While I was doing a web search as a part of my project research I understood about this brilliant initiative by Indian Education Ministry with the help of GeSCI and CSDMS to formulate a Policy framework for the adoption of ICT at the School level. Here are some comments from my end to consider and include in the policy document:
a) Insights for setting-up ICT infrastructure in School
There is an emerging technology called MultiPoint Technology or N-Computing. MultiPoint Technology is getting considerable interest in the educators segment in the developed countries like the US, UK, Australia. I wish it is essential for the developing countries like India or China should seriously adopt this technology especially for providing mass education like at the K-12 education system.
In many classrooms in underserved areas, groups of students must share one computer—there are simply not enough computers to go around. In these classrooms, one student controls the mouse while the other students passively watch. The result is that the student controlling the mouse learns computer skills, and the others grow bored and disengaged. While the existing solution to this problem is to acquire more computers, that is often difficult for schools with limited resources. That is where MultiPoint technology comes in handy. I understand MultiPoint allows up to 50 students to simultaneously use and learn from educational software specially designed for multiple colored mouse cursors. In Bangkok, Thailand, there is an average of one computer to every 100 students. MultiPoint technology is helping education in Bangkok to make sure every student is actively involved in education.
Research has shown that students understand and prefer the multiple-mouse concept. More importantly, overall engagement increases—even for children without a mouse. In trial programs, just the prospect of having an opportunity to take control of a mouse and cursor was enough to keep students interested.
MultiPoint Technology is already exciting education professionals such as Carlton Samuels, chief information officer and professor at the University of the West Indies, who recently attended a demonstration. Instructional technology tools that invite collaboration and foster peer learning would integrate seamlessly into the classroom settings of Jamaican K–12 schools, Samuels says, but the associated cost has always hindered widespread adoption.
"This technology manages to address these issues at one go," he says. "It enables collaboration and active learning at a price even a relatively poor Jamaican school could afford. It is such a simple idea, but so very effective in addressing our needs."
To allow developers and students worldwide to create their own collaborative applications, Microsoft has released the first version of the Windows MultiPoint SDK (software development kit), which can be downloaded from the link given here:
http://www.microsoft.com
b) Availability of Special Pakages for Familiar Software
Adoption and Training of the most familiar and commonly used tools and software is very essential at the K12 segment level. Especially for a country like India which depends largely on the foreing revenues from Software Exports, training of the Software on employability perspective is mandatory. There are incidents where institutions had compromised on the Freely available non-familiar open source software against investing in the commonly used software and tools by the employers community like SQL or Oracle or Lotus etc. This adversely affects the students when they face the qualification test or interview with their prospective employers. Hence, it is very important at the School Education System to strictly fix the norm that all the Schools need to mandatorily invest in the Commonly used Software in the Business Houses on an employability perspective, and discourage them to opt for free download softwares that is propoated by non-business oriented non-profit making independent freelancer consultants and NGOs.
It is very common that all the Software OEMs has a highly discounted special price packages for the Education segment especially if procured in volume by a Government Agency or the Federal Ministry. Even in developed countries like US & UK even the most highly used software in the business environment like Windows Office can be procurred at a cost of Pizza which include XP, Office Home and Student 2007, Learning Essentials, MS Math 3.0 alongwith personal Live Mail ID. I am sure similar arrangements should be available with training packages in the Database and Software Development tools segment also with various software OEMs like Apple,Oracle, Microsoft, IBM etc. Hence, the consultants like GeSCI and CSDMS should evalaute this deeply than concluding to the school to download software for free as suggested by one or two in-experienced independent freelancers.
c) Capacity Building
By building partnerships with governments and schools around the globe, Partners in Learning work to integrate technology into daily teaching, learning, and research. I understand from the Times of India daily dated 18th June 2008 that an initiative called Partners in Learning (PIL) has trained more than 2 Lakh teachers on ICT skills through IT Academy set-up as a part of Corporate Social Responsibility. It might be a good idea for the State Education Departments to leverage the service of such service providers and see how such PIL programme can be adopted for more teachers within their States.
I look forward for your consideration of my input in your policy document. My sincere appreciations to GeSCI and CSDMS for the brilliant initiative taken for the Indian School Education space.
All the Very Best & Warm Regards,
Dr. P. Ravi Ph.D
Research Scientist
Montcalir State University, New Jersey, U.S.
