an ict-based network
TRANSCRIPT
An ICT-based Network
Expert Centre
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute
(Deemed to be University) Belur Math, Howrah 711 202
Tel: (033) 2654 9999
www.vivekdisha.in
E-mail: [email protected]
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Inspiration: Swamiji’s Vision
Swami Vivekananda felt that his vision of a new India
combining the hoary spiritual heritage of the East and the modern science and technology of the
West could be actualized by the hard work of a dedicated band of youth fired with a spirit of selfless
service. He had a comprehensive plan for community development, both urban and rural, integrating the best
elements of the East and the West. He gave a new
philosophy of work for the modern world. One of the important principles Swami Vivekananda learned from
his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, was Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva—‘service to living beings looking upon them as veritable
embodiments of the Divine’.
VIVEKDISHA: An ICT-based Network VIVEKDISHA is an information and communication technology (ICT) –based network
of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Belur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. It is providing a single window –based services like
online education from secondary to undergraduate level, online teachers’ training, Spiritual Heritage programmes, teachers’ workshops and research programmes.
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VIVEKDISHA Network: At present, we have 26 VIVEKDISHA centres in India for
Online and offline education, teachers training and other
activities. The University has the provision to connect twenty-five
centres for videoconferencing through Internet Broadband
facility anywhere at any time on the globe. The centre at University,
Belur Math is the Expert Centre, while the other centres in West
Bengal and other areas are participating centres. The
distribution of the Vivekdisha
Centres in West Bengal is wide enough to cover a greater part of the State of West Bengal—from Jalpaiguri, in the north of the state, to the Sundarban region in the south,
and to the district of Bardhaman in the west. All the Vivekdisha Centres are located in the branch centres of Ramakrishna Mission or in places where ex-students/devotees of
Ramakrishna Mission run centres with dedication to the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology.
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Online classes are conducted mainly from the University Expert Centre
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Programmes of VIVEKDISHA
Online education : Class 6 to Graduation Subjects- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Life Science, Communicative
English, Value Education Offline education : Communicative English, History, Geography, Value Education
Development of Interactive Website with Online Examinations Facilities Recording and Uploading of Teaching videos
Publication of International standard science and other books Research in education and other areas
Spiritual Heritage programmes mainly for International Audience Teachers’ training and workshops
Creation of Book Bank at different centres
Asansol Kamarpukur
Medinipur Nimpith
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VIVEKDISHA Website: We are glad to announce that VIVEKDISHA Website is now available to access. Its address is https://vivekdisha.in. This site has some special features like: 1. Bilingual- The site is in English and in Bangla. 2. Online Examinations- The site provides opportunities for students to take practice tests in different subjects at various levels. The questions can be set in English and in any Indian languages. Students of schools, colleges and universities can take advantage of this unique feature. 3. Video Lessons/Teaching videos- Some edited videos of our online classes are available here. 4. Cross references of different books related to Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji have been added. 5. 3600 Studio - Provides a panoramic view of a place. 6. eLibrary- It provides an opportunity to read some valuable books with more pictures and supporting information and documents.
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Installation of equipment on first day at Begampur School
Chakdwipa School
Installation of equipment on first day at Chakdwipa School
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Tele-education Tele-education is the use of information and communication technology to provide online and offline education. In today’s world, education is needed for sustainable
development. Tele-education encompasses a new vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating and enjoying a
sustainable future. As the world is gradually becoming more and more connected, ICT-based teaching practices in education are being extensively used and emphasized,
although face-to-face meetings or synchronous interaction in real time are still required
to supplement asynchronous and independent learning, if more effective learning is to take place. ICT facilitates a high level of interaction among students and the teacher,
with the aid of multimedia-based materials. Hence, communication can be dynamic between the teachers and students through video-conferencing.
ICT-based learning offers greater diversity of learning goals, projects, activities, and exercises than traditional classroom learning. Also it allows the learners to make full
use of their own multiple cognitive abilities and conative powers. In the ICT-based teaching-learning process, teachers and students alike are enthused because teaching
becomes more dynamic, expanding their vision and making available high quality study materials. Moreover, teachers are motivated to teach more creatively and to exchange
lesson plans and pedagogical strategies with their colleagues all over the globe even on a day to day basis.
Multimedia-based teaching is in progress at
Belur math Expert Centre
Masat Aptap Mitra High School,
Hooghly
Nawabganj Balika Vidyalaya,
North 24 Paraganas Rajendra Smriti Vidyalaya,
Konnagar, Hooghly
Begampur High School,
Hooghly
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VIVEKDISHA online class seen at remote centres
Teacher taking class from our online school
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What exactly happens in an online class?
A teacher teaches using a digital notepad or multimedia presentation prepared by using computer software. This is transmitted simultaneously to all the centres logged in to the University Expert Centre. In these centres the students are able to see and hear the teacher, the multimedia presentation, the notepad as well as students at other centres who are also participating in the online class. At the same time, the teacher at the University Expert centre or anywhere on the globe can see and hear all the participating centres. It is a virtual class room whose boundaries are not defined! It makes a vibrant interactive virtual classroom environment for the teacher and students at various geographically isolated centres.
Online class for multiple centres is in progress
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Tele-education : Our Programs
The VIVEKDISHA network run by Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University has taken up the following educational programmes:
Online education : Class 6 to Graduation
Subjects- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Life Science, Communicative English,
Value Education
Offline education : Communicative English, History, Geography, Value Education
Development of interactive website with Online Examination platform
Recording and uploading of Teaching videos
Publication of concept-based books
Research in education, telecommunication and other areas
Spiritual Heritage programme for International Audience
Teachers’ training and workshops
Creation of Book Bank at different centres
Telemedicine
Telemedicine technology makes it possible for doctors at a hospital or an Expert Centre
to examine, advise and direct the treatment of patients in remote centres. The technology gives rural residents access to medical specialists who are not often
available in remote areas. This saves the patient the cost of travelling to the doctor for advice and treatment and also allows family members to participate in the discussions.
The specialist service may involve general diagnosis of disease, dermatology, orthopaedics, pathology, etc. This technology can also be used to provide follow-up
care for patients who have had surgical interventions. This service will also help the non-specialist and local doctors to gain advanced knowledge that would enable them
to treat their patients better.
Breaking the digital divide in the rural front: Swami Vivekananda was a unique modern saint in India who equated service of living
beings, especially the poor and the downtrodden, with worship of the Divine. He stated boldly: 'He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak and the diseased, really worships
Shiva; and … with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.' It was Swami Vivekananda who coined the word daridra-narayana to refer
to the poor and the afflicted. Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University is making humble efforts to infuse in the youths this attitude and feeling for the poor and the
underprivileged through the VIVEKDISHA Network.
(a) Knowledge as the catalyst: The catalyst for change and empowerment is information and knowledge. Access to
relevant information gives people opportunities to develop and better their lives. In
turn it helps family, society and the nation at large to strengthen the development process. Moreover, the ability to share information on a level playing field helps all to
overcome barriers of isolation and encourages exchange and collaboration.
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(b) Growing tele-density in India: 72% of India’s
national population consists of people
living in rural areas. However, it is a
matter of pleasant wonder that the
country now had nearly 1174.8 million
wireless and wireline users at the end of
January 2014. In India during January
2017 the urban tele
density was 169.39% and the rural tele
density was 56.08%. The telecom sector is
trying to emphasize affordability,
focussing particularly on rural India. This
will enable the country to bridge the tele-density gap between rural and urban India. Vivekdisha in its small capacity providing the facilities of online classes even to
remote rural areas where stable broadband connectivity with a minimum 512 kbps speed is available.
On-going Activities: The regular transmission
of various programmes through the
VIVEKDISHA Centres has generated great
enthusiasm besides opening up enormous
possibilities for the all-round development
of the locality in which these centres are
situated. Programmes are transmitted from the
University Expert
Centre at Belur Math with unerring regularity.
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Online classes: Salient Features of our programmes: Physics, Chemistry,
Mathematics, Biology, Value Education and Communicative English for students of Classes six to twelve are
taught mostly through multimedia presentations
i.e. through texts, pictures, animations, real visual clips,
video recordings from laboratory or operation
theatres.
a) Classes are held in
Bangla or in English, for the students of Classes six to
twelve in an interactive mode for the benefit of
participants. In case of
higher classes the medium of instruction is English.
b) ICT tools like PC, laptop,
LCD monitor, camera, digital notepad, projectors, audio system, many software etc. are used to make the
teaching-learning process not only more
effective, but more joyful and fruitful as
well.
c) Interactions and discussions give the
learners certain inputs
that take them to a slightly higher level
than the classes in which they are
presently studying.
d) The technique of tackling questions and
the art of writing precise and relevant
answers are also highlighted with examples.
Multimedia based presentation and students seen on Teacher’s Desktop
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e) Students are
encouraged to ask
questions till they gain a proper
understanding of the topic under
discussion.
f) Teachers from different institutions
are giving free service.
g) The time table is
modified/expanded according to the
feedback received
from different stakeholders
especially students.
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Youth Interaction across various regions:
It has become a fashion, and perhaps an obsession, among the youth to communicate
with one other and exchange views through the internet and other online devices that
are now freely available.
These devices doubtless
have their vicious
influences, but cannot be
totally avoided. In tune
with Swami
Vivekananda’s thoughts,
these very devices could
be turned into agencies
for positive and elevating
thinking and education if
the youth could be
properly guided. The
online networking
involving the youth that
we are trying to building
up, which may be called
the Youth Thought Exchange Programme Initiative, is a step towards building bridges
of national and international level understanding.
Sometimes a bunch of kids can
accomplish more in a small amount
of time than a country can achieve
in decades. Students in our online
classes belonging to different
regions of our State and different
States of our country get the feeling
of brotherhood and unity through
interactions with a large community
of eager students all studying
together under one particular
teacher and sharing the same study
material. The common focus being
science or humanities education
blended with value education, these students unconsciously form a bond of
understanding which is a powerful tool to remove their misconceptions of caste,
regional, linguistic and religious prejudices and bias gathered through wrong and
negative education. We may hope one day our online students will be able to contribute
a positive step towards regional, national and world peace. In this system, the students
are given a wonderful opportunity to spread their wings to grow with liberal attitudes
by taking their lessons regularly with the students of other parts of the state.
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Spiritual Heritage Programme for International Audience: Vivekdisha is trying to cater the need of the devotees residing in faraway places from
their homelands. At present devotees of Sri Ramakrishana are joining the bilingual class on “Sri Sri Ramakrishna
Kathamrita” (The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) from
different countries like Canada, United Arab
Emeritus (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharja, Dubai), United States
of America (Cleveland, Pennsylvania, Fargo). One of
the overwhelming
statements made by a devotee after attending the
initial class is:
“It is just past noon on a Saturday afternoon. I am in
my home in Pennsylvania - thousands of miles away from Belur Math....... not really..... I am just a click away from attending a live on-line class on my favorite
book Kathamrita by Sri M (Sri Mahendranath Gupta). I will soon get to hear Sri Ramakrishna’s Amritavani not just read out to me but also expounded upon by Swami
Atmapriyanandaji, the Vice Chancellor of
Vivekananda University.
Technology, the yearning of the monks
of the Order to serve the needs of devotees
in faraway lands and the desire of the
Bhaktas (devotees) to know more about our
Beloved Thakur has made it possible for us
to share in this enchanting experience.
Kathamrita is becoming a wonderful source of
Satsang for so many of
us Guru brothers and sisters (disciples) sitting in different parts of the world. What better Satsang can we ask for but to hear Kathamrita directly from a Monk of the
Ramakrishna Order? Thank you Thakur for blessing us with this wonderful opportunity to be here in this world at this time and partake of Your words, thoughts, actions and
divine guidance on-line!”
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(An ICT– based Network)
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda
Educational and Research Institute
Time Table : Afternoon and Evening (w.e.f. 4.1.2019)
11.00-12.00
12.10-
12.50
12.50-
1.30
2.15-
2.55
2.55-
3.30 3.30-4.00 Evening/ Night
MON
LSc 10A
PSc 8A PSc 9A
CE 9A
CE 10B
TUE
PSc 7A
LSc 9A
Science
6A
LSc 8B
WED 11.45-12.45
Foundation Sc for Cl 9
(English Medium)
PSc 10B LSc 9B
CE 9B
CE 10A
THU
PSc 10A
Science
6B
PSc 7B
LSc 8A
FRI
11.10-12.00
Foundation Sc
for Cl 10
(English
Medium)
PSc 8B
PSc 9B LSc
10B
SAT
12.00-1.30
Teachers’
workshop
(on specific dates)
10.15 - 11.15 pm
Spiritual Heritage
for International
Audiences
SUN
CE = Communicative English
Tentulia High School Bergram Palli Sevaniketan High School (HS)
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Online Student Attendance (March 2019):
Results in Secondary Examination 2019:
Online Student Attendance (approx) March 2019
Class
Centres
Boys Girls SC ST Boys Girls SC ST Boys Girls SC ST Boys Girls SC ST Boys Girls SC ST BSc Boys Girls Students
Rural
1 Kamarpukur 172 24 6 156 20 1 148 11 3 140 10 122 8 1 738 0 738
2 Begampur 165 19 85 10 148 15 156 17 148 15 2 702 0 702
3 Chakdwipa 157 141 26 110 117 27 162 156 22 126 123 17 129 120 15 684 657 1341
4 Balarampur 60 82 56 45 49 68 38 31 68 86 55 55 92 100 57 76 46 96 51 39 315 432 747
5 Bergram 109 89 59 47 87 49 38 40 104 58 50 35 150 91 73 39 71 58 37 15 521 345 866
6 Palashipara 165 10 72 18 1 209 23 237 35 155 24 1 838 0 838
7 Nasigram 41 21 20 10 50 30 52 33 1 37 16 200 0 200
8 Nimpith 233 93 25 215 87 20 271 116 25 218 88 11 227 85 10 1164 0 1164
9 Borai 18 3 5 11 4 2 15 7 25 9 16 4 0 85 85
Total 1102 330 311 128 794 245 252 95 1160 315 329 118 1171 339 339 127 935 290 255 68 5162 1519 6681
Urban
10 Asansol 133 24 113 17 1 115 14 1 110 14 2 84 20 2 555 0 555
11 Medinipur 126 12 5 122 15 3 115 11 2 100 12 1 106 15 5 569 0 569
12 Taki 123 45 2 110 33 3 107 31 2 75 23 1 71 19 2 486 0 486
13 Tentulia 187 86 110 46 156 85 209 111 136 85 798 0 798
14 Nawabganj 43 15 39 9 52 9 2 33 8 38 9 2 0 205 205
15 Masat 66 65 32 74 57 37 1 74 75 26 56 75 25 74 101 30 1 344 373 717
16 Bolpur 213 52 7 169 32 5 199 44 7 276 45 10 180 35 6 1037 0 1037
17 Konnagar 62 15 53 13 63 17 62 7 62 10 1 302 0 302
18 Jalpaiguri 170 46 2 273 62 322 88 215 56 0 980 980
19 Betai 128 129 220 85 70 136 173 152 279 3 255 231 384 50 147 166 237 16 788 748 1536
20 Sinthi 121 8 104 7 0 133 10 100 6 106 3 1 0 564 564
21 Karanjatala 51 45 63 15 43 29 32 30 56 49 62 18 87 56 85 24 59 50 77 7 296 229 525
22 Apeejay, Park Street 67 13 69 11 136 24 160
23 Apeejay, Salt lake 52 31 60 22 82
24 Vijaywara 17 10 17 10 27
Total 1038 403 572 29 879 469 423 45 1058 734 650 35 1366 871 808 88 988 687 596 43 0 5329 3164 8493
International Sites
Male Female
17 13 17 13 30
Total 15204
10 Total
Spiritual Heritage
6 7 8 9
Ramakrishna
Mission Schools
Students
appeared
1st Division
(above
60%)
2nd
Division
(above
45%)
P
Division
Star
Mark
(above
75%)
Above
90%
Highest
Marks
(Out of
700)
State
Ranks
Purulia 93 93 93 66 680 11th
Asansol 103 103 98 33 660
Kamarpukur 94 84 10 67 31 678 13th
Midnapore 85 83 2 70 29 676 15th
Taki 71 71 42 8 658
Total 446 434 12 370 167
* Marks mentioned in Aggregate.
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Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations: A few students who studied in Vivekdisha online classes up to class 10 in different years got chance in State Engineering and Medical Colleges. Three out of four students who
studied only for Medical Entrance Examinations in Vivekdisha online classes were selected for reputed Medical Colleges in the country.
Results of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (2019):
Class X
Grades & Highest Marks in different Science subjects
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith, Purulia
AA A+ A B+ B TotalHighest
Marks
(90-100) (80-89) (60-79) (45-59) (<45) Students (H.M.)
Mathematics 83 10 93 100 7 7
Phy. Science 72 21 93 100 5 5
Life Science 86 7 93 100 1 1
Ramakrishna Mission High School, Asansol
AA A+ A B+ B TotalHighest
Marks
(90-100) (80-89) (60-79) (45-59) (<45) Students (H.M.)
Mathematics 75 15 13 103 100 22 22
Phy. Science 48 28 27 103 97 2
Life Science 63 31 9 103 100 1 1
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyabhavan, Midnapore
Mathematics 51 13 15 4 2 85 100 7 7
Phy. Science 43 16 23 3 85 99 1
Life Science 70 12 3 85 100 7 7
Kamarpukur Ramakrishna Mission Multipurpose School
Mathematics 51 7 22 8 6 94 100 12 12
Phy. Science 31 23 21 12 7 94 97 3
Life Science 58 16 17 3 94 100 4 4
Taki Ramakrishna Mission High School
Mathematics 29 10 27 5 71 100 1 1
Phy. Science 15 21 30 5 71 96 2
Life Science 22 27 22 71 97 1
Grades/ Marks
No. of
students
got H.M.
100
out of
100
Grades/ Marks
No. of
students
got H.M.
100
out of
100
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Content Generation: (a) For School and college education: Content generation is one of the key factors in teaching science, Value Education and communicative English. The contents
published in print media cannot be updated in a short span of time, but in the case of
ICT-based content, easy and swift revision and updating are made possible through
circulation of content both to the learners and to other experts/professionals in the
field of science teaching, Value Education and communicative English, who can make
suggestions for updating information.
To promote the attitude of participative and
interactive teaching and learning and to use ICT tools effectively to achieve development goals,
the content should be tailored to the particular needs of the users and relevant to the specific
cultures and languages of targeted communities. This is a special need of the hour.
The contents of the multimedia presentations of different science subjects were mostly
developed in the local language of Bangla in order to fulfil the local need in West Bengal.
Sometimes video clippings shown during the lessons were in English to help the students
strengthen their command of that language while learning science
subjects in an easy and entertaining manner. The content of the lessons
was developed more or less according
to the syllabus of the West Bengal Board or universities in West Bengal
though the syllabi of other boards were consulted and relevant study materials
were also incorporated. Care was also taken to motivate all types of students
and to develop in them an inner urge to learn more and to grasp the ideas
presented after careful thought. During the content development process, feedback and views were taken from experts in the
relevant fields.
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(b) Development of Multimedia-based Study Materials with Special Focus on
Higher Values of Life: Multimedia based study materials for different science
subjects, communicative English, etc., are being prepared and constantly upgraded
keeping in view the
value education
aspect by
incorporating positive
ideas based on
Swamiji’s teachings.
Swamiji’s ideas on
various subjects and
various aspects of life
are being included as
integral parts of
regular class lessons
to increase the
awareness of the
students as well as to
familiarize them with
Swamiji’s unique
insights and ideas in
areas of science. To bring the quality of the study materials at par similar materials at
the international level, many internationally reputed books, articles have been
consulted. To foster the
spirit of scientific enquiry
in the students, many
visual clips of laboratory
experiments and
animations of different
processes or theories
have been incorporated
within the study
materials. We have
presented these study
materials to a large
cross-section of teachers
and discussed with the
contents with them.
Experienced teachers of
Ramakrishna Mission
schools and other institutions have been consulted and their views incorporated in these
study materials thus prepared.
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Publication of a concept-based Science book for Secondary students: Building Science Concepts VIVEKDISHA has published
a book on Science of International standard in
Bangla to build students’ science concepts with an
integrated approach to various subjects the
students learn at the secondary level. This book
is also tool for the teachers
at secondary level in the following way:
To refresh one’s science understanding of the topic and to
gain awareness of potential
misconceptions that the students may bring to the
topic
To use the thoughtful questions in the book to find out what the
students already think and why
they think that To use the concepts to
decide what the students need to think about next
To select lab demonstrations mentioned in
the book that will support the intended learning of the young
learners
‘Vivekdisha Vijyankatha (Volume 2)’ was published by the Chairman, ISRO while General Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission was present in the function
‘Vivekdisha Vijyankatha (Volume 1)’ was published by the Minister of Human Resource Development of Govt. of India while General Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission was present in the function
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The pedagogical ideas behind publication of this book is based on research and
experience to how children learn. Reading about and reflecting on these ideas will be useful for all teachers of science regardless of whether or not they are using this book.
Value Education: Inculcation of higher human values is one important objective of the VIVEKDISHA Project, particularly in the youth. Values imbibed and practised in one’s own life makes
life valuable and living joyous. To inculcate the
attitude of practising higher ideals in life and to
influence young minds right from the school
days, VIVEKDISHA has taken up this value
education programme, which used multimedia
presentations to illustrate Ramakrishna-
Vivekananda teachings
for students of various age groups, followed by a
lively interactive session. Spiritual classes have
also been conducted for youth and adults at
various centres through videoconferencing from the Expert Centre at University.
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Value education books are introduced through creation of Book Banks at different
schools and also taken up as rapid readers at different classes to promote values in life.
Bringing out Integrated Science Text Books with modern ideas:
We are keenly scrutinizing science books that have been published at the secondary and higher secondary levels, and trying to eliminate and correct certain fundamental
errors that have crept into them and unfortunately perpetuated for decades on end. We are trying to put our expertise in the field of Physical and Life Sciences to rectify
such fundamental errors by drawing attentions to many professors, teachers, authors and administrative personnel of various universities, colleges, schools and educational
bodies. We already met the Head of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and
given him written request letter along with corrected study materials in Science subjects which are to be incorporated in the Science text books approved by the Board
and in the proposed books to be published by the Board itself in the coming session. This year (2014) science text books for classes 6 to 8 are published by West Bengal
Board of Secondary Education accepted our most of corrections for these classes.
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Workshops with Teachers at several places:
Educational expectations and curricula are constantly evolving. Advances in technology require new skills and offer new ways of learning, both in school and later in a complex and changeable socio-economic situations. Professional development
helps teachers keep up with those changes and pass them on to their students. Professional development for one teacher benefits the entire school by bringing fresh
ideas, insights and enthusiasm to everyone.
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Good teachers become great teachers
by going beyond the call of duty and
beyond the textbook. To do this, he or
she must continue their education. Our
workshops with teachers intended to
provide the teachers extra help to equip
them better motivated teachers. Our
workshops also provide an opportunity
to understand how to integrate
technology into the classroom and how to make it cross curricular.
Online Teachers’ Training:
Nowadays one of the key components of educational reform effort has been that
effective professional development which in turn help ‘to transform and restructure
quality schools’.
Much of the available research on professional development involves its relationship
to student achievement. Researchers differ on the degree of this relationship. There are several factors which greatly influence the teaching- learning scenario in the
school are overall school environment, teacher, level of understanding of the students, parent and community involvement, instructional strategies, classroom
management, curriculum design, student background knowledge, and student
motivation. Based upon a review of several studies, Marzano (2003) concluded that the professional development activities experienced by teachers have a similar impact
on student achievement to those of the aforementioned variables. Our everyday online Teachers’
training programme is a real
demonstration of teaching
methods, screening and
selection process of contents
and integration of the contents
with various other topics and
above all innovative methods of
building up of the concepts
among the students.
The exchange of one-to-
one suggestions and guidance
between two teachers can be
an excellent opportunity for new teachers to benefit from their mentor's experience
and experienced teachers to add new skills and knowledge to their repertoire.
Professional development can be a solo effort, too. Books, magazine articles and
lesson plan packages provide a resource and reference for teachers. We put emphasis
on all these to motivate the teachers to have self confidence in teaching with more
creativity and innovativeness to address the need of their students including first
generation learners.
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Online Life Science Teachers Workshops:
VIVEKDISHA wants to promote excellence in concept-based and innovative teaching in all subjects including science, mathematics and language. Implementing and
supporting these types of teaching are rooted in
engaging students to use core ideas of the topics and
crosscutting concepts to explain phenomena or solve
problems. These require changes in teachers’
professional learning. To encourage teachers to take
greater ownership of the reforms to a large extent will
depend on their leadership
capabilities. These capabilities of all the teachers will impact
and ultimately shape the school with its modern
outlook. Leading a paradigm shift in
thinking and practice of any magnitude is a challenge that requires leadership based
on hope, trust, faith, and civility from all the teachers and support from school
administrators.
What’s the best thing about this online Life science Teachers meet? The teachers, of
course! To meet teachers of
different schools urban and rural,
to share the ideas of concept-
based and innovative teaching
ideas and also to understand the
role that multimedia-based
VIVEKDISHA online education
plays for students. Through this
meeting we are assisting
teachers in the process of
building capacity to bring a
positive change in teaching-
learning methods. The goal is to
get others involved in learning
and creating so that the workload is shared. This process of new initiative in a school
need to be integrated with teaching of various subjects and co-curricular activities
and not just science teaching.
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Creation of Book Banks in different Schools:
Putting quality books in the hands of the children who need them most
In some of the schools joining in our online classes
having more than sixty percent of children live in low-income households. Most of these children
have no age-appropriate books at home, and the classrooms and courses they attend are woefully
under-resourced. Approximately two-thirds of these school children cannot afford to buy books at
retail prices.
VIVEKDISHA has pioneered groundbreaking
channels to provide quality books and educational resources for free to schools serving children in
need.
We provide teachers and school administrators with greater access to high-quality books that
otherwise would not be available to them. Through
Book Banks created by VIVEKDISHA in different schools, educators can create enriched learning experiences
for their students, and the children can enjoy an ongoing
supply of wonderful quality books for their joyful learning.
Outcomes for Children:
Several months’ longitudinal study of students at different
schools found that books
provided through Book Banks:
1. Improves interest in reading- Students
demonstrating a 'high interest' in reading after
getting books and regular help from the teachers.
2. Increases children's reading skill- School teachers are observing books from VIVEKDISHA were "very important" in children’s inclination to read more and
improve their reading skills.
Outcomes for Schools: A general survey of our Book Banks shows:
1. Increases educational opportunities- The books given from VIVEKDISHA would allow them to increase educational opportunities or activities, including parent
involvement.
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2. Increases productive use of time- Study shows that regular classes as well as
provisional classes can be more productive if given the opportunity to distribute books kept as resources in VIVEKDISHA Book Banks.
Paper presented at National Conference on Communications 2013 and
accepted in IEEE:
A paper named ‘Bridging the Digital Gap in Rural India: VIVEKDISH- A Novel
Experience’ which was accepted
and presented in the National Conference on Communications
2013 at IIT Delhi. This has also been accepted in the
digital library of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Xplore (IEEE xplore).
Mr. Partha Goswami, IIT Khargpur, co-author of the paper presented our
paper at the National Conference of Communications 2013
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International Programmes:
To address widening health and social inequalities, VIVEKDISHA at Ramakrishna
Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (RKMVERI), Belur Math, and
the Global HealthShare® (GHS) initiative at the University of California, Davis (UCD)
have begun a novel partnership to improve public health education and outreach
efforts and to promote research that will contribute to nutritional health and increased
food security in rural, low-income regions adversely impacted by climate change and
seasonal disasters.
School of Life Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA
Salient features of our present International Programmes:
Create new partnerships between RKMVERI and UCD faculty, researchers, and
students, laying the groundwork for future interdisciplinary collaborations
Promote cultural exchange and bidirectional learning between international
groups
Understand the influence of culture on the practice of global health, health
education, and outreach
Promote nutritional health, food security, and an upgraded standard of living in
rural communities, through the use of innovative education and training
technologies
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Faculty Exchange Programme with University of California, Davis, USA:
Dr Rupak Goswami, Assistant Professor of our University visited University of California (October-November 2013) as a
part of faculty exchange programme taken up in
VIVEKDISHA–GHS programme. Dr Somen Nandi
and other scientists of UC Davis facilitated some great
exposures for Dr Goswami, which enhanced his
understanding on international development in Sustainable
Agriculture and related areas. Dr Goswami also visited
Georgia South University
during this trip and met with
GSU faculties and interacted with
students and visited farmland. He got an exposure of Workshop and
Seminar facilities of the Departments in the University as
well.
Result of Chakdaha KAS varieties along with two local varieties in RBD pilot testing at Chhoto Sehara village, Sandeshkhali-I Block, North 24-parganas:
The researcher collected two soil tolerant rice varieties (Kakdwip Selection-15 and
Kakdwip Selection-29) from Chakdaha unit of BCKV for a pilot testing at Chhoto Sehara village, Sandeshkhali-I Block. Chhoto Sehara which was affected by ‘Aila’
cyclonic storm. In this area agriculture was highly affected due to soil salinity and others adverse effects of Aila. VIVEKDISHA of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda
University (currently known as RKMVERI) and Global Health Share of University of California, USA took up a research project titled ‘Promoting health and economic
development in the Sundarban region of India through improved nutritional and agricultural education and outreach’ to bring back economic development
and sustainable agriculture in this area as a pilot programme.
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Below picture shows that production status of KAS varieties are quite impressive and
higher than local varieties though Panicle length, Number of tiller/plant and Number of spikelet are lower in KAS varieties than local varieties. Plant height is good for
water stagnation condition but it has a negative effect of lodging percentage due to cyclonic storm. ‘Mazra’ pest found in local varieties whereas ‘Mazra’ pest, Black &
brown spots are found in KAS varieties. Some pictures regarding our study:
Distress Relief Works: We have received different types of garment from a reputed company for distribution mainly for students. So far we have distributed 930 shirts, 238 trousers, 227 sweaters, 36 sweatshirts and 57 jackets to 855 male beneficiaries and 714 tops, 334 trousers, 497 sweaters, 134 jackets and 115 dresses to 878 female beneficiaries belonging to Bergram, Nawabganj, Tentulia, Masat, Konnagar, Belur, Salkia, Ichapur areas.
Saline Tolerant KAS-15 & KAS-29
with more production
Local-CR
Promising results found for saline tolerant rice varieties in Aila affected area of Sandeshkhali
after 2012
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Acknowledgements: We express our deep gratitude to all who readily extended
their academic or financial assistance to run this network. In this context we would like to specially remember Ernst and Young Foundation. We hope the generous people
and organisations will continue to support this noble cause and make Swami Vivekananda’s dream of a prosperous modern India a reality.
Expert Services: VIVEKDISHA has been able to successfully provide expert services
including online expert services by involving scholars and technical experts from
around the globe to support our project with a diverse wealth of expertise, ideas and contacts. This online collaboration from experts and scholars from various parts of the
globe is a valuable addition to our services under the VIVEKDISHA scheme. Among the scholars and experts who deserve special mention are the following:
(1) Swami Atmapriyananda, Vice Chancellor, RKMVERI, Belur Math (2) Swami Sarvasthananda, Secretary, RKM Ashrama, Rajkot, Gujrat
(3) Swami Devapriyananda, Spiritual Director,RK Vedanta Centre, Lusaka, Zambia (4) Swami Divyasukhananda, RKMVERI, Belur Math
(5) Dr. Indrajit Roy, Professor, University of Cardiff, UK (6) Mr. Anindya Mukherjee, Teacher in Mathematics, Dasnagar, WB (7) Dr. Partha Goswami, Chief System Manager, Computer & Informatics Centre, IIT Kharagpur, WB
(8) Dr. Soma Majumder, Teacher, Konnagar Rajendra Smriti Vidyalay
(9) Dr. Somen Nandi, Managing Director, Global Health Share, University of California, Davis, USA
(10) Sri Kushal Roy, Teacher (11) Mr. Janardan Ghosh, Faculty member, RKMVERI
Website: https://vivekdisha.in Email: [email protected] Postal Address: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University PO-Belur Math, Dist- Howrah, WB – 711 202, INDIA.