Category Archives: Education

Smartphone helps teacher transform class

Education

Chennai :

Four years ago Zareena Banu, primary teacher in Chennai Corporation’s Urdu Middle School in Old Washermanpet, found her class unruly and disinterested in studies. That was before she had a smartphone.

Technology has helped the teacher transform classes for her 74 Class 5 children. Banu, 34, was given charge of performing an experiment in mobile-aided learning, screening video clips of English grammar and science activities among the 10 and 11-year-olds. The success of the experiment has helped Banu win the Global Bridge IT India Award.

The experiment was conducted by education service providers EzVidya and Pearson Foundation, in association with Nokia. “It captured their attention.

Reticent children started speaking up. Even children with mental retardation answered questions and we were able to promote them to the next class,” Banu said.

Her biggest success, she said, is the transformation of Riyaz, a 10-year-old ‘bully’ and ‘trouble-maker’. “He would not sit still. He would beat the other children and not listen to me at all,” Banu said. His previous class-teachers had all give up on him. “But when I introduced the videos to the class he slowly started showing interest. Now he is not naughtyhas given up his naughtiness , answers questions brightly and interacts well with other children. It’s a big achievement for us,” said Banu. A baseline study at the beginning of the year showed that Riyaz could not spell properly. Now his grades have improved radically.

This is an unexpected area that technology has aided the teachers. The introduction of the continuous and comprehensive evaluation system left teachers in a dilemma over whether to spend time writing notes of lessons or preparing educational aids. Now, the video lessons delivered through phone projected on a television set has taken care of educational aids, leaving much more time for interaction and appropriate assessment. “They say technology will make teachers redundant. But, I find more time and ways to interact with the children now. I am much closer to them,” said Banu.

Chitra Ravi, founder of EzVidya, said that it sparks the interest and curiosity of children when they see something cool in the hands of their teacher. “It is very motivating for the children, and motivation is very important for learning,” said Ravi. She is quick to add, “But, it’s not just about doing something cool and innovative. It’s about meaningful use of technology.”

Technology has also added meaning to Banu’s life. It has empowerd her, she said. “I used to feel helpless when I used my old mobile phone. Now, I WhatsApp the EzVidya co-ordinators and get answers to my queries instantaneously. I don’t use the helpline. It’s too slow,” she said, with a laugh.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by M Ramya, TNN / July 08th, 2014

Khan Academy to say ‘vanakkam Tamil Nadu’

Education, World Opinion

Chennai :

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are all about accessibility, and this group of youngsters is taking it closer to learners. Cloud Vidyashram, an initiative by data analytics firm Report Bee and the non-profit AMM Foundation, has taken to translating the popular Khan Academy videos to Tamil.

“The idea is to help poor children study the same stuff that Bill Gates’ children study,” said Anant Mani, co-founder of Report Bee. Language was an initial barrier that had to be overcome. When Cloud Vidyashram wrote to Khan Academy about it they were more than happy to let them do the translation. “We experimented with radio artistes and translation professionals for the videos, but finally teachers were the ones who could pull it off,’ said Anant. The videos are 95% in Tamil and include English mathematical terms. Over three months, Cloud Vidyashram has translated 42 Khan Academy videos into conversational Tamil, the kind one hears in classroom across the state. The videos will explain basic concepts of the real number system, data handling and algebra. The project is being piloted in a Chennai Corporation school in Maduvankarai and a government aided school, Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar Secondary School, in Ambattur.

“Khan Academy is a hit among children worldwide, and has helped children who found maths terrifying to start liking it. A lot of schools across the globe have started using them in classrooms. So we thought it was ideal for our classrooms as well,” said Bharath. Indian classrooms face the ignominy of a high pupil-teacher ratio, and teacher training is nothing to write home about.

Sharanya said Class 11 students were chosen for the pilot as they were a little more relaxed after completing a board exam, and needed a refresher in the basic concepts that they will need to brush up for higher maths. A baseline study of how many Class 11 students could read a bar diagram, pie chart and other basic applications of the three concepts, taught from Class 6 onwards, showed that only around half the students had passable knowledge of it. At the end of three months an endline study will be conducted to see if there has been any impact, and if the effect has percolated to other subjects.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by M Ramya, TNN / July 05th, 2014

99 going on 100: Women’s Christian College sets off celebrations

Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Chennai :

A drone, a float, more than a hundred voices joined in song at the stroke of midnight will kick-off the year-long centenary celebrations of Women’s Christian College, the first private women’s college in the city. At the stroke of midnight on July 6, which marks the moment WCC will enter its centenary year, staff, students and alumni of WCC will gather at the campus to sing songs of praise by candle light and take a pledge to commemorate the historic moment.

“We want to celebrate stepping into the 100th year,” says WCC principal Dr Ridling Margeret Waller, who adds that the college has plans for celebrations all through the year.

One of the first events planned for the day – and Waller and her planning committee are keeping their fingers crossed on this one – is a little celebratory cake-cutting with Anna Jacob, who at 100 years, is the oldest living alumnus of the college. “Anna Jacob will celebrate her 100th birthday this July, as her alma mater steps into its 100th year, and that is a cause for celebration. So we want to make it one of the first events,” says Waller.

Events planned for July 6 and 7 include a 100-voice choir of students and alumni, women ranging in age from 19 to 90, celebrating the college and its commitment to the empowerment of women. “The college was set up by women who belonged to Christian missionary societies in Canada, the US and the UK. They left everything they knew to come to an unknown land and liberate women from the shackles of poverty and to empower them with higher education. The motto of the college is ‘Lighted to Lighten’, and as part of that vision started by these missionaries, last year, WCC has adopted a village near Red Hills, where literacy programmes are conducted on a regular basis,” says Waller. “WCC was built on a vision and we need to grow it.”

After the midnight thanksgiving, students will take out a parade on College Road. “We have two floats – the first will feature the seven teachers who were here when the College began, and the second will feature the first batch of 41 students, complete with period costumes,” says Waller. The float will be designed in the facade of Doveton House, one of the oldest and most treasured buildings on the 19-acre campus. The college had moved to the campus in 1916, after functioning for a year in a rented building named Hyde Park. Among the live ‘statues’ of students on the float will be Rukmini Lakshmipathy, a history student here, who went on to join the Indian National Congress and later became the first woman to serve as a minister in the Madras Presidency. Among the teacher statues will be WCC’s founder-principal Dr Miss Eleanor McDougall, who headed the institution till 1935.

Leading the parade will be 30 women bikers from the college, while a hired drone will capture the proceedings from the sky, to be later telecast for alumni who missed the event.

As part of the celebrations, a centenary flag will be hoisted for two days, after which it will be lowered and sent on a journey around the world to cities where WCC alumni reside.

As for Anna Jacob, who lives in Vellore, she has already arrived in Chennai well in time for the celebrations. “Whenever I think of my college, I think of the chapel and the beautiful evening services we used to have there,” says Jacob. Jacob, who belongs to the batch of 1946, completed her intermediate course and missionary training course in WCC, was present at the college alumni homecoming in January this year, which was a curtain-raiser to the centenary celebrations. “It is good to see that some of the buildings that were there when I was – the Clock Tower and Science Block for instance – are still intact.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Kamini Mathai ,  TNN / July 05th, 2014

IIT-Madras campus plans deer corridor

Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Science & Technologies
Picture for representational purpose (Photo: DC)
Picture for representational purpose (Photo: DC)

Chennai:

 Its not all about technology at the IIT-M. Showing concern for the blackbuck population on its campus, which has increased from 13 in 2007 to 34 this year and other deer roaming its grounds, the institute has decided to create deer corridors with adequate space between buildings to allow the animals free movement.

“The architects drawing up a master plan for the institute have recommended that we demolish the old buildings and construct six storey ones with space in between for the deer to roam the grounds. We have decided to go along with this,” said  IIT-M director, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi.

Noting that the institute had always given  priority to conserving nature and animals on campus, he explained that the idea was to create more open space as several old buildings had hardly any distance between them. “We have several buildings  like these at Triplicane and Mylapore, which we will now replace with taller more widely spaced constructions,” he added.

The institute has also identified a couple of houses near the lake for demolition to preserve its natural surroundings.

“As it is a  low-lying area the houses are often  flooded. Whenever these houses get condemned we will demolish them and their occupants shifted to multi-storey buildings that will be constructed in areas where they are permitted,” he assured, adding that  the new area identified by the architects was less than three per cent of the cap placed by the institute.

Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi has been associated with the institute for over three decades as student ,faculty and director.

The IIT-M’s annual animal census last year found 34 blackbucks, 238 bonnet macaque and 403 chital deer on campus.

Wildlife conservationist R.J. Ranjith Daniels said the increase in number of blackbucks on IIT-Madras campus could be termed a success story in conservation and planning.

“We recommended to the institute to identify critical habitat, identify territories and the area of herds to preserve them, which the institute did and the number of blackbucks increased. With equal number of male and female population we now have good scope for breeding,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / by N. Arun Kumar / June 15th, 2014

Language of preservation

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Sandwiched between the stark walls of two-storied concrete buildings is a small tiled-roof structure with wooden beams and trellis work painted green. The 100-year-old building in which the Madras Sanskrit College began stands dwarfed by newer structures that have come up around it to accommodate the 80 students that the college teaches today.

“Though other structures have come up around it, we have kept the original building intact as we are proud of being a 100-year-old institution. We wanted to keep it while expanding the college to meet modern needs. Classes are still conducted here,” said college manager H Subramanian, showing the staircase to the first floor, which has railings made of Burma teak.

Constructed in 1910 by jurist and philanthropist V Krishnaswami Iyer, who contributed a fair share to the growth of Mylapore, it was the only building on campus when the college — established in 1906 with about 500 students — moved from nearby Pellathope. It was constructed on 5,000sqft with a single floor. The building looks more like a house with a small verandah and plants curling across the windows and red roof tiles. The building cannot be classified into a particular style or type but follows the style of construction adopted in the early 1900s for office buildings. “You’ll find many collector’s offices and other government buildings in this style in the districts. There were many of them in Mylapore too. This was the style of office buildings in the early 20th century with high ceilings and large windows that practically touched the ground,” said Intach convener S Suresh.

The college was set up by Krishnaswami with two others, who formed a committee to prevent the loss of Sanskrit. Back then, as now, students studied the basics of the language and its grammar and get a ‘Visarada’ in Veda and Vedanta certificate at the end of five years.

The building is supported by iron and wooden beams with high ceiling which makes it well ventilated. Similar structures surrounded it for many years, and the campus had a lot of trees. “Classes used to be conducted under the trees for many years,” said Subramanian.

Over the years with the expansion of the college, trees gave way to buildings and the house-like structures on either side of the heritage building had to accommodate a hostel and a research institute, said Subramanian. A few trees are still left on the front and rear side of the main heritage structure.

“The main building was whitewashed in January. The old tiles and wooden beams were carefully removed, painted and replaced during the renovation. As the tiles were in good condition we did not change them,” said Subramanian. The building houses the college office and lecture hall on the ground floor and examination hall and mini hostel for students on the first floor. “Despite having new buildings, the principal conducts lectures and holds discussions on the first floor. It is so well ventilated that we don’t have an airconditioner though a proposal is pending,” said Subramanian. On the first floor are wooden cupboards from the old days.

Over the years, the building has had many famous visitors. On April 28, 1915, Mahatma Gandhi visited the college. A few years later on October 9, 1922, Rabindranath Tagore visited the college and said he was pleased with the teaching of Advaita philosophy.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by B. Sivakumar, TNN / June 27th, 2014

After 10-yr Lull, FRCS Exam Stages a Comeback in India

Education, World Opinion
Dr Robert Murray, FRCS chief examiner, Dr Simon Madge and Dr Chakraborty, FRCS examiners, and T S Surendran, vice-chairman Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai on Thursday | A s Ganesh
Dr Robert Murray, FRCS chief examiner, Dr Simon Madge and Dr Chakraborty, FRCS examiners, and T S Surendran, vice-chairman Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai on Thursday | A s Ganesh

Chennai :

After a decade, Britain’s prestigious FRCS examination made a comeback in India, when candidates from across six Asian countries appeared for the second segment of the three-part Ophthalmology tests conducted at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai.

Briefing the media here on Thursday, an examiners’ team, led by Dr Robert Murray, from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburg (RCSEd) that conducts the examination, said a total of 39 candidates from India, Pakistan, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia and Sri Lanka took the FRCS (Part B) examination in Ophthalmology at the leading eye care hospital in the city. The examination was an exhaustive evaluation of the clinical expertise of the candidates, who had qualified Part A (theoretical). The final part included four years of training, the examiners said.

Stating that the Asian system of education seemed to be on the right path, Dr P Chakraborty, a JIPMER graduate and FRCSEd examiner, said the objective was to promote educational research and training exchanges between the institutions in the UK and India.

“We are here because of the demand,” Dr Murray said, adding that the last two parts of the FRCS examination revolved around good medical practices, including ethics. Candidates must answer questions related to interactions with patients, colleagues and drug companies. “Ethics is covered in both parts, but in greater detail in Part C,” he said.

On the quality of the Part B candidates, another examiner, Dr Simon Madge, said, while some were outstanding, others needed more training.

Dr T S Surendran, vice-chairman, Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, said the FRCS examination was seeing a revival at the hospital after a break of 10 years.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai  / by Express News Service  / June 27th, 2014

PSG & Sons launches its 30th institution

Education
Dignitaries at the launch | R SATISH BABU
Dignitaries at the launch | R SATISH BABU

Chennai :

PSG & Sons Charities had its 30th institution inaugurated at The Park, Nungambakkam, recently.

Located in Neelambur in Coimbatore, the newly-launched PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research, offers five programs – civil, mechanical, EEE, ECE and C Sc and plans to enroll 300 students this year.

The launch was presided over by managing trustee L Gopala Krishnan, principal, PV Mohanram and director Dr Nandagopal.

PV Mohanram, the principal of the newly-launched college said, “I have been associated with PSG & Sons for over 30 years now. Our main aim is to provide quality education to students. I’m very excited to start off with the new academic year soon,” he said.

Currently, the Trust has 29 institutions educating more than 20,000 students from kindergarten to doctoral levels, offering education in a wide spectrum of subjects of academic pursuit in humanities, liberal arts, medical and paramedical sciences, science, technical and healthcare and management education. PSG Tech is affiliated to the Anna University.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / June 28th, 2014

A day with former President Kalam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Science & Technologies

Books help human beings lead a good life, said former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in the city on Saturday.

In an interactive session with the students of Presidency College, Mr. Kalam said when he was studying at the Madras Institute of Technology in Chromepet, he used to come to Moore Market complex to buy old books.

When asked about his first failure, Mr. Kalam said, in 1979, he headed a team which was involved in launching a satellite at Indian Space Research Organisation, Sriharikotta.

On the day of the launch, the satellite, instead of moving on its scheduled orbit, fell into the Bay of Bengal. That was his first failure from which he learnt and conducted several successful missions.

Answering another question on the importance of technology and research, Mr. Kalam said intensity was lacking amongst researchers today.

To improve this, there is a need to rewrite the curriculum in a way that it promotes research. Students should also learn to accept defeats and celebrate it, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai> Events / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – June 22nd, 2014

Tiruchi students create a buzz at the spell bee contest

Education, Records, All, Uncategorized
Winners of Wiz National Spell Bee competition with Geetha Periyanayagam (Second from Left),Principal, and Rohini (Right), Coordinator at SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruchi on Saturday./ Photo:B.Velankanni Raj
Winners of Wiz National Spell Bee competition with Geetha Periyanayagam (Second from Left),Principal, and Rohini (Right), Coordinator at SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Tiruchi on Saturday./ Photo:B.Velankanni Raj

Students from various schools showcased their language skills at the Wiz National Spell Bee competition for Tiruchi zone, here on Saturday.

The contest, which tested both the oral and written skills of students from classes 1 to 12 under different categories, was held at SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School. The competition was conceived by a panel of eminent academicians and experienced teachers across the country.

The winners from SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Alpha Wisdom Vidyashram, and Samadh Senior Secondary School were felicitated by Geetha Periyanayagam, principal, SBIOA Matriculation Higher Secondary School in the presence of Josh Sebastian, zonal coordinator, Wiz National Spell Bee, and Yasmin Nazeer, regional coordinator.

According to a press release form the organisers, Wiz National Spell Bee, through its competitions at various levels encourages the schoolchildren to improve their vocabulary. .

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi – June 22nd, 2014

Families in the saddle to bond over horses

Education, Sports

Like the racecourse to which it is affiliated, Madras Riding School is a trendsetter. The first riding school in the city, it was established in 1951 to teach civilians the finer points of horse-riding. Lessons were initially held at Raj Bhavan, where Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the school in 1959. However, the horses themselves were stabled at 100 Feet Rd in Velachery on grounds leased to Madras Race Club.

“There were fewer students back then and most belonged to the upper echelons of society,” says N V Ravi, president of Madras Riding School. The school counts industrialists and cricket administrators M A Chidambaram and A C Muthaiah and barrister Govind Swaminathan among its former students.

Six decades later, the school’s stables have double the number of horses at 30 and three times as many students – around 80. The school has also moved location, to Velachery High Road where the erstwhile Apprentice Jockey Training School stood.

“It was where people who wanted to pursue professional horse-racing were trained,” Ravi says. The jockeys may have long left the grounds, but the racehorses remain. Several of the thoroughbreds at the school were once habitues of the race track.

Today, the school’s students – from age three to 70 – may have no intention to gallop 100kmph, but they do train for subtler equestrian sports like show jumping and dressage. In fact, a couple of Madras Riding School’s students like Namrata Kishore, 17, and Sai Arun, 21, have won the Junior National Equestrian Championship in jumping, and a new crop of riders like Kayva Gopal, 13, and Avadaath Kiran, 9, have been high scorers at the newly introduced Indian Dressage League.

Chief instructor and manager at the school Anita Ojha says six decades ago people signed up because they had nothing but recreational riding in mind. Now, even though they first sign up for recreational riding, they are soon drawn into competitive riding, primarily because of the progressive format adopted by the school where students are gradually initiated into all aspects of equestrian sport and encouraged to test their ability against other accomplished riders in the school.

She adds that the proliferation of local and national championships and the growing competitiveness of this generation have also changed the nature of the game. “What’s more,” says Ojha, “whole families are now coming to class, to bond over horses, which is wonderful to see.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Joenna Rebello Fernandes, TNN / June 20th, 2014