teacher tips:ICT and education / ratheesh kaliyadan

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION


Will you remember that story? Once upon a time there lived a king and a scientist. Being the supreme power, king was the first citizen of the land. People lived in remote villages. They were unaware of modernity and a technically cultured society. Bullock carts and horse rides were the main mode of traveling. Even the king traveled in rathas run by horse force. During the period Mr. Scientist appeared before the king one day. He bowed his head and invited the king to see his innovation.
The king agreed to observe the innovated item. Mr. Scientist described things.oh! Almighty this is the steering. This part is the clutch pedal and here is the break…. He had given a word picture with a demo of his newly made car.
Car…car…car… watching a car became a totally novel experience to the king. He listened Mr.scietst’s words with a keen eagerness of a child. After all he looked the smiling face of Mr. Scientist and asked: “I understood each and every thing you described. But I can’t understand one thing. Tell me Mr., where is the horse in your car?”
Long years after we see a totally changed society. Bullock cart and horse riding became part of history. Kingdoms and almighty dictators gave way to democratic regime technologically advanced society utilize dream like facilities. Children of post modern city cult enjoy a different experience of driving. A four year old boy with his father is to see a novel ride. A lot of people surrounded the ground. The audience represents different walks of life. They are assembled to watch a horse ride.
Between claps and applauds, two horses connected to a cart ran as speedily as possible. Whole audience sink in dust. Enjoying the amazing experience the child asked a question. Now you can speculate it. ”Papa…Pappa, where is the motor in horse?”
This is the gap we feel and face. A divide between generations; the digital divide. Being a member of teacher community it’s our duty to act as a link to meet the requirements of these two ends. How does it possible? The answer is very simple. Equip with technology, use devices and provide new experiences in classrooms. New generation child expect it from you.
Mail ur comments:ratheeshkaliyadan@gmail.com

teacher tips: TV in India / ratheesh kaliyadan

TELEVISION IN INDIA

Television is the most wanted equipment in every family now days. It decorates our leisure hours with varieties of infotainment dishes. The sour and …is familiar to our families. Spicy spinouts flow from entertainment channels is not a naughty thing; but a common joke. Simply our life is redesigned according to television schedules. Even though things are developed so, do you know that in earlier days television was an unwanted child.
While searching the grass roots of developments in television transmission in India, the researcher may fall in a face- to face with a myth and of course a reality. The birth of television in India is considered as the birth of an “unwanted child”.
An international exhibition was conducted in Delhi. It was a leading concern dealing with electronics demonstrates the function of a closed circuit television. After the exhibition, the firm was trapped in a dilemma whether the television sets return or put it in India. Considering the impracticable and uneconomic effort to carry the equipments back, the firm preferred to offer it as a gift to the government of India.
India government had no other alternative. So planned to utilize the sets on an experimental basis. As early as 1956 the government of India was in contact with international organization like the UNESCO. A proposal regarding establishment of a pilot television centre for educational, scientific and cultural purposes was designed. The emergence of television in India became a reality in September 15.1959 with one hour experimental service twice a week. The main purposes of this initiative were “educate inform and entertain the masses”
In his inaugural speech. Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the President of India stated “I hope television will so a long way in broadening the popular outlook and bringing people in line with scientific thinking” The words of the great visionary became a practice of modem India. Television is the most influential medium in our current society.
Indian television sectors had developed as part of experiments in rural development. Two major experiments mark the Indian experiences in rural transmission. They are Satellite Instructional Experiment (SITE) and the Kheda Communication Project in 1975.
SITE
SITE is a result of a recommendation by the UNESCO expert mission in 1967. Department of atomic energy made an agreement with National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) of US for the loan of a satellite for one year starting from August 1975. It was the first experiment to telecast educational programmes direct from satellite to receivers. The experiment practiced in 2400 villages spread over six selected regions in Orissa. Madhya Pradesh. Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Besides the villages, certain towns also got the programs through earth transmitters.

The earth stations at Delhi and Ahmedabad telecasted four hours programs every day. The programs concentrated on education, agriculture, health and family planning.

All India Radio personnel planned and produced these programs at the production centers setup in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Cuttack. A committee included central and state government representatives, experts from universities, teacher-training colleges and social workers helped the production team. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) set up its own Audio -visual Instruction Division to plan and produce programs for SITE. The project was concluded in 1986.

Kheda Communication Project
Kheda is a small district in central Gujarath. For empowering the rural community, an instructional television project was introduced. Social evils were addressed in the special television experiment named Kheda Communication Project. The project was in operation under the charge of the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. To implement the experiment, 607 community television sets had installed in 443 villages. The television sets were owned by the community and maintained by the state government. The sets kept in the buildings of the milk producer’s co-operative society or the panchayath ghar.

Dooradarshan and the Space Application Centre produced programs for over an hour every day. Constant interaction with the people was the distinct characteristic of this project. Programs designed in charotari, a dialect of Gujarat. One of the early serials Chatur Mota on dowry and widow remarriage became an “extremely popular serial”. In the weekend series for women, the most successful were Dadi ma Ni baton (wise women’s talks), Hun Ne MaraAe (I and my husband and Jagi Ni Jus To (When I wake up and see).
The project commenced its operation in 1975 and closed in 1987. The focuses of Kheda Communication Project were:
 Exposing the oppression and bondages in the present social and economic system in such a way as to heighten understanding.
 Mobilizing the community and the individual himself to break away from these bondages.
 Promoting self-reliance among the individuals and the community.
We are now marching towards a media driven society by transforming our tastes and ethos. A new kind of colonialism is invading and ruling over local cultural sources and practices. Indigenous expertise and practices are considered to be out fashioned by the influence of western styles. Even local channels try their best to promote such a life style through various programs and advertisements. Because consumerism is the backbone of interested groups who are the major promoters of channels and major sources of income.

e-mail me: ratheeshkaliyadan@gmail.com

teacher tips: teacher V/S technology / ratheesh kaliyadan

TEACHER V/S TECHNOLOGY

Fifteen years back, Govt. of Kerala introduced IT education in secondary schools. Our secondary school children belong to VIIIth; IXth and Xth standards became part of IT education. All secondary schools equipped with computer labs and machines. Both rural and urban children got first hand experience in operating computer. Different opines swathed around the decision. Our society expected that at least the teacher community might applaud the decision. Unfortunately, they were on the forefront of the opposition team.

What was the rationale of holding hands to oppose computer education? Most teachers believed: ‘computer education will transplant teachers’. They will be enforced to quit the job. Then naturally, teachers lose their livelihood. This unnecessary fear over future leads them for a blind opposition. Actually creative and enthusiastic teachers were confident to utilize the facility and face the challenge. At the same time, those teachers who cheat learners by gimmicks and age-old notes had real fear.

After several years, now we, the teacher community realize that no machine can transplant human beings. Because homosapians are the only self-reflecting system. Technology will not be a substitute to teachers but it will be a complement and fruitful companion.

Past experience
It’s true in a pure traditional classroom; where teachers hold the monopoly of knowledge. In such an environment they were the most powerful fellows. Teachers act as dictators before ‘pretty, innocent, nothing for good’ students. Children considered as beggars with an empty pot. The knowledge rich gurus pour knowledge creams and cakes to the empty pots. Those who had such a strong intention swallowed what teachers gave and vomited it in several designs in exams. Rote memory played a key role in assessments. Paulo Frare calls the education system as “Banking system of Education”. This system prevailed in Kerala and continues rest part of the nation.


The scene changes
Scene changed; at least in Kerala. Banking system of education is part of history now. Since the introduction of ‘new curriculum’, our schools concentrate on activity based, paediacentric education. Learners became the center stage of new approach. Students with real life experience and knowledge share their views and criticisms on selected topics. Teachers with more experience join with them. Provide opportunity to make experience and experiments. After discussions, the whole group marches to a consensus. A kind of synthesis is happening in our classrooms. The hegemony of knowledge is an out fashioned concept here. Real democratic way of learning! Beyond one time assessment, each intervention is assessed through Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation strategy. The score is added to the Term end Evaluation profile. Over all performance rather than rote memory get concern in evaluation.

Be a technomate
Can you be a creative teacher by providing novel experience in classroom? Are you ready to share your views and thoughts in a different format? If you are ready, it means YOU are the real person who took the challenge positively to guide a generation in way that is more humane. To add more in humanizing the classroom environment, help of technology contribute a lot. Simply, how can we start with technological means? Some of the ways are:
 Generate digital Learning Objects
 Use Slide shows
 Open up discussion groups
 Create Blogs
 Use news groups
 Hyper text links
 Browse online teaching learning materials
 Video conference
 Virtual discourses.
New generation team of learners with wide exposure in technological know how are not ready to tolerate a monotonous classroom with a bore man’s lecture. To be a different teacher tries your best to utilize the facilities around you.
Contact: ratheeshkaliyadan.gmail.com