Saturday, 3 December 2016

Understanding Educational Psychology

Today’s educational system is highly complex. There is no single learning approach or style that works for everyone.
That’s why psychologists working in the field of education are focused on identifying and studying learning methods to better understand how people absorb and retain new information.
Educational psychologists apply theories of human development to understand individual learning styles and inform the instructional process. While interaction with teachers and students in school settings is an important part of their work, it isn’t the only facet of the job. Learning is a lifelong endeavor. People don’t only learn at school, they learn at work, in social situations and even doing simple tasks like household chores or running errands. Psychologists working in this subfield examine how people learn in a variety of settings to identify approaches and strategies to make learning more effective.

Psychologists working in education study the social, emotional and cognitive processes involved in learning and apply their findings to improve the learning process. Some specialize in the educational development of a specific group of people such as children, adolescents or adults, while others focus on specific learning challenges such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or dyslexia.
No matter the population they are studying, these professionals are interested in outcomes, teaching methods, the instructional process and different learning styles.
How much does the time of day when new information is introduced influence whether a person retains that information? What does culture have to do with how we process new ideas? How does age affect our ability to develop new skills, like language? How is in-person learning different from remote learning using technology? How does the choice of a media platform make a difference in learning?
These are all questions that educational psychologists are asking — and answering — in settings as diverse as government research centers, schools, community organizations and learning centers.

The Teaching Learning Process

The Teaching Learning Process: Intro, Phases, Definitions, Theories and Models etc...

1. THE TEACHING- LEARNING PROCESS Yenna Monica D. P MST EdTech (Edu221B T-L Process)
2. Curriculum  Total Learning Experience Teaching and Learning are actions necessary to accomplish a goal in Education.
3. Teaching  Creating a situation or selecting life-like situation to enhance learning  Showing, telling, giving instruction, making someone understand in order to learn  Imparting knowledge and skills required to master a subject matter (traditionalist) Effective teaching is one that will bring about the intended learning outcome. “YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE”
4. Teaching  Teaching is perceived as stimulating, directing, guiding the learner and evaluating the learning outcomes of teaching (based on progressive and humanist education)  A process that enables the learner to learn on his own Teacher Person who teaches, controls learning, dispenser of knowledge, an ultimate authority, a director of learning Teacher’s role: give the learner the responsibility to learn “the decision maker in the teaching process”
5. Teaching Process PLAN EVALUATE IMPLEMENT Feedbacks and Reflection
6. Planning Phase  The needs of the learner  The achievable goals and objectives to meet the needs  Selection of content to be taught  Motivation to carry out the goal  Strategies most fit to carry out the goals  Evaluation Process to measure learning outcome
7. Considerations when Planning  Learner  Availability of Materials  Time Requirements of Particular Activity  Strategy need to achieve the objective  Teacher
8. Implementation Phase  Implementation – to put into action the different activities in order to achieve the objectives through the subject matter  Use of different teaching styles and strategy are included in the phase “To accomplish the plan” Interaction of the teacher and the learner IMPORTANT!
9. Evaluation Phase OBJECTIVE LEARNING OUTCOME PLANS IMPLEMENTATION MATCH SUCCESSFUL LYACHIEVED PLAN EVALUATE IMPLEMENT Feedbacks and Reflection Continuous process of feedback and reflection is made in this three phases of teaching Reflection is the process embedded in teaching where the teacher inquires into his action and provides deep and critical Feedback is the reflection of the feedback
10. Basic Assumptions (based on the diagram):  Teaching is goal-oriented with the change of behavior as the ultimate end  That teachers are the ones who actively shape their own action  That teaching is rational and a reflective process  That teachers by their actions can influence learners to change their own thinking or desired behavior, thus teaching is a way of changing behavior, through the intervention of the teacher
11. Good Teaching is…  Well planned and activities are interrelated  Provides learning experiences or situation that will ensure understanding, application and critical thinking based on the theory/ies of learning  Where the learner is stimulated to think and reason  Utilizes prior learning and its application to new situation  Governed by democratic principles  Embeds a sound evaluation process
12. Learning  Change in an individual’s behavior caused by experiences or self activity  Implies that learning can only happen through the individual’s activity or his own doing  Can be intentional or unintentional “TO TEACH, IS TO MAKE SOMEONE LEARN” Two Principal Types of Learning Process: - Behavioral Learning theories - Cognitive Learning theories
13. Behavioral Learning Theory  Emphasizes observable behavior such as new skills, knowledge, or attitudes which can be demonstrate  Observable and measurable  If the individual has changed behavior, he has learned
14. Cognitive Learning Theory  Concerned with human learning in which unobservable mental processes are used to learn and remember new information or acquired skill  Related to concept of meaningful learning through cognitive models - DISCOVERY Learning (Jerome Bruner) - RECEPTION Learning (David Ausubel) - EVENTS of Learning (Robert Gagne)
15. Discovery Learning  States that individuals learn from his own discovery of the environment  Learners are inherently curious, thus they can be self motivated until they find answers to the problem  Gave rise to the emerging theory of constructivism and self-learning  Learning is flexible, exploratory and independent.
16. Reception Learning  Though learners are inherently curious, they may not be able to know what is important or relevant and they need external motivation in order to learn Both emphasizes that prior learning is important in order to learn new things as knowledge is continuously changing once it is in the learner’s mind
17. Events of Learning 1. Motivation Phase 2. Apprehending Phase 3. Acquisition Phase 4. Retention Phase 5. Recall Phase 6. Generalization Phase 7. Feedback Phase Internal Events
18. Learning based on the theory of Learning…  Does not take place in an empty vessel  A social process where interaction with other learners and teachers are needed  Result of individual experiences and self activity  Both observable and measurable  Takes place when all the senses are utilized  Will be enhanced when the learner is stimulated, directed, guided and feedback is given immediately  Each learner has its own learning style
19. Teaching and Learning  One cannot succeed without the support and success of the other  Teaching style of the teacher should jibe with the learner’s learning style  Learner is the center of teaching  Knowledge of the learner and his learning style should be considered  Learners become complex individuals capable of learning on their own, the repertoire of teaching should also increase GO TOGETHER! Teaching is the cause Learning is the
20. Learning in Teaching Teaching for Learning Ways of Teaching and Learning: - different teaching methods and strategies can be clustered accdg to the number of students to be/being taught For larger group teaching – lecture, expository, panel discussion, seminar, forum, demonstration, combination of lecture-demo For smaller group – role playing, buzz session, work shop, process approach, discovery learning, cooperative learning For individualized teaching – modular instruction, e-teaching, programmed instruction
21. Ways of Teaching • Traditional teaching methods: -inductive method, -deductive method, -type study method, -project method, -laboratory method, -Q&A or Socratic method -lecture method • Improved Teaching methods: -integrative technique, -discovery approach, -process approach, -conceptual approach, -mastery learning, -programmed instruction, -e-learning, -simulation, -case-based teaching, -conceptual teaching, -cooperative teaching
22. Ways of Learning • Trial and Error – related to stimulus response theory of learning • Conditioning – Classical conditioning theory of Pavlov • Insight – higher level of intelligence is being utilized • Observation and imitation through modeling
23. Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum… ! Crucial Issue: How the student should learn how to learn •Teaching and Learning give life to the curriculum. •Value placed in teaching will reap the same value in learning •A good curriculum can be judged by the kind of teaching and the quality of learning derived from it.
24. The Teaching-Learning Process END

Educational psychology

Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in intelligence, cognitive development, affect, motivation, self-regulation, and self-concept, as well as their role in learning. The field of educational psychology relies heavily on quantitative methods, including testing and measurement, to enhance educational activities related to instructional design, classroom management, assessment, which serve to facilitate learning processes in various educational settings across the lifespan.^[1]
Educational psychology can in part be understood through its relationship with other disciplines. It is informed primarily by psychology, bearing a relationship to that discipline analogous to the relationship between medicine and biology. It is also informed by neuroscience. Educational psychology in turn informs a wide range of specialities within educational studies, including instructional design, educational technology, curriculum development, organizational learning, special education and classroom management. Educational psychology both draws from and contributes to cognitive science and the learning sciences. In universities, departments of educational psychology are usually housed within faculties of education, possibly accounting for the lack of representation of educational psychology content in introductory psychology textbooks.^[2]
The field of educational psychology involves the study of memory, conceptual processes, and individual differences (via cognitive psychology) in conceptualizing new strategies for learning processes in humans. Educational psychology has been built upon theories of operant conditioning, functionalism, structuralism, constructivism, humanistic psychology, Gestalt psychology, and information processing.^[1]
Educational psychology has seen rapid growth and development as a profession in the last twenty years.^[3] School psychology began with the concept of intelligence testing leading to provisions for special education students, who could not follow the regular classroom curriculum in the early part of the 20th century.^[3] However, "school psychology" itself has built a fairly new profession based upon the practices and theories of several psychologists among many different fields. Educational psychologists are working side by side with psychiatrists, social workers, teachers, speech and language therapists, and counselors in attempt to understand the questions being raised when combining behavioral, cognitive, and social psychology in the classroom setting.^[3]

IMPORTANCE OF ECLECTIC APPROACH IN EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

Philosophy of education can refer to either the academic field of applied philosophy or to any of educational philosophies that promote a specific type or vision of education, and/or which examine the definition, goals and meaning of education. Education and philosophy are closely inter-related. If philosophy is love of knowledge then education is acquisition of knowledge. For a long time education was regarded as a disciplinary process and learning by attempt was important for student. After that child-centered education laid an emphasis on presenting education according to the child’s interest. Today these two contradictory forms come to a compromise. Interest has been admitted as the fundamental truth for attraction of the child, and once interest is created; even attempt would not be uninteresting to him. But neither is complete in itself; hence, co-ordination between two is necessary. The study of educational philosophy helps an educationalist to critically evaluate his own practices and make necessary changes in his practice. Philosophy has the potential for provoking revolutionary changes, revises and rejects some of our beliefs, develops analytical and logical skills and reasoning. Educational philosophy clarifies concept and analyses propositions, beliefs and theories of education. A philosophy vision is essential to understand the new trends in the educational systems especially the contemporary educational movements.

MEANING OF ECLECTICISM

Eclecticism has been derived from the verb root “elect”. To elect means to choose and pick up. The good ideas, concept and principles from various schools of thought have been chosen, picked up and blended together to make a complete philosophy. Thus eclecticism is a philosophy of choice. Eclecticism is nothing but fusion of knowledge from all sources. It is a peculiar type of educational philosophy which combines all good ideas and principles from various philosophies. Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases. It can sometimes seem inelegant or lacking in simplicity, and eclectics are sometimes criticized for lack of consistency in their thinking. It is, however, common in many fields of study.
NEED OF ECLECTIC PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION

We live in such an era when dogmatic adherence to a particular philosophy is foolish and is quite harmful. The world is changing very fast. Values are changing rapidly. We require a dynamic outlook and mental flexibility to have an all-round adjustment and optimal development. No philosophy contributes to all aspects of education. Idealism based on spirituality. Naturalism based on materialism. Pragmatism is between the two. While idealism is famous for its high and lofty aims of education, pragmatism is famous for its brilliant principles and curriculum, naturalism for its method of education. No philosophy is full-fledged to provide all things. But we want an integral education for complete living. If we synthesis all good ideas and principles with the best materials of all these philosophies we have to adopt an eclectic approach by harmonizing the conflicting ideologies and blend them together. We have to find unity in diversities through eclectic approach.

Philosophy of education

Philosophy of education can refer either to the application of philosophy to the problem of education, examining the definition, goals and meaning of education, or to any particular vision of or approach to education.
As an academic field, philosophy of education is "the philosophical study of education and its problems...its central subject matter is education, and its methods are those of philosophy".^[1] "The philosophy of education may be either the philosophy of the process of education or the philosophy of the discipline of education. That is, it may be part of the discipline in the sense of being concerned with the aims, forms, methods, or results of the process of educating or being educated; or it may be metadisciplinary in the sense of being concerned with the concepts, aims, and methods of the discipline."^[2] As such, it is both part of the field of education and a field of applied philosophy, drawing from fields of metaphysics, epistemology, axiology and the philosophical approaches (speculative, prescriptive, and/or analytic) to address questions in and about pedagogy, education policy, and curriculum, as well as the process of learning, to name a few.^[3] For example, it might study what constitutes upbringing and education, the values and norms revealed through upbringing and educational practices, the limits and legitimization of education as an academic discipline, and the relation between educational theory and practice.
Instead of being taught in philosophy departments, philosophy of education is usually housed in departments or colleges of education, similar to how philosophy of law is generally taught in law schools.^[1] The multiple ways of conceiving education coupled with the multiple fields and approaches of philosophy make philosophy of education not only a very diverse field but also one that is not easily defined. Although there is overlap, philosophy of education should not be conflated with educational theory, which is not defined specifically by the application of philosophy to questions in education. Philosophy of education also should not be confused with philosophy education, the practice of teaching and learning the subject of philosophy.
Philosophy of education can also be understood not as an academic discipline but as a normative educational theory that unifies pedagogy, curriculum, learning theory, and the purpose of education and is grounded in specific metaphysical, epistemological, and axiological assumptions. These theories are also called educational philosophies. For example, a teacher might be said to follow a perennialist educational philosophy or to follow a perennialist philosophy of education.

Ethical Principles for the Teaching Profession

Teaching may be regarded as a profession in its own right, and one that demands a great deal of professional expertise. But it also requires its own code of ethics, which may be expressed in a set of ethical principles. These constitute a code of ”quality control” for the profession and those who practise it, a response to the trust shown by society at large.

Professional Ethics

Many professions throughout the ages have set themselves ethical guidelines that express the attitudes and sense of responsibility that members are required to show towards their work, articulating the common values and principles that they should possess with respect to their profession.

The teaching profession is based on the concept of teachers as experts who have been assigned specialized tasks by society, which has also prepared them for such tasks by providing them with the necessary high level of education. The profession then demands that the representatives selected to perform these tasks should demonstrate high ethical standards in all situations, even though the tasks may frequently be difficult to define precisely or call for rapid decisions. lt is essential for society to be able to rely on persons of this kind to exercise a high level of professional skill.

The sense of responsibility attached to the practising of a profession is based on knowledge and vocational skills on the one hand and on the values and norms that form the foundation of the work on the other. Both are essential, and neither can replace the other. Good ethical principles cannot compensate for poor professional skills, and good professional skills cannot make up for a lack of ethical principles. Thus teachers should feel obliged by their sense of responsibility to pay constant attention to the maintaining of their professional skills, and also to show particular sensitivity in the perception of ethical problems and readiness to observe the highest standards of professional ethics when resolving such situations.

Any consideration of the ethics of the teaching profession calls for a distinction to be made between legal and ethical matters. The basic duties and responsibilities of teachers are defined in the relevant legislation and norms, while the content of the teaching is laid down in the curriculum. By contrast, however, the ethics of the profession are not based on compulsion or external supervision but on an internalized concept of the moral obligations attached to the work. One major point of departure for the ethical principles set out here has been the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The results of a teacher's work are often visible only after a considerable time lag, in that good Iearning experiences tend to promote lifelong learning. Teachers can play a significant role in both the generation of positive Iearning experiences and the reinforcement of learners' self-esteem. Thus a teacher's work is a matter of providing opportunities for upbringing, instruction and Iearning for the ultimate benefit of individual learners. ln addition, a teacher is expected to meet up to society's requirements concerning the implementation of the goals of teaching, which means that, on account of changes taking place in society, many teachers are obliged in the course of their work to take care of things for which they cannot bear sole responsibility.

The change in the role of teachers has brought them closer to the learners, but it has also increased their responsibility for the learners' development and has frequently led them into closer cooperation with others who are also responsible for this development. Teachers have a great deal of power and responsibility in matters concerned with the evaluation of learners, for instance, and it is only by fully internalizing the ethical principles involved that they can avoid abusing their position in this respect.

A high standard of professional ethics is one of the most important resources available to teachers, guiding their work and their interactive relations at the professional level. The work of teaching should include consideration and evaluation of the ethics of one's own goals and motives. ln this sense the purpose of the present account of a teacher's professional ethics is to codify and promote the sense of what is ethically right that has always been a part of educational work.

Friday, 2 December 2016

NPTEL

NPTEL is an acronym for National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning which is an initiative by seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT Bombay, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras and Roorkee) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for creating course contents in engineering and science. NPTEL as a project originated from many deliberations between IITs, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) during the years 1999-2003. A proposal was jointly put forward by five IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras) and IISc for creating contents for 100 courses as web based supplements and 100 complete video courses, for forty hours of duration per course. Web supplements were expected to cover materials that could be delivered in approximately forty hours. Five engineering branches (Civil, Computer Science, Electrical, Electronics and Communication and Mechanical) and core science programmes that all engineering students are required to take in their undergraduate engineering programme in India were chosen initially. Contents for the above courses were based on the model curriculum suggested by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the syllabi of major affiliating Universities in India.

The basic objective of science and engineering education in India is to devise and guide reforms that will transform India into a strong and vibrant knowledge economy. In this context, the focus areas for NPTEL project have been i) higher education, ii) professional education, iii) distance education and iv) continuous and open learning, roughly in that order of preference.

Manpower requirement for trained engineers and technologists is far more than the number of qualified graduates that Indian technical institutions can provide currently. Among these, the number of institutions having fully qualified and trained teachers in all disciplines being taught forms a small fraction. A majority of teachers are young and inexperienced and are undergraduate degree holders. Therefore, it is important for institutions like IITs, IISc, NITs and other leading Universities in India to disseminate teaching/learning content of high quality through all available media. NPTEL would be among the foremost and an important step in this direction and will use technology for dissemination.

India needs many more teachers for effective implementation of higher education in professional courses. Therefore, methods for training young and inexperienced teachers to enable them carry out their academic responsibilities effectively are a must. NPTEL contents can be used as core curriculum content for training purposes.

A large number of students who are unable to attend scholarly institutions through NPTEL will have access to quality content from them.

health problems common with computer use

According to the online survey conducted by India Bytes in 2008, there were about 64.4 million Indians who used computers either at their home or work on a daily basis. By 2014, the number was expected to reach 1 billion.
Technology has truly become an inseparable part of our lives and an essential tool in every field. But, with increasing number of computer users, the number health issues are also growing at a rapid pace. If you work in front of a computer for a few hours that too once in a while you may not be at a health risk. But if you spend about 4 hours or more everyday then you should probably keep a check on these health issues. Read more about health problems associated with technology use.
1. Musculoskeletal problems:
Muscle soreness and muscle fatigue are the most common complaints of regular computer users. Back pain, chest pain, pain or numbness in arms, shoulder and feet top the list. These types of problems mainly occur because your posture while using the computer is not correct. Either you are sitting on an uncomfortable chair or your workstation is not supportive of correct posture. Read more about causes of muscle pain.

Practical tips

Adjust your chair and desk such that your screen is either at your eye level or lower. Sit with your back straight and legs perpendicular to the floor with feet resting flat on the floor. Your elbows should rest at the sides.
Take mini breaks from work and stretch a bit or go for a short walk. Here are a few more tips for correcting ergonomics at work.

2. Repetitive stress injury
Pain in the neck, shoulder, or anywhere from the shoulder to fingers may indicate repetitive stress injury. When you use your muscles in an awkward position, you may experience stiffness, pain or swelling in that area. For example, twisting the wrist to use the mouse or specific typing technique that causes stretching of fingers or pressure on the wrist can turn really painful. One of the disorders that affect the fingers and wrist is carpal tunnel syndrome.

Practical Tips:

Adjust the mouse besides the keyboard. Move your entire arm, while moving the mouse. Don’t just move your wrist by fixing it at one position. Typing should be gentle. Do not fix your wrists in a certain position while typing.
Relax your arms or stretch when you are not typing or using the mouse.

3. Vision problems
Bright light and bad glare or flickering image can strain your eyes. Constantly focusing on the screen without blinking can cause dry eyes. Computer vision syndrome is another problem that you may suffer from. Here are some natural remedies for improving eye sight.

Practical tips

Adjust the contrast and brightness such that your eyes are not strained. You can tilt your screen to avoid glare.
Maintain a proper distance from the screen. Look away from the screen intermittently. Don’t forget to blink.

4. Headache
Because of increased muscle tension or pain in the neck at the base of the skull, headache is common problem with computer use. Many a times, prolonged use can affect eye power which needs vision correction. This can also result in headache. Here are more reasons why you should take your headache seriously.

Practical tips

Get your eye power tested if headache is a common problem with computer use. Here are some tests that you might to check your eye sight.
Keep your neck straight when in front of the computer. Constantly looking down or stretching the neck sideways can also cause pain. Take breaks in between and circle your neck a bit to release the strain. Read more about tips to prevent headache after using computer.

5. Obesity
Studies have shown that prolonged use of computers, especially in children, is the major contributing factor of sedentary lifestyle and childhood obesity. Read more about the reason why childhood obesity is on the rise.

Practical tips:

Set limits for your children if they insist to playing computer games non-stop.
Encourage your children to play outdoor games or to take up a hobby. Involve them in extra-curricular activities
Adults who work for 7-8 hours should avoid spending time on computer after reaching home. Your body and mind both need to relax. Join a gym or go for evening jog and stay physically active.

6. Stress disorders
Technology has a huge impact on our behaviour and emotions. Prolonged computer use along with other factors like poor health, work pressure and job environment can make you susceptible to stress. Moreover, the longer you uphold the stress, the more susceptible you become to other health issues mentioned above. It can also lead to loss of concentration, dizziness and weariness.

Practical tips:

Be proactive and take necessary measures to beat stress before it affects your health. Try these natural remedies to beat stress. Also, take a look at these effective yoga poses that can beat stress and laughter yoga to beat stress,

Reference

The Computer User’s Survival Guide: Staying Healthy in a High Tech World-By Joan Stigliani

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Technology in the Classroom: Being a Teacher in the Digital Era

By: Janelle Cox

Today’s classrooms are much different than they were a decade ago. A decade ago, if you were to walk into an elementary school classroom, you would see students sitting in rows reading from a textbook, or completing a worksheet. The teacher would be strategically placed in front of the classroom lecturing to her students, and each student would be taught the information in the exact same way as his classmate. In today’s classrooms, the desks are arranged so students can work collaboratively -- the teacher isn’t just a lecturer, but a facilitator or a guide for her students.
Today’s classrooms have computers, iPads, and Smart boards, and other types of technology in the classroom. Students may still be taught the exact same lesson, but today’s teachers know that all students learn differently. You would see several students working on the same lesson, but they would be using a different method to get the same answer. Many of these students would be using new, innovative technology in the classroom versus reading from a book, or completing a worksheet.

Technology in the Classroom: What the Digital World Has to Offer

The digital world has so much to offer. As digital tools improve, so does the education for our students. Digital learning has the potential to reach more children than ever before. It has the ability to motivate the unmotivated. It also has the potential to create more career opportunities for teachers.
As technology advances, teachers must advance with it. This means professional development courses become particularly important. Digital technology makes it possible for teachers to learn quicker and better. It allows them to connect with other teachers, and it has the potential to boost the effectiveness of ordinary, average teachers. It has the ability to turn boring, non-innovative lessons into fun and engaging ones.

Here are a few classroom management tips to teach your students how to set...

But, with the all of these rewards, there comes a price. Being a teacher in the digital world can be quite overwhelming. There are so many new innovative tools that many teachers feel they can’t keep up with them. Or they feel they are not given the support on how to effectively integrate them into their classrooms. One thing that everyone can agree upon is that a teacher’s role is changing, and technology in the classroom is here to stay.

The Changing Role of Teachers

Out with the old and in with the new is the motto for most up-and-coming teachers. If you are a college student at the beginning of your career, then you know that educational technology is the way of the world in today’s classrooms. Veteran teachers must learn how to adjust to these new changes, both inside of the classroom as well as outside of the classroom. Inside of the classroom, teachers need to learn how integrate technology, such as using computer programs, iPads, and Smartboards. Outside of the classroom, many teachers are learning how to navigate their way through the Internet by having classroom websites and e-mailing parents. Long gone are the days that paper notes are sent home, and the parent/teacher communication that is face-to-face. Today, teachers are receiving texts, e-mails, and instant messages from concerned parents. As the world adapts into this digital age, teachers must follow.

The Digital Future

What lies ahead for teachers in this digital era? As conventional classrooms continue to transform into digital ones, we will see teachers delivering instruction through multifaceted modes of learning. Digital enriched content and personal learning will be at the forefront, as will collaborative and interactive learning. The integration of technology in the classroom has led to many new trends. For starters, some classrooms allow students to bring in their tablets, while others allow students to use their smartphones to look up answers. As the digital world develops, the education system adapts. Being a teacher in the digital era means being flexible, and being able to adapt to change. For what lies ahead? We can only imagine how technology will be to our benefit as well as our students.

Internet privacy and real life implications

While dealing with the issue of internet privacy, one must first be concerned with not only the technological implications such as damaged property, corrupted files, and the like, but also with the potential for implications on their real lives. One such implication, which is rather commonly viewed as being one of the most daunting fears risks of the Internet, is the potential for identity theft. Although it is a typical belief that larger companies and enterprises are the usual focus of identity thefts, rather than individuals, recent reports seem to show a trend opposing this belief. Specifically, it was found in a 2007 “Internet Security Threat Report” that roughly ninety-three percent of “gateway” attacks were targeted at unprepared home users. It should be noted that the term “gateway” attack was used to refer to attack which aimed not at stealing data immediately, but rather at gaining access for future attacks.^[86]
But how, one might ask, is this still thriving given the increasing emphasis on internet security? The simple, but unfortunate solution, according to Symantec’s “Internet Security Threat Report”, is that of the expanding “underground economy”. With more than fifty percent of the supporting servers located in the United States, this “underground economy” has become a haven for internet thieves, who use the system in order to sell stolen information. These pieces of information can range from generic things such as a user account or email to something as personal as a bank account number and PIN.^[86]
While the processes these internet thieves use are abundant and unique, one popular trap unsuspecting people fall into is that of online purchasing. This is not to allude to the idea that every purchase one makes online will leave them susceptible to identity theft, but rather that it increases the chances. In fact, in a 2001 article titled “Consumer Watch”, the popular online site PC World went as far as calling secure e-shopping a myth. Though unlike the “gateway” attacks mentioned above, these incidents of information being stolen through online purchases generally are more prevalent in medium to large sized e-commerce sites, rather than smaller individualized sites. This is assumed to be a result of the larger consumer population and purchases, which allow for more potential leeway with information.^[87]
Ultimately, however, the potential for a violation of one's privacy is typically out of their hands after purchasing from an online “e-tailer” or store. One of the most common forms in which hackers receive private information from online “e-tailers” actually comes from an attack placed upon the site’s servers responsible for maintaining information about previous transactions. For as experts explain, these “e-tailers” are not doing nearly enough to maintain or improve their security measures. Even those sites that clearly present a privacy or security policy can be subject to hackers’ havoc as most policies only rely upon encryption technology which only apply to the actual transfer of a customer’s data. However, with this being said, most “e-tailers” have been making improvements, going as far as covering some of the credit card fees if the information’s abuse can be tracked back to the site’s servers.^[87]
As one of the largest growing concerns American adults have of current internet privacy policies, identity and credit theft remain a constant figure in the debate surrounding privacy online. A 1997 study by the Boston Consulting Group showed that participants of the study were most concerned about their privacy on the Internet compared to any other media.^[88] However, it is important to recall that these issues are not the only prevalent concerns our society has. Though some may call it a modern-day version of McCarthyism, another prevalent issue also remains members of our own society sending disconcerting emails to one another. It is for this reason in 2001 that for one of the first times ever the public demonstrated an approval of government intervention in their private lives.^[89]
With the overall public anxiety regarding the constantly expanding trend of online crimes, in 2001 roughly fifty-four percent of Americans polled showed a general approval for the FBI monitoring those emails deemed suspicious. Thus, it was born the idea for the FBI program: “Carnivore”, which was going to be used as a searching method, allowing the FBI to hopefully home in on potential criminals. Unlike the overall approval of the FBI’s intervention, “Carnivore” was not met with as much of a majority’s approval. Rather, the public seemed to be divided with forty-five percent siding in its favor, forty-five percent opposed to the idea for its ability to potentially interfere with ordinary citizen’s messages, and ten percent claiming indifference. While this may seem slightly tangent to the topic of internet privacy, it is important to consider that at the time of this poll, the general population’s approval on government actions was declining, reaching thirty-one percent versus the forty-one percent it held a decade prior. This figure in collaboration with the majority’s approval of FBI intervention demonstrates an emerging emphasis on the issue of internet privacy in society and more importantly the potential implications it may hold on citizens’ lives.^[89]
Online users must seek to protect the information they share with online websites, specifically social media. In today's Web 2.0 individuals have become the public producers of personal information.^[90] We create our own digital trails that hackers and companies alike capture and utilize for a variety of marketing and advertisement targeting. A recent paper from the Rand Corporation claims "privacy is not the opposite of sharing – rather, it is control over sharing."^[90] Internet privacy concerns arise from our surrender of personal information to engage in a variety of acts, from transactions to commenting in online forums. Protections against invasions of online privacy will require individuals to make an effort informing and protecting themselves via existing software solutions, to pay premiums for such protections or require individuals to place greater pressure on governing institutions to enforce privacy laws and regulations regarding consumer and personal information.

INFLIBNET Centre

INFLIBNET Centre (Information and Library Network Centre) is an autonomous Inter-University Centre of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India located in the campus of Gujarat University, Ahmedabad. The centre was initially started as a national project in 1991. It became an independent Inter-University Centre in June 1996.

Major activities

The Centre has implemented several projects for the development of library services in Indian Universities. These include the following:

Financial support for the automation of University Libraries
Development of a comprehensive database of the resources in various libraries in India
Development of an integrated library management software called SOUL (Software for University Libraries)^[1]
UGC-Infonet Internet Connectivity Programme
The centre has taken several open access initiatives like:
- OJAS, a platform to faculty and researchers in Universities to host their open-access journals^[2]
- Shodhganga, a digital repository for theses and dissertations by research scholars in universities in India^[3]
- Shodhgangotri, a digital repository of synopsis of research topic submitted to the universities in India by research scholars^[4]
- An institutional repository called IR@INFLBNET for papers published in the proceedings of the CALIBER and PLANNER^[5]
Creation of R&D facilities and working groups to study and contribute to the open source movement
Maintenance of a database of sccientists, researchers and other faculty members working at leading academic institutions and other R&D organisations involved in teaching and research in India
Bibliometric and scientometric studies
e-PG Pathshala: A Gateway to All Post Graduate Courses

Akshaya project

The Akshaya project, first started in the rural Malappuram district of Kerala, India, and now spread all around the state, was the first district-wide e-literacy project in India and one of the largest known Internet Protocol (IP) based wireless networks in the world. In November 2002, the state government of Kerala put into place a project, piloted in Malappuram, with the goal of at least one person in every family to be computer literate in that district. Malappuram is now what is said to be India's First E-literate District. The mission continues to make Kerala the First E-literate state in India.
In Malappuram district alone, Akshaya has conducted one of the world's largest computer literacy drives, claiming to reach over 600,000 households, representing more than 3.6 million people, in less than 6 months. The project has created a unique brand of state-funded computer access centers, and simultaneously led to a massive wireless infrastructure, providing a wide range of services and making way to many future opportunities.
The project offers lots of services like: E-Pay (electronic payment of utility bills like electricity, land phone, drinking water, university fees etc.); E-Krishi (for farmers to provide online agriculture trading and information portal, A to Z Solution) E-Vidya (advanced IT learning for e-literates and others); E-Ticketing (online train, flight, bus ticket reservations); PMRY online registration; online passport registration; a village kiosk for transparent collectorate program, online communication providers for expatriate Indians; an online medical transcription course, with extension programs for all the above-mentioned services.

EMMRC

EMMRC

The Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMMRC) at the University of Calicut is the only one of its kind to be set up in Kerala by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Operational since 1998, the Centre is dedicated to harness the information and communication technologies for furthering the cause of higher education.
Equipped with a multicam studio, state-of-the-art production equipment and multimedia workstations, the Centre conducts hardware and software research and produces a variety of products: educational video documentaries, e-content and video lectures on undergraduate subjects of study.
The objective of the media centre is to produce high-quality audio visual programmes and developing multimedia content. in adition to this, the centre also engages in conducting research on media techonologies and education-related topis, training of necessary human resources and promotion of visual media cultures in the university system. Since its inception, the EMMRC centre is involved in production and development of videos and rich media content for the higher education sector. The productions of EMMRC, Calicut University has received wide acclaim and won numerous national and state awards.

University of Calicut

CEC

Consortium for Educational Communication.

BOM

Board of Management

e Content

Empowering through e Education

Documentry

Beyond Documentation

Video Lecture

For Education enrichment

Edusat

Boundaryless classroom

EDUSAT

Edusat

EDUSAT - the exclusive Satelite for Educational sector

EDUSAT is the first Indian satellite built exclusively for serving the educational sector. It is mainly intended to meet the demand for an interactive satellite based distance education system for the country and strongly reflects India’s commitment to use space technology for national development, especially for the development of the population in remote and rural locations.
The 1950 kg EDUSAT was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) by ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). From GTO, EDUSAT will reach the 36,000 km high Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing, in stages, its on board Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM). In GSO, the satellite will be co-located with KALPANA-1 and INSAT-3C satellites at 74 deg East longitude.
Compared to the satellites launched in the INSAT series so far, EDUSAT will have several new technologies. The spacecraft is built around a standardized spacecraft bus called I-2K. It has a multiple spot beam antenna with 1.2 m reflector to direct precisely the Ku band spot beams towards their intended regions of India, a dual core bent heat pipe for thermal control, high efficiency multi-junction solar cells and an improved thruster configuration for optimised propellant use for orbit and orientation maintenance. The satellite uses radiatively cooled Ku-band Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) and dielectrically loaded C-band DEMULTIPLEXER for its communication payloads.
EDUSAT carries five Ku-band transponders providing spot beams, one Ku-band transponder providing a national beam and six Extended C-band transponders with national coverage beam. It will join the INSAT system that already has more than 130 transponders in C-band, Extended C-band and Ku-band providing a variety of telecommunication and television services.

Edusat Training Centers

To cater the benefits of distant education to the student populace of the State, IT @School Project has established 15 EDUSAT Training Centers (ETCs) one each at every district. These centers are used for interactive sessions for both departmental and educational purpose. The following are the details of ETCs in Kerala.

Sl.No	District	Location	Contact Person
1	Thiruvananthapuram	District Office, IT@School, Jagathi, Thiruvananthapuram	Jeevaraj District Coordinator, Thiruvananthapuram Mobile:9400666367 Phone: 0471 2337307
2	Thiruvananthapuram	DIET, Attingal
3	Kollam	District Office IT@School, Govt SN UPS, Pattathanam	Mohandas.G.P, District Coordinator Mobile 9447112256 Phone: 0474 2743066
4	Pathanamthitta	DIET Thiruvalla, Market Road, Thiruvalla P.O., Pathanamthitta District , Pin 689101	Sudev Kumar V(District Coordinator) Mobile:9447907657 Phone: 0469 2740575
5	Alappuzha	Govt. Muhammadan HSS for Girls Alappuzha, Collectorate P.O. Alappuzha 688 001	Rajesh.K.O District Coordinator, Mobile:9747014264 Phone: 0477 2230210
6	Kottayam	Disrtict Panchayath Conference Hall, Civil Station, Kottayam	Tony Antony, District Coordinator Mobile:9447202505 Phone. 0481 2334950
7	Idukki	DIET Idukki, Thodupuzha	Reshmi M Raj (District Coordinator) Mobile: 9446576197 Phone. 0477 2230210
8	Ernakulam	Regional Resource Centre (Artist Centre), Near Govt HSS Edappally, Cochin 24	Joseph Antony, District Coordinator, Mob: 94951 55850 Phone: 0484 2334950
9	Thrissur	District Office IT@School Govt Model HSS for Boys Thrissur,	C.K.Ajai Kumar (District Coordinator) Mobile:94474 06749 Phone:0487 2327159
10	Palakkad	GHSS Ottappalam East , Ottappalam East P.O Pin 679101	Priya S District Coordinator ,Mobile 94474 17607 Mob. 9447417607
11	Malappuram	District Office IT@School, Civil station, Malappuram	Abdul Rasheed.T.K (District Coordinator) Mobile:9947270717 Phone : 0483 2731692
12	Kozhikode	District Office IT@School, District Panchayath Bldg, civil station Kozhikode	Babu.V.K. District Coordinator Mob: 94475 40869 Phone. 0495 2376543
13	Wayanad	District Office IT@School, Govt. Higher Secondary School, Panamaram,	V.J.Thomas District Coordinator Mob: 94475 45778 Phone. 04935 220191
14	Kannur	DIET Palayad Palayad (PO), Thalassery	Jayaraj.M District Coordinator Mob: 9447437849 Phone. 0497 2701516
15	Kasargode	District office, IT@ School project Near Guest House, Pulikkunnu Kasargode	Rajesh M.P., District coordinator Mob: 9447352655 Phone. 04994 225931
16	Thiruvananthapuram (Main Studio)	Sri.Murukan Kattakkada . Head Edusat, IT@School Project, State Project Office, Poojappura, Thiruvananthapuram 12 Phone: 0471 2529800, 0471 2345028, Fax: 0471 2529810

CEC’s EDUSAT Network

CEC’s EDUSAT Network

EDUSAT is the satellite exclusively devoted to meet the demands of educational sector. It was launched on September20, 2004 by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to meet ever increasing demand for an interactive satellite-based distance education system for the country. It has revolutionized classroom teaching through IP based technology. EDUSAT has five KU band transponders providing spot beams, one KU beam transponder providing national beam and six extended C-band transponders providing national coverage beams.

Consortium for Educational Commission (CEC) is one amongst the five primary users of this educational satellite. ISRO has adjudged the CEC as “the best EDUSAT National Beam User” in July 2008.

At present, there are over hundred Satellite Interactive Terminals (SITs) and Receive only Terminals (RoTs) under CEC EDUSAT network, installed at various colleges, Academic Staff Colleges and Universities across the country. Many more are being added with the purpose of providing quality higher education to the remote areas through satellite network.CEC EDUSAT network is empowering students through cutting edge technology and caters the needs of students across the country.

EDUSAT live transmission

CEC EDUSAT network has done exceptionally well in the past and has won many laurels since it began live transmission on 5th September 2005. In the live transmission, CEC acts as the teaching end. Subject Experts deliver lectures live. These lectures are received by various SITs and RoTs. They are known as Class Room End. The Teaching End can be shifted from one SIT to another. Thus, the students can benefit from experts located in various Educational Institutions across the country.

The Expert can address the queries of the students in the live mode. The students can interact and ask questions using the following three methods.

§ Audio Video Conferencing

§ Text Mode

§ Through Telephones

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Educational technology

Introduction

Educational technology, sometimes shortened to EduTech or EdTech, is a wide field. Therefore, one can find many definitions, some of which are conflicting. Educational technology as an academic field can be considered either as a design science or as a collection of different research interests addressing fundamental issues of learning, teaching and social organization. Educational technology as practice refers to any form of teaching and learning that makes use of technology. Nevertheless, there are a few features on which most researchers and practitioners might agree:

Use of technology is principled: Technology means the systematic application of scientific knowledge to practical tasks. Therefore, educational technology is based on theoretical knowledge drawn from different disciplines (communication, education, psychology, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, computer science, etc.) plus experiential knowledge drawn from educational practice.
Educational technology aims to improve education. Technology should facilitate learning processes and increase performance of the educational system(s) as it regards to effectiveness and/or efficiency.

In this short introduction we will try to give a preliminary definition of the field.

1.1 Other definitions

Educational technology is a very wide field. Therefore one can find many definitions, some of which are conflicting.

Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical task. Therefore, educational technology is based on theoretical knowledge from different disciplines (communication, psychology, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, computer science, etc.) plus experiential knowledge from educational practise (Natalie Descryver)

Educational technology is the use of technology to improve education. It is a systematic, iterative process for designing instruction or training used to improve performance. Educational technology is sometimes also known as instructional technology or learning technology. (Wikipedia:Educational_technology)

The study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. ([1])

A definition centered on its process: "A complex, integrated process involving people, procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems, and devising, implementing, evaluating and managing solutions to those problems, involved in all aspects of human learning" ([2])

"One definition of Educational Technology is that it is a systematic, iterative process for designing instruction or training used to improve performance" (Encyclopedia of Educational Technology)

Lachance et al. (1980:183) also focus on the the process idea: la technologie éducative en tant que processus systématique intégrant les diverses fonctions du processus éducatif. Elle vise, d'une part, à analyser des problèmes reliés à l'enseignement et/ou à l'apprentissage et, d'autre part, à élaborer, implanter et évaluer des solutions à ces problèmes par le développement et l'exploitation des ressources éducatives (cited by Lapointe, 1991).

Educational Technology (Information Technology) according to International Technology Education Association

Teaches with technology (uses technology as a tool)
Primarily concerned with the narrow spectrum of information and communication technologies
Primary goal: To enhance the teaching and learning process

Terminology issue: Educational technology is a field. A educational technology refers to a technology that is particularly suited for education plus its usage/range of applications maybe. See the educational technologies article and the category educational technologies.
See also: Instructional technology and elearning which sometimes are used as a synonym,s sometimes not.

1.2 Incomplete definitions

Technology that is used as tool in education ... it's not just technology

Using multimedia technologies or audiovisual aids as a tool to enhance the teaching and learning process. International Technology Education Association ... it's not just multimedia

Field of education centered on the design and use of messages and physical support conditioning pedagogical situations and learning process. [3] ... it's not just conditioning

Design methodologies and research approaches

Researchers in educational technology adopt different stances of what it means to practice academic research. One may initially distinguish a series of levels going from the conceptual to the technical:

Fundamental research: Many researchers in the field choose to adopt a more fundamental research stance focusing on small well-defined problems such as “under which conditions can multimedia animations be effective”.
Technology-supported instructional design applied to various domains of education; major categories are distance teaching, blended teaching, computer-enhanced classroom teaching, industrial training. Other specializations may concern subject matters (e.g. science or language teaching) or approaches (direct instruction vs. project-oriented learning for example).
Research on the design and application of technologies. Researcher may specialize on subjects like the use of computer simulations in education or more technically, how to build authoring and learning environments for simulations.

Some researchers may combine a fundamental research perspective with a particular kind of instructional design and a particular kind of technology. Depending upon these options, research interests and research methodology will not be the same. From the possible combinations there are probably two major strands of thought that can be identified:

Educational technology as part of the learning sciences. Research is inspired by and contributes to modern learning theory. This strand includes research communities like computer-supported collaborative learning, intelligent tutoring systems, ubiquitous computing.
Educational technology as instructional technology. It is inspired by and contributes to instructional design theory and methodology. This strand includes research communities on e-learning, distance teaching, multimedia design.

Educational technology can be considered as a design science and as such, it has developed some specific research methodology like “Design-based research”. However, since it addresses also all fundamental issues of learning, teaching and social organization, educational technology makes use of the full range of modern social science and life sciences methodology. Globally speaking, research methodology for educational technology relies on general research methodology, in particular on approaches of the social sciences.

Design-related issues

Research-related issues

Educational technology research approaches
The category research methodologies