KNOWLEDGE JUNCTION

My Speech on 67 th Independence Day celebrated in CMR Group of Institutions

2013-08-15T05:15:00.001-07:00

Honourable Chief Guest of the day, distinguished guests for the occasion, co-faculty members, parents and all my dear friends and students. It is my privilege to talk on this golden day of Indian history which is the result of sacrifices of thousands of people. I would like to discuss some achievements in these 66 years of Independence and the challenges before India which is the largest democratic country in the world and we very happy that India crossed many milestones after independence and achieved many things in different areas.

India is able to withstand attacks on democracy and successful in saving it for 66 years. In agriculture achieved self sufficiency by Green Revolution and white revolution, India is one of the country having high GDP growth rate and in the area of Engineering and Technology it has contributed to the development of the country in preparing advanced missile system, Launch vehicle Technology, IT services ,nuclear technology etc.

The challenges that today India facing are food security, internal security, external security, energy security, and women security. Internal security , in the form of terrorism and rise of naxalism due to socio-economic problems of the people. External security threats from our neighbouring countries Pakistan and China. Energy Security as India is not self sufficient in power which is the most important factor for the development and even recent nuclear agreement will not solve the energy problems of country completely and along with that economic recession, corruption , poverty and illiteracy rate are some of the challenges before India to face and become super power. Last but important is Women Security this aspect arises when the incidents like Delhi happens in the country and to make India where women are well respected and protected. I feel we the people of India need one more Independence struggle to weed out all the diseases suffering our society.

In this context I would like mention that the ideas of our freedom fighters relevant not only for India but also to the world .Today Gandhian philosophy that is , Non- violence is more relevant in maintaining the global peace considering nuclear world order and the courage and braveness of Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Subash Chandra Bose required to fight against the terrorism. The courage of Bagath Singh more relevant for young India who sacrificed his life for the country at an early age and we needs to get inspiration from Bagath Singh and get ready for the sacrifices for the country and for the world peace.

In addressing all these issue Engineers has to play a greater role and strive for the betterment of the people and make the growth as inclusive growth and every engineer has to bring out his leadership skills in order move the people of India to think towards the idea of Gross Domestic Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product and involving ourselves in building healthy India by which young India can become Global Super Power along with by fighting for our fundamental rights and respecting our fundamental duties enshrined in our Constitution.

“Mahatma Gandhi had advised us to avoid and I quote, “politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity and worship without sacrifice”

Jai Hind..

MY Engineer's Day Speech at Bharath

2012-10-13T14:11:00.001-07:00

"Engineering is not merely knowing and being knowledgeable; engineering is not merely analysis; engineering is not merely the possession of the capacity to get elegant solutions to non-existent engineering problems; engineering is practising the art of organised forcing of technological change".

In India engineering stalwarts like Mokshagundem Vishwesharaiah , K.L. Rao , Homibhaba, Vikaram Sarabhai, Abdul Kalam and many more contributed for engineering branch .

The developments in the field of satellite technology, super computers, the recent manufacturing of prestigious NANO car and we are in the third stage of nuclear program still there is lot things to achieve and support from the government of India as the contribution is 1% of GDP and proposed 2% of GDP and still there is need for increase in the contribution towards R&D.

From the past Industrial revolutions to the recent green revolution and present IT and communication revolutions, and there were many changes that occurred. We have to think of another revolution in the field of engineering keeping in mind the very important social engineering, sustainable development, climate change and inclusive growth at the same preserving resources for the benefit of future generations so the theme of the engineers day.

“Appropriate climate responsive technologies for inclusive growth and sustainable development “rightly suits for the present situation of world. So the emphasis of engineers should be on poverty alleviation keeping in mind the sustainable development.

Finally ideal engineer is a composite. He is not only a scientist, he is not only a mathematician, he is not sociologist or writer but he may use the knowledge and technologies of above disciplines in solving engineering problems. Every engineer should have a global thinking, solve extreme problems of society like poverty and build the nation and build the world.

HAPPY ENGINEERS DAY

My Independence Day Speech

2012-08-26T10:34:00.004-07:00

The country has achieved many things in these 65 years after independence and successful in saving our democracy in spite of India being a very diversified country and able to with stand the wars against china and Pakistan. Indian is one of the largest democracy whose freedom and constitution due the sacrifices of our great leader but I think we failed to some extent in continuing the greatest legacy and statesmanship our freedom fighters like Gandhi, Nehru, Subash Chandar Bose, and Bagath singh many more.

Today Gandhian philosophy of Non violence is more relevant in maintaining the global peace considering nuclear world. and The spirit of Patel and Bose required to fight against the terrorism. The courage of Bagath Singh more relevant for young India and it needs to get inspiration from Bagath Singh and ready for the sacrifices for the country and for themselves.

As Engineers point of view the science and technology is one of the important and major contributor for the development of country. We achieved many things in this area , India has advanced missile system. launch vehicle technology , world's major IT services provider. Compared with the developed countries we are far behind.

The biggest challenges that India facing are Internal Security in the form of terrorism, external security like threat from china and pakistan, energy security that is India is not self sufficient in power example is recent collapse of power grid, corruption and economic recession , and bigger and bigger problem is poverty .

In addressing all these issues Engineers has to play a major role and we will strive for the betterment of the people and the country and moving the people of India to think towards Gross Domestic Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product and involve ourselves for building healthy India ad young Indian make Indian a Global Power fighting for our fundamental rights and respecting our fundamental duties enshrined in our Constitution.

" Let us prove the words of Gurujada Apparao --- Deshamante Matti Kadoy... Desha Mante Manujuloy ..."

Jai Hind ..... Thank You for Giving this opportunity .....

Coconut water is known as Mother Nature's ownsports drink.

2012-08-21T07:22:00.001-07:00

Coconut water is known as Mother Nature's ownsports drink.

An Indian origin scientist has now confirmed that the natural beverage really does deserve its popular reputation.

However, people who engage in strenuous exercisethat involves a lot of sweat might want to take it all with a grain of salt literally or stick with a more traditional sports drink like Gatorade, said Chhandashri Bhattacharya, Ph.D, who conducted a new scientific analysis of coconut water.

"Coconut water is a natural drink that has everything your average sports drink has and more. It has five times more potassium than Gatorade or Powerade," said Bhattacharya.

"Whenever you get cramps in your muscles, potassium will help you to get rid of the cramps. It's a healthy drink that replenishes the nutrients that your body has lost during a moderate workout," she stated.

Bhattacharya said that the potassium in coconut water also might benefit other people who do not exercise.

The typical American diet is low in potassium and high in sodium, which is found in table salt. Other research has shown that such an imbalance is unhealthy. In one study, people who ate foods low in potassium and high in sodium had twice the risk of death from heart disease and a 50 percent higher risk of death from all causes. Other analyses indicate that a 12-ounce serving of coconut water has more potassium than a banana.

And it is high in healthful antioxidants, added Bhattacharya, who is with Indiana University Southeast in New Albany.

Bhattacharya's team analyzed coconut water, Gatorade and Powerade and found that coconut water contained up to 1,500 mg/liter of potassium, compared to up to 300 mg/liter for Powerade and Gatorade.

Coconut water, however, had 400 mg/liter of sodium compared to 600 for the other two drinks. It had comparable quantities of magnesium and carbohydrates as the other drinks.

Coconut water's lower sodium content is where it fails as a good sports drink for people who engage in strenuous exercise that produces a lot of sweating, Bhattacharya said.

Sweating makes people lose more sodium than potassium, and coconut water alone can't replace that lost sodium

She presented her finding at the 244th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society(ACS), the world's largest scientific society, which is meeting here this week.

AICTE surveys engineering institutions

2012-08-21T06:44:00.001-07:00

Survey is an attempt to map best practices being followed by institutions and industry, to recognise them and to create a benchmark of quality education in the country

An industry-institute survey initiated by the AICTE, in collaboration with the CII, aims to showcase the best practices in AICTE-approved institutes.

An industry-institute survey initiated by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has evoked a positive response from engineering institutions across the country.

The survey aims to showcase the best practices in AICTE-approved institutes in the branches of Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Electronics and Communication and Computer Science and Information Technology (the two taken together).

The survey is an attempt to map best practices being followed by institutions and industry, to recognise them and to create a benchmark of quality education in the country. CII representatives associated with the survey told The Hindu-EducationPlus that 250 institutions had registered for the online survey.

Eligible institutions need to fill up an online questionnaire, available on the institute login for AICTE institutes and university departments. The deadline is August 15. The survey is part of the University-Industry Congress initiative to stimulate industry-academia collaborations both towards achieving excellence in higher education and benefiting industry by producing quality human resource and research outputs.

Key imperative

AICTE officials said it was a key imperative of growth for both the universities and the industry to map the current situation. The survey of higher educational institutes on their industry linkages would capture success stories and best practices of such linkages and create a roadmap for others to follow.

In 2012, the scope of the University-Industry Congress will be limited to the six branches. Future surveys are expected to be for other specialisations and disciplines.

A national publication featuring the profiles of overall top 50 engineering institutions, stream-wise top five engineering institutions and top three faculties and the top engineering institution in each State, mapped on the parameters of their industry linkages, will be published based on the outcome of the survey.

The compendium will also carry the profiles of companies who are leaders in industry-institute linkages. The CII will promote this publication in India and overseas for promoting the top institutions for increased industry linkages.

A national-level recognition by way of a citation, trophy and cash award sponsored by CII member companies will be given to institutions and the faculty having the strongest industry linkage in categories that include overall best engineering institute (three awards); best engineering institute (six awards: one for each stream); and best engineering faculty (18 awards: three for each stream).

Stream-wise best institution will be presented an opportunity to enter into a MoU with the sponsor company to enhance their curriculum, placements and student internships and to depute industry experts as visiting faculty. Top institution, one in each state, will be chosen to house an AICTE-CII Industry Institute-Interface Cell, which will be manned by professionals to facilitate industry-institute collaborations in the States on a sustainable basis.

Normative ranking will be conducted against seven parameters of industry linkages in institutes including governance; curriculum; faculty; infrastructure; services; entrepreneurship and innovation; and placements. AICTE-approved engineering institutes and university departments which have been in existence for at least 10 years as on August 1, offering degree courses in at least three of the six streams are eligible to participate in the survey.

ARE U A AMCA ?

2012-07-18T05:55:00.001-07:00

Aspiring Minds Campus Ambassador (AMCA) Program aims at selecting hard working and enthusiastic pre-final year students (engineering students who will graduate in the year 2013) across campuses in India to play leadership roles in enabling better job opportunities for his/her batch-mates. AMCAs would connect students and Aspiring Minds thereby representing his/her college to potential hirers, disseminating job related information to college students and guiding them to improve their employability.

The candidate should have exemplary management and networking skills to engage his/her batch-mates in job-related activities; organize events and work through a team of volunteers. An effective communicator, the candidate must consistently keep-in-touch with Aspiring Minds providing relevant information to be able to best serve the college community towards more number of jobs, better jobs and more number of selections.

Aspiring Minds had launched the first edition of AMCA Program in the April, 2011. Students from more than 500 colleges had applied in this program to represent Aspiring Minds at their college. Of these, around 140 students finally made it to the prestigious post of AMCA for the year 2011-12.

At the end of the AMCA program, the meritorious AMCAs were duly rewarded on the basis of their performance. Gursheen Kaur Matta from Ambala College of Engineering & Applied Research (ACEAR), Ambala, Haryana bagged the 'All-India Best AMCA Award' and won an Apple iPOD. There were around 20 other AMCAs who won special awards/'certificates of excellence' for their outstanding performance. To see the list of AMCAs who have bagged various awards and certificates, please visit AMCA AWARDS 2011-12

This year, it is going to be bigger and better filled with more energy and enthusiasm!!!

Go ahead and apply now!! Become eligible for AMCA early-bird prizes!! All those candidates who are among the top 100 registrations will win special goodies/gifts from Aspiring Minds if they become the AMCA of their college. Hurry up!! Apply Now!!

Preparation module for CAT aspirants

2012-06-28T05:47:00.002-07:00

Tata McGraw-Hill Education has announced a new innovation for all CAT aspirants across the country. The company has launched CAT ONLINE — an offering for CAT aspirants that integrates print, electronic, online and mobile medium for preparation for CAT.

This offer includes a printed book, a CD, live classroom training and mobile support for CAT aspirants.

The printed book is a comprehensive support system for the CAT aspirants with coverage of all sections supported by plenty of exercises.

The CD contains tips and techniques video by Arun Sharma, recorded classes, mock tests and a walkthrough on how to join the online classes.

The online resource at

www.mindworkzz.in has 30 hours of live classroom sessions and access to further classes.

mConnect provides mobile support in a dynamic testing environment, easy to download application, with features like time schedule, negative marking, among others.

CAT ONLINE print book is designed and authored keeping in mind the change in the format of CAT examination.

The mobile support feature, mConnect, has real-time practice modules for vocabulary-based questions.

This product is priced at Rs. 1295. It can also be bought online from www.tmhshop.com.

For more details, call 09415333920.

Comparison tool for TOEFL iBT, IELTS

2012-06-28T05:39:00.004-07:00

Comparison tool for TOEFL iBT, IELTS

Educational Testing Service (ETS) has released an official score comparison for the TOEFL iBT test and IELTS academic test. The mapping tool provides the higher education community with an ETS-authorised comparison tool for each of the four skill sections (reading, listening, speaking, and writing), as well as for the total scores for both the English language assessments. The tool was created in response to the field's request for an accurate comparison that is grounded in research.

The newly-released ETS-authorised score comparison is based on a sampling of 1,153 students who took both the TOEFL iBT test and IELTS test. The equipercentile linking method was used to align the scores from the two assessments. This method is based on best practices required by the Guidelines for Practice by the International Language Testing Association (ILTA, 2007), the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, NCME, 1999), and ETS Standards for Quality and Fairness (ETS, 2002, page 45). “Reviewing and comparing test results from two very different English language assessments that vary in design, content, and scoring can be a complex task,” commented Teresa Sanchez-Lazer, Executive Director of the TOEFL Program. “Based on feedback from the field, ETS felt a user-friendly, research-based comparison that can be used with confidence was warranted. We hope the new tool will be useful to admissions officials around the world in reviewing the English skills of non-native speakers.”

The TOEFL test measures a student's ability to use and understand English at the university level and evaluates how a student combines listening, reading, speaking and writing skills needed to succeed in an academic setting. The TOEFL test is recognized by prestigious universities around the world.

ETS has also published Linking TOEFL iBT Scores to IELTS Scores – A Research Report that outlines the research design, including the data collection, data analysis, and study results in which the score comparison was created.

More information regarding the TOEFL test is available at the TOEFL Go Anywhere website www.TOEFLGoAnywhere.org.

NAC-TEST For IT Recruitment

2012-06-28T05:28:00.000-07:00

IT companies to calibrate scores with students’ performance in individual tests; colleges unhappy

It will take more than ‘just one written test and an interview’ to get into an IT company from now on.

Major recruiters including TCS, Cognizant, Wipro, Accenture and HCL among others, have insisted that students who want to be recruited, take the Assessment of Competence-Technology (NAC-Tech), conducted by NASSCOM a consortium of IT companies, from this year onwards. The companies will ‘calibrate the scores’ with the student’s performance in the individual tests.

“For two years we have been contemplating a test that will be an industry benchmark. Students will not have to take the test of every single company. This year, we will have the NAC-Tech and also our own test to determine the co-relation. This is to eventually make NAC-Tech the only test," said S. Viswanathan, HR (Country Head), Wipro.

The move is intended to create a quality pool of engineering graduates from which the companies can choose. “The test has been put together by companies that are responsible for 90 per cent of campus placements in the industry and it will help us get the best students," said K. Purushottaman, regional director, NASSCOM.

While many colleges say they will agree to the proposal, they admit they will have to do so because there is no way out. “Only companies such as IBM and Capgemini have not agreed to the test. Major recruiters want it,” said the placement director of a city self-financing college.

A student can re-appear for the NAC-Tech only after a month, which could lead to his losing out on interviews with other companies. It will also add to the stress among students to perform, say college principals.

Some colleges feel that companies, by pushing for the test, are shifting their training costs on to college managements and students. “Students will have to pay over Rs. 250 for the test and the college will have to spend at least Rs. 1,250 to train every student. Why should the college or student pay for this?” asked one principal.

The fact that the placement officers were not consulted has also upset colleges. “The test is not compulsory but we have already received mails from companies asking us to implement the test. The decision was taken by the companies and we were not even called for deliberations,” said a placement officer.

Officials of several educational institutions, including Anna University have said that internal discussions are on to decide on what to do next. Why NASSCOM was not conducting the test but asking vendors to do so, what the credibility of the test was, and did it guarantee placement, is what most colleges are concerned about.

Company officials on the other hand, say the test will be no different from the aptitude tests of many companies and that there is almost no extra expenditure that the college has to incur. A part of the exam will test the candidate on verbal ability, analytical skills and reading comprehension while another part will have questions on the engineering subjects he specialises in. “We as companies, want the best,” a company official said.

Learn math and science on Dictionary.com

2012-03-11T00:16:00.000-08:00

The Dictionary.com website, which helps users develop their english language skills by providing free online access to meanings, definitions, spellings, synonyms etc, is now planning to offer learning resources that will help the users to improve their math and science skill

MIT'S initiative to promote online learning

2012-03-04T19:42:00.005-08:00

MIT has launched MITx, under which selection of its courses will be offered through an online interactive learning platform and it encourages students worldwide to take part in the initiative.

The first course on "Circuits and Electronics" is already online. Interested learners may start signing up
http://mitx.mit.edu/ starting march 5, th course will run through , June 8,Modelled on the MIT's 6.002 -an introductory course for undergraduate students in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science(EECS)
NOTE: The electronics course does not have any entrance requirement or fee

Course in CAD/CAM from CIPET

2011-12-26T05:15:00.000-08:00

The hyderabad centre of Central Institute of plastics engineering and Technology,(CIPET) in assoication with Ikya Technovations is offering high end and basic software training programmes with focus on industry requirements,
The courses in CAD/CAM/CAE include masters programme, mould design etc.
After completion of the course trainee has to appear for the exam conducted by Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers , Government of India to get certificate.

Eligibility: Students with any diploma graduation or post graduation are eligible for the course
For further details contact: 09394075379, 040-40157023

Elan-2012 at IITH

2011-12-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

Elan-201, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad(IITH) annual technical-cum-cultural festival will be held from January20-22. The event is open to college as well as school students also .
There is special event " Masti ki pathashala " for the school students.
Interested students can contact Divanshu Chaturvedi on 9493460010

Tele-Counselling on Nutrition for Mothers

2011-09-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

Abbott healthcare has launched a toll free no "1800-22-0046" to provide tele-counselling facility for mothers who are seeking expert advice on nutrition. The company is also launching a website www. healthymotherhealthybaby.in to provide mother's access to comprehensive information on nutrition and health

National Fellowships For Students Interested in Research Careers(KVPY)

2011-07-18T05:58:00.000-07:00

The “Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana” is an ongoing program started by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to encourage students of Basic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to take up research careers in these areas. The aim of the program is to identify and encourage talented students with aptitude for research.

This program strives to assist the students to realise their potential and to ensure that the best scientific talent is tapped for research and development in the country. Generous scholarships are provided (up to the pre-Ph.D. level) to the selected students.

For more details

Visit: Kishor Vaigyanik Scholarships

International School of Engineering Launched

2011-07-18T05:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.iseweb.in/
International School of Engineering (ISE), a US-based institute offering advanced engineering courses, today opened its first centre in India at Hyderabad.

Beginning in August, the school would offer courses for working professionals in two streams of business analytics and optimisation, and high-performance enterprise product engineering. In the US, the ISE is based in Carnegie Mellon University and offers several master's courses for regular students as well as working professionals.

According to Dakshinamurthy V Kolluru, president, ISE, the Indian industry needs to move beyond the labour cost arbitrage to doing high-end engineering in product development, applied industrial research and technology consulting. ISE was an attempt to address the need for training in such advanced areas by bringing together academia and industry onto a single platform, he said.

ISE offers a 30-day (weekend only) Certificate in Engineering Excellence course in the two streams, and an 80-day two-year Executive M Tech programme in association with Gitam University. The fees for the first course is Rs 70,000, while it would be in the range of Rs 2.75 - 3.25 lakh for the M Tech course.

Kolluru said ISE’s mentors were drawn from several top US universities like MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Yale among others, and also from IITs, Deloitte, Microsoft, Bank of America and Reserve Bank of India.

The intake for the two courses is 30 each. While the minimum qualifications are B Tech, MCA, or MSc in computer science or mathematics, exceptional candidates with a diploma in engineering would also be considered on a case by case.

Apart from these, Kolluru said, the applicants would also be assessed on their performance in an open contest called Extreme Engineering. This was to ensure that students are of a sufficient calibre to engage the faculty in such advanced topics.

Kolluru said ISE would be made a university eventually, and is building a campus at a 50-acre site in Maheshwaram in Hyderabad and also a second campus in Visakhapatnam. The Hyderabad campus is expected to be ready in two years, while the programmes would be conducted at Novotel hotel in the meantime.

Shorterm courses in German,French, Spoken English at BVB

2011-06-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

Bharthiay Vidyabhavan is offering short term courses in German,French,Spoken English and communication skills for the students aspiring to advantage of emerging oppurtinities.
Duration:3 months,classes will be thrice a week two hour long.Classes will commence from December 30 For further details contact: 040-23230755,23237825
mail : avbhyd.bccm@gmail.com

How to Find Right Blogs

2010-09-21T01:03:00.000-07:00

There are several search engines like Technocrati,BlogPulse and Blogcatalog but spotting the right blogs related to a specific topic remains difficult.The new feature introduced by Google in its blog search.and it has introduced a feature called "Homepages" meant for helping us easily find blogs related to required topic.Blog search feature by google helps us to find the relevant topic

TWITTER As an Expert Search

2010-09-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

Besides being an effective communication/information dissemination tool,Twitter helps us to find subject experts. Listorious and Google Lab's 'Follow Finder' are two tools for that purpose and another means to discover people knowledgeable in a particular subject via the Twitter Network, the new expert search offer from the real-time search service Topsy

Young Indians Communicators Forum(YICF) Launched

2010-09-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

he Young Indian Communicators' Forum (YICOF) announced its launch in Hyderabad in the month of July at HICC at a press conference. This forum aims to function as a Centre For Excellence for growing professionals and students in the mass communications industry.

YICOF, a Ybrants initiative, is set to be a place for young intellectuals to put forth their words of excellence, quench their thirst for knowledge, flaunt their passion, and reach out to faces, places and organisations that need the perfect touch of nascent proficiency.

To associate and serve, experts from various communication fields have joined hands with YICOF.

The Young Indian Communicators' Forum is exclusive to working professionals and students from the fields of Corporate Communications, Media, Advertising, Brand Management, Marketing, Event Management, Film-making, Risk Management, Public Management, Business Management and other media/mass-communication related stream of practice or knowledge.

Membership is open only for members of ages 18 to 35.

Addressing the press conference, National President Aishwarya said, "there has been a huge gap between the experts and growing professionals and students of communication for the past few decades. YICOF will now bridge the gap and get them closer. YICOF is like a gurukul where learning, sharing and practising will be the only policy."

Secretary General and aspiring film-maker Maharshi said, "YICOF is a pool of resources, and the place that amateurs like me - who would otherwise keep waiting in long queues to establish contacts with big shots in the industry - would like to be a part of. YICOF is a promising shelter."

The forum will expand in all major cities in India, and each city's forum will be headed by either a student or a young professional.

The maximum allowed age limit of members is 35 years. This clause has been put up in order to give the youngsters their space.

You can contact Aishwarya, National President, at 92915-48289/098739-11275 or Maharshi, Secretary General, at 9293774155 for further details.

Video released to guide TOEFL aspirants

2010-09-20T06:53:00.000-07:00

The video provides an accurate snapshot of what students can expect during the test administration

Educational Testing Services (ETS) has released a new video to familiarize English language learners with the TOEFL Testing process.

The six minute video walks students through the "test day" experience and previews the identification requirements, check in procedures , security protocols, and testing sequence to increase awareness of the testing process.

The video provides an accurate snap shot of what students can expect during the test administration.In addition to the new test taker video, a comprehensive collection of TOEFL test preparation materials are available at little or no charge to students to make studying for the TOEFL test easier than ever.The available resources include TOEFL GO ANYWHERE website:

visit the website : TOEFL for details

English Language Resources For Teachers

2010-09-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

· create a mad lib that you can send your students in order to teach them the parts of speech

· encourage your students to practise their writing by asking them to contribute to a fun neverending story

· download our popular 101 Tips on Writing Essays, Articles, and Other Documents ( 299kb)

· read advanced texts on writing and teaching better English

· read articles on grammar and other English subjects

· find free word games

· learn and share teaching tips in our forums

· find tools on teaching English as a second language

· find software that helps students to write better English

JOB SEAERCH PORTAL FOR TEACHERS

2010-09-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

EDUNEST

It is difficult to for youth who come from remote rural underprivileged sections having little exposure to outside world to realize their career goal.we have job portal like monster and naukri but not a dedicated vertical exclusively for teacher aspirants so www.edunest.org is packed with features that helps any body wishing to land in teachers post

Course in psychological counselling

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Hyderabad Academy of Psychology is conducting a six month Certificate Course in Psychological Counselling (Basic) from October 14.

The course offers a chance for students to learn specific counselling skills and gain theoretical background needed for being a psychological counsellor.

The course is designed to be equally distributed between theory and practical skills.

To aid in the development of counsellors, supervision by trained psychologists/counsellors is provided to ensure the all round development. Since training in counselling is inadequate without practical application, students of the course will be placed at different sites (schools, NGOs, colleges or clinics) and clinical supervision will be provided apart from classes twice per week.

Focus on basics

The course will focus on the basics of psychology, human development, personality and abnormal behaviour, theories of counselling, suicide prevention and crisis intervention.

Skill training

It will also consist of practical skill training achieved through role-plays, experiential learning, lectures and demonstrations, and other learning techniques. Clinical supervision (one-on-one meeting with supervisors) will be conducted once per week.

This is a compulsory part of the coursework, says Dr. Diana Monteiro, Director, HAP.

Evening classes

Classes will be held on a weekday and weekend evening for three hours each and the course fee is Rs. 22,000. The amount also includes course materials, internship fees, supervision and certificate fees upon successful completion of the course in psychological counselling.

More information can be had on 94939-75140 or 040-32578899 or 90002-34262.

Transforming the classroom environment ---B. S. WARRIER

2010-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Most of our classrooms are teacher-centred, with one-way communication from the teacher to pupils. Here is what one needs to do change it.

He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.” This quote is a jibe from George Bernard Shaw, given by him under the title ‘Maxims for Revolutionists' in his renowned play ‘Man and Superman' (1903). At best, it is a censure on ineffective teachers. It is not a universal truth. Teaching is a noble profession that moulds the emerging generations.

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”, said William Arthur Ward, scholar, author, and teacher.

Often conventional teaching in schools and colleges degenerates into drudgery for the teacher, which in turn becomes drudgery and dull drill for the pupil. The great charm of teaching that merges knowledge and skill is relegated to the background, when examination scores become not only the first priority, but the sole objective.

This is not a new phenomenon. Perhaps when Mark Twain said that he had never let his schooling to interfere with his education, he had the boredom of school routine in mind.

A good teacher can make the teaching-learning process an enjoyable experience, provided he has commitment to the profession. Dedication, perseverance, and empathy with children are some of the essential traits. There is a view, “teaching is not a profession; it is a passion”.

Even gifted sculptors express their creativity by shaping lifeless blocks of stone, wood, or metal. But a teacher moulds growing human beings with a mind, a heart, and a soul. The sacred nature of a teacher's work is obvious.

The central aspect of education is learning. We know that teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin. There is an enormous volume of scientific literature bringing out the diverse features of institutionalised teaching-learning processes. Let us extract from this treasury of knowledge, principles that are of relevance and immediate application in classroom teaching. Awareness of the possibilities of fine teaching will enrich pupils' classroom experience as well.

The ultimate objective of any teaching is effective learning by the pupil. Strategies for teaching have, therefore, to be designed on the basis of relevant phases of the internal processes of learning. The phases are:

Getting motivated

Apprehending (the pupil coming face to face with the key points)

Acquisition

Retention (transfer from short-term to long-term memory)

Recall

Generalisation (applying the knowledge gained to new situations)

Performance (the pupil demonstrates through performance)

Feedback

The mental processes are influenced by factors such as the pupil's questioning ability, and the availability of learning resources including teacher's guidance. A teacher is an instrument that facilitates, promotes, hastens, and influences the activities in the internal processes in the pupil during learning.

When we find that a pupil experiences difficulty in learning a lesson, we should analyse the reasons behind the difficulty. This can be done effectively, if we keep in mind the different factors that influence assimilation.

We should not forget that learning is a complex mental process. Many parents often accuse their children for their poor scores in the examination, without caring to appreciate the children's difficulty in assimilating new ideas. If the parent can show some patience to imagine what feeling he would have if he is asked to learn quickly a strange language like Korean or Chinese, he may realise the child's predicament.

Some of the important factors that influence assimilation are the following:

Meaning (Unless the lesson makes sense to the pupil, he may not be able to learn it easily)

Interest (Pupils should be properly motivated. Suppose a chemistry teacher intends to teach ‘conservation of matter'. Instead of defining the principle, the teacher may ignite some spirit in a watch glass kept on the classroom table, show the empty watch glass after the spirit has burnt, and then ask the pupils how the spirit has disappeared. Slowly, the principle of ‘conservation of matter' can be developed by graded questions, and answers from the pupils. Once curiosity is aroused, pupils will get interested in the concept. Deeper the pupil's interest in the lesson, better the retention.)

Depth of impression (This can be improved by vividness in teaching; describe to generate clear pictures in the mind.)

Association of ideas (Link new knowledge to an old piece of knowledge. Use good sequence and logical development of the lesson)

Repetition (Not dull repetition, but repetition that offers pleasure or satisfaction)

Frequency of recall (Use tests or assignments)

Prioritising (forget the unimportant and retain the essentials)

THE CLASSROOM SITUATION

Most of our classrooms are teacher-centred, with one-way communication from the teacher to pupils, as in a radio broadcast. One may label it as authoritarian and directive. Though it may be effective in preparing for a formal examination, it is desirable that the classroom is made pupil-centred, at least occasionally.

In a lecture-discussion, the classroom is not totally dominated by the teacher. Instead, the pupils get opportunities for participation; there is co-operative striving for a common goal. This situation boosts the self-confidence of the pupils in facing life's challenges.

The overall style of classroom management should neither be totally authoritarian or totally permissive. The teacher should strive to strike a happy balance for ensuring effective learning with pupils' participation. After all, the larger picture of the college classroom aims at development of the personality of the pupils.

Some guidelines for effective classroom management are indicated below.

Follow the same rules for all students

Enforce your declared rules consistently

Know the names of students

Be tough in the beginning; may loosen later if all goes well

See that the pupils come prepared (mind and materials)

See that they listen

Use occasional humour. It makes children comfortable

Never insult a pupil in the classroom or elsewhere, whether it is for poor performance or for other reasons

Do not ignore good performance; do tell them they did well

Submission of assignments on time. Also, return them after correction on time

Develop good habits like punctuality through your style (be a role model)

Don't allow the tail to wag the dog. But be pragmatic.