Internet is the great leveler of the
world - anyone with a decent computer and an internet connection can
theoretically accomplish similar things that someone with a high end computer
and ultra-fast connection can. Of course the time consumed may vary, but just
imagine how cost effective the internet is - as every kind of service now runs
via the internet and you can pretty much do anything with it. A kid in India
will hence have the same answers to explore that a rich kid in the US will.
That's how the world is leveled by the internet, but this opportunity MUST be
explored to the fullest - so that we, as a species, can progress to a peaceful
and a better future.
So, who is doing their two bits worth to
ensure this progress can be taken forward using the power of internet? Let’s
take a closer look.
iTunes U from Apple
iTunes
U from Apple
Launched with the iOS6 upgrade, this handy
app brings you closer to University courses than ever before. Anyone with an
iPhone running iOS6 or above, can access this app - which lets users subscribe
to topics that interest them, directly from Universities that are partnering
Apple. Just recently Apple announced iTunes U content downloads have topped one
billion. iTunes U continues to feature the world's largest online catalogue of
free educational content from top schools and prominent libraries, museums and
organizations helping educators create courses including lectures,
assignments, books, quizzes and more for iOS users around the world.
Launched
with the iOS6 upgrade, this handy app brings you closer to University courses
than ever before.
"It's inspiring to see what educators
and students of all types are doing with iTunes U," said Eddy Cue, Apple's
senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "With the
incredible content offered on iTunes U, students can learn like never before -
there are now iTunes U courses with more than 250,000 students enrolled in
them, which is a phenomenal shift in the way we teach and learn."
More than 1,200 universities and colleges,
and 1,200 K-12 schools and districts host over 2,500 public and thousands of
private courses encompassing the arts, sciences, health and medicine,
education, business and more. Leading universities including Duke, Yale,
Cambridge, MIT and Oxford continue to extend their reach by enrolling more than
100,000 students in single iTunes U courses, with Stanford University and The
Open University each surpassing 60 million content downloads. The Ohio State
University's Matthew "Dr. Fus" Stoltzfus' General Chemistry course
enrolled over 100,000 iTunes U students in the first year it was offered.
Courses online
The disadvantage of some online courses is
that you only get a certificate of completion, which may not have much weight
in the real world outside. But, what about some courses offered by well-known
institutes with an aim to provide the best training to working professionals
towards achieving their certification goals, Simplilearn.com offers a blended
training model (Classroom +Online), which makes it easy for professionals to
prepare for various certification exams. Simplilearn.com offers over 50
certification courses in Project Management, IT Services Management, IT
Security Management, Quality Management, Financial Management, and Technology
Certification. Simplilearn.com offers a blended model of training which is a
mix of online & classroom training. This training model combines an optimum
mix of 2-5 days certified instructor led classroom training and learning management
system based secure online learning and training with simulation tests,
audio-video content and video tutorials to maximize success in achieving the
certification. Simplilearn.com develops in-house content for all the courses
(except for third party courses such as Microsoft, Cisco, etc), which is used
by all their trainers worldwide, which ensures uniform delivery irrespective of
the trainer.
Online Education Tabs
Enough apps and online courses, let's also
talk about some products. Some time ago we had reviewed the Akash Tutor tablet,
and the iBall Edu-Slide is in the same vein. The offering naturally has two
major components "the Tablet PC" and "the content". To make
it the most ideal for the students both aspects have been given the maximum
attention.
Akash
Tutor tablet
The content by e-Teach is created by a
group of IITians who had been working for over last 5 years to bring something
really useful for students and is presented in a manner that makes education
easy to understand as well as interesting to learn. eTeach has been working
dedicatedly with an objective to change the dynamics of the Indian education
system with the use of digital media devices. Visual explanations of
scientific processes are always going to be a treat to learn with.
iBall
Edu-Slide
On the hardware Tablet front, iBall has
ensured whatever is needed for the students - terrific and seamless performance
with exceptional specifications ideal for the students.
Various findings and tests bring out the
fact that bigger screens of minimum nine inch and above size are ideal for
students. Based on this requirement for students, iBall Edu-Slide is presented
with 10.1" screen size to ensure the product is ideal for the student
requirement and is loaded with absolutely high technology for smooth and
terrific performance. Its dual core processor (Cortex A9 with 1.5 GHz) and
G400 Mali graphic processor and 1GB big RAM gives the stunning and seamless
performance for the animated content for education and will keep the young
users hooked onto the subject when they open their text books next.
Concepts to radicalize The Education
System
Gamification
Of Education
Of course, there is a need to change the
Education system itself. We had covered some TED talks in our previous issues
and even done a website review of TED. com - but not all great ideas to
radically change the education system have come from there. Even though Sir Ken
Robinson gave an amazing talk at TED some 6 or so years ago, the most radical
idea we've seen has actually come from a YouTube content creator who makes
videos on video games! Naturally, the video was titled 'Gamification Of
Education' and spoke about how schools should adopt the same concept of a
player progressing through a video game in the education system. But, rather
than telling you what it is, we'll let you enjoy the info graphic
