Hysea Awards ...

Hysea Awards happened a few months ago, and although, rather delayed, I wanted to post some pictures here. Our stall was the busiest of the lot--tsk, I don't have a picture to prove that :) We did not win the award, (it went to the Andhra Pradesh Government)--but the participation was totally worth it. We met some very smart people- those that were awed by our work as well as those that critiqued us. Yes, we need them all—I'm still learning the tricks of business relationship management and how to sit gracefully while someone tells you, "This is not going to work"! (Not that we heard such responses very often--just about everyone was positive and impressed. There were a couple of people who had more questions than enthusiasm, but more on them later.)

For now, I leave you with these pictures.

Reading to learn English faster and better

Students keep asking me how they can improve their English. I give them tips now and then but I thought writing about my experience could help them.

For me, reading was by far the most enjoyable and easiest way to perfect my English. Sure, as I began, it took maybe 10 days to finish a 100 pages book, but that’s just the way to go about. I‘ve probably read a few thousand books over the years, but the take off wasn’t easy. Our school did not have a library, you see. So unfortunately, unlike children in good schools where learning English came by default, I had my own little struggles as I manoeuvred to keep that undying zest to speak English going. My initial reading started with the comics—Tinkle was a hot favourite. I even had access to Tintin thanks to my friend’s brother who happened to be a fan. I read these first for entertainment but I also had a secret agenda—to improve my English--as I was told very often that reading was an assured way to get you to speak good English.

I upgraded to reading Reader’s Digest, but avoided the long stories. I would start with the “Humour in Uniform” and the little snippets here and there. The moment I started reading the long stories, I also began to take notes. I would write down all the phrases I thought I could use with my teachers and those few friends who spoke English. It sure did make me feel good that I was into real reading.

My first real novel was Jeffery Archer’s A Quiver Full of Arrows I barely understood any of the stories but it’s on record and it’ll go down in history as my first real book. As I went on reading, I also began to notice that my letter writings became more interesting. I took to writing answers on my own instead of mugging up the teacher’s notes during exams. I started participating in debates and essay writing competitions--in fact, all those literary activities in school that required the use of speaking and writing in English.

It was a conscious effort although the fact that I enjoyed what I did came as a bonus. If you still haven’t tried reading, start with the comics and the newspapers. Each morning as you wake up, get hold of the English newspaper. Start with the section that interests you the most. Skip words that make no sense to you. Get the hang of reading first, then you can start looking up the dictionary. Make it a habit-- keep reading and keep talking. Annoy people if you must--soon you’ll impress them. Being able to speak English will make you feel good about yourself and will definitely help you to get better in life.

Check this link for a comprehensive list of virtual school books.

And this article on livemint.

Article....

Readings---

An article on online education

"Online learning has definite advantages over face-to-face instruction when it comes to teaching and learning, according to a new meta-analysis released Friday by the U.S. Department of Education".

Teach India Project...

If you are an Indian parent living outside India and would want to educate your children on India, you should check out Teach India Project-- an initiative by a group of mothers way back in 2004 is now a successful organization. They provide lesson plans, Curriculum, teaching kit, etc. Schools also use their curriculum. I have families who often order books on India from here which do not reach them on time or have to wait until somebody from the family get there. A customized curriculum which you can use at home for your children sounds perfect to me.

EFF updates...

It’s been quite sometime since I’ve been around on the blog but this is not to say that we’ve not been active :). We’ve been working with a few schools to expand our current pilot for the next academic year. And when we do that I’ll have lots to say.

And oh, EFF Virtual Classroom has been shortlisted for the HYSEA (Hyderabad Software Exporters Association) awards 2009. We will be presenting on the 7th march 2009 at HICC complex (Novotel). Apart from the stage presentation, we will also show case the Virtual Classroom technology to a distinguished line of product industry leaders, academicians and entrepreneurs. This is a wonderful opportunity for us and we are really excited.

And I hope I’ll have some great news to share :)

EFF's pilot

We are deploying EFF Virtual Classroom in Kothaguda Government High School, Madhapur, Hyderabad as part of our pilot.

Holidays :(

Schools are on holiday for two more days: Yesterday was Guru Nanak's birthday and today is Children's Day. There has been too many holidays this year! Thanks to the teachers strike, schools were closed for a week last month. Arrrgh! we need a change in the system.

National Awards for Teachers

The National Award for Teachers (India) was instituted in the year 1958 to recognize meritorious teachers and award them the highest national recognition. Every year on the 5^th of September, the day we celebrate as Teachers’ Day, around 366 teachers are conferred with the honor, Rs. 25,000 cash award and a silver medal by the President of India.

This year the award was given to 374 teachers but nowhere have I found the names of these meritorious individuals. I can’t think of any reasons why the names should not be published. In fact, I feel it should be national front page news—something everybody gets to read the first thing in the morning on the 5^th of September. Why not? When we can glorify our movie stars, sportsmen, TV actors, singers etc, why can’t we make a grand affair of the best men and women who make a real difference in our lives? 

on broadband connectivity...

If only "news" could come true and promises are kept to be made.

Government has already given directives to provide Internet connectivity in schools under Nagpur division... read the story here

Middle schools in Ponducherry will also get to use Internet if the plan of the Directorate of School Education comes true. It'll do good to around 70,000 students.  Story

The biggest news is Union Minister for Communication and Information Technology Mr. Thiru A. Raju, announcing to make Internet a reality in ALL schools in India by 2012!  just 3 years away from now.  Story