[WikiEducator] Fwd: WikiEducator, OER in India
Savithri Singh
Dear Dr Savithri Singh
Thanks for the prompt response.
My phone number is 9892288943
I wish to be part of the googlegroup. Pl send the link.
I have registered myself on the wikieducator site and also for an online course announced therein.
I am sure we can synergize.
I will also try and call you.
I am enclosing herewith my intervention in a email discussion maintained by UNESCO as 'Solution Exchange _Education' and 'Solution Exchange on ICT for development' , just for info.
warm regards
jitendraDear Members,
The RTE has strived to break the centuries old system of caste which the state was unable to address for 60 years after independence in this unique country. However better late than never. In that sense RTE is welcome.
There is no doubt that the present recommendation is based on a much better study and debate than many such attempts earlier, in no small measure due to the SSA , with all its limitations. But apart from many other things, the focus of this thread of discussion is ICT as a potential leveler. Like most progressive tools, this is also amenable to be cornered by vested interests and thus be a medicine that could be worse than the disease. But maybe there is a silver lining. Given the disruptive power of ICT, the unique possibility of it causing the leveling and that even before the elite wakes up to it, is what I believe is a hope, a silver lining.
There is unmistakable trend of commercialized approach to education. Worse, the trend is towards corporatization of the education system. The output of the existing system of factory made degrees is well received (with due murmur of grudges for the record) by the corporate world. And this has been spurred by the IT sector of the corporate world which needs more and more 'techno-coolies'.
However, the RTE and use of ICT together posit an opportunity to deliver and counteract this very trend – towards a generation of innovative creative learners and developers of innovations rather than passive users.
This can be achieved not by proprietary systems in corporate way, as many stalwarts in the field advocate and/or practice, but in an opposite way, i.e. as Free, Open source and in a collaborative way.
In the absence of adequate infrastructure, trained teachers and in the midst of bureaucratized institutional structures, the redeeming characteristic of directly reaching the learner is provided by the ICT. The only major obstacle is: no clarity on what constitutes good learning. The Point is: unless the norms and standards of what is learning are restored to development of multiple intelligences and counter posed to the coaching class culture, we shall produce the stuff that can only be a generation of non thinking submissive users and slaves to the new global economy rather than what would be feasible and desirable i.e. masters of it. Herein lies the danger and opportunity of the RTE.
Hence we need an:
- OER based( Open Education Resources, for a good definition see UNESCO website, better still follow FOSS ) ,
- FOSS (Free and Open Source) supported ,
- Localized,
- Repositories on
1. Local area network (LAN),
2. Intranets (of every college and school)
3. Internet
- Of learning environments (not dead 'content') with constructionist (which emphasizes with good theoretical basis, importance of computer media) approach
- To collaboratively transform the learning environment with access (inclusiveness), expansion (scalability) and excellence (quality). In the context of school education, duly modified National Curricular Framework-2005 (by NCERT) should guide.
- Government institutions are hamstrung but have the scale. NGOs have limited resources but have agility and updated, balanced view. The two have to synergies. The whole exercise has to become a viable enterprise with appropriate, inclusive business models. Corporations (particularly education vendors) should not be allowed to hijack the education but instead should be given space to support the inclusive affordable education by appropriate business models. Here the non-corporate and non-government, sensitive Sudha Murthy and Rohini Nilekani's may be best examples to emulate.
More concretely - Can we take an initiative to create a sustainable model for the following?
- Localizing In Indian languages content that includes: (through a participatory web-based collaboration among teachers, parents, voluntary , NRI Volunteers)
(a) Interface of and resources selected from www.curriki.org (Initially 1000 resources from among 32000 posted there)
(b) Learning resources on Maths and Science from www.amser.org (Wisconsin University)
(c) Information pages from
(i) Netlogo (the Centre for Connected Learning at Northwester University, Chicago ccl.northwestern.edu)
(ii) Scratch (scratch.mit.edu )
(d) Internet Scout Report ( scout.wisc.edu ) (again Wisconsin University initiative)
(e) Educational Stories (many Russian origins) as available on www.arvindguptatoys.com
(f) Build tutorials around the 1 minute films for toy making on www.arvindguptatoys.com that bring out the science
(g) Sound tracks of Videos of toy making in languages other than already available
(h) Create ICT enabled versions of books from MIR publications (erstwhile Russian) on science
- A repository of FOSS software for school managements including a cloud based service.
- Free collaborative learning platforms with private initiatives (www.classle.net also pw collaborative (free) product from www.directi.com )
- Repository of all such resources with free access combined with some resources on subscription basis (to recover cost and to make the system self sustaining.
- Setup an LMS for online certification courses, through recognised educational institutions ,on ICT based learning ( if classle.net or something similar is not sufficient) example:
(a) Technology: Moodle, Drupal,(or Sakai/Kuali)
(b) Educational Software: Netlogo (Modelling) Sage (Mathematics), Geogebra (Algebra+Gemometry), Blender3d (Animation file making), FOSS GIS (Geoserver/Mapserver, Open layers, Ggis etc), STEP (Physics), VigyaanCD.org (Bioinformatics), Blender3D ( animation)
(c) Set up a LMS+CMS for all schools/students/teachers to create their own profiles, submit projects, peer review of the same, (checking plagiarism): subscribed service with concessions to target audience.
And Last but not the least:
- With upcoming thrust in Open Schools ( at school level), Community College (at +2+2 level) and Open university( at degree levels) support IGNOU ( or alternative ) in creating the ODTEL , an open source framework for open and distributed Technology Enhanced learning . i.e not allow the resources to be divided in bureaucratic splitting and vendor grabbing.
- Creating an incentive scheme for teachers/students who contribute to resources like the above.
- Use various means of delivery from internet, EDUSAT,VSATS,CSCs, etc riding on thousands of miles of fiber already on the ground and the wireless coming up.
- Create a mobile-based micropayment model for easy revenue gathering.
It will help compare the two contrasting approached of the same MHRD ministry in this context. The National Mission on Education through ICT (NMEICT) for higher education that advocates freedoms open source and the ICT Policy for school education that relies on corporate and proprietary solutions.
Regards,
Jitendra Shah
Indictrans
Mumbai
--
Savithri Singh
Principal
Acharya Narendra Dev College
(University of Delhi)
Govindpuri, Kalkaji
New Delhi 110019
Ph: 011 26294542, 011 29293224 Res: 25848151, 25843496
Fax: 011 26294540, Res: 25848151
http://beta.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article397395.ece
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http://andcollege.du.ac.in
http://andc.info
http://wikieducator.org/Acharya_Narendra_Dev_College
http://wikieducator.org/User:Savi.odl
http://wikieducator.org/India
http://wikieducator.org/India/wikieducator_launch
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