Thread:Priorities of WikiEd India Chapter (1)

What should be the priorities of WikiEd India Chapter ?

Please add your suggestions here

Warm regards Anil Prasad 04:22, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

Messages received on WikiEd-India (Google Groups) from Dr. Krishna Alluri & Ms. Patricia, both from COL are copied below

Response received from Dr. Krishna Alluri, Education Specialist, COL
On Nov 6, 2008 7:32 PM

Dear Anil Ji,

Thanks a lot for sharing this development and I congratulate you, Dr. Savithri Singh, Dr. Pankaj Khare and Dr. Sreedher for taking this initiative.

Your idea to discuss the priorities of India Chapter is a good one too. You and Dr. Singh have been members of our various events related to agriculture and WE all along. I would appreciate that you and the members include among others developing contextually relevant content for agriculture at different levels for education, extension and research and with particular emphasis on local language content for farmers. As we have initiated in Sri Lanka and in India, farmers should be members of such content development.

Hope that helps

With kind regards,

krishna

Response received from Ms. Patricia, Programme Assistant, COL
On Nov 6, 2008 11:40 PM

Dear Anil Ji,

I cannot command those that came up with the idea enough and it will be huge task given India's size and the many different priorities, but it is an exciting undertaking that gets my mind going.

It would like to suggest to also have a place where to input all those areas of interest on WikiEducator directly. People could list their ideas, so we have an open and transparent forum to work from.

Following Krishna's suggestion below, for instance, it could be divided into subject areas:

Suggested Focus Areas:

1. Agriculture

a)     Different levels for education, extension and research and with particular emphasis on          local language content for farmers.

I would also like to add

b)     Technical and Vocational Education and Training

and

2.     ICT/eLearning

c)     ICT/eLearning for Development

I will try to answer your question, what should be the priorities of an Indian WE Chapter. I am going to aim really high and say:

1.     To help ensure that a high quality education using the WikiEducator platform  is available to as many school children in India as possible and that it is sufficient to enable those who are interested to pursue technical/vocational and/or scientific careers at all levels, as well as to provide a base for understanding by all citizens.

2.     To help ensure that the educational pipelines that carry all students to careers in varies fields yield numbers of adequately educated individuals who can meet the needs of the Indian technical/vocational and/or scientific workplace using WikiEducator.

3.     To help ensure that those who select a career in a technical, vocational and/or scientific discipline have available the best professional education, and that opportunities are available at the college level for interested non-specialists to broaden their technical/vocational and/or scientific backgrounds.

4.     To encourage the development of a cadre of professionally educated and trained teachers to      ensure excellence in school education for every student and learner. (Train the trainers,      Teacher networks/support clusters by state)

5.     To support informal technical/vocational and/or scientific education programs and to maintain   public interest in, and awareness of, scientific and technological developments.

6.     To develop and implement effective online models of high quality instructional materials that   are designed for the success of all students informed by the best understanding of how students         learn, and incorporate assessment as an integral component of instruction;

7.     strengthen teacher competencies in WE content, pedagogy, and leadership skills, grounding       their professional development in the context of school structure and organization, and         developing a cadre of individuals (teachers and administrators) who can lead reform in these    fields;

8.     promote transitions from secondary school to higher education and to the workplace and  transitions within the workplace through the development of exemplary curriculum, varied        instructional environments, and other activities;

9.     provide stimulating environments outside of school that increase the appreciation and   understanding of science and technology by individuals of all ages, interests, and backgrounds,         that support online learning within the school curriculum, and that engage parents as advocates         for quality, universally available education in these fields;

10.    integrate and capitalize on educational technologies and networking so as to ensure that        education is more accessible, meaningful, and adaptable to varied learning styles; and

11.    recognize excellence among both teachers and students in science and technology to enhance      the status and visibility of the teaching profession, promote students' pursuit of scientific   and     technical fields, provide research experiences for teachers and students, and create    networks of talented individuals who can serve as resources for others nationwide.

Hope this is helpful.

Warm regards,

Patricia