[ms-stf '95877'] MOOC: Teaching Mathematics with Technology

[IT for Change - Education]

Teaching Mathematics With Technology
IT for Change, in association with the Commonwealth of Learning, is
offering a 4-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Teaching Mathematics
with Technology.
This course aims to build the capacity of teachers in using Geogebra,
a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) application, to create resources for
teaching various Mathematical concepts. Mathematics teachers of grades
6-10, teacher-educators in this subject domain, as well as teachers of
related technical subjects will find this course useful.

Course begins May 2nd, 2022
Register Now 

What is this course about?
Building students' mathematical competencies is critical in the digital
society, with renewed emphasis on learner skills in reasoning, computing,
mathematical thinking, and problem-solving. The use of ICT in Mathematics
teaching has taken on a new urgency due to the global pandemic, where
restrictions on physical contact have seen many schools move towards
different methods of online education. To ensure equitable access and
meaningful learning, it is critical for teachers to increase their array of
teaching-learning tools.

Several digital tools and applications are now available to support
educators towards this end, ranging from graphic software for geometry
learning to simulations for scenario building and visual programming
environments.
If integrated with effective pedagogy, these resources can improve learning
outcomes. Geogebra is one such FOSS tool that is versatile and easily
accessible.

For more details on the course structure, watch this video:

Register Now 
Want to know more? Visit this page  to
view the detailed curriculum.
This course is offered by *IT for Change* with support from the *Commonwealth
of Learning*
[image: Facebook] 
[image: Twitter] 
[image: Instagram] 
[image: Website] 

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1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
---
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[ms-stf '95494'] Teachers capacity building course on conducting online classes - 2022

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear Teachers,

Happy Republic and hope all are doing fine!!💐💐

IT for Change is pleased to announce an online course on “Teachers digital
capacity building” to support teachers to conduct online classes for the
students and to create classroom resources. We request teachers to go
through the below course page link to know more about this course (agenda,
schedule, and resources) and to register for it.

*Course page: https://tinyurl.com/teachersdl2022
*

Please go through the below points, before completing the registration
1. There is no fee for this course and any teacher can participate.
2. January 28th is the last day to register for the course
2. The course starts on February 1st
3. The course will be conducted on: 📆1st, 2nd, 3rd  and 4th of February.
4. The session timings will be from 6 PM to 7.30 PM ⏰

If more teachers register for the course, we will conduct this course in
batches. Since all teachers do not have access to computers, we plan to
conduct this online course separately in two groups: for teachers who use
mobile devices and for teachers who use computers.

Direct link for the registration: https://tinyurl.com/
itfcworkshopregistration

Please contact me (Rakesh +919731522202) if you would like to know more
about this course.

Regards


*Education TeamIT for Change *

*Bangalore*
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
---
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[ms-stf '92785'] Re: teacher as cattle

[IT for Change - Education]

We invite you to listen to our Campus Radio program Nan Voice Nan Choice
(My Voice My Choice) focusing on adolescent girls and their communities.
The program will be relevant to teachers and educators. Students will
benefit from listening and also asking questions and participating in the
program.

*The program will be broadcast every Saturday, November 21st 7 to 7:30 pm
on Radio Active 90.4 MHz in Bengaluru, beginning TODAY. If don't get this
station, please listen to it via YouTube, it will premiere at 8pm at
https://youtu.be/LfZyUlUBiqI More info at
http://tinyurl.com/y3jafqon *

Gurumurthy

Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
---
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[ms-stf '92043'] Bringing you more resources on Teachers' Day!

[IT for Change - Education]

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

  Greetings to all of you on Teachers’ Day!

This has been an unusual year, unprecedented in the impact it has on
millions of people on this planet.  And impacting several thousands of
children and young minds.  Extraordinary times call for dynamic and
flexible responses and school education is currently facing  such a
situation.  To respond to this, the Karnataka education department has
suggested that schools initiate learning activities, which will allow
students to get in touch again with learning, and increase interactions
with the school education processes.

To support this process, we will be curating and uploading digital content,
including model lessons using digital resources on KOER
 and sharing
these updates periodically. Resources will include identified science
simulations, Geogebra and other ICT resources for mathematics, audio visual
materials for language learning, online resources for students’
self-learning, practice worksheets and project ideas. All the resources
from the Subject Teacher Forum mailing groups will also be added to the
portal regularly. We also invite all of you to share your experiences,
ideas and resources that you will be using in your schools as part of the
Vidyagama program; these will be uploaded and your creation will be
acknowledged. Please share these either through the Contribute button on
KOER  or by email to
k...@karnatakaeducation.org.in.
Wish you all great success this year and best wishes for the health and
well-being of yourselves, your families and students.

*KOER editorial team*

-- 
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1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
---
--- 
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[ms-stf '91338'] vacancies - pl share with those interested

[IT for Change - Education]

https://www.naukri.com/job-listings-Program-Associate-Education-Teacher-Educators-Language-or-Maths-IT-for-Change-Bengaluru-Bangalore-2-to-5-years-220620004065



Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
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1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
---
--- 
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[ms-stf '89506'] Platform power over our lives (Google. Amazon. Facebook. Alibaba. Uber, the new middlemen)

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear teachers,

As platforms structure our lives - politically/economically/socially, and
often in ways that are detrimental to our individual and collective
welfare, resistance is building ... (read article on Amazon, below my mail)

While regulation/ policy is essential to shape the macro environment to
counter the platform power, at an individual level, we can (and should)
make choices wherever possible to prefer alternatives to the platform
giants, such as -

   1. Duckduckgo search engine  instead of Google
   search (duckduckgo does not store your searches and sell them to
   advertisers)
   2. Firefox browser instead of Chrome browser (Chrome collects
   information of your web access ... and Google collates this with all other
   information it takes from you through Gmail, maps, albums, translate, etc.)
   3. Telegram instead of Whatsapp

Our research report on the platform economy

discusses the role of platforms and how policy is required to counter their
power... and also possible alternatives such as platform co-operatives ...

regards,
Guru

Activists Build a Grass-Roots Alliance Against Amazon

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/technology/amazon-grass-roots-activists.html


SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon flourished over its first two decades with little
opposition and less scrutiny. A new coalition and a report unveiled on
Tuesday make clear that era is over.

The coalition, Athena , comprises three dozen
grass-roots groups involved in issues like digital surveillance, antitrust
and working conditions in warehouses. The goal is to encourage and unify
the resistance to Amazon that is now beginning to form.

The report, from the
Economic
Roundtable
,
a nonprofit research group that focuses on social and economic issues in
Southern California, delves into the largely unexplored topic of what
Amazon is costing the communities where it has warehouses. The short
answer: a lot.

While the simultaneous arrival of Athena and the report are a coincidence,
they are linked by their attempts to understand and ultimately influence
Amazon’s push into almost every aspect of modern life. The internet
conglomerate hired 97,000 employees over the summer
,
nearly the total employment of Google. The report is bluntly titled “Too
Big to Govern.”

“This is a company functioning at a scale that was previously left to
government,” said Tom Perriello of the Open Society Foundations. Founded by
the billionaire George Soros, Open Society is providing some of the seed
funding for Athena. The coalition is raising $15 million to cover its first
three years.

“It has incredible impact,” Mr. Perriello said of Amazon. “Who could
possibly shape its future and direction?”

Amazon, like Facebook, Apple and Google, has drawn the attention of
Washington regulators
,
state attorneys general and at least a few politicians in the last year.
The central question being asked about all of the companies: When does a
tech platform become too big and powerful, ultimately hurting the society
it once dazzled?

In Amazon’s case, the situation is particularly complicated. Its
aspirations long ago exceeded online retail to encompass fresh groceries,
devices that connect your home to the internet, front-door and neighborhood
surveillance, professional services like plumbing and contracting, health
care, government procurement, internet infrastructure and Hollywood
entertainment. Just about everything, really.

Amazon declined to comment for this article.

Athena springs out of several unexpectedly successful grass-roots efforts
to rein in Amazon’s power.

Last fall, the retailer was forced to begin paying a $15 hourly minimum
wage nationwide. In February, it abandoned plans to establish a new
headquarters in New York
 after
opponents mobilized against Amazon and the politicians who had approved the
deal. This month, an attempt to stack the City Council

in Seattle, the company’s hometown, with members more acceptable to Amazon
backfired with voters.

These setbacks could be attributed to many factors, but one of them was the
influence of labor and immigrant organizations. Now some of those groups
are joining together under Athena.

“We’re learning from what

[ms-stf '89478'] learning in local language...

[IT for Change - Education]

source -
https://www.thehindu.com/education/schools/hindi-school-books-in-uttar-pradesh-now-available-in-braj-bhojpuri-bundelkhandi-and-awadhi/article29397833.ece

The decision was taken to give greater importance to dialects and also to
improve learning in children who use these dialects as their mother tongue.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) in Uttar
Pradesh is preparing to introduce textbooks in local dialects, including
Bhojpuri and Awadhi.

The books will be in four dialects — Braj, Bhojpuri, Bundelkhandi and
Awadhi. The new textbooks in local dialects are being given the name
‘Sahaj’ and only the Hindi sections in the books have been translated.

The new textbooks in these dialects were released by Primary Education
Minister Satish Dwivedi at a review meeting on Wednesday and will be
introduced by the end of this week in Classes 1 and 2 in Mathura,
Gorakhpur, Lalitpur and Barabanki districts as a pilot project.

The decision was taken to give greater importance to colloquial languages
and also to improve learning in children who use these dialects as their
mother tongue.

Ajay Singh, joint director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, who is spearheading
this project, said: “The idea is to help students learn lessons in a
language that is easy for them to understand.

“We have got 15 books printed in each language. In each of the four
districts, 10 schools have been identified where these will be introduced.”

Officials said that in Uttar Pradesh, teachers from one region are often
posted in another region and are unable to reach out to students whose
mother tongue is not known to them.

“To break the language barrier, we have transformed books from standard
Hindi to local dialects. The content remains unchanged,” Mr. Singh said.

The books also have a special feature to help in teaching. Teachers who are
not familiar with the local dialect can scan a QR code for each lesson.
This allows them to play an audio of the lesson for students who can listen
and understand, Mr. Singh said.

Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
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[ms-stf '89196'] schools as places promoting inequity ....

[IT for Change - Education]

the article

https://bostonreview.net/race/erik-loomis-what-white-kids-learn-about-race-school

is about the USA, but there are striking parallels to Indian as well... if
we replace race with caste/gender/religion 

comments welcome
regards
Guru

Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
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[ms-stf '88336'] teacher as cattle

[IT for Change - Education]

ICT as a tool for domination/ control   v/s a tool for emancipation
 By using ICT to create a surveillance society, education system
impairs teacher and learner  agency
,
critical to the processes and aims of education 

regards,
Guru

Source -
https://indianexpress.com/article/education/gujarat-govt-sets-up-call-centre-with-realtime-tech-to-keep-an-eye-on-its-school-teachers-5739430/

Gujarat govt sets up call centre with real time tech to keep an eye on its
school teachers
The control room functioning on a pilot basis in Gandhinagar.

This is one phone call that government school teachers across Gujarat
cannot afford to miss. And once they answer, the voice at the other end
will ask them a series of questions from a template about the location of
their assignment for the day, the task, and who assigned it. If they are on
leave, they will have to provide details, including the number of days and
the approval authority.


This, in short, is the state government’s new “realtime technology enabled”
surveillance plan to “keep an eye” on over 1.95 lakh school teachers after
the new academic session starts on June 10. The aim is to improve the
quality of education by ensuring that teachers stick to their assigned
tasks on a daily basis. Officials say the system was devised after various
discussions and reports concluded that poor monitoring of teachers resulted
in absenteeism and “non-seriousness”.

It’s not just the teachers, though.* Even those who monitor them will be
handed GPS-enabled tablets and tracked through geo-fencing by which an
alert will be triggered when a mobile device enters or leaves a specified
area.*

The entire operation, officials say, will be run from a tech-equipped
“command and control centre”, which is being set up in Gandhinagar. The
centre will initially be staffed by 50 dedicated members, hired in equal
numbers from the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the office of the
Director, Primary Education (DPE). It will include a call centre to be run
under Vinod Rao, Principal Secretary, Education.


Speaking to The Indian Express, Rao said: “We do not want to follow the
carrot and stick policy for teachers but instil a feeling among them that
their work is being monitored on a realtime basis and there is no escape
from it.”

The Indian Express visited a pilot control centre and found about 30 staff
members equipped with headphones in front of computers, typing out
responses from teachers on Google forms. The data is fed into Excel sheets
to record responses for each day. Staff at the centre say they make about
500 calls a day but expect that number to reach 1,250 once the centre
officially begins operations.

Officials say the call centre feedback would be verified with online data
collected by other means at different hours of the day to keep track of
teachers, principals, and cluster and block resource centre coordinators.
“Our online attendance system has already made teachers realise that they
are being monitored in real time,” said Rao.

The control centre will be monitored on a daily basis by the heads of
department under the Education Department, Director Primary Education,
Director SSA, Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training, Gujarat
Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board and Schools Commissioner. At
least one of them will have to visit the centre every day to take stock of
the data analysed.

Officials say each caller would ask about 10 questions, on an average, from
a set that has been “strategically framed jointly by a team of experts
under SSA’s quality enhancement cell and approved by the SSA officials”.
The questions will change on a regular basis, depending upon the activity
or projects being carried out in a school.

The call centre system is also being seen as a solution to instances of
“cheating” by some teachers. “Earlier, a government school teacher or
co-ordinator would not answer a phone call from their superiors. Instead,
they would call back after collating information expected from them or
after reaching the school they were supposed to be in. We could not
question them because of a government resolution that does not allow
teachers to use mobile phones in class,” an Education Department official
said.

According to a senior government official, teachers would be exempted from
this mandatory clause to answer the feedback call. Currently, the pilot
control centre uses different phone numbers on the Closed User Group (CUG)
of a private telecom service provider to collect data from teachers.
Officials say this will soon be replaced by one number, which will be
circulated among all schools and to which calls cannot be returned.

According to Rao, the new tracking system will have “a positive impact on
the teaching fraternity”. “We will also ask them about the innovations or
new teaching methods they have adopted or want to use but co

[ms-stf '88289'] Parents lack trust in govt schools, place faith in tuition teachers (challenges of building trust in government schools)

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear teachers,

The article  "IIM-A Study: ‘Parents lack trust in govt schools, place faith
in tuition teachers’" has some useful thinking points and can suggests
some steps to strengthen government schools...   see
https://indianexpress.com/article/education/iim-a-study-parents-lack-trust-in-govt-schools-place-faith-in-tuition-teachers-5736589/

The article suggests that it is difficult for private schools to offer
equitable education to students and discrimination against 'rte students'
happens. government and government aided schools can be in a position to
offer such equitable education to all and provide opportunities to all
sections of society. Else the increasing privatisation will only cause more
divisions / stratification in society.

For this however, teachers may need to diversify their teaching methods
(and learning materials) to be able to meet the learning needs of students
coming from different sections of society. The methods that work for
children from the middle class would not necessarily work for those from
marginalized groups... Digital technologies could play a role here by
providing teacher options to be creative with materials and methods.

Thoughts/comments welcome

regards,

Guru
Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
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[ms-stf '86922'] tik tok, pubg - dangerous mobile apps that are harmful to children

[IT for Change - Education]

it is important for teachers to be aware of dangerous phone apps and help
keep their schools clean of these.. and also alert parents

Guru

The app’s surging popularity exposes youngsters to caustic comments and
other potential abuse by peers

Millions of teenagers seeking their 15 seconds of fame are flocking to
TikTok, but many of their parents are only now learning about the
express-yourself video app — often to their dismay.

The social network became the most downloaded on Apple’s App Store in the
first half of this year according to market analysis firm Sensor Tower,
beating out titans like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. The site, owned
by China’s ByteDance, boasted 500 million users as of June following its
purchase last year of Musical.ly, which greatly expanded its reach in the
US.

“TikTok capitalises on short-term creative content that other platforms
don’t encourage, by their design and community,” said Brian Solis at the
U.S. tech advisory firm Altimeter.

Yet critics say its surging popularity among young girls in particular
exposes them to caustic comments and other potential abuse by their peers,
while offering a choice hunting ground for sexual predators.

The app itself promises a video-sharing community that’s “raw, real and
without boundaries” and claims to be appropriate for children aged 12 and
older.

Parents aren’t always convinced, given the numbers of young girls
suggestively singing along to sexually explicit lyrics which are often
degrading to women. Such videos are the stock in trade of Halia Beamer, an
American 13-year-old who has emerged as one of TikTok’s stars, chalking up
more than five million followers.

Media reports have documented cases of users being bombarded with
disturbing comments, while others have been asked for private contact
details or to post provocative images.

Last summer the Indonesian government banned the app after more than
1,70,000 people signed a petition saying that lip-syncing in revealing
outfits was not suitable for children. It was lifted only after TikTok
representatives from China flew to Jakarta and promised to hire more people
to weed out inappropriate content.

The U.S. Internet watchdog Common Sense says the combination of mature
content and privacy risks means users should be at least 16. “Because the
age limit is so low, you attract a greater assortment of dangerous
characters, and users lying about their age,” Mr. Solis said. But raising
the age limit would remove millions of people from the platform, and curb
TikTok’s exponential growth.

In France for example, 38% of youths aged 11 to 14 have a TikTok account
according to Generation Numerique, which tracks Internet usage.

Girls are by far the majority among French pre-teens, with 58% saying they
have an account compared with just 15% for boys.

French police warned parents last month about the dangers, saying their
teens “may be targeted by indecent sexual proposals”.
Technology scare

The effects of early exposure to social media are so new that “parents,
educators, even doctors... are either under-qualified or completely
ignorant in the face of the need to guide a young generation in the dangers
and possibilities of these new technologies,” Mr. Solis said.

William Soally, a father whose 12-year-old daughter is a dance fan, took
action after seeing alerts about TikTok among YouTube users. “I talked
about it with my daughter and we decided to remove the app from her phone,”
said Mr. Soally, 35. He acknowledged that the move initially provoked tears
and worries about “a loss of social status”.

“The solution has to come from parents, who need to understand that the
Internet is not a world of Care Bears,” he added, referring to the 1980s
cartoon characters.
source -
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/as-teens-take-to-tiktok-parents-lag/article25835337.ece

Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
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[ms-stf '86555'] our children .... Stunted ..... wasted

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear teachers

I felt really sad to read this article today ... how can anything be more
important for India, other than the well being of our children ... health
and education must be our biggest priorities. 😟

how can we all make health and education the biggest issues for elections
2019, so that investment in these crucial sectors becomes politically
important (for all parties).

regards,
Guru

Stunted, wasted: on Global Nutrition Report 2018
December 05, 2018 00:02 IST

The national framework to improve nutrition for children must be upgraded
on priority

The health, longevity and well-being of Indians has improved since
Independence, and the high levels of economic growth over the past
two-and-half-decades have made more funds available to spend on the social
sector. Yet, the reality is that a third of the world’s stunted children
under five — an estimated 46.6 million who have low height for age — live
in India. A quarter of the children display wasting (that is, low weight
for height) as well. As the Global Nutrition Report 2018 points out, this
finding masks the wide variation in stunting levels in different parts of
the country. District-level data show high and very high levels of stunting
mainly in central and northern India (more than 30% and 40%, respectively),
but less than 20% in almost the entire south. This shows the important role
played by political commitment, administrative efficiency, literacy and
women’s empowerment in ensuring children’s health. Food and freedom go
together, and the availability of one strongly influences access to the
other; social institutions can work to improve nutrition and children’s
welfare in free societies, and the absence of hunger enables people to
develop their capabilities. Governments should acknowledge the linkages and
commit themselves to improved nutritional policies. The national framework
to improve nutrition already exists. The Anganwadi Services scheme, which
incorporates the Integrated Child Development Services, caters to children
up to age six, and to pregnant and lactating women. If it has not worked
well in several States, it must be subjected to a rigorous review and
targeted interventions for supplementary nutrition made.

Among the factors affecting the quantity and quality of nutrition are
maternal education, age at marriage, antenatal care, children’s diet and
household size. Now that mapping of malnutrition at the district level is
available, as in the Global Nutrition Report, it is incumbent on State
governments to address these determining factors. A second issue is that of
the quality of nutrition in packaged foods available to children. Going by
the report, only 21% of these foods in India were rated as being healthy,
based on overall energy, salt, sugar and saturated fat on the negative
side, and vegetable, fruit, protein, fibre and calcium as positive factors.
The fact that the global average of processed foods scored only 31% and a
peak of 37% in New Zealand indicates that whole foods and cooked meals
emerge superior. India should invest more of its economic prosperity in its
welfare system, without binding itself in restrictive budgetary
formulations. The Economic Survey 2017-18 put social services spending at
6.6% of GDP, an insignificant rise after a marginal decline from the 6%
band during the previous year to 5.8%. The latest report on stunting and
wasting should convince the Centre that it needs to understand the problem
better and work with the States to give India’s children a healthy future.

source -
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/stunted-wasted/article25665759.ece

Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
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[ms-stf '86244'] from KOER this week - The Gentle Man Who Taught Infinity (for your weekend reading)

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear teachers,

"Rarely has a book so perfectly matched its title.

'The Gentle Man Who Taught Infinity' by Sheshagiri KM Rao is one such and
what a gentle read it was! Written as a tribute to the mathematics teacher
who influenced his life, Sheshagiri Rao has managed to show us with his
account just how far reaching a teacher’s influence can be and how this
teacher did it, not commandingly or overtly or even intentionally but with
his sheer love for the subject he taught and his innate respect for the
students he taught

Read the review and download the book on
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/The_gentle_man_who_taught_infinity


Of course, mathematics teachers would benefit from reading about the
interesting pedagogical approaches that the gentle teacher followed ... but
it is a fun and great reading for ALL teachers ... so please download and
read

and it perhaps leaves one hoping ...'will a student write a similar book
about me .?' :-)


(If you would like a print copy of the book, you can write to the
publishers, Ekalavya)
regards,
Guru

Education Team
IT for Change
Bangalore
www.ITforChange.net
080 26654134

-- 
---
1.ವಿಷಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರ ವೇದಿಕೆಗೆ  ಶಿಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೇರಿಸಲು ಈ  ಅರ್ಜಿಯನ್ನು ತುಂಬಿರಿ.
 
-https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevqRdFngjbDtOF8YxgeXeL8xF62rdXuLpGJIhK6qzMaJ_Dcw/viewform
2. ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುವಾಗ ಗಮನಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಕೆಲವು ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿಗಳನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿ.
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/index.php/ವಿಷಯಶಿಕ್ಷಕರವೇದಿಕೆ_ಸದಸ್ಯರ_ಇಮೇಲ್_ಮಾರ್ಗಸೂಚಿ
3. ಐ.ಸಿ.ಟಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷರತೆ ಬಗೆಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪುಟಕ್ಕೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ -
http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Portal:ICT_Literacy
4.ನೀವು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶ ಬಳಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೀರಾ ? ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಾಂಶದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು 
-http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Public_Software
---
--- 
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[ms-stf '85934'] We Need Massive Change to Avoid Climate Hell (Please read)

[IT for Change - Education]

As teachers we have to bring in climate change / global warming into our
classes ... and support students and communities to adopt habits that can
conserve our environment  the mantra is re-use, recycle, repair ..
we have to reduce our consumption as well 

This is what the wise people always said  'simple living, high
thinking' and this lesson needs to be learnt and lived by all of us now


regards,

Guru

***

On Sunday night, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change dropped
an urgent report on the state of global warming
. Simply put: The laws
of the physical universe say that we can keep global warming to 1.5 degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the optimistic goal set out in the Paris
Agreement , but
we’re quickly running out of time. As in, we may reach that 1.5 in as
little as a dozen years at the rate we’re spewing emissions. And the
consequences will be disastrous.

To correct course and avoid 1.5 C, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, we’ll need to
cut emissions by half before 2030, and go carbon-neutral by 2050, the
report says. That gives us three decades to transform our energy production
into something unrecognizable, with renewable energy galore combined with
carbon capture techniques like the bolstering of forests, and maybe even
sucking the stuff out of the atmosphere and trapping it underground. We’ll
have to change our behavior as individuals, too. Meaning, we’re looking at
unprecedented change, what is essentially the restructuring of civilization.

“The report has sent a very clear message that if we don't act now and have
substantial reductions in carbon dioxide emissions over the next decade, we
are really making it very challenging to impossible to keep warming below
1.5 degrees,” said the IPCC’s Jim Skea at a press conference announcing the
report, a massive survey  by almost 100
authors (and 1,000 reviewers) citing 6,000 studies.

The 2015 Paris Agreement included the 1.5 goal at the urging of island
nations, which rising seas are threatening to drown
.
The less ambitious—though still very daunting—goal is 2 degrees.

Which, according to this new report, would be far more ruinous. At 2
degrees, 10 million more people will be at risk of rising seas than at 1.5
degrees. That extra half a degree also means significantly larger
populations will be exposed to water shortages. You’re looking at an ever
greater loss of biodiversity, worsening storms, ever more people thrust
into poverty, and relentlessly shrinking yields for essential crops like
rice and maize and wheat.

Basically, a difference of just half a degree may not seem like much when
you’re choosing what to wear for the day, but it’s going to make climate
change far, far worse, a point this report drives home in exhaustive
detail. “It shows that half a degree of global warming does matter and that
limiting it to 1.5°C instead of 2°C would avoid several impacts, including
increases in heatwaves and hot extremes in most inhabited regions, heavy
precipitation in several regions, and droughts in some regions,” says Sonia
Seneviratne, a climate change scientist at ETH Zurich. Plus, limiting
warming would avoid certain irreversible changes related to sea level rise
and the destruction of coral reefs.

“Even more importantly,” Seneviratne adds, “it shows that limiting global
warming to 1.5°C is still physically possible and could be in principle
achieved, although it requires rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented
changes in all aspects of society.”

Still, the outlook is grim. The technological and social change the world
needs dwarfs anything that’s come before in history. “It's not a happy
report,” says Thanu Yakupitiyage, spokesperson for the climate advocacy
group 350.org . “They're reporting on the real needs of
the now. We are in the middle of the climate crisis.”

“At the end of the day, what we're talking about is millions of lives at
stake,” Yakupitiyage adds. “We're already seeing the ways in which people
are impacted by heat waves, by rising sea levels, by wildfires, by
hurricanes.”

The Paris Agreement is a remarkable act of international cooperation to
address climate change and these consequences of it, but the pledges made
by individual nations are not enough to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, this
report argues. It also makes clear that it’s not enough to promise that
we’ll put more electric cars on the road, or mothball our coal energy
plants, or that we’ll invest in more solar farms. Hitting that target will
demand a massive rethinking of global energy consumption within a decade.

A bit of borderline rosy news here: While the world at large may be
struggling to meet the ambition of the Paris Agreement, cities have

[ms-stf '85370'] pl use Firefox as your web browser (instead of Chrome or Edge) ... for your privacy and protection - Firefox's New Browser Will Keep Brands From Stalking You

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear all

Firefox is a free and open web browser software. Chrome and Edge are not,
they have proprietary code  which none of us can study and find out how
they are spying on us ... please read article below

regards
Guru

Firefox's New Browser Will Keep Brands From Stalking You

source -
https://www.wired.com/story/firefoxs-new-browser-will-keep-brands-from-stalking?mbid=nl_090218_daily_list3_p3&CNDID=52749757

Online advertising is more than just annoying. It can also violate users’
privacy through tracking technology meant to help target ads and measure
response. Users have long had a range of tools at their disposal to combat
aggressive or nosey ad-tech. But these tools often require users to install
new software or poke around in their browser's settings. Today, Mozilla
, the company behind the popular
Firefox browser, said

it will take more aggressive measures to protect users' privacy.

Future versions of Firefox

will automatically block tracking codes placed by so-called third parties,
advertisers or other firms that are not the website publisher; users won’t
need to take any additional action. The feature is already being tested and
is expected to be included in Firefox later this year. It will also block
trackers that take too long to load. The features aren't designed to block
ads, but may prevent some from being displayed, because the ads include
tracking scripts that take too long to load.

Firefox already allows users to block tracking altogether, but the feature
isn't switched on by default unless you open a "Private Browsing" session.
The new features are more granular and switched on by default. They’re part
of a recent push by Mozilla to emphasize privacy, including its Focus
software that blocks trackers 
in iOS.

Mozilla isn't the first browser maker to offer protection against tracking
by default. Apple's Safari browser also blocks third-party trackers. But
unlike Safari, the test version
 of Firefox
includes the block against slow-loading trackers, which currently prevents
ads from appearing on Wired.com and other pages.

The features are similar to those offered by plug-ins such as Disconnect
 or Privacy Badger
. In fact, Mozilla relies on a list of
trackers created by the Disconnect team. "However, the majority of browser
users do not install such add-ons, leaving them vulnerable," says Firefox
product lead Peter Dolanjski, citing Mozilla's own research
 on user behavior. "By
enabling these features by default, we can protect many more users."

Mozilla is considering additional measures against annoying ads. Firefox
and other browsers have long blocked "pop-up" ads that open new windows.
But now a newer form of pop-ups that appear over web content without
opening a new window or tab have become popular. Dolanjski says Mozilla is
researching whether it’s possible to block these “modal” pop-ups, though
the company hasn’t committed to actually blocking them, if it proves
feasible. Users who want to help Mozilla with this research can install a
plug-in

for reporting this newer type of pop-up.

Mozilla's approach is more aggressive than the ad-blocking now baked into
Google's Chrome
 browser,
which only blocks ads on pages that engage in particularly obnoxious
advertising and isn't focused on protecting privacy. Microsoft recently
began bundling Adblock Plus with mobile versions of its Edge browser, but
it's not enabled by default.

While the approaches vary, there's a clear trend towards browsers taking a
more active role
 in
shaping the content users view. For years, browsers simply displayed
content the way web publishers specified, and ran whatever code was bundled
with those pages. That permissiveness led to a worse web, one plagued by
video that plays automatically, ads that stalk you across the web or spread
malware
,
and pages that are bigger than the original *Doom* videogame
.
The innovations now trickling out from browser makers have the potential to
reshape the web, but also put more control into the hands of big companies
like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, which make many of the most popular
browsers. Mozilla represents an alternative to these massive companies.

[ms-stf '85359'] Brain pickings sunday newsletter ... its wonderful... you can subscribe to it ... am sharing an excerpt with this mail

[IT for Change - Education]

A moving story of from Central India ... as teachers we have to help
students learn about ecology and environment ... and reverse some of the
terrible mistakes being made under the notion of 'development'

regards
Guru


NOTE: This newsletter might be cut short by your email program. View it in
full .
  *If a friend forwarded it to you and you'd like your very own newsletter,
subscribe here

— it's free.*   Need to modify your subscription? You can change your email
address

or unsubscribe

.
[image: Brain Pickings]


Water: A Stunning Celebration of the Element of Life Based on Indian
Folklore


[image: vyam_water.jpg?fit=320%2C381]


*“Like all profound mysteries, it is so simple that it frightens me,”* the
Scottish poet and mountaineer Nan Shepherd wrote in contemplating the might
and mystery of water
.
*“Rivers run through our civilisations like strings through beads,”* Olivia
Laing observed nearly a century later as she launched a lyrical existential
expedition along a river
.
Bertrand Russell, too, saw in rivers a metaphor for how to live a
fulfilling life

.

For the Indian tribal artist *Subhash Vyam*, who grew up in a small Gond
village without running water, wholly dependent on the mercy of nature, the
water of rivers is not a metaphor — it is life itself, suspended between
sanctity and survival.

Vyam draws from his personal story a moving universal invitation to reflect
on our relationship with water, as individuals and as a civilization, in
the unusual, exquisitely illustrated book *Water*

(*public library*
)
— another treasure from the South Indian independent publisher Tara Books
,
devoted to giving voice to marginalized tribal art and literature through a
commune of artists, writers, and designers collaborating on books
handcrafted by local artisans in a fair-trade workshop in Chennai,
producing such gems as *The Night Life of Trees*
,
*Drawing from the City*
,
*Creation*
,
and *Hope Is a Girl Selling Fruit*

.

Vyam’s story, translated into English from the Hindi oral narrative by Tara
Books founder Gita Wolf, is part autobiography, part folkloric parable,
part meditation on the most pressing geopolitical and ecological questions
humanity is facing today — income inequality, sustainability, environmental
justice, our responsibility to nature as citizens and as a species.

[image: vyam_water1.jpg?resize=680%2C812]


Looking back from his current life as a migrant worker in the city, Vyam
begins by recounting his early life in the village where he was born, at a
time little more than “a cluster of houses”:

[image: 2e292385-dc1c-4cfe-b95e-845f6f98c2ec.png]We were poor and worked
hard, but most people didn’t go hungry. We foraged in the forest, caught
fish, kept cows and goats, and grew a few crops. We had enough to eat,
provided the harvest was good.

But we didn’t have money to spend, and we lived from one day to another.

[…]

We had to work hard, but we had space and lived closely with trees, plants,
animals and birds… and I think we understood their ways.

But one crucial ele

[ms-stf '80891'] No Funds, No Policy, Few Teachers: Former NCERT Director Says Budget Should Increase for Education

[IT for Change - Education]

Dear teachers

I hope we have a large increase in allocation in the budget to elementary
and secondary education ... to make up for the lost decades and allow our
children a fair chance in life    read below views of Prof Krishna
Kumar, retired Director of NCERT in whose tenure the NCF 2005 was developed.

regards,
Guru



*Updated:*January 30, 2018, 1:07 PM IST

*The figure of 100% enrollment in primary education is a sign of aspiration
for India. But, funding that dream has become a national concern. Krishna
Kumar, the former NCERT director and Delhi University professor, tells
News18.com that policy paralysis coupled with lack of financial capital
spell doom to the steps taken in the past to achieve the dream of universal
education. According to Kumar, Union Budget 2018 should reverse the past
practices of fund cut in education sector.*

*Higher Education*

Kumar is of the opinion that this year’s Budget should be focused on
institutional recovery. He hopes that the Budget will reverse the trend —
which has been building up over the last few years — of reduction in public
spending on higher as well as elementary education sector. “I think the
major priority should be on institutional recovery by a substantial
increase in the allocations made for various others national resource
institutions – University Grants Commission, National Institute of
Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), National Council of
Educational Research and Training (NCERT),” he said.

The former NCERT director said that the long term effects of Budget cuts
have been ignored —and therefore, institutional decay has set in in many
aspects of higher education.

“I think it is very important to focus on institutional recovery because
institutions have suffered serious damage in the face of financial cutback
imposed quite ruthlessly over the last several years. If the public
universities are languishing for lack of sufficient funds, you can imagine
the situation of state universities. Decay is because of multiple factors:
But funds are a bottom line, you need money for anything coupled with far
greater planning and policy,” he said.

Talking about policy paralysis, Kumar said that the wait for the draft of
National Education Policy (NEP) has been very long. “We have been waiting
for it for over three years now,” he said.

According to Kumar, there is ‘decay’ in all aspects of higher education. In
Delhi University, he said that there are 4,000 vacancies in teaching, and
there aren’t enough science laboratories and libraries.

“The states are not clear how to proceed because there is no national
policy on education. So Centre has major role to play — boost fund to show
its commitment to education as a national concern, provide assistance to
poorer states in neighbourhood and not merely the Hindi belt, others as
well like Telangana and Odisha,” he said.

Kumar said that while there’s a lot said about research and masters level
education most of the UG colleges in the country are suffering from serious
shortage of teachers, libraries and laboratories.

“There has to be major input made in the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha
Abhiyan in the upcoming Budget. This continues to require sustained serious
financial support from the Centre. If UGC is going to serve the central
universities it needs to be given financial strength,” he said.

He said that last year a cut of almost 50% of its requirement was made in
the Budget. “This has to be compensated and additional funding has to be
provided to the UGC, which is the pivotal body for higher education.”

*Elementary Education*

The professor hopes that the Budget provides for a very significant
increase in the outlay for the elementary level of education.

He said that the Right to Education Act (RTE) promulgated in 2009 requires
a sustained high level investment from the Centre.

“It is a Parliamentary law so Centre has a major to responsibility in
sustaining the financial outlays that will allow the expansion to be now
supplemented with improvement in the quality of primary and upper primary
education. Unfortunately, this has not been happening because there’s a
growing perception that with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan nearly over, it is
the responsibility of state government to find funds,” he said.

Kumar said while the governments in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been able
to maintain good funding for their elementary education, in the northern
Hindi speaking states the situation is entirely different. “Especially in
Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh
the gains of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan are being frittered away for lack of
funds,” he added.

“The state governments in these states neither have the vision nor the
financial capital to maintain the high level of attention given to primary
and upper primary education during the heydays of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,”
said Kumar.

He said that that the project started in 2002 and for the first 10 years,
receive