Gardner Writes and His Speech

It was great to listen to this prolific speaker Dr. Gardner Campbell on 'Deschool, Reboot, Real School' - and he was delivering at UMD his keynote address at the Innovations in Teaching and Learning Conference.

He talked about Doug Engelbart ; one of the person I like and appreciate a lot. Engelbert is known for his mouse, but he has not been able to implement his Knoweldge Society Domain framework well. He still laments on that. In future, given a chance, I intend to meet and disucss with him. Gopika Kannan, my friend and collegue who worked with me on the National Research and Education Development work for India, had met him sometime back. She reports back, Doug is not happy the way his thinking is interpreted. What he is thinking is something very different and unique. It will need to walk thorugh his thoughts several times to learn from his eight decades of experience. Well that is another vision all together in the learing curve of life....

Gardner did a great presentation on what role Information Technology can play in the "deschooled" society.

Follow Gardener Campbell's blog -- there is some great stuff there.

I carry home his three points - Addressivity, Eutrapelia and Real School.

And will visit his 2nd Life project soon...
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Indian Education System Revamp

I have been receiving some interests from some universities and colleges, mostly engineering from India to adopt to the best systems in education. The education system in India seems the best; at least the IITs and IIMs. But the level two systems probably a way behind the best. The recent influx of IT curriculum has come into the campuses in India, but the infrastructure and training is not geared up for that. It is happening with small increaments and will take years. Further, the salaries and the lack of challenges for he professors and lecturers are not good.

I never imagined Engineering Colleges or Unviersities without a good Workshop or Laboratory; but that is happening now. My basics are clear from making "Dirty Hands" in Babcock Systems or German Measuring Devices it the Hot Workshops; toiling hard with sweat to make a hexagonal rod from a round one.

However, during 2001-2003 I have been visiting all IITs and engg colleges as part of National Innovation Foundation(NIF) giving projects to students and have guided students for projects (around 20-30). In the span 2003-06; I have been visiting faculty to engineering colleges giving lectures on Project Guidance, Entrepreneurship, Life after engg, recent trends on technologies, motivation etc. This was sponsored by colleges and was organized by NGOs, Pune management association, Instt. of Engrs - as activities towards revamping the system of education. The industry was supporting us a lot and the best was getting industrialists and professionals from the field to come with us and sharing the experience. In one way. we used to conduct one day camps, faculty meetings and trying to bring about industry-institute collaboration.

However, the model had some potential and we were working to put forth a national model towards this. The bottom line was hands-on, projects, system revamp, changing faculty mindset, industry interaction etc. Our lectures and activities were major success and before coming here I used get paid-invitations to deliver the same.

I came across a recent artivle in The Chronicle : India's Knowledge Commission Calls for a Major Overhaul of Higher-Education System : http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=2shW9t6xcknGyHqPzw8gDxsgpDmH8kCZ_

" India needs to increase its number of universities to 1,500 by 2015, from 350 now, an advisory body said........" it goes...and refers to the following report :-

http://knowledgecommission.gov.in/recommendations/higher.asp

It is intersting to see thing to imporve..but the problem remains Quantity Vs Quality..May be a well judged balance is the need of the hour...

Serenus...

It was not unusual for Chetan to put this word as his custom message on the Gmail Talk. Well, this is something to notice; now a days the hidden personality being revealed on the web differently. However. Chetan and his creative musings are a good combination; since I know him as a mentor and friend for last a decade. He is in the core list of friends..


But this blog is not about Chetan, it is about Serenus. It is a latin word meaning calm and serene. Also some words that follow the same line are Serena or Serenity

Selene is the Roman Goddess of Moon. The beauty is the story that follows. Selene is known for her countless love affairs. The most famous of her loves is the shepherd Endymion. Other affairs of Selene's include involvement with Zeus and also Pan.

The details can be found at
http://thanasis.com/selene.htm and http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Selene.html

Endymion was a legendary character in Greek mythology. His is a unconventional love story. It is said that in time Selene bore the handsome mortal fifty daughters. Scholars have suggested that the number of daughters is symbolic, with each daughter possibly representing an individual month of an Olympiad. The details of his compelling legend have inspired art, poetry, and literature over the centuries.

The myth is twisted a bit to accommodate the mortal and an immortal engagement with each other. As a mortal, Endymion was subject to aging and death. But the Goddess Selene is young and beautiful for all times. To solve this, the Goddess of the Moon cast a spell on her lover, making him sleep forever. In this state of eternal slumber, Endymion kept both his youth and his good looks.

But as it goes "Endymion was visited by Selene every night and softly kissed by her rays of light".

I am not sure whether Selene and Endymion live for ever or not; but they live as the epitome of their love. Most importantly Selene lives in the words; and Serenus is one of them.

Chetan says he has a special liking for the word....GOD knows why, he will not reveal, and he goes one step further, to name his future baby in this name..Well; we all wait .....