The Hindu Business Line : Get away from the mindset of `teaching computers'

What do schools at the cutting edge do? They keep up with new challenges and offer `almost any combination of subjects that interests the student,' writes Arun Kapur in Transforming Schools Empowering Children, from Sage (www.sagepub.in) .

"They offer courses in newly emerging subjects and fields of specialisations. Schools that could anticipate such a future 20 years ago and change their systems to keep pace with these developments are the ones that have produced the most successful students," says the author, who is the director of Vasant Valley School, New Delhi.

Apt, therefore, in the book is the chapter on `technology', where Kapur notes that at no other time in the entire history of the human race has change happened as fast as it is happening today. "A great school keeps pace with technological changes in order to use this knowledge effectively in the teaching-learning process. It constantly incorporates new technologies into the curriculum."

Schools should get away from the mindset of `teaching computers,' insists the author, because "this is a very small part of the ICT (information and communication technology) issue." Use computers and technology as `powerful learning and productivity tools', he exhorts.

There can be roadblocks in implementing technology-based instruction, concedes Kapur. The first is the information overload constraint. "Those who are already not comfortable with technology find it difficult to sift through and assimilate the very vast amounts of information (lots of it irrelevant) that technology gives access to." Hence, a valuable skill that both educators and students need is the how of sifting through knowledge.

Another constraint is of pace, because IT keeps evolving continually. "This excessive pace of change also makes technology-based learning an expensive proposition - which is the high-cost constraint. Software and hardware are often obsolete by the time they reach the school, and require major and expensive upgrades every year."

Lack of structured content is one more hurdle, says the author. "Content takes time to develop, is expensive and is often outdated by the time it is ready... The market for structured content is just not large enough to be economically viable." As a result, many educators are of the view that technology is a good tool only for `unstructured and flexible learning'.

The most important constraint, according to Kapur, is attitudinal. "While students adapt to technology-based learning without hesitation, adults struggle with steep learning curves." As children grow up and become the next generation of educators, attitudinal blocks will fade away, he hopes.

"Theories of the brain tell us that it is important for the brain to be continuously in a learning mode, else it decays. Until educators practise this for themselves, they cannot inculcate proper learning culture in their students." A key lesson, that is, for teachers.

Content is a function of skills and not vice versa, declares Kapur. He weaves `a web of possibilities using ICT' around five fundamental learning skills, viz. self-development and empowerment, communication, analysis, creativity, and productivity.

Insightful read.

Bridging the information gap

In `the live part of IT', meet four tennis stars, viz. Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova, Stefanie Maria Graf, Martina Hingis, and Sania Mirza.

Dedicated to `All computer and IT professions, past, present, and future,' is The Computer & IT Quiz Book, by Bijay Bhujabal and Saranga Mahatwo, from Vision Books (www.visionbooksindia.com) . You can read this `from beginning to end or pick up a random page,' suggests Nandan Nilekani in his foreword. "The book will go a long way in bridging the information gap for everyone," he assures.

Let's start with `the hard part of IT', a chapter devoted to machines, microprocessors and other components. "In hacker jargon, when is a computer said to be nude?" reads question 36. Your options are: "a) a new computer without a monitor; b) a new computer delivered without an operating system; c) a new computer without the outer packaging; and d) a computer with transparent cases for monitor, CPU, keyboard and mouse showing all the internal circuitry." The correct answer is not the elaborate final option, but the second, that is, a computer without OS.

After that possible dressing down, move seventy questions ahead to `the soft part' and meet the `special user' in Unix environment who is given `the authority to access all file directories and files under the root directory'. Only, you need to identify the right one from: Avatar, Master, Administrator, and Raftar. Next, find out `which was the first WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor' from among: Clipper, Bravo, Flagship, and PageMaker.

The section on `programming languages' asks you to find out what `Java' stands for, from among these options: a) Just Another Vague Acronym; b) From the initials of James Gosling, Arthur Van Hoff, and Andy Bechtolsheim, the members of Java development team; c) it is not an acronym, but got its name from the products sold at the coffee shop where the developers were meeting regularly; and d) there is no official acronym. Another Java-related poser seeks `the name of the friendly mascot'. Is it: `Larry the Cow, Wilber the coyote, Puffy the porcupine fish, or Duke?'

In `the live part of IT', meet four tennis stars, viz. Anna Sergeyevna Kournikova, Stefanie Maria Graf, Martina Hingis, and Sania Mirza. Now, the question: Which of the four has a computer virus named after her that uses Visual Basic to infect Windows system?

Try another `live' question: "Which computer pioneer was conceived in 1911 in Chatrapur, India, but born in London? A) Dr Andrew Stuart Tanenbaum; b) Alan Mathison Turing; c) Niklaus Wirth; and d) Dennis Ritchie."

On Microsoft, IBM, Apple, and Infosys, there are separate chapters. In `other companies/ organisations,' you'd read about how Nokia offered in the 1980s a series of PCs. But what were they named: Nokia PC, MikroMikko, Nokia Komputer, or Komputer? Discover that the `original name of amazon.com, when founded in 1994' was one of these: JeffBezos.com, Booksondemand.com, Cadabra.com, and Booksoreverybody.com.

Question 1,001 is about WAPathy; and question 1101 discusses `looking over somebody's shoulder' as an information collection technique. The final question, numbered 1117, is on `the first company in the Asia-Pacific region to remotely ring the opening bell for Nasdaq on August 31, 2006', which is an indication that the authors have been able to incorporate some of the most recent happenings into the book.

Elaborate and well-researched notes furnished along with answers add value to this essential read.

Tailpiece

"We have a holistic refurbishing programme that begins with the carpet... "

"And ends with the computer?"

"That's right! And we start all over again."