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technology 9

Digital Gaming 

       Digital games encompass much more than your computer’s Solitaire or Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Over the last decade, the genre of digital games has exploded to include numerous platforms and designs. Digital games, whether computer-, game console-, or handheld-based, are characterized by rules, goals & objectives, outcomes & feedback, conflict/ competition/challenge/opposition, interaction, and representation of story (Prenksy, 2001) or more simply, “Purposeful, goal-oriented, rule-based activity that the players perceive as fun” (Klopfer, 2008). They are distinguished by two key elements: (1) an interactive virtual playing environment, and (2) the struggle of the player against some kind of opposition. Gaming is already a widespread activity in our culture —more than 45 million homes have video-game consoles (Feller, 2006). Over 154 million Americans play video games (that’s about half of the country’s population) (Emrich, 2005). In a given week, the average eighth-grade boy will play video games for about 23 hours, while the average girl will play about 12—that’s even more time than they spend watching TV (Dawley, 2006). Therefore, one of the most obvious benefits to using these technologies for learning is that students are often already familiar with these interfaces and the “language” of interacting with and utilizing them. Both inside and outside the classroom, some strong examples of powerfully engaging gaming models have emerged. Some have been used quite a bit in the educational setting, while others have mainly garnered popularity in pop culture. We outline some examples of both below.

technology 8

Evolution, Not Revolution

       Technology can have a reciprocal relationship with teaching. The emergence of new technologies pushes educators to understanding and leveraging these technologies for classroom use; at the same time, the on-the-ground implementation of these technologies in the classroom can (and does) directly impact how these technologies continue to take shape. While many new technologies have emerged throughout history, so has the cry for educators to find meaningful ways to incorporate these technologies into the classroom – be it the typewriter, the television, the calculator, or the computer. And while some professional educators may have become numb to this unwavering ‘call’ – and for good reason – it is crucial to consider that the excitement over games and social networking isn’t just business and industry “crying wolf.” Indeed, those previous technologies have a powerful place in instruction and the classroom; but without them, strong lessons and learning objectives can still be achieved. With these more recent technologies, we think educators should take the call, even if only on a trial basis. 

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technology 7

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technology 6

The Role of Technology in teaching and the classroom 

       It has taken a while, but I think I have finally come up with a single, comprehensive and actionable statement of the role of technology in the classroom. This is crucial, because many educators are becoming confused and frustrated by the myriad approaches and ways of talking about technology’s role. Although much in twenty-first century K-12 education still needs to be figured out, such as creating a generally-agreed-upon twenty-first century curriculum, one goal is, I think, now clear – the pedagogy with which our kids should be taught. Although it can be stated in many ways, the basic direction is away from the “old” pedagogy of teachers “telling” (or talking, or lecturing, or being the “Sage on the Stage”) to the “new” pedagogy of kids teaching themselves with teacher’s guidance (a combination of “student-centered learning,” “problem-based learning,” “case-based learning,” and the teacher’s being the “Guide on the Side.”) Of course this pedagogy is not really new, except, at the moment, to many of our teachers. Every teacher and administrator is, currently, somewhere on a continuum between the old and the new paradigms. Our herculean task is to move all of them, around the world, to the new pedagogy as quickly as possible. With this view of our goal (while some may disagree, it is becoming generally and widely accepted) we can now proceed to define the role of technology:

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technology5

Management as a Technology (MAT) 

      In Lucas (1978) or Melitz (2003) style models, firm performance is increasing continuously in the level of managerial quality, which is synonymous with productivity. Firms draw a level of management quality when they are born, and this continues with them throughout their lives. Since these types of models assume G(Mi) is increasing in Mi , we simplify the revenue function by 7Since firms in our data are typically small in relation to their input and output markets, for tractability we ignore any general equilibrium effects, taking all input prices (for capital, labor and management) as constant. 6 assuming G(Mi) = Mc i PiYi = AiKa i L b iMc i More generally, we want to allow for the possibility that management can also be endogenously improved; for example, by hiring management consultants, spending time developing improved organizational processes (e.g. Toyota’s Kaizen meetings), or paying for a better CEO. Although managerial capital can be improved in this way, failure to invest may mean it depreciates over time like other tangible and intangible assets such as physical capital, R&D, and advertising. Hence, we set up a more general model which still has initial heterogeneous draws of management when firms enter, but treats management as an intangible capital stock with depreciation: 

Educational Technology 4

Multi-faceted roles of today’s teacher

 Rich quantities of innovations are being practiced in the current scenario of education. While discussing on the role of today‟s teacher, Trilling and Hood (1999) compared the characteristics of learning of the knowledge based society and industrial society. In Industrial age, teacher was a director, and knowledge source while, in Knowledge age teacher is a facilitator, guide, co-learner and consultant. In Industrial age the process of learning was curriculum-directed, time-slotted, rigidly scheduled and fact-based. In Knowledge age, learning changed to a mode of open, flexible, on-demand, student directed, real-world and concrete. Action & reflection, discovery & invention, collaborative, community–focused, open-ended, creative diversity, computer mediated, dynamic multimedia interaction, worldwide unbounded communication, multi-dimensional performance assessment by experts, Introduction 4 mentors, peers and self became the main traits of today‟s learning and instructional environments. Role of teachers change over time in response to new patterns of educational governance and managements, new kinds of students, new theories of teaching and learning, and the arising new technologies (Chapman & Adams, 2004). Educationists are claiming that, we are on the way with „child centered education‟, „learner-oriented instruction‟, „participatory–approach‟, „competency-based instruction‟, „brain compatible learning‟ etc. Still teacher is the prime medium of classroom activities. As innovations and reforms in education occur, the meaning of teacher effectiveness also changes. But, certain basic ingredients of effective teaching still tend to persist, which includes knowledge of substantive curriculum area, pedagogic skills, familiarity with multiple instructional strategies, ability to be reflective, self-critical and motivate students to learn (Chapman and Adams, 2004). While the term „learner-centered‟ is invoked in many curriculum documents, there is little agreement on its meaning. Learner-centeredness is a concept that cannot be captured in finite, static, and unquestioned definitions (Paris & Combs, 2006). In midst of learner-centered reforms, teacher is still a high-status participant in the classroom interaction process. When the process of instruction get more transformed to learner-centered, teachers are currently faced with a variety of challenges like class size, diversity in student populations, variety of instructional strategies, classroom management problems, social accountability pressures, curriculum changes, and new technologies and the like. The process of instruction is complex and this takes place in two contexts–curricular context and programmatic context-and to be perceived in terms of three phases – pre-engagement phase, engagement phase and post-engagement phase (Martinez-Pons, 2001). The contexts are so important since they determine the ways in which instruction is planned and carried out. The curricular context of instruction involves the regular school or educational settings and their instructional efforts are part of an on-going curriculum whose activities are repeated cyclically. The programmatic context of instruction involves teaching –learning activities designed Introduction 5 to meet some specific organizational goal such as bringing teachers up to date on aspects of their work or to meet some social needs. Whether the context is curricular or programmatic, the instructional endeavor is to be discussed as a three-phase process. Efforts like learner needs assessment, diagnosis, fixing instructional objectives, task analysis, test development, pre-testing, grouping, instructional module development and it‟s debugging are included in the pre-engagement phase of instruction. The engagement phase of instruction covers instructional implementation, module implementation, situational assessment, final adjustments, formative evaluation and corrective activities. Summative evaluation and remediation are the major actions in the post-engagement phase of instruction 

Education technology 3

Computers in Education

 Indian experiments in taking computers to schools involved the participation of a large number of institutions for tasks such as the supply of hardware and software, the development of Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) packages, and the training of teachers. A project called Computer Literacy and Studies (CLASS) launched in 1984 was a joint initiative of MHRD, Department of Electronics, and NCERT. It covered 42 Resource Centres and 2,582 schools. It made use of microcomputers provided by the BBC. The evaluation of the project by SAC revealed the need for greater interaction between resource centers and project schools, the need to reduce the time gap between the training of teachers, the installation of systems, and the initiation of activities in schools, the imparting of adequate hands-on experience to teachers and students, and the provision of computer literacy programmes in the timetable. The project had only a limited success, and has been described at best as a “spectator sport”.6 A revised CLASS project during 1993–2004 saw the introduction of PC machines in keeping with broad global trends. Subsequently, the government. initiated the CLASS 2000 programme with the aim of providing computer literacy in 10,000 schools, computer-assisted learning in 1,000 schools, and computer-based learning in 100 schools. These 100 schools were called smart schools, and were designed to be agents of change seeking to promote the extensive use of computers in the teaching-learning process. This, too, has not yielded the expected results. In the words of Prof. Utpal Mallik, “Ambiguity of purpose, tentative policies and faltering practices marked the major computing initiatives in India during the last two decades . . . Schools are using IT as an add-on, not as an integral part of a new pedagogy.”7 Though all these interventions did make some impact, where the schools and teachers went the extra mile to avail of the facilities provided using their own ingenuity, many of these schemes have been half-hearted attempts even at the conceptual level. Computer literacy is not so much about knowing the technical jargon, but rather learning to use computers in a meaningful way, that is, meaningful to children. Two programmes illustrate this fact quite well. The first project—which the media has dubbed the Hole in the Wall—uses the method of Minimal Invasive Education (MIE). (See Appendix No. 8.) The second programme was carried out by the TeNet group from 5. 7 IIT Madras as a one-month summer course for students of Class V.8 (See Appendix No. 7.) The governmentsponsored programmes lacked not only conceptual clarity but there were also no provisions for a number of other essential aspects, such as students and teachers having easy access to computers, problems of scalability, timetables, etc. None of these issues was discussed, nor were the relevant solutions worked out. Without such clarity and preparation, and lacking the machinery to make mid-course corrections, these programmes failed to bring about the desired changes; some were given up half way. Given this void, many international corporations, and Indian companies as well, have entered the arena in recent years. Their programmes have limited objectives. Appendix No. 9 provides information on some of them.



 M. Mukhopadhyay et al. 1993. Utilization of media facilities in schools: An evaluative study of the ET scheme of the Ministry of HRD. Prof. Mukhopadhyaya describes his study not as a study of an educational technology scheme, but rather as a study of the utilization of media facilities. 6 A study of CLASS, as part of a larger international study entitled “Schools, Teachers, Students, and Computers: A Cross-national Perspective, IEA 1993. University of Twente. referred to in a paper presented to the Focus Group by Prof. Utpal Mallik. 7 Prof. Mallik and Ms. Kamal Deep Peter, both members of the Focus Group, stated that though the SMART schools were to be the showcase for educational innovation, the definition had been watered down to meet the size of the infra structure of a school rather than the educational programme that it pursued. The quotation given in the text is taken from Prof. Mallik’s paper “A bit of history to learn from . . . “, presented to the Focus Group

Educational technology

LEARNING 

Educational technology

 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY- Introduction

         Education has always lived a tension between two functions. On the one hand education is a matter of assuring continuity, that is, passing on what is known. On the other, it is a matter of fostering creativity and change, that is, propelling learners into the unknown. Both of these functions relate equally to knowledge and attitudes, to understanding and behavior. They are simultaneously complementary and conflictive. They touch the essence of the teaching/learning process. We want creativity, but we want it to emerge from what is known and understood. We want continuity, but when the result is lack of ability to solve problems or devise ways to improve the human condition, we are dismayed. Since education has, fortunately, come to be considered as a human right, the main instrument of delivery of basic education is the school, and the right to education is, with exceptions, perceived as a right to schooling. So the tension between continuity and change is played out in an important way in the classroom. Thus it is extended to the need to simultaneously expand access, guarantee uniform quality, and leave room for diversity of results. In the educational process, people are central. The role of teachers is always crucial. But, in each of the elements described above, the human element has limits, and other interventions need to be brought to bear strongly into the process of delivery and transformation of knowledge, and verification of results. It is the potential and role of technologies in contributing to improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency of this profoundly human exercise that this book addresses. One of the most universally recognizable and enduring human institutions is the school. Changes in schools over time have been mainly in the logistics: physical plants, materials, and comforts or conditions of teachers and learners. In many cases, technologies have been brought in to enhance an otherwise static process. The learners gather, the teachers communicate information, the learners reproduce what they have heard and seen, and they are evaluated on their accuracy. The relevance of this process to life has been questioned often but seldom modified substantially and never system-wide. 3 Over the past 200 years, we have tried to perfect the education services provided by schools. We have managed to evolve the education model from education for the few to education for the many; from education for limited objectives to education for expanded objectives; from the environment as the classroom to the classroom as the learning environment; from elitist endeavors to national education systems. We have succeeded in squeezing a multidimensional, multifaceted world into a flat text (with some audiovisual presentations) in a constrained classroom environment channeled through a teacher. Even technical schools have tried to replicate the workplace in the school. In this development, we were inspired and helped by the industrial age and its processes. Schools were to a large extent modeled on factories, where cohorts and student flow evoke assembly lines, time-on-task parallels working hours, exams are designed as a form of control of the uniformity of the product, and the production function of a school takes us back to the input/output model of factory production. Despite its shortcomings, the school system has been remarkable in its contribution to the fulfillment of basic learning needs, to skill formation, to scientific progress, to reproduction of the social order and the preservation and evolution of cultures. As we look back at the achievements of the last century, we marvel at the extraordinary advancements in science and technology—space exploration, unraveling of the atom, genetics, organ transplant, the car, radio, television, the fax machine, the computer chip, the Internet—to name only a few. We also marvel at the progress made in social and economic development, the humanities, and the arts. All of this was possible because of a set of unique human features: the capacity to acquire knowledge generated by others and build on it; the ability to record one’s knowledge and disseminate it to others in understandable terms; the desire to search, explore, and make sense of the universe; the urge to apply knowledge to solve day-to-day problems; and the faith that nothing is impossible or beyond the reach of the human mind. Educational institutions at all levels are the embodiment of these human features and have been at the center of human achievement in science, technology, social studies, and the humanities. They have been the arenas for the generation, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge; the training of human capital; and the engines of social and economic development. They have excited many minds, opened new doors into the mysteries of the universe, and dared many spirits to delve into the unknown. Many have served as strongholds for the pursuit of truth and values against The Dynamics of Technologies for Education Wadi D. Haddad, Ph.D., is President of Knowledge Enterprise, Inc., Editor of TechKnowLogia, and former Director and Deputy Corporate Secretary at the World Bank. Alexandra Draxler is Senior Program Specialist at the International Institute for Educational Planning (UNESCO) and former Secretary to the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century. 4 Technologies for Education > global pressures for more education; and > changing patterns of trade and competition and technological innovation. Challenge 1: The Exponential Function Knowledge, both basic and applied, is being generated very quickly and is growing exponentially. More new information has been produced within the last three decades than in the last five millennia. We should be poised for dramatic technological advances and breakthroughs in the macro frontiers of the universe on the one hand, and microscopic secrets of the human body on the other hand—and everything in between. Not all generated knowledge is at sophisticated levels, however. Everyday living itself is becoming technologically more and more complex. In fact, all facets of society are becoming knowledge dependent. Moreover, participation in a modern technological world necessitates a significant level of scientific and technological understanding. This applies to all areas of everyday living, from agricultural practice to marketplace processes, banking, business transactions, health services, transportation, entertainment, utilities, and information exchange. Without the ability to find the essential knowledge and acquire the skills for a constantly changing world, people will find themselves—in a very short time—“disadvantaged.” As rapidly as knowledge is being generated, there are growing means by which to disseminate that knowledge through print, audio, video, and electronic media. Unfortunately, though, most developing countries are behind on both counts. Challenge 2: The Virtuous Domain There is a growing consciousness all over the world about such issues as democracy, citizen empowerment, freedom of communication, culture, civic participation, gender equity, human rights, civil justice, peace, and general quality of life. Likewise, development goals are no more restricted to economic growth. The International Development Goals (IDGs)1 of 2000 target “a world free of poverty and free of the misery that poverty breeds.” The goals are set in terms of reducing poverty, improving health and education, and protecting the environment. They have been adopted by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, members of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and many other agencies. They found a new expression in the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly in September 2000. prevailing beliefs, prejudices, and intellectual and political tyrannies. This cannot be said of all institutions, however; many have copied the body but failed to capture the spirit. Despite the relative success of the education enterprise, the new century brings a fresh set of challenges and pressures for which educational institutions, in their present form, are not prepared. Even the best of them have served a different set of demands for a different age. These challenges in the context of the Information Age have put schools and school systems across the world under tremendous pressure to provide every classroom (if not every student) with information and communication technologies (ICTs), including computers and their accessories and connectivity to the Internet. The pressures are coming from vendors, parents, businesses, and technology advocates. Decision makers are faced with two myths: a macro and a micro. The macro myth is that merely providing ICTs to schools transforms the learning process, and merely connecting to the Internet changes the learner’s world. The micro myth is that providing technologies means acquiring computers and securing a connection to the Internet. Experience shows that effectively integrating technology into learning systems is much more complicated. It involves a rigorous analysis of educational objectives and changes, a realistic understanding of the potential of technologies, a purposeful consideration of the pre- and co-requisites of effectiveness of ICTs for education, and the prospects of this process within the dynamics of educational change and reform. In fact, experience is proving, to our surprise, that acquiring the technologies themselves, no matter how hard and expensive, may be the easiest and cheapest element in a series of elements that ultimately could make these technologies sustainable or beneficial. This book (and this chapter) is an attempt to frame the issue of ICTs for education in the context of the educational enterprise’s struggle to be relevant, responsive, and effective in meeting the challenges of the 21st century. To this end, the book draws on worldwide knowledge and experience to delineate the potentials of ICTs for education, the parameters for turning this potential into effectiveness, and the prospects of applying these capacities in different environments

FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

There are several factors that influence the growth and development of learners. Let us have a brief account of them.

  *Heredity: Heredity is a biological process through in which the transmission of characteristics takes place from parents to offsprings. It's greatly influences that different aspects of growth and development. That is height, weight and structure of the body, colour of hair and eye, intelligence, aptitude and insticts.

  *Environment: Environment plays an important role In human life. There are different types of environment such as physical environment, social environment and environment.

Physical environment consists of all outer physical surroundings including animate and inanimate things which have to be dealt with in connection with food, clothing and shelter. Geographic conditions and weather are all part of physical environment which has considerable impact on individual child.

Social environment is constituted by the society, i.e., individuals, institutions, social laws and customs.

Psychological environment is rooted in individual's reaction to an object. One's love, affection and fellow feeling attitude will strengthen human bond with one another.

¢ Gender: There is difference in growth and development of boys and girls. The boys in general are taller and courageous than the girls but girls show rapid physical growth in adolescence. In general, the body constitution and structural growth of girls are different from those of boys. The functions of boys and girls are also different in nature.

:9 Nutrition: Growth and development of the child mainly depend on his food habits and nutrition. The malnutrition has advase effect on the structural and functional development of the

child.

Growth is closely related with nutrition. A sufficiency of food is essential for normal growth. Malnutrition retards growth.

‘9 Disease: Experiences of diseases affect growth and development adversely. The nature and seriousness of the disease determine the seriousness of the impact.

¢ Ethnicity: Ethnicity of an individual influences his growth of the body. Persons of different ethnic groups differ in their physical growth. A child of white race will be white and tall. Hair,

philosophy

PHILOSOPHY - meaning

             Philosophy in a general sense is conceived a person’s “sum of his fundamental beliefs and convictions”. We have some ideas concerning physical objects, our fellow persons, the meaning of life, death, God, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, and the like. Of course, these ideas are acquired in a variety of ways, and they may be vague and confused. Philosophy is a guide for living; because the issues it addresses are basic and pervasive, determining the course we take in life. Hence we can say that all the aspects of human life are influenced and governed by the philosophical consideration. Philosophers always ask these questions: Who we are? Is there a higher existence that determines our existence? What is the relationship between nature and human beings? What is the meaning of life? Are our senses reliable in telling us about the truth of the universe? How do we get to know about the world? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? They further ask these questions: What is happiness? What is virtue? What is the relationship between individuals and the collective? How can we organize a society and an economy that promote the common good? What methods should we employ to find out truth from false statements? Can we ever hope to find out the truth of our existence? Philosophy is reflection of the above questions. Hence, philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, law, justice, validity, mind, and language. Moreover, philosophy is rationally thinking, of a more or less systematic kind about the general nature of the world – metaphysics or theory of existence, the justification of belief - epistemology or theory of knowledge, and the conduct of life - ethics or theory of value.  Oxford Collins Cobuild Dictionary (2006) – • Philosophy is the study or creation of theories about basic things such as the nature of existence, knowledge, thought, or about how people should live. NOTES 3 • Philosophy is a particular theory that someone has about how to live or how to deal with a particular situation. Babylon English Dictionary: Study the principle of existence behavior and knowledge; study the nature of human thought & of the world. The word philosophy comes from a combination of two Greek words- “philos” meaning “love” and “sophi” meaning “wisdom.” Etymologically, philosophy means the love of wisdom. To love something is to desire it. So, for many Greeks, the philosopher was the one who desired wisdom. Wisdom is not only knowledge. One may have knowledge, but he may not be wise. Wisdom constitutes knowledge plus its implication in all circumstances. Thus philosophy gives man that wisdom with the help of which they understand the whole universe and its implication in relation to themselves & the people around. Hence philosopher could also be characterised as the “friend of wisdom”. In this regard, Plato in his “Republic” stated that “He who has a taste for every sort of knowledge and who is curious to learn and is never satisfied may be termed philosopher”. It means a philosopher is interested in all type of knowledge where as a physicist in physical process of universe, an historian in the past events, a geographer in the natural condition of the universe, a biologist in the biological process etc. But a philosopher has a multidimensional outlook and interest. The philosopher is thoughtful, remains in a thoughtful mood, being in search of new ideas, new knowledge with the help of his growing wisdom. Philosophers are interested in the first principle and the final conclusion of all branches of knowledge. Philosophers come under different philosophical school of thought such as idealist, naturalist, pragmatist, existentialist, perennialist, realist, essentialist, progressivist etc. according to their approach to answer the philosophical enquire. Philosophies vary from culture to culture place to place and time to time. Thus different person having their different ideologies, ways of life, tend to have different types of philosophies. Here, the search of philosopher is for understanding Man, Nature and the Universe. Philosophy is a system of beliefs about reality. It is integrated view of the world. It includes an understanding of the nature of existence, humankind, and its role in the world. Philosophy is the foundation of knowledge. It provides premises by which man can discover truth, and uses his mind to support his life. In conclusion we can say that philosophy is a critical examination of reality characterized by rational inquiry that aims at the Truth for the sake of attaining wisdom.

PSYCHOLOGY 2

Guiding Principles of Adolescence Education 

 Adolescence is conceptualized as a positive stage of life, full of possibilities and potential. It should not be labeled as problematic and traumatic, and adolescents (and the `peer group’) should not be stereotyped in negative ways. o AE should recognize and respond to the reality that adolescents are heterogeneous: with diversity in terms of urban/rural, caste, class, religion, cultural beliefs, and so on. o The educational programme should be participatory, process-oriented and nonjudgmental, not prescriptive, stigmatizing or fear inducing o AE should enable adolescents to understand and negotiate existing and constantly changing lived realities. o Teachers need to unlearn and learn in order to facilitate the effective transaction of this curricular area. This is relevant in respect of content, attitudes and pedagogical modalities. o The program should enable adolescents to articulate their issues and know their rights, counter shame and fear, build up self-esteem and self-confidence, and develop ability to take on responsibility for self, relationships and (to an extent) society around them. o Adolescence education should influence the entire school curriculum and ethos, rather than being an isolated, stand-alone component. o The AEP should have inbuilt flexibility- in terms of content and process to be able to respond to dynamic needs of young people o The program should empower young people through participatory, processoriented, non-judgmental approaches that build on the experiences of learners, and provide them with opportunities to think critically, analyze, and infer learning rather than being prescriptive. o Adolescence education should be strongly oriented towards the transformational potential of education, based on principles of equity and social justice, rather than having a status-quo orientation.