages

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Projects for introduction of use of technology for the education of children with special needs Training of teachers and master trainers/resource persons in the use of ICT tools for enrichment of curriculum and pedagogy

Apart from being evaluated by the Project Monitoring and Evaluation Group that would function as the Monitoring Committee, there is possibility of getting the ‘ICT in Schools’ scheme evaluated through an independent agency. Detailed guidelines to facilitate implementation of the scheme shall be issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Reference: website of Department of Education, Government of India http://www.education.nic.in/htmlweb/ draft_ict_schools.htm August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

The knowledge economy by design Sonjib Mukharjee (sonjib@metalearnindia.com) ‘As long as I live, so long do I learn’ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa Such was the prophetic observation of the late nineteenth century from India. That was not so long back. Much earlier, if we go back a few hundred years, India was the land of much knowledge and teaching. In the 21st, as the adage goes, history is repeating itself. India is sitting on the top of an oncoming boom in the world of learning, albeit digitised. India today is growing to be the powerhouse of the world for learning and knowledge management practice. Abundance of educated youth, IT boom, globalisation of the local village et al. Couple it with low cost of outsourcing and you have a boom. But how did this all come about? Actually, despite all the cynicism about the Indian education system, we got it right somewhere. Call it an accident of welfare economy! With all the colonial emphasis on graduation and degree obsession that continued in the post Independence India, somewhere the country raised a huge number of people fit for some kind of elementary knowledge processing. The focus probably was knowledge creation but then that was a distant dream with lack of institutionalisation of knowledge building. So we had this phraseology of “brain drain” to deal with. Remember “Ek Doctor ki Maut”? But we certainly built a huge social capital in terms of capabilities in knowledge related work. The system will continue to produce similar large numbers in coming years. The outlook is positive and sentiment is bullish on knowledge processing and after ITES, the fastest growing segment is e-learning. As we celebrate India’s arrival into the knowledge economy, there are certain factors that will influence our future course of direction.The rising cost of imports in crude and food will create a drain on the forex reserves. Oil is up by more than 100% in last three years and buffer stock of food-grain in country has come down to single digits. Power and infrastructure status is abysmal. Additionally, the dependency on FDI is always an area of concern for every Finance Minister. While industry will grow at a rapid pace, the overall sentiments in agriculture and subsidised service deliveries might actually keep the GDP lower than the current trend. Though many will not agree today, the GDP may not sustain the 8% + trend but will hover around 7% in 2007. This will create a huge pressure on the IT industry at large to earn the greenbacks. Moving up the value chain will become a necessity to survive in less than a year’s time unlike today when even elementary process driven services can aspire to keep investors happy. Capital erosion might just be a landslide. This is what is facing us when we change lanes on the fast track to the knowledge economy.

Need for education and training that impact competencies is therefore high on the agenda. This will help us move constantly upwards in the value chain. The industry members and bodies are working out various solutions in this area with the limited number of people that are on the block today. But when we look at the massive requirement of education deliveries across 60000 villages that stares into the face of our present and future administration, their’s is not an enviable position. From 1980 81 to 2000 there has been an increase of almost 200 % in the enrolment for higher education taking the total number over 7500000 with the maximum growth being in the area of graduate courses. Graduate courses constitute almost 88 % of the total of higher education candidates.The transition rate from senior secondary to higher education is as high as 65%. Once SSA & secondary education initiatives are successful this will see a quantum jump. Already about over 7.73 million enrollments currently exist in higher and professional education growing at 4.8% annually. Where will this massive new infrastructure come from? What will be level of knowledge and skill gap say five years from now when we would have matured expectedly into a knowledge and services economy ? Even in poorest sectors technology is now too cheap to ignore... Prof Dan Wagner, Director International Literacy Institute Univ. of Penn The states as well the administration at the center have taken up this issue and have started looking at IT very seriously to improve the quality and quantity of education service deliveries at all levels cutting across sectors. This is one space where much still needs to be done in terms of institutionalising knowledge and technology for sustainable positive impact. That is where the knowledge workers will be coming in next. From K12 to post graduation, the role of IT enabled learning will be staggering in the next five to ten years. Appropriate use of ICT based initiatives can alone help us attain sustainable growth in building knowledge driven social capital. There are current initiatives by Ministry of HRD and other institutions like ILFS in this direction that are appropriate. It is difficult to say though whether they will be sufficient. As things would stand, the sheer numbers discourage any trial and error method. It has to be right the first time.The private sector has already taken large initiatives in this area. Large private sector organisations are prominent with homegrown, localised technologies and branded IP products to facilitate large scale knowledge development and service delivery across sectors. Large MIS systems, delivery platforms and content development suites dot the canvas of IT enabled education in India today. What the country is looking forward to is an ‘inclusive’ policy that will bring everybody together in a single pool to create a large base of technology and services. The key to making this happen will be convergence and common cause approach. We have to get it right again like we did fifty years ago. Only this time it will not be accident but by design. The author is the CEO of ‘metalearn Services Pvt. Ltd.’, a Bangalore (India) based learning services company that provides end-to-end solution in e-learning and online learning. Metalearn operates internationally too having its office at Australia.The company has products under successful deployment at diverse business enterprises across education, training, capacity building, outsourcing and specialised learning.

News ASIA Learn Buddhist philosophy and practice online

features an archive of previous recordings, along with books published by the library. Now, in addition to about 100 foreigners here who regularly attend the daily two classes on Buddhist philosophy and practice, hundreds more can join online.

e-Science project by Chinese Academy of Sciences e-Science project, a large-scale computer project for data sharing is under plan of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Gone are the days when the attendance at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives used to overflow up to the corridors, with students sitting, standing or squatting on the floor to the stairs. Now, Buddhist philosophy and practice can be learnt online. The library offers two, hour-long classes, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to 12 noon in which highly qualified lamas teach courses focused on Indian and Tibetan texts or on specific topics of Buddhist philosophy and practice, with instant English translation. The site also

The e-Science project aims to tackle the problem of poor data sharing in the scientific community. The target is to make sharing their data easier for researchers at its 90 institutes. The project’s funding has not yet been finalised, but could be up to 500 million yuan (USD62.5 million). The eScience platform will be freely accessible to scientists outside the academy, as well as the public.

Students with Visual Impairment Global Campaign was also launched.

Visually impaired students to access ICT in Malaysia

The toolkits – Citizen Report Card (CRC) and Continuous Improvement and Benchmarking (CIB) techniques – were designed and developed by the Public Affairs Centre of Bangalore, India, and the Australian Continuous Improvement Group in Melbourne, Australia, with technical and grant support from ADB and the Tokyobased ADBI. The e-Learning toolkits will enable users to develop basic skills using self-paced learning modules to understand the conceptual, technical, managerial, and

The Malaysia government will allocate RM3 million to help visually impaired students, mainly to provide access to Information Communication and Technology (ICT) facilities. The RM3 million is for the ICT development of blind students in all schools. There are 823 blind students studying in normal schools nationwide. The Education for All

e-Learning Toolkits launched to boost public service delivery in Asia ADB and ADB Institute launched two e-Learning toolkits to improve transparency and accountability in the delivery of public services in Asia.

IDC sees growth in content management software in Asia-Pacific IDC research indicates the nascent content management software market in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness a five-year compounded annual growth rate of 14 per cent to touch USD245.3 million before the end of the decade, with India set to post the strongest growth numbers during the forecast period. The content management software market in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, is still a nascent market that accounts for a very small slice of the total software market in the region. Nonetheless, the market grew strongly by 25.1 per cent to reach USD127.6 million in 2005 on the back of rapidly increasing demand for digitised information, rising competitiveness, compliance issues, and favourable exchange rates. All the country markets registered positive growth in 2005, but the key contributors were Australia, Korea, India, and China. Australia and Korea are projected to remain the largest markets for content management software throughout the forecast period, while the strongest growth is expected from India. 30

August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

operational details of CRC methodology and CIB techniques.

97 public high schools in Phillipines to get computers

Master plan to develop Vietnam’s digital content industry

Some 97 public high schools in Region 7 in Phillipines will be beneficiaries of the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) PCs for Public Schools Project (PCPS). Under the PCPS Phase 3 Project, around 1,200 public secondary schools nationwide will receive 12,000 computers.

The Ministry of Post and Telematics (MPT) of Vietnam revealed a master plan at the Vietnam Information and Communication Technology Outlook 2006, to develop Vietnam’s Digital Content Industry (DCI) targets, to earn USD400 million revenues in 2010 and uphold an average annual growth rate of 50 percent. DCI is a design, production, publishing, storage, distribution and publication industry of digital content products and related services like information lookup, digital entertainment, online healthcare and online learning. According to the Director General the MPT’s Department of Information Technology Industry, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vietnam is having 10,000 DCI experts and the number will triple by 2010. At present, Vietnam is developing six DCI fields, such as eEducation, online games, Internet content development, mobile network services, digital film and e-Learning.

Chinese website to teach Chinese language

Each beneficiary school in the region will receive 10 computers, including peripherals and local area network connections. Bohol will receive 27 units, Cebu will have 43, Oriental Negros will get 22 while Siquijor will get five units. With DTI’s PCPS 3 pro-ject, more schools will get ICT upgrade, “empowering” more students and teachers. 32,240 computers were given to 2,228 public high schools nationwide under the first two phases of the project. are now learning Chinese as a foreign language and more than 2,500 universities in 100 countries offer Chinese courses. The site (www.linese.com) includes audiovisual presentations, interactive exercises and advice for teachers of Mandarin Chinese, with photographs and descriptions of cultural icons. The website is only in Chinese and English, but versions in Japanese and Korean are being developed.

U-Learning in Palm of Hand

Development is basing the college entrance test on the EBS lectures and the TV company insists about 80 percent of last year’s test came from the EBS-covered contents. Before the introduction of the EBS lectures, there were various educational contents available on PMP, such as language courses bought from offline content providers. Meanwhile, the ministry of Education and human Resources Development has launched its ulearning project by designating 18 elementary, middle and high schools in April for its pilot project.

Makers of the video-on-the-go players are expanding partnerships with educational content providers as they consider it critical to survive in the ever-intensifying battle with other mobile gadgets such as mobile phone, compact PC and personal digital assistant (PDA). Such a move is in line with the South Korean government’s ubiquitous learning (ulearning) plan. G

Eyeing at the growing interest of people to learn Chinese as a foreign language, China launched a website offering free Chinese lessons and materials to promote the study and use of the language abroad. The Ministry of Education of China says that more than 30 million people Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

ig od

ita

Digital Cube, leading PMP seller in South Korea, which has a 65-percent share of the market started providing high-quality broadcasting of EBS TV’s college entrance test preparation programs. The PMP users can download the video files of the elearning classes via Internet free of charge. It is the first time for the TV lectures to be transformed to other platforms at high picture quality. The offering of the EBS package is likely to be a big attraction for potential PMP buyers. The Ministry of Education and Human Resources 31

Technology education in Asia

Keeping a Multiple Approach to an Integrative Framework Michelle Selinger [MSELINGE@CISCO.COM],, Cisco Systems, UK

hilst East Asia is close to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of Education for All, in 2004 South Asia still had only 80% of students accessing primary education. But what about the quality of that education? The UNESCO (2005) report of the sixth meeting of the working group on Education for All states that 60% of children passing through primary school are still failing to acquire basic literacy skills. Nelson Mandela is one of the many who has described education as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most powerful weapon observed which you can use to change the worldâ&#x20AC;? so improving the quality of education is vital. Does ICT hold the key? What are countries in Asia learning from each other and the rest of the world? There is little evidence that developing countries are making use of the growing body of research and evidence from countries that have spent many years searching for and trialling successful methods of implementing technology in education to improve learning. The rationale for the use of ICT in educational development is also fuelled by the rhetoric that almost every government around the world believes technology and education are the keys to competitive advantage. Many countries within Asia are racing to be at the advent of the technology transformation in their area, and groups of countries within a region are working together to become the global leaders. It is therefore widely accepted that technology has a real and relevant place in the classroom not just to equip students with the digital

Technology has a real and relevant place in the classroom not just to equip students with the digital literacy skills needed for the Information age, but also to improve access to understanding through the use of multi-modal representations of difficult-to-grasp concepts. It is important to understand what level and what type of access to Information and Communication Technology is necessary to raise achievement to justify the expenditure on wiring up schools, connecting them to the Internet and providing the necessary student-PC ratio.This again needs to be coupled with education transformation process which seeks to align curriculum, assessment and learning opportunities to the needs of the world in which students will live, work and play August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

literacy skills needed for the Information Age, but also to improve access to understanding through the use of multi-modal representations of difficult-to-grasp concepts. It is also important to understand what level and what type of access to ICT is necessary to raise achievement to justify the expenditure on wiring up schools, connecting them to the Internet and providing the necessary student-PC ratio. However the introduction of ICT is not enough. ICT needs to be coupled with education transformation which seeks to align curriculum, assessment and learning opportunities to the needs of the world in which students will live, work and play and which will prepare the learners accordingly. Harvey and Knight (Transforming Higher Education, 1996, Buckingham, Open University Press and Society for Research into Higher Education) provide an excellent description of education transformation, which includes: • shifting from teaching to learning • developing explicit skills, attitudes and abilities as well as knowledge • developing appropriate assessment procedures • rewarding transformative teaching • encouraging discussion of pedagogy • providing transformative learning for teachers • auditing improvement ICT can be a catalyst to support and accelerate this transformation and can reduce costs, but not until we change how we make effective and efficient use of this limited resource. Currently ICT is being used to teach what we already teach and have taught for decades instead of considering where teachers can specifically make use of the interactivity and multimedia capability to help make learning easier and more accessible. The tasks given to students and the assessment strategies employed still focus on the “what” rather than on the “how” and Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

the “why”, which does not necessarily prepare students for the needs of the modern workplace. The argument is no longer about teachers being the transmitters of knowledge, and teachers are now positioned within a constructivist notion of “teacher as facilitator”. As our understanding of cognition and metacognition grows this view of teaching has taken hold almost globally, yet the rhetoric is far from reality. In both the developed and the developing world many commentators perceive technology as the catalyst that will change pedagogy. However for technology to have that impact, the educational model that supports a constructivist view of pedagogy must be viewed as central to the process, which is then supported rather than dictated to by the technology. The educational model takes a central role and connectivity, technology, content and teacher training are then focused and aligned to support this model. This idea seems obvious yet it does not appear to be central to decision making in many countries about electronic content development and deployment, or implementation of technology into schools or teacher training. In the model there are two factors that we rarely take into consideration in a developed modern society - these are the socio-economic framework and “basic enablers”. In many countries in Asia the importance of “basic enablers” such as shelter, safety, clean water, sanitation and adequate food supplies to ensure any modicum of educational success cannot be underestimated since it is hard to teach students from any society if they are suffering from deprivation of any of their basic needs. The socio-economic framework of a society will also dictate whether modification to the educational paradigm is possible. There are also socio-cultural factors that affect ICT access and use which include geography (rural, urban), age, gender and economic status.

Considerations that need to be taken in implementing ICT in education

Linguistic considerations In many countries the quality of primary education is often extremely poor so learning through the medium of a second language can be problematic. This has implications for e-content developed in another language and illustrates the importance of a blended learning approach. Teachers need to familiarise themselves with materials written in a second language and make themselves aware of the difficult concepts that are being taught. They need to ensure that students receive some prior instruction on this content in their first language before interacting with the content in the e-learning materials.

Pedagogical considerations On the surface teaching styles across the world appear to vary very little, however cultural beliefs about teaching and learning can have some impact on the way a programme is taught. Technology has enormous potential to address the challenge of education transformation. There are governments in Asia that are very aware of the development of new teaching models, which will ensure greater knowledge retention and conceptual understanding.

Technological considerations Internet access across many parts of Asia is far more expensive than in the US and the UK, and especially when compared with the average per capita income in these countries. Very few people have access to the Internet at home and the Internet bandwidth available to many universities and schools in Asia, where it is provided, is probably far less or equivalent to the bandwidth going into the average home in the US. Therefore it is important to avoid the creation of a “technology dissonance” when sharing resources and teaching ideas internationally. 33

It is necessary to explore ways to ensure that the recipient country finds an acceptable solution to adapting the resources sufficiently so students can gain additional benefits from learning. The same mistakes are being repeated time and again. I constantly come across country policies for ICT integration in schools, which are reminiscent of the efforts of the western world in the 1980s. The wheel is constantly being reinvented, as if the world is in a time warp. The education ministry works closely with both the ministries of telecom and ICT, yet the former rarely takes the lead in decision making. There is little thinking about to how this digital literacy will be used and how curriculum subjects can also be taught in this time, although the decision makers anticipated that this will happen by some means as all teachers are to be trained in the use of ICT. There appears to be little or no consultation with other governments and little cognisance taken of international research into the effectiveness of different models of technology deployment in schools. In situations like the one above the government’s budget may be limited, as is so often the case across Asia, and the education ministry wants to achieve equity by making sure the computer-student ratio is the same across every school in the country. The computer lab may seem the most effective and equitable solution. For the Ministry of ICT who may well be leading the initiative, this is the easiest solution technically, so the technology case will overrule any educational rationale. What may not be considered in initial deliberations with the Ministry of Education is to replace the idea of labs with “computers on wheels” (COWs) – wireless carts containing around 15-20 laptop computers. The versatility of such solutions coupled with a limited number of data projectors means that not all computers are in one location with classes allowed in one at a time. Teachers are able to use a laptop for 34

There is little thinking about how this digital literacy would be used and how curri-culum subjects can also be taught in this time, although the decision makers anticipate that this will happen by some means as all teachers are to be trained in the use of ICT

lesson preparation and personal productivity and to enhance whole class teaching when connected to a data projector, or the laptops can be distributed over a number of classes for use by selected groups of students during the school day. This debate as to whether labs or laptops are the best solution for education may soon be obsolete as the computer lab is being overtaken by the flexibility and falling prices of laptops, while mobile technology is moving even faster. With the advent of the MIT US$100 laptop and other solutions and increasingly sophisticated internet-enabled PDAs, both developed and developing countries may start to rethink the best technology solutions and products for their schools. However if this is to happen in a productive and effective way that enables education transformation, countries need to have access to the latest information about what is possible and how it can have a positive impact on learning. This will enable them to undertake a comparative evaluation of the merits of each solution, given each country’s existing technology infrastructure base. One way this can be achieved is through an increase in information and experience sharing between governments. At the other end of the scale from basic education is the need to provide

students with the relevant vocational skills needed for an increasingly technological society. In this context multinational corporations have begun to play a significant role in educational development. For example, companies such as Cisco and Microsoft are now offering IT curricula to schools and colleges that offer opportunities for vendor qualifications and immediate job opportunities in the Knowledge Society. For some this may look like the commodification and takeover of education by global corporations, whereas others see this as an opportunity to put relevant curricula into schools that provide students with some of the 21st century skills not currently being provided by the formal education system. Additionally, by industry providing the resources for vocational development, governments can focus their limited resources on improving the quality of and access to education and so achieving Education for All. Overall it seems that there is an urgent need for greater dialogue to discuss the evidence of the successes and failures of those developed countries that have found effective ways to really improve the quality of both teaching and learning through effective use of ICT, whilst ensuring that advice can be adapted in ways that avoid both cultural and technological dissonance. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

VidyaMagicTM: Software Solution with a Touch of Magic Charged with the mission of teaching English to the world through the use of computers, a leading company used an authoring system and some other software products that were available in the market for creating computer-based training (CBT) on English as a Secondary Language (ESL). Their CBT products were based on sound pedagogy and were built using inputs from linguists of great stature. Their products included skills based learning, nonlinear navigation, rich interactive multimedia, many tools and resources for supplementing the learning, outstanding models of interactivity, and adaptive testing for placing the learners inside the course.

The original products were well received and won a number of awards as an outstanding program for teaching English. However, the company could not afford the large skill set required for maintaining and upgrading the hundreds of hours exceptional instruction they had developed over the years. Problems with the authoring tool were never-ending. Also, their customers wanted to move their courseware to the Web for better manageability and wider distribution. The company knew they wanted to move their technology to a scalable platform that would automate the migration process for their legacy courseware while seamlessly allowing them to design and build for emerging technologies in the future. Among the issues faced by the company, the following were of primary concern: •

Limitations of the authoring tool, in moving to new technologies, in particular, to the Web.

•

Complex and disorganized management of source content files.

•

Content and code that was improperly tagged and inseparable in the system.

•

Difficult upgrades because of poor technology and file management.

•

Difficulties in integrating content provided by different people leading to inconsistent courseware that had to be reviewed and fixed.

The Role of Vidyatech

Vidyatech® implemented their patent-pending software solution – VidyaMagic™ – to automate the content migration process seamlessly and help generate Flash-based interactive courseware that worked perfectly on the Web.

Initially, VidyaMagic™ produced XML outputs that worked effortlessly with the company’s existing delivery engine in the legacy authoring system. Later, VidyaMagic helped them publish the same content directly to the Web using an input format as simple as Microsoft Excel. Once the content and other related information was fed into the Excel templates, VidyaMagic™ could easily import the data into its database, from where it was published to the desired formats. The automated process not only made the transition simpler and hassle-free, but also enabled courseware developers to concentrate on what they do best, that is, develop interactive, good-quality courseware consistently, without getting involved in the details of the technology platform. A dramatic evidence of this is the fact that they were able to use the same source files in VidyaMagic™ to publish this interactive program on a mobile phone…with just the click of a button…and then view it there. In conclusion, VidyaMagic™ – helped the client in several ways. It improved their productivity in the following ways: •

Reduced requirements of technical expertise amongst the developers

•

Automated migration of legacy courseware into a new and expandable system

•

Reduced turnaround time for new products, with increased productivity of development and reduced testing requirements.

It also provided a long term solution that improved their products and helped them respond to the market in the following ways: •

Eased the migration of existing and future content to newer platforms

•

Increased quality of the courseware over different formats

•

Increased range of delivery platforms available to the learner

Woodstock

New Age Skills at a 152-year-old School

School Tra ck

In 1854, a company of British officers and two American missionaries was formed in Dehra Dun. Concerned for Protestant education for girls, they solicited the help of a group of English women to help staff and manage what was to become Woodstock School. The school after a century of its formation, in 1959, became the third High School outside North America and the first school in Asia to receive US accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In 1990, the Association of Indian Universities recognised the Woodstock Diploma as being equivalent to the Indian school leaving examination, thus allowing graduates to enter Indian universities with greater ease. Today, this Woodstock School in the Indian Himalayas is one of the most highly esteemed international schools in South Asia. In recent time, it has placed a priority on its academic programming with renovations to classrooms and laboratories, introduced innovations into the academics as well as the campus.

Woodstock has an important contribution to make education modern, innovative and independent in India, which is facing a period of significant challenge, change and opportunity. It has the ability in educational terms to bridge ‘east’ and ‘west’, offering a window for India on the best of international educational practice. It provides a broad liberal education, with the emphasis on innovation, critical thinking, using diverse teaching methodologies and a wide variety of learning resources. Jeffrey Thomas (jeffreythomas@woodstock.ac.in), Academic Technology Coordinator of Woodstock School, Mussoorie UA in India shares the Woodstock experiences of integrating ICTs into the education process, elevating the learning spirit of students of the community.

Powe r School

oodstock School was founded in 1854 in the Landour section of the Mussoorie hill station. An AngloIndian English-medium Christian boarding school affiliated with the Church of North India, Woodstock this year is educating students from twenty-seven countries. The school offers both Indian mark sheet and IGCSE (Cambridge), as well as preparation for the U.S. Advanced Placement examinations. Education for a World of Difference, with this motto it is constantly learning, and striving to make Woodstock a better place for learning. In recent years, the school focused on developing a firm technological infrastructure, with computing hardware and network wiring throughout the campus. This momentum is leading to interactive whiteboards, further installations of data projectors in classrooms, and

wireless access on campus. The goal is to take the academic initiative in best use of technology. This emphasis is reflected in the school’s recent reorganisation to assign the task to a new faculty member with a position designated specifically to coordinate academic technology. The faculties constantly try finding ways of incorporating technology and computer use into lesson plans. One example is the loaner PC making the rounds – a new ‘tablet’ computer that interprets English handwriting input, and also eases presentations that use a data projector. The presenter can draw notations onto the computer

screen, where it will be reflected immediately onto the projector screen, then get saved onto the school network where students can review it later. The school is reviewing course management and portal software and has selected Moodle, that can August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

In fo

Ce nt re

European Schoolnet, together with

principal partner Young Digital Planet, a developer and publisher of interactive educational software and technologies, invites teachers and schools to submit their ICT projects to the eLearning Awards.

eLearning Awards 2006 Schools, educational institutions and organisations in Europe carrying out primary, secondary or teacher training education are eligible for the eLearning Awards. Projects created by individual teachers are eligible. However, all entries should be associated with a school or other eligible institution. It is possible to nominate a different representative. streamline the way students interact with teachers and encourage collaboration. A few English literature classes have started to use weblogs to post class notes and essays for mutual commentary. A pilot group of teachers has started ‘moodling,’ distributing homework assignments and receiving presentation files via an intranet website. Preparing the students for a more technologically saturated world requires also preparing teachers with the new tools and ensuring that the tools continue to serve the goal – ‘education for a world of difference’. Professional development is crucial to the success of these new tools. Simply placing new equipment on a teacher’s desk does not constitute technology integration –consistent and constant professional support must be provided to ensure that the machines not only turn on, but also fit into lesson plans, and work as reliably as our pencils and erasers and calculators. For several years, Woodstock has required basic computer competency for graduation, and offered a few courses in computing applications and computer programming. The International Society of Technology Educators (www.iste.org) Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

provides a basic set of guidelines that serve to ground Woodstock’s academic technology planning. They outline six areas of focus regarding technology in education: operations; ethics; productivity; communications; research; and problem solving. Each of these areas is further elaborated in profiles for student age groups, and teachers and administrators as well. The school is constantly reviewing the course requirements to best fit technology education into multiple curriculum demands. The school is also gradually offering more computing resources to students at residence level, eventually allowing certain students computer access to the network in order to expand availability at peak demand periods. As independent study opportunities increase, and teachers incorporate new technological capabilities into their lesson plans, Woodstock moves toward greater use of laptops in classes, eventually requiring older students to have computers as they prepare for university. This effort to bring new technology and better integrate existing technology into the daily academic life is bearing fruit, as Woodstock sends its graduates throughout the globe to make “A World of Difference.”

National educational content providers and similar, or projects run by such institutions/organisations are not eligible. Projects that were awarded eLearning Awards in previous years, projects that are part of European Schoolnet (EUN) are also not eligible. Entries should be submitted in a European language. They should include an informative summary or an abstract in English, German, French, Italian or Spanish. Evaluation is carried out online, CDROMs or printed material will not be considered for evaluation. All material to be evaluated should be online from 13 October to 30 November 2006. Winning entries must be kept online until 31 December 2006. This year’s awards ceremony in Belgium follows those from past years, held in Lisbon, Stockholm, Geneva, Prague and Paris. A total of • 175 000 in prize money has been awarded to winning projects. Entries must be submitted via the eLearning Awards website (http:// elearningawards.eun.org/ww/en/ pub/elearningawards2006/index. htm) on or before 13 October 2006. 37

Knowledge Bank Technology breakthroughs for Schools Virtual Learning Virtual learning has become synonymous with learning via the Internet. It is designed to facilitate teachers in the management of educational courses for their students in the distance education mode, especially by helping teachers and learners with course administration. A virtual learning system often tracks the learnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; progress, which can be monitored by both teachers and learners. Templates for content pages, discussion forums, chat, quizzes, exercises, blogs, RSS, etc are some of the components of virtual learning.

adapted to create a Net presence for the class for sharing handouts, study guides, lab report templates, assignments, and other instructional materials. They also facilitate chat and message board sessions for student collaborations.

Collaboration Tools Collaboration tools make education happening not anymore in isolated classrooms, but in collaboration among all members of the community- parents, teachers, and students. These tools can be easily 38

Optical Networking Fiber optics work using a beam of light to whisk large amounts of data through a small fiberglass tube. Since light creates almost zero friction and resistance, the transmitted signal encounters less distortion and as a result achieves more speed. Students can conduct faster computer-based calculations, even with several students working within the same software programme.

Videoconferencing

Wireless Networking Wireless networking allows schools to sidestep difficult wiring and building infrastructure problems that arise when cabling to the desktop. Using access points to give users entry to an existing network and an adapter card fitted for a desktop or portable computer, teachers and students can experience truly mobile learning environments. Networks can help teachers to complete better online lesson plans and forms from a variety of locations.

size computers and are much more portable than the alternative personal device, the laptop. For students especially, this lets them develop a feeling of ownership. In addition, many of the newest handheld models can be wirelessly networked, which means students can send and receive e-mail and surf the Web without having to synch up to a computer.

Digital Video Students, schools, and vendors will be able to transmit professionalquality footage back out into cyberspace. Digital video is surpassing the full-motion video of television to enable interactive broadcasting to and from classrooms. Educators can watch a master teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class over the Web and vice-versa. Student video projects can be broadcast to parents or across the ocean to other schools.

Handheld Devices Handhelds offer more versatility than full-

Videoconferencing technology uses a compressed video system to transmit information from one location to another either via the Internet or an ISDN telephone line. Participants on either end need cameras, a monitor, microphones, and speakers.

Simulations A simulation platform combines software and Web access to build virtual reality environments. Early educational programmes took advantage of a video game interface to deliver activities like typing tutors or simple math equations. Simulations engage students in real-life problem solving, asking them to role-play and make decisions about such things as how much food to buy, which supplies to carry, what route to follow, and so forth. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

Learning Curves Indian schools to SMS parents on homework and fees

Internet Literacy Access for Students in the Philippines

Schools in India will soon start sending SMS to parents on practically everything - from sending exam alerts, marks updates and fee dues. This facility will be available on the website too. Each child will be allotted a unique ID which will enable the parent to log on to the website www.mylyceum.net and get the latest on their wards. Students, too, can register. More than 60 schools in Bangalore, including Bishop Cotton Boys & Girls Schools, Sophia High School, Frank Anthony Public School and Cathedral School, have tied up with Pac Soft Solutions Ltd to offer this facility. Schools will post the information on the portal. There’d be options whereby parents could receive an SMS which would be a reminder to go to the website and access complete information. Or an entire message is sent on SMS itself like declaration of results or about a new circular. This would allow parents to get the whole message on the move, without having to visit the website.

The Gearing Up Internet Literacy Access for Students (GILAS) project aims to connect all public secondary schools in Philippines to Internet in five years. The Department of Education (DepEd) in the country in collaboration with various leaders in the business, government, and socio-civic community is fully supporting the GILAS project. GILAS is a multi-sectoral initiative, which aims to provide Internet access for students and basic Internet literacy programmes in all the 5,443 public secondary schools in the Philippines in the next 5 years. Principals and others in charge of taking ownership of the schools are encouraged to actively involve themselves in the GILAS orientation, local partnership development and resource mobilisation, ICT survey and validation, launching of the project and sustainable use of ICT facilities.

The technology ride USE YOUR SPACE

‘Tablet classroom’ in New Zealand school Wellington School in New Zealand launches first ‘tablet classroom’. Using technology to make learning more exciting and innovative is the focus of this project. The trial involves students completing classwork and homework on small, hand-held computers called ‘tablets’. The plan is aimed at ensuring teachers continue to have access to the latest tools so they can foster learning in the most exciting environment. Students will use a stylus to write and draw on their tablets, these also include foldaway keyboards. Students will do at least 80 per cent of their work on tablets. Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

This is your space, your space to watch, your space to use and your space to change too. We invite you to be a part of our ‘School Track’ section, which you can do by contributing your experience with ICTs as a schoolteacher, principal and administrator, or as someone in the school education process working in any capacity. We welcome your stories, research papers, opinion pieces, resources or any other such relevant information, news, and a new idea for this space that can help elevating the spirit of education in schools with an integration of ICTs. We look forward to you using this space. 39

Kerala

Towards bridging productivity divide

India Statescan

esearch has shown that if you study by hearing something you retain 20 per cent. If you see what you learn you retain 50 per cent. So what if you can see and hear what you learn? Retention becomes 70 per cent or more. This is more than enough to understand that ICTenabled education is the education of the future. Kerala believes in this. This is better proved with the recent inauguration of a ‘Smart Class’ in a Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram. As part of the innovative teaching method, a computer and four monitors each would be provided to all classes in the school. The teachers will display on the monitor the topics on which they are taking classes for helping the students to understand them clearly. So when a Geography teacher explains a lesson dealing with volcanoes, a visual of the exploding volcano and flowing larva would be displayed on the computer screen. As part of the scheme, the school has purchased 42 computers for all the 42 divisions from standard I to standard XII. The computer in each class will be connected to the server room named knowledge centre. The teachers should inform the knowledge centre the topics they intend to cover during a week. The belief goes firmer with the fact that the hardware for ICT-enabling secondary education was almost in place in the state, for programmes like IT@School and EDUSAT. The IT @ School Project has remodeled conventional teaching methodologies in classrooms through use of Information Technology. The project, in its first stage, is being implemented in 2,738 High Schools; over 40,000 teachers were given 90 hours of training on IT skills and computer labs with 10 to 60 computers 40

Kerala is the most literate State in India. As per 2001 Census, the effective literacy rate was 90.92%. At present, there are 12271 Schools consists of 6712l L.P. Schools, 2951 U.P Schools and 2608 High Schools in the State. Of these, 4492 are Government Schools, 7282 are Private aided Schools and 497 are Private Unaided Schools.

are available in all High Schools. The project is unique in that it is the schoolteacher than a techie who delivers lessons, both theory and practical, in classrooms. The Virtual Classroom Technology on EDUSAT for Rural Schools (VICTERS) programme is active to harness the satellite for teacher training programmes, providing highspeed net connectivity to schools and for implementing learning management solutions. In tune with the policy of the National Institute of Education Technology, SIET, Kerala, was

engaged in developing broadcastready educational content for students from standards eight to twelve. As of now, SIET had about 600 hours of broadcast-ready educational content. SIET has also readied a CD-kit containing 150 video CDs as part of the CD library project of the Education Department. These CDs contain documentaries based on the syllabus of standard 10 in the State’s schools. SIET is also awaiting the final approval for its Rs.138-crore ‘ICT@School’ project submitted to the Centre. This project, if cleared, would ICT-enable learning and teaching in all Government schools in the State within five years. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

Leading the goals Lida jacob, Secretary, Department of General Education, Kerala speeks to Digital Learning ? What is the vision the education policy is based upon in Kerala? Kerala is now charting out its course in such a way that child learns from his own motivation. We do not want something to be imposed upon the child by the teachers. To achieve this a child must have an enjoyable classroom and enjoyable course so that he can draw lessons from his own experiences. Our focus is to provide enjoyable learning to the children. Education should be such that a child’s talent, knowledge and experiences come out spontaneously.

? What are the new strategies the state has adopted to improve the quality of education in the state?

Kerala, the state in southern India has achieved a human development index comparable to the developed countries of the World. The society in this part of the globe attaches so much importance to education that the school education in Kerala is really the nucleus of the social microcosm. At present, a total of 1,73,807 teachers are working and 48,45,931 students are studying from standard of I to X, as per 2004-05 stats. There has been a mammoth growth of education in the State over past few decades. The tremendous development of education over the years is more visible when it comes to adopting the new age changes like Information and Communication Technologies that are at the best of their uses in the education scenario of the state. Lida Jacob, Secretary, General Education Department of Kerala speaks more on such achievements and educational excellences in a conversation with Sanjeev kumar Shrivastava of Digital Learning. Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

We have implemented a new examination management system through Grading. Under the system the child is graded on a nine-point scale instead of getting marks. A child has to be somewhere above B grade. So now the evaluation system and learning process, both are different. In the classroom itself there is so much scope of child’s individual expression, observation skills and concentration power of focusing on issues. We have projects and seminars in the classrooms; even in small classrooms we have seminars, projects and assignments. Our aim is that when child reaches at university level he will find all these as a part of the building process.

? What are the interventions you have made so far to integrate ICTs in the educational process? We have tried to bring in IT in very big way. IT is in the curriculum for students in 8, 9, and 10 standards. For secondary level examination IT is one of the optional subjects, which interested children can opt for. A lot of new vistas have been opened after the use of IT. We have EDUSAT through which education is being provided to schools in rural areas. Certain science concepts, mathematical concepts and experiments through graphics can easily be explained. We have also prepared CDs on various subjects, which are meant for middle schools and high schools. These CDs are not to replace but to supplement the teachers in their teaching process. We also organise live classrooms by telecasting lessons from expert teachers; this is going to help all the schools, particularly schools in rural and inaccessible areas. Teachers’ absenteeism is still quite high, which is a sad part. Here, with the help of EDUSAT programme and CDs we have tried to reach out at the grass root level to pick up faster and to teach faster. We are in a take off stage with some issues and at the same time we try to maintain quality.

? What are the initiatives taken or you are taking to improve the skills of teachers? The most important thing is teachers’ accountability for all the training you might give. Even if you have all the evaluating tools and monitoring system, you cannot have someone monitoring the teachers 41

All the trainings in the world can not make a teacher to teach the way you want them to unless the teacher imbibes new concepts, new methodologies, and new pedagogical aspects of subjects. What we need to do is that to give teachers a sense of commitment, make them realise that they are accountable for the child, society and the nation at large. And for that we look forward to a management information system

subjects. We have to build on the strengths of our students in those subjects, so that students become internally capable wherever they are. Use of computers in education technology is very important in order to upgrade such education system. The interview was taken few time back. Currently, K J Mathew is the Secretary of General Education Department, Kerala.

Nepad to Establish 500,000 e-Schools in Africa The New Economic Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) has concluded arrangements to establish 500,000 e-schools in Africa to be equipped with ICT equipments such as computers, TV and radio sets as well as telephones.

all the time. All the trainings in the world can not make a teacher to teach the way you want them to unless the teacher imbibes new concepts, new methodologies, and new pedagogical aspects of subjects. What we need to do is that to give teachers a sense of commitment, make the teacher realise that (s)he is accountable for the child, society and the nation at large. At least, in our state all the teachers are well qualified and well trained too. The only question remains is about the commitment of the teachers and our capacity building. The best way to do this would be to have a proper Management Information System (MIS).

? Please illustrate a little more on

MIS. It is not to find a fault with the teacher; rather it is to identify the teachers who need additional support. That is why we are looking at developing a school MIS and a class MIS, so that every teacher would be able to enter the marks and grade of each child and see whether there is upward movement. The children are not to be blamed if there is consistent average or below average performance of the child. We need to find out the ways to enrich teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; skills and their capacity building. And I am sincerely looking forward to it.

? What are the other challenges you face in the education process apart from motivating the teachers for their committed performance?

the MIS. I am looking at the system where we have a schools MIS, and a subject 42

Quite similar to other parts of our country, our students too are doing poor in Mathematics and English

The schools will also be connected with scanners, photocopiers and communication terminals that will be hooked to the Internet via satellite communication links. The e-Schools will train teachers to teach ICT skills on a continuing basis and ICT will be used to upgrade the quality of education and the management of administrative activities. The initiative was aimed at rapid dissemination of ICT skills across the continent by bringing ICT literacy to bear on African children and equipping youths with the basic IT skills that will enable them find jobs. NEPAD had forged partnerships with Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Education Trust Fund (ETF) to develop the NEPAD/ ETF e-school Admin Project. The project is a collaborative effort by NEPAD and private and public sector institutions. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

e-Learning Solutions for the Individuals Remittag Software Company Pvt Ltd is in the process of developing cost-effective and simple e-Learning solutions for individuals (currently e-Learning solutions are catering only to institutions) that will help an individual to author, update, manage, share, and deploy his own content. Remittag is also working on the lighter need for being in control of one’s own data, and using it effectively, whether the data relates to lighter areas like music and humor. Several of its products, namely, ‘Word Power Challenge-1’, ‘Word Power Challenge-2’, ‘India Through The Eyes of R.K.Laxman –Then to Now’ and ‘The Best of Mario Miranda – Volume 1’, have made a foray into thousands of home in India in an alliance with Reader’s Digest. The product ‘Word Power Challenge Version 1’ comes pre-loaded with HCL Home PCs. All of the products have been conceptualised keeping in mind the kind of information that all of us as individuals create anyway, but generally create this information mainly by means of using text editors and spread sheets. The products that has been created are software solutions that will help users to address their needs to create and effectively utilise (information is stored in a database, and can therefore be used in a variety of ways for better management and reporting) their information in the following areas: Education: The software solutions related to education will allow users to author, manage, append, share information that is relevant to their needs, and use the same for self-study, monitor progress and be better prepared for examinations and tests/quizzes. Each of Remittag’s products tackles the following needs: The need forA) Having a solution to create, manage, append one’s own Question Answer bank, on any subject, which is well classified by various parameters like Age Group, Difficulty Levels, Subjects and SubSubjects. The solution offers tools like being able to format the questions in various styles like Multiple Choice, Fill in the blanks, True False etc., and enhance the same with multi-media, bookmark the same, mark as ‘Set for Practice’ and ‘Mastered’, take self-study practice sessions, self-evaluation tests, obtain performance reports, and create various study-aids like flash cards, snap cards, as well as create study plans etc. B) Having a solution to create, manage, append one’s own Dictionary-cum-Thesaurus, which is well classified by various parameters like age group, difficulty levels, subjects, part of speech, etc. The solution offers tools like being able to add more information like synonyms, antonyms, etc, and enhance

the same with multi-media, bookmark the same, mark as ‘Set for Practice’ and ‘Mastered’, take self-study practice sessions, self-evaluation tests, obtain performance reports, and create various study-aids like flash cards, snap cards, as well as create study plans etc. The English language is adding hundreds of new words at regular intervals. From a teacher’s perspective, both the above products would offer tremendous value, since teachers would need to create questions/vocabulary once in a lifetime, and then make small modifications, as and when needed.The products also offer the utility of being able to check which questions have been put forth to a particular audience, in order that the same audience does not face repeated questions. C) Having a solution to create, manage, append one’s own encyclopedia, on any subject, which is well classified by various parameters like age group, subjects and sub-subjects. The solution offers tools like being able to enhance the articles with multi-media, bookmark the same, cross-link information, create study plans etc. There is so much information available today on several subjects. This solution allows users to create and manage information that is relevant to them, and keeps it under one container. D) Having a solution to create, manage, append one’s own bank of literature, on any subject, which is well classified by various parameters like age group, subjects and sub-subjects. The solution offers tools like being able to enhance the articles with multi-media, bookmark the same, cross-link information, create study plans etc. E) Having a solution to create, manage, append one’s own bank of Quotes, Sayings, Facts and Feats on any subject, which is well classified by various parameters like age group, subjects and sub-subjects.The solution offers tools like being able to enhance the articles with multi-media, bookmark the same, cross-link information, create study plans etc. Income Generation: All of the above products would perhaps help in generating income for users, since they would be able to make commercial use of information that they create. To take the example of a tuition teacher, or an institution that would very easily be able to create and share with students the information so created. Entertainment: The software solutions related to entertainment will allow users to author, manage, append, and share information related to lyrics and humor. There are no software solutions that will help users to create and enjoy the information in the above areas, enhance the same by adding multimedia, share the same with other users etc.

News WORLD Imbewu to promote ICTs in education in Eastern Cape

A programme to promote integration of ICTs in all its operations in order to enhance education service delivery in the province of the Eastern Cape has been initiated by The Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDOE). Imbewu is an ECDOE initiative, sponsored by the British donor agency, DFID that seeks to improve learning and educational services provision in South Africa. This programme aims to streamline ICT usage in the areas of educational management, governance, reporting and consultation as a way of improving service delivery in the sector. One of the major areas of focus proposed includes the piloting of the

electronic interactive whiteboard and e-Beam projects.

Uganda govt asks Japan to establish university Uganda’s Education Minister Namirembe Bitamazire has appealed to the Japanese government to help Uganda transform Nakawa Vocational Training Institute into a university. Bitamazire said the proposed university would help the expected high number of Science students get vocational technology skills. Bitamazire said her ministry was reviewing the school and education curriculum to make Science and Technological Studies compulsory from primary to university level. The information communication technology policy will soon be adopted to enhance access to knowledge, information and skills through distance education and eLearning. Bitamazire appealed to the Japanese government to help Uganda construct science laboratories in secondary schools.

e-Admissions in London In order to comply with the eGovernment requirement for all local authorities to provide online school admissions facilities for the September admissions round, the 33 London boroughs have worked together to provide a system via a single portal.

The National Project, which is funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government to support 150 local authorities in delivering online school admissions, has provided guidance and research results to aid development of the London system.

UNEP’s Atlas of Our Changing Environment released One Planet, Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment provides a comprehensive, visual presentation of scientifically verifiable information about changes in the global environment, shown through state-ofthe-art remote sensing technology. A collection of 405 Powerpoint slides divided into Regional and Thematic sets covering 11 contemporary and dynamic themes - Introduction to the Planet, People and Planet, Atmosphere, Coastal Areas, Urban Areas, Water and Lakes, Forests, Cropland, Grassland, Tundra and Polar Areas and Extreme Events - and 6 geographical regions Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and Polar Regions - can now be downloaded free of charge at http://www.na.unep.net/ OnePlanetManyPeople/ powerpoints.html.

Firefox goes popular

ADB loan to modernise Mongolia’s education system Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help boost job prospects for graduates in Mongolia through a USD13 million loan to improve the quality and relevance of education. The project will improve teaching and learning environments in primary and secondary schools by rehabilitating facilities and providing furniture and educational equipment in about 45 schools. At least 30 schools will also be upgraded with ICT equipment and other teaching facilities to serve as models for effective teaching. Nationwide, about 560,000 students, including about 21,000 students from poor families will benefit from the improved curriculum, welldefined education standards, and enhanced assessment systems, while about 21,400 teachers throughout the country will benefit from in-service teacher training programs. 44

The Mozilla Foundation’s opensource Firefox web browser is gaining ground on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE). According to a recent study on web browser usage, by Netherlands-based OneStat.com, Firefox has gained 1.14% in June and is now used by 12.93% of surfers. This is up from 11.79% in May. August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

Bookshelf E-Learning: A guidebook of Principles, Procedures and Practices

ISBN: 81-88770-04-3 This guidebook on e-learning was developed from materials that were developed for a series of workshops on e-learning sponsored and organised by the Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia (CEMCA) over the past couple of years in Calicut, India and the Open University of Sri Lanka (January 2003), and in Delhi (January 2006). The content of this guidebook will help readers to systematically approach their engagement with elearning, irrespective of the educational sector or level within which they may be working. Developed by Dr. Som Naidu of the University of Melbourne, Australia on behalf of the Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia, New Delhi, the 100-pager guidebook is not just another textbook on elearning, but aims to clarify, simplify and demystify e-learning. The book is also available online at http://www. cemca.org/e-learning_guidebook.pdf?

Digital Learning | Vol 2 Issue 8 August 2006

E-Learning definition, scope, trends, attributes and opportunities, pedagogical designs for e-learning, assessment, feedback, e-moderation, online learning management systems, digital learning objects, online learning course development models, management and implementation of e-learning, evaluating the impacts of e-learning- all these terms giving ultimately the look and framework of a text book on e-learning, in reality is a guidebook that discusses issues related to attributes of e-learning and acts as a primer for those who seek to venture into a new field. Rather it is designed to highlight the important issues, to ask the key questions and to tease the reader into independent thoughts. This reviewed and updated book originally written in 2003 has been tested for the technologies that are changing the way in which education is being designed and delivered through a training programme. Divided into nine chapters, the content of the book are set in such a way that they do not represent any particular sequence, providing much scope for backtracking and forward planning process. A comprehensive reference list on the subject is also provided, which is quite useful for further reading on the subject. Aside it also includes a glossary of commonly used terms on the subject. Apart from the valuable resources the book provides, one interesting feature it shows is the opportunity it provides readers to â&#x20AC;&#x153;tell us a storyâ&#x20AC;?

about their experiences in relation to the issue or subject under discussion. Telling a story requires readers to pause, slow down, reflect, learn, access and share their experiences or connect in a meaningful way with others. These are opportunities designed to remind readers of relevant experiences, which will enable them to reflect upon their experiences. Reflections, Points to remember and Tell us a story, going as bottom lines of each chapter and defining the goals at the start of the chapters increase the interest level of the readers significantly and along with the content enable one to make sense of new information, and in turn enables to expand the knowledgebase. The author of the guidebook, an Associate Professor in Educational Technology at the University of Melbourne, Australia is an award winning researcher and practitioner in online education who has been published extensively. The book is published on behalf of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia by the director, CEMCA, Dr Usha V. Reddi. The book, as the publisher mentions is neither a definitive publication nor a treatise on e-learning. It is designed to highlight important issues, to ask the key questions and to tease the reader into independent thought so that decisions are based on sound judgment rather than wishful thinking. 45

Mark Your Calendar august e-Learning DevCon 2006 07-09 August , 2006 University of Utah, USA http://www.rapidintake.com/elearndevcon06/ index.htm

Distance and e-Learning for the Future 10-11 August 2006 Vancouver/Burnaby British Columbia, Canada http://www.open-universities.org

World Library and Information Congress: 72nd IFLA General Conference and Council 20-24 August 2006 Seoul, Korea

I-KNOW ‘06 06-08 September, 2006 Graz, Austria

http://www.wikisym.org/ws2006

5th International Internet Education Conference 11-13 September, 2006 Ramses Hilton Cairo, Egypt http://www.distant-learning.net/index.shtml

10th ECDL(European Conference on Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries) 17-22 September, 2006 Alicante Spain http://www.ecdl2006.org/

International and Interdisciplinary Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AOIR) 28 - 30 September, 2006 Brisbane Australia http://conferences.aoir.org/index.php?cf=5

23-25 August, 2006 New Delhi, India www.digitallearning.in/DLindia

http://www.instac.es/inscit2006/

http://i-know.know-center.tugraz.at/

http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla72/index.htm

WikiSym 2006 21-23 August, 2006 Odense, Denmark

InSciT2006 - I International Conference on Multidisciplinary Information Sciences and Technologies 25-28 October, 2006 Mérida, Spain

october

Content Management 2006 31 October - 2 November 2006 San Jose , California, USA http://www.contentmanagement2006.com/

Free Online UniversityLevel Courses by PEOI Professional Education Organisation International (PEOI) delivers online university level courses free of charge at http:// www.peoi.org used by students in 143 countries. Everyone is welcome to study on PEOI. Those completing course completion requirements receive a course completion certificate at no charge. PEOI’s courses are not just some lecture notes, but are designed to include full text, assignments, cases, exercises review and test questions. There are now 168 courses under construction. But only 9 courses are completed. Anyone can study on PEOI at no charge. To take tests one must be registered and enrolled and there is no charge for that. By May 2006, there are 1660 students registered and enrolled at PEOI.

www.i4donline.net/indiantelecentreforum

EDUCAUSE 2006: Spurring Innovation and Marshalling Resources 9 - 12 October, 2006 Dallas Texas, USA

september

http://www.educause.edu/ content.asp?SECTION_ID=169&bhcp=1

22nd ICDE World Conference on Distance Education 03-06 September, 2006 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Access 2006 11 - 14 October, 2006 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Any faculty member can use PEOI’s course material and testing in their teaching at no charge.

http://www.icwe.net/icde22/english/

http://www.access2006.uottawa.ca/

ECKM 2006: 7th European Conference on Knowledge Management 04-05 September, 2006 Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary

E-Learn 2006 - World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare & Higher Education 13-17 October, 2006 Waikiki Beach Honolulu, Hawaii

PEOI is entirely run by volunteers. Those teaching a university level course or with professional experience should consider placing or developing course material on PEOI for worldwide exposure, and to help disadvantaged students all over the world, and in South East Asia in particular.

Indian Telecentre Forum 2006 23-25 August, 2006 New Delhi, India

http://www.academic-conferences.org/eckm/ eckm2006/eckm06-home.htm\

http://www.aace.org/conf/eLearn/default.htm August 2006 | www.digitalLEARNING.in

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I am a child Though, I look after two as My own. I have dreams Though, I never talk About them. I have needs Though, I have not The means. I have learnt To give, without Ever demanding. Is asking for An education, asking Too much. I am but a child!

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