TECHNOLOGY AND TEACHERS

Living in the garden city of Bangalore, the ITcapital of India, I see a newfound broadmindedness among people of all ages, particularly the older generation towards the Gen X. They share a vision for the future being more virtual in all major aspects. Better prospects for the young means earlier introduction to palmtops,laptops and such other gadgets. It is now a common sight to see mothers working from home on the computer, with their little ones in their lap. Introduction of computers in all schools and being taught how to use them has made every child much more aware and confident.

But, what of the older generation? No, I am not referring to their parents. Some of course, use the computer for just checking their email, some use only for chatting and still others, only at work. Parents that are software engineers,of course,are always busy online, much to the disappointment of their children,especially,when they work from home even on holidays.

By older generation, I meant grandparents. I met a lady who celebrated her 60th birthday recently and was gifted a laptop by her siblings. She was particularly excited as she could now not only converse with her son and his family abroad, but could also see her little granddaughter using the web cam. She was so excited at the prospect of learning to use and gain more knowledge over the internet and keeping abreast of several of her pet topics. Online, I have come across a lady who is more than 86 and has her own channel on youtube, a couple of elderly gentlemen in their 90's who blog and host a radio station, some are into podcasting. You name it, they are into it. Researchers admit that those that are elderly can remain young and healthy, with an active mind, if they play games against themselves or the computer on the net, and also play word games like scrabble and crossword on the net. The number of elderly people online is definitely on the rise. Retired people find a usefulness in blogging about various topics, and earn out of it too. Some contribute meaningfully to the discussions on Skypecasts.

What of the teachers in schools? Do they use the computers and the internet as much as their counterparts in other parts of the world? Some teachers are very adept at the use of the computers and use PowerPoint presentations to supplement their classroom teaching. Very few, use Excel for teaching or for representing students marks. The most commonly used is Word for Question paper,etc. Still others use only the email, to send mails to their students regarding projects, or last minute notes and diagrams. Many, many teachers just shy away from the use of computers and internet.Technology confuses them, or rather, it is a mental block that needs to be addressed. Schools should take time in familiarising such teachers with ways and means to utilise computers and the internet not just to aid their classroom teaching, but also to help them finish their additional duties such as tallying of marks faster and more accurately. After all, teachers are their employees who in turn, will be more efficient in churning out quality pupils who are ready to take on the world. Such schools should take a cue from certain international schools where the teacher is provided with a laptop and always online to answer queries from their students, parents and the management, 24x7. It certainly would be a pleasure to see more of Indian teachers blogging and editing the wikis.

BELIEVE IN YOUR CHILD'S POTENTIAL

Every child is unique!
There can be many reasons why a child does not perform well in academics. Whatever the reason, parents hunt for a tutor. Many a time, parents expect tutors to perform miracles with their wards just before exams. Understandably, the parents have either no time to spare or the children do not listen to their parents. It is common to note that a student disagrees with his parent on a lesson or on the teaching methodology. For this reason, some schools recommend that a parent should refrain from teaching at home. But when the parents are summoned to the school for a report of the child, the parents panic when told that their child is not doing as well as his classmates. Some schools insist on the learning by play method and no exams upto 6th grade. Books are not sent home either and the parents are clueless about the child's performance. Some children get cold feet at the mere mention of exams when they suddenly have to write one in 7th grade. Some do not know how to manage their time in an exam and invariably leave out a section of the question paper. Some students are able to score well in the tests where few portions are given, but when a whole term's portion is given for the exam, they do not perform as well.
A tutor can certainly help his student with time management, better organisational skills, development of a positive attitude which reinforces the student's self confidence. Engaging the best tutor one can find, is only half the battle won. But what of the student? Does he really excel in academics after a new tutor begins?
In my experience as a tutor of many years, it is always seen that the attitude of the student is the biggest factor in determining his progress. "You can only take a horse to the water but cannot make it drink " is a common saying which is very apt in this case. Students who desired to do well, put in their best and eventually did extremely well with the help of tutors. But those that were not motivated enough, did as before or sometimes, even more badly. So, what attitudes should a learner have, or how can we help change attitudes?
The answer lies in the fact that the attitudes of the student is closely related to the parent's belief systems.The parents of those that did well did not give up on them. Encouraging words and unconditional love was like magic potion to them. Parents believed in their child's potential. Harsh words were never used to make them feel small. They were never reprimanded in front of their friends in comparison to their friend's children who performed very well. They were not belittled in front of a sibling who did better. All this can be damaging and the child will stop trying after some time. A tutor cannot perform magic if the parent keeps belittling the child."You can do it!" ,"Good!","Excellent!" is what a child wants to hear while learning. Bill Cosby, who brings out the best in children on his talk shows seconds that. I sincerely hope you encourage your child today and everyday. It will help build his confidence.

FINDING A QUALITY HOME TUTOR

Having been a private tutor for several years now, my interactions with parents, grandparents, students, principals and teachers from a wide variety of schools has given me an insight into several aspects of home tutoring. In this post, I will discuss the qualities necessary in a good tutor for your child.

Most parents just want to find a tutor to be able to tell everyone that they have hired a private tutor.Some parents are too busy to even see if their children have done their homework.Still others feel the genuine need to engage a tutor for the child to pick up his grades in a particular subject/subjects. Some parents want the child to get a good foundation in understanding the basic concepts because in higher classes, competition gets stiff and they have to stay ahead. Whatever the need, quality tutors are hard to come by.

• A quality home tutor must be one that can establish rapport with the student. Being able to speak and connect in the same language makes all the difference. Once the tutor and student connect, effective communication and impartation of useful knowledge occurs.The tutor will be more effective when he knows when to draw the line, especially with a particularly playful or talkative student.
• A tutor should also be an excellent motivator. Sometimes, the child is afraid of exams.He does well in his weekly/monthly tests but he panics at the mere mention of exam. Encouraging him and showing him how to improve his scores, will greatly help.
• Watching his friends perform well sometimes can act as motivation but in some students, it brings in tremendous pressure and he begins to give up on himself. He might just switch his mind off in the classroom or the tuition session. It is here the tutor also becomes a strong motivating force. He has to help maintain a positive healthy mindset which is crucial for achild's performance in school.
• Healthy habits and great values of life are unconsciously imbibed by the student.Therefore, the tutor must be able to do this.
• Teaching should be his passion, and should be able to guide each student according to his area of difficulty.
• He should speak regularly to the parents regarding the child's progress and get regular feedback from the school as well. With this, the tutor can be certain of his teaching style and pace.

It is not whether the tutor is a regular teacher in a school or that he is a Ph d , it is the way in which he makes the child interested in the subject and has the desire to help him in improving his grades. This is the quality factor in a tutor.

SHOULD MOBILES BE ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM?

Ask any body in any educational institution today, whether mobile phones should be allowed on campus? Except for the Principal, and the management, what you get is a resounding "YES".
Why is this so?
Let us study the pro's and con's of carrying a mobile to class!

College students see it more as a status symbol, since they always want to be seen with the latest mobile phone.Sending SMS's is a favourite past-time, particularly in class or after midnight when SMS's are free. The favourite Bollywood movie, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, showed the hero, a medical student, copying during an exam using the hands-free. A couple of students got debarred from the exam trying to do the same.

School students have been caught listening to music, FM radio, and sending SMS's while the class was in progress. Though their cell phone will be switched to silent mode, the distraction persists. Their attention is always diverted waiting for a call. When teachers insist that cell phones should not ring in the classroom, they should also refrain from taking any call while teaching.

Most students argue that their parents have provided them with a mobile just to keep a check on their whereabouts.Obviously, the child is not being taught to be truthful, even with the cell he is going to be telling lies about his whereabouts. Some parents argue that we are living in a modern age and they would like to give the best of everything for their child. It becomes imperative, they say, that they have to coordinate between driver, tuitions, extra curricular activities and the like. That means parents must make the effort to create a timetable for the activities of the child and stick by it. When unforeseen circumstances arise, schools and colleges have landlines which the parent or the student can use. It will reinforce time management and organisational skills for all concerned.

Last week, cell phones have been completely banned from classrooms of kindergarten thro' 12. Even the staff is not allowed to carry them on campus. Surprise checks will be conducted regularly and defaulters will be punished, which may include a fine and confiscation of the cell phone.

This puts an end to all the debates going on in corridors of educational institutions.

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BOOKS VS TECHNOLOGY

Inculcating good reading habits is always on the agenda of every educationist. During the holidays, it was always the grandparent or parent that insisted on either reading to them, or making them read or telling them stories with a moral. Amar Chitra Katha comics were a great source of inspiration to many. Mythological tales, Jataka tales, Aesop's fables, historical and moral stories from Panchatantra tales were many a child's favourite.

Children of today are most certainly different in every way. They prefer to spend all their free time playing outdoors, playing video games, chatting on the internet, or simply surfing the net. they love listening to music on the ipod. Gadgets are a way of life to these young ones. They insist they cannot survive without them! Is that true? Did we not get good grades in school when we had only a radio and no television?

An interest in reading good books should be inculcated in every child. In this age of videos, DVD's, and VCD's, it can be difficult but nonetheless worthwhile. It helps them to think creatively, aids in developing memory, imagination, empathy, etc. Educationists always vouch for audiovisual aids when it comes to teaching, but the joy of reading and understanding gives greater confidence to a child in the language he is reading. He learns new vocabulary, uses the Dictionary when necessary and is capable of speaking fluently, and can write any piece of creative writing without much assistance. In fact, he begins to revel in the fact that he can do it well. It was heart rending to note that a school in Pune had adopted he practice of reading Amar Chitra Katha comics in History class and then engaging in role play of the story that was just read. History coming alive in the classroom gives every child the chance to remember all the historical dates, names, wars, etc in the exact order as well. Hats off to the teacher who tried this as an experiment and was successful to the point of being emulated by several others across the country.

In India, every school-going child learns to master at least two languages besides English. Most urban school children speak impeccable English .They know that the gateway to a bright future lies in being able to write and speak excellent English.
Learning the English language also prepares them for a global career.

The ongoing Bangalore Book Festival is drawing lots of parents with their school and college going children to find great books for fun and learning.This is certainly testimony to the fact that parents still want their children to make reading a habit.
In this Silicon Valley of the east, children are being nurtured to be the next generation entrepreneurs, software and hardware professionals, industrialists,etc.
Yester years saw only two ambitions among children-either a doctor,or an engineer.
Today, the spectrum is wide-pilot,lawyer,astronaut,vet,dietitian,finance experts, consultant(in various fields), management gurus,restauranteurs,etc. And they are succeeding in their chosen field in various parts of the globe. Our system of education is excellent, indeed.

HOW FAR SHOULD MY CHILD SIT IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER?

Computers are an ideal tool for learning through play. Every school insists on computer classes from a very young age. Rhymes and music are played, drawing and painting is encouraged on the computer. Even stories are told using flashcards generated on the computer screen.
A little older child is encouraged to play computer games. At school, the 4th grade upwards are being taught programming languages as well. PowerPoint presentations are common among 5th graders and above. 6th graders are taught to create their own websites as well.
As to the use of internet, all school projects are done carefully after sourcing information from the net. Reference books from the library have taken a back seat . Almost every school going child from 5th upwards has an email-id. They love using computer jargon, especially if their parents do not know, and parents enjoy that.
But, very few educationists lay down guidelines for the child with respect to ergonomics. They are only satisfied in blocking social networking sites and email agents while children surf online in the computer class.
And at home, parents are more eager in providing a computer with internet connection for their wards without verifying the lighting and seating aspects while the child is at the computer.

Essential guidelines to follow

• Computer workstation meant for an adult is not suitable for a child. They may have to look up at a different angle than the parent.
• Investing in a good chair which can be adjusted according to the child's height is recommended.
• The recommended distance between the monitor and the eye for children is between 18 and 28 inches.
• Parents should check for sources of glare by sitting in front of the computer.Windows or other light sources should not be directly visible while at the computer.
• American Optometric Association recommends that children take short breaks of at least 20-seconds for every 20 minutes of computer time.

The Association warns that many children may be developing Computer Vision Syndrome due to prolonged computer use. In addition to vision problems as with the adult, a child spending too much time in front of the computer screen can develop eye discomfort, blurred vision, fatigue and headaches.