Bangalore College Adopts Cell phone For Evaluating Students In Exam

You have heard of the virtual classroom and exams being conducted online, and now you can answer an exam with your cellphone. Technology in the classroom is being adopted by several schools and colleges. Some give their teachers a free hand in the innovative use to keep their students engaged in the chosen subject. And some educational institution managements take the step forward themselves and pave the way for technological innovation in the classroom. The Seshadripuram First Grade College in Yelahanka, Bangalore, has adopted cell phones in a big way.
Starting this academic year on an innovative note, mobile handsets were distributed among students and teachers, with instructions for use. Games and messaging options were disabled and a totally new concept was put into practice from Day 1. These handsets are to be handed in after tasks are completed. And each student is solely responsible for her/his work and attendance.
The handsets are enabled with "Interactive Platform On Mobile (IPOMO)", and hooked to a server. Multiple choice questions are given via the mobiles and students can pick one out of four options. At the end of the test /exam, the student has the option to revise and then hit SUBMIT. Once the answers are recorded on the college server, marks will be consolidated.  A three hour test will have 120 questions with 4 options each. Students have the choice of using the mobile calculator to answer the Math questions.
In addition to this the students are allowed to mark their attendance via the cell phone.Attendance is usually taken within the first 15 minutes of the start of any class. Each teacher is given a password. Once he/she enters the password,the category -courses-section-subject appears with the list of students enrolled for the class.the teacher quickly takes attendance and all data is automatically stored in the server. A student that consecutively absents himself / herself for three days or more is highlighted on the server rolls, and an SMS alert is sent to the parents.
The students and teachers of this college have welcomed this move for use of cell phones in the classroom. Teachers find it useful and less time-consuming than the age-old methods of marking answer papers as well as marking attendance. They have more time to teach, and the students love text messaging, so this is an extension of that and they are comfortable with it. One plus point is that there is no scope for malpractice, since questions are jumbled up and not all students get the same Q1.For example, Q1 of Student A will be Q28 of Student B and so on, making it laborious for students to find similar Q s for copying.

ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO BLOG IN A SECOND LANGUAGE

Students have to learn a second language in most countries as part of their school curriculum, and that includes Spanish, French, German, Japanese,Chinese,etc.. Indian school students need to learn both a second and a third language, such as English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, as part of their curriculum. And some opt for Foreign languages such as French and German when there is a choice. Learning a language other than their mothertongue can be difficult, especially the Grammar aspect. And some students master the language Grammar, but are not fluent in their speaking. Most students master the English language especially if it is the medium of instruction in their school. It is essential that students get good grades in their chosen language so as to maintain a healthy overall average of their subjects. Teachers and parents can encourage their children to create a blog in their chosen languages. Having a blog in English

COOL GOOGLE GADGETS FOR THE CLASS BLOGS

As more students and teachers take to blogging in the classroom, the idea of adding gadgets on their homepage certainly appeals to them. As the blog becomes decorative, more students engage themselves with the fun activities embedded there and visitors and traffic increase and spend more time on their page and perhaps being encouraged to leave a comment making it worthwhile. Adam Bowman is a freelance programmer who has created several useful gadgets that can be edited to your specifications and then generating a code(html), which you can then embed on your desktop or webpage.
Below is one such gadget that tells you the time.
This Ball Clock gives you a fun and unique way to see what time it is. The balls on the top two ramps represent the minutes and the balls on the bottom ramp represent the hours.


Animals that move always interest students especially those you can feed and water Customizing a virtual pet such as a hamster and showing off on a webpage or your blog certainly makes your blog the envy of others.
The hamster below can be guided to eat or drink water or mount a wheel to keep running, all with the click of your mouse.



You can choose from several gadgets that can be fish,stingray,spider,clocks,games. These gadgets are now available as Google Gadgets as well and are compatible with wordpress or blogger blogs. You can also edit them to personalize and add on social networking sites such as hi5, facebook,myspace or they can be emailed.

TWITTER GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS-A must Read

Microblogging on Twitter has taken the world by storm particularly in the last 2 months,even among teachers and educators of all kinds.Tutorials that teach the use of twitter,the tools to use with Twitter to make your twittering life easier,tips and tricks with this online tool,the use of it in branding and business apart from the special role of twitter in the classroom as seen and being experimented upon by innovative teachers are found all over the internet.
Yes,using 140 characters in an update can integrate a class with their teachers like never before and that too in real time. Getting updates on homework and class schedules apart from being able to participate in a class discussion even when you are absent from the class are some of the valuable ways in which twitter connects people. And of course, teachers are increasingly becoming aware of the new applications with twitter. Here are a few new finds about twitter.
Twitter guide for teachers
Twitter Tips For Teachers
Recommended Reading: Twitter In The Classroom?
How To Twitter-Best Video Tutorials
Teachers Who Use Twitter In The Classroom
How To Use Twitter In The Classroom

HOW TO USE TWITTER IN THE CLASSROOM

My previous post entitled,Twitter In The Classroom? enumerates the use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter among students and particularly for use in the classroom. Tom Barret, an edublogger has created a presentation on "25 interesting ways to use Twitter in the classroom", and the ideas are particularly useful for teachers and educators wanting to make use of the social media in the classroom. More teachers and professors are embracing technology in the classroom as students are to be equipped for competition in tomorrow's world.
Recommended Reading: How To Use Twitter
Twitter In The Classroom

TEACHERS WHO USE TWITTER IN THE CLASSROOM

Twitter is fast becoming the most favoured tool for many. Microblogging with just 140 characters or less,educators and businessmen worldwide are taking note of its ability to market your ideas,services and products like never before. And many have already begun taking advantage to increase revenue even during recession. Doctors are also connecting with their followers on twitter to educate them and keeping updates with their patient's progress.Twitter in the classroom explored the idea of teachers and professors using twitter in the classroom. Educators are increasingly able to communicate with their students effectively as they log onto the updates of their peers and teachers. Introverted students are also opening up and giving their feedback via tweets. Perceptions of their friends change for the better and they are more confident in using tools such as these.
Dr.Monica Rankin,a Professor of History shares her story of how she is successfully using twitter in the classroom in the following video.

Another teacher David Parry, from the same University shares his story of using twitter with his students.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use twitter in the classroom as given by academhack.
Recommended Reading: How To Use Twitter In The Classroom
How To Twitter-Best Video Tutorials
Twitter In The Classroom?

TOP 5 REASONS TO START A CLASS BLOG

Integration of technology in the classroom is not limited only to PowerPoint presentations. Teachers who encourage the setting up and maintaining of class blogs are more in favour of it once they see the results.
Blogs are vehicles of self expression. Bloggers learn to express themselves in different words,and a different perspective. It gives insight into a person and the person learns to freely blog about issues that he is passionately wanting to communicate about.
The language improves greatly as also the style of writing. Vocabulary improves and essays written offline also show improvement in Grammar,Spelling and sentence construction.Grades 6 and above can be allowed to update a class blog.Confidence levels improve and they love networking.
Having individual blogs becomes the next step and the students love positive comments and feedback,not just from family and friends,but also from students and teachers from across the world. They love leaving comments themselves on to other student blogs from around the world. Having a global audience makes them work harder and more passionately about everything.
A healthy competitive spirit surfaces to be the best blogger and the students use their time more effectively,learning to be part of the future generation that values social media and online learning.
Maintaining good blogs today is necessary. Digital literacy adds value to a person.
The recently concluded 2009 Student Blogging Challenge by Edublogger had some wonderful entries. And below is a video made by one particular class that shares their thoughts on blogging.

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION WITH CLASS BLOGS

Creating and maintaining class blogs can be a very effective form of integrating technology in the classroom. Elementary schools can have one class blog with the teacher having one mail id and several user ids. middle and high school students can be encouraged to have their own blog. Blogging makes them learn perfect English. At once challenging and engaging,each student will learn the art of translating thought to his/her blog. Children can pursue their hobbies writing about their pets,friends,class, video games,soccer.They can also write poetry,learn to embed videos,slideshows,power point presentations,photos taken by them. Creativity is enhanced. When comments are asked for from the other students,teachers,parents and anyone from across the globe,they really work hard at everything with a positivity not seen before. They can use their blog to make their own notes,links,references,add audio,video-the list is endless. It is for the class teacher or subject teacher to make use of this excellent tool to constantly engage her/his students online,which they absolutely love anyway. Guidance and online safety measures are what the teacher must be willing to take up. Paul Hamilton enumerates what he found when he visited Mrs.Smith's 6 th grade class to check out their class blogs.