Searching in Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) of the Library and other electronic resources (online journals, databases etc.) were also introduced. The program was conducted by Shri. Gireesh Kumar T K, Assistant Librarian of the Library with the assistance of other staff members of the library.
Tejaswini Hills Campus (THC) Library,Central University of Kerala conducted orientation program for new Post graduate Students and Research Scholars from 28th July to 31st July. New postrgraduate students from five academic departments (Computer Science, Economics, International Relations and Politics, Mathematics, Social Work were the participants of these programs and the program was conducted as sessions. Program was conducted to give a general idea about the resources, facilities and services of the library along with its physical lay-out of the library.
Searching in Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) of the Library and other electronic resources (online journals, databases etc.) were also introduced. The program was conducted by Shri. Gireesh Kumar T K, Assistant Librarian of the Library with the assistance of other staff members of the library.
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Heart thumping so loud I know everyone can hear it. Face and neck flushing red. Sweat beads beginning to sprout and then trickle down my forehead.
No, this is not the moment in front of the crowd and under the spotlights—this comes from just THINKING about that moment! Whether it’s speaking in front of our school faculty, presenting at a local school board meeting, or testifying in front of Congress, many of us feel anxiety about public speaking. So what can we do to be better prepared as public speakers? Here’s a few lessons from some speaking greats. Embrace the Anxiety : Did you know that Warren Buffett used to be terrified of speaking in public? According to this story in Forbes magazine, he picked out his college courses based on whether he’d have to speak in front of the class, avoiding the ones where he knew he’d be forced to face his fear. He even dropped a public speaking course. But then he decided he would have to overcome this fear to be in business. And that he did—becoming not only one of the world’s richest people but also a well-respected storyteller. We can all do the same thing. A fear of public speaking is not just common; it is innate. Our ancestors had to be accepted into social groups in order to survive, instead of standing out and being alone (and then possibly being a predator’s dinner!). We have to acknowledge our fears; don’t try to pretend they’re not there! Instead, harness the jitters and refocus them by thinking of those nerves as positive energy and excitement. If we reframe anxiety as our desire to do our best, it can help us control those feelings. Connect With Your Audience: Have you ever watched Bill Clinton speak? I recently talked with several people who have, and one thing rang true for them all: He can make connections! Clinton seems to have a way of making people feel like he is connected to them and who they are. So the lesson here? Don’t talk to people, talk with people. Whether it’s 25 or 250 people, in your head, frame it as a conversation, not a speech. Think of the faces in front of you as your flock. Nurture them and your relationship with them. Make eye contact. Bring them along on the conversational journey. Be Aware of Your Body: LanguageThis is another homage to Bill Clinton. He smiles during positive points, gestures with his palms for added inflection, and furrows his brows during serious moments. When he is making a point, he uses his index finger to tap the podium in front of him. This behavior is backed by Harvard professor Amy Cuddy’s TED talk and research, which shows that our body language can send just as big of a message as our words. Albert Mehrabian, a UCLA professor who has done extensive research on nonverbal communication, stated in a communication study that, in regards to liking a speaker, seven percent happens in spoken words, 38 percent happens through voice tone, and 55 percent happens through general body language. This can be hard to focus on while you’re up in front of the masses, so sometimes I need some help. I write messages to myself in the margins to relax. Smile. Have fun. Think about what message my body is sending that I might not be aware of. Tell a Story: Think about the elements and flow of a great story. What drew you in? What kept you reading or listening? Chip and Dan Heath mention this in the book Made to Stick. The same elements go into a great speech! Paint a picture with your words. When it comes to advocacy, this is especially important. Show the faces of your students and what affects them. Connect With Your Emotions and Show Passion: Don’t be afraid to be human in front of an audience. There is something great about human connection that builds relationships, even from behind a podium. A great example of this is Rita Pierson, who emits her love and passion through every syllable in her speech“Every Kid Needs a Champion.” Be Succinct: Think of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Big message, 265 words. I think we sometimes think more is more, but the mantra “less is more” really stands true. Use Wit: Think of the last line of Socrates’s famous speech, given after he was condemned to death: “But it is now time to depart—for me to die, for you to live. But which of us is going to a better state is unknown to everyone but God.” Now, I wasn’t a literature major, but I am a connoisseur of witty banter and comments. I took that comment as the ultimate example of a witty closing comment (pun intended). Think About Cadence, and Don't Be Afraid of Silence: The perfect example of cadence? Martin Luther King, Jr., in “I Have a Dream.” The intonation, the inflection of his words, the rhythm, and the power of a carefully placed pause. Don’t be afraid of silence—it can be more powerful than any word. I have another trick here: I write notes to myself. “Pause,” written in capital letters, or underlining words to emphasize. I read lines over and over again until the cadence feels right. Use Repetition as a Golden Thread: Repetition can tie your message together. Think of Winston Churchill’s “Blood, Toil, Sweat, and Tears,” where this great orator would weave a phrase through both the beginning and end of a speech. I wouldn’t use this strategy all the time, but it’s a good trick to have in your back pocket. Relax and Have Fun: I have to remind myself to do this. So at the top of my notes for a speech, I write two words: “Breathe. Relax.” When your adrenaline is pumping and the spotlight is on you, what seems like common sense may slip our mind. A reminder really helps. Know Your Style: Do you need notes? How much practice do you need until you feel comfortable? How much scaffolding do you need so you are comfortable in the moment? Should you print out your whole speech to have on hand in case panic strikes (yes, this happens.)? Know yourself and give yourself whatever support you need to be the best “you.” I practice my speech and record it so I can listen, reflect, and refine. I also make sure to time my speeches so I know what content to cut and what needs additional work. Keep Your Print Large: Twelve-point font is not always helpful under the spotlights, in front of a crowd, and when your heart is thumping like the Energizer Bunny on Red Bull. If you decide to print out your speech and notes, do so with a larger font size that you can easily read when you glance down. Also, highlight the important pieces of your speech so if you go off on a tangent, you make sure to hook back into those key points. Source | http://www.ap.org If you have a smartphone camera and need to translate printed text from English to Hindi, all you need to do is open the Google Translate App, click on the camera, and point it at the text. Bingo! Your job is done.
The upgraded version of the app, announced by Google on Thursday, will now allow instant visual translations of printed text in 27 languages, including Hindi. “It could be anything — a street sign, a hoarding, an ingredient list, an instruction manual, dials on a washing machine or text from a newspaper or book. Users will instantly see the text transform live on their screens into their preferred language,” Google said in statement, adding that no internet connection or cell phone data is required. The company said the new features come from extensive research to develop so-called “convolutional neural networks”, or using artificial intelligence to recognise letters and words and filter out backgrounds. Google said it is updating the app by expanding the instant visual translation to 20 additional languages (seven are already available), and making real-time voice translations faster and smoother. The original seven languages are English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. On Thursday, Google added 20 more — Bulgarian, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, Hungarian, Indonesian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian. Also users can now translate English printed text into Hindi and Thai. Barak Turovsky, Product Lead, Google Translate said in a blog post, “The Google Translate App will knock down a few more language barriers, helping users communicate better and get the information they need, real time and without a data connection.” Source | Business Line | 31 July 2015 No institutionalized mechanism to detect plagiarism in Kerala University or an institution that awards anywhere between 250 to 300 doctoral degrees a year, the University of Kerala is today unable to certify that these theses are plagiarism-free. There is no institutionalised mechanism to detect plagiarism before or after a doctoral degree is awarded. This is at a time when in leading universities and colleges in the West even class assignments are regularly run past specialised software to check for plagiarism, intentional or otherwise. On Keralappiravi Day in 2012, the varsity launched a Research Portal which, among other things, was to have had an anti-plagiarism software. All research candidates were supposed to run their thesis past this software before the ‘open defence’ was held. The portal was also supposed to automate the end-to-end handling of a doctoral degree, with its software doing everything from the scrutiny of a candidate’s research application to the scheduling of the open defence. Now a candidate can submit his or her doctoral application online, access a list of approved research guides and centres. Later, an approved research guide can accept the application or reject it online. That is about the extent of automation of the research process in the University of Kerala. According to the original portal scheme, there was to have been an “eligibility checker” software which would decide—using pre-specified criteria—whether a candidate was qualified to research on a given topic. The backbone of the system was to have been a database of all current research scholars, their topics and guides, and a list of all approved research guides and centres in the university. When the theses section of the Kerala University Library gets computerised, the portal will also help a potential research scholar find out whether anyone has done doctoral work on a particular topic or in any related area. Once the system approves a doctoral application it would automatically be forwarded to the doctoral committee and from there to the university administration. E-mails would go out to the candidate and to the guide. The cancellation of registration too was supposed to be automated. This would happen if a candidate does not clear the required course work within two years. Moreover, if a full-time scholar does not turn in a thesis in five years and a part-time scholar in eight years, the system would generate a cancellation message. There is no mechanism to detect plagiarism before or after a doctoral degree is awarded. Source:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/doctoral-theses-take-the-ctrlc-ctrlv-route/article7459168.ece IT professional Arun Panigrahi’s career was progressing well for the last seven years. Hired as an eager-eyed programmer who professed a ‘passion for coding’, Arun steadily rose through the ranks; however, moving farther away from his core competencies. His current managerial role called for little to no hands-on application of technology skills, which he used in the initial part of his career. Nevertheless, he felt quite secure in his position as an IT manager. In early 2015, Arun’s world came crashing down around him. Moving towards automation and technology enhancement, the IT major he worked for, decided to trim the bloated workforce, laying off especially the mid-level managers who had not developed their technical skills in the years of employment.
What made the situation worse for Arun was the dawning realisation – a tad too late in the day – that the company was actually right. In his constant endeavour to climb the corporate ladder, he neglected the prized abilities that had helped him bag the job in the first place. Determined not to let this blow bog him down, Arun enrolled for a short-term professional certification course in his field of expertise. The training gave him the much-needed platform to validate his skills and technical expertise and got him back to programming. Three months after the trauma of losing his job, Arun bagged a better-paying job at a company that recognised his skills. For Arun and millions of others like him, re-skilling proved to be the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. In a nation where the education system churns out 1.5 million engineers a year, the fundamental law of economics becomes frighteningly relevant: the wants are said to be unlimited, but resources limited. Multinational IT companies, once much sought after by graduates from every background just like moths to a flame, have now started focusing on achieving efficiencies through automation and thereby reducing their human capital. The World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Report, 2015, highlights the primary issue as the mismatch between educational syllabi and market requirements. Most university programmes are unable to keep pace with the changing technological advancements, and are producing graduates who are, in terms of expertise, not quite industry-ready. Many of these beginners also lack the ability to collaborate successfully within teams or take initiative as self-directed employees, making them less attractive to the employer in the long run. The report emphasises the need for re-skilling to combat this mismatch to deliver quality workforce. The problem, however, doesn’t end there. Brilliant young graduates who were hired by MNCs fresh from college have gone on to middle-managerial positions. Many of these managers possess 6-12 years of experience, and comprise 10-15% of the work force at leading IT firms, with roles involving resource allocation, software quality management, and training. These functions are now gradually being automated or replaced by emerging technologies like M2M (machine-to-machine communication), rendering their roles redundant. Unless these employees are able to demonstrate a certain degree of technical competence, they are of little use to the company, and are usually shown the door. This issue is not restricted to IT alone, but is seen across sectors. If middle level managers do not embrace the latest skills that are in demand, they are paving way for bottlenecks in the company’s performance, with the company in turn axing them. It is important for these managers to know business and adapt to change. To complicate matters further, companies across the nation are grappling with the problem of poor employability of the graduates. Re-skilling has long been part of the central government’s national agenda to effectively leverage the demographic dividend. With 365 million youth in the age group 10-24, India will soon possess an employable workforce larger than the entire population of the United States. But numbers are one thing, quality quite another: imparting the right skills to make as many of these youth industry-ready remains one of the government’s key challenges. The National Policy for Skill Development (NPSD), 2009, espoused a target of 500 million trained youth by 2022. To this end, institutional arrangements, such as a dedicated Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, a National Skill Development Mission with MoUs signed with Canadian educational institutions, and over 70 national schemes to cater to re-skilling have either been set up or strengthened. As the demand for mass, organisation-wide training continues to grow manifold, companies need to evaluate which model of training would suit their own particular set of requirements. Companies are increasingly beginning to lean towards online certification training, as it offers employees from across geographies unmatched flexibility and freedom to learn at their pace. The employees, in turn, are bolstered with confidence and ability to perform better at the workplace. This assumes significance in context of modern-day, free-market businesses, where the educational background tends to be spread across a fairly diverse spectrum, and professional ability varies from one employee to another. In an environment where continuous learning and bridging skill-gaps remain the only way to overcome the next big, disruptive change, the private and public sectors face a huge challenge in revamping the skills infrastructure, nationwide. This goal can be achieved only through intensive, sustained, and coordinated effort. To this end, professional certification course providers are roped in to train and upskill employees in both sectors. Channeled funding and investment from the union and state government and a well-defined training module curricula aligned to the current industry landscape can play a significant role in terms of achieving the long term goals. Source | The Hindu | 15th July 2015 Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. Ford had an interest in "Americana". In the 1920s, Ford began work to turn Sudbury, Massachusetts, into a themed historical village. He moved the schoolhouse supposedly referred to in the nursery rhyme, "Mary Had a Little Lamb", from Sterling, Massachusetts, and purchased the historic Wayside Inn. This plan never saw fruition. Ford repeated the concept of collecting historic structures with the creation of Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. It may have inspired the creation of Old Sturbridge Village as well. About the same time, he began collecting materials for his museum, which had a theme of practical technology. It was opened in 1929 as the Edison Institute. Although greatly modernized, the museum continues today. Chetan Bhagat is an Indian author, columnist, screenwriter, television personality and motivational speaker, known for his English-language dramedy novels about young urban middle-class Indians.He was born in Delhi in a Punjabi family and is the author of bestselling novels, Five Point Someone (2004), One Night @ the Call Center (2005), The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008), 2 States (2009), Revolution 2020 (2011), What Young India Wants (2012) (speeches and columns) and Half Girlfriend (2014). He is married to a Tamilian girl[7] Anusha Suryanarayanan, who was his classmate in IIM Ahmedabad PROFESSIONALIZATION OF TEACHERS AND INSTITUTIONS About the Book The greatest strength and potential of any educational institution lie with the teachers and administrators who shape the destiny of the institution. This book reveals the potentials, benefits and scope of professionalizing teachers and institutions. It addresses many of the presenting issues faced by an educational institution and provides important insights into the art of teaching and administration as the author believes that unless we come to grips with the problems faced by higher education, it cannot support economic regeneration at the local, regional and national levels. This book is expected to serve as a new pathway to quality enhancement in the teaching and administrative realm. The book is designed in such a way to foster the teachers and administrators to deliver their best by furthering their scholarship and acumen and thereby enabling them to facilitate transformation based on the objectives, the vision and mission of the institution. About Author Prof. Richard Hay (B. 1952, Tellicherry, son of Sh. R W M Hay, Perth, Scotland) is educated at the University of Calicut, and joined the Department of Collegiate Education, Kerala in 1976 and served as lecturer, head of department, professor and principal at ten renowned institutions in India and abroad. He played key a role in founding two educational institutions. A conscientious teacher of 36 years standing, Prof. Hay distinguished himself in his academic and administrative work and won laurels for his commitment to quality education. Known for his devotion to liberal values, humanism and conservation, he is a strong advocate of training for teachers and accreditation for educational institutions at all levels. He is well-travelled, and a keen observer of benchmarks of excellence in the educational institutions which he visited. Contents Part I 1.The Art of Teaching Introduction / 3; Rationale / 8; Education and Teaching / 11; The Mechanics of Teaching / 15; Teaching is an Art / 21 2.The Professional Touch Teachers have to be Resourceful / 27; The Empowered Teacher makes a Big Difference / 32 3.Use of Modern Aids and Equipment PowerPoint Presentation / 37; Video Clips and Recordings / 37; Overhead Projectors / 38; Flipcharts / 39 4.Motivation—The Key to Success Status of the Teacher / 48; Emotion and Teaching / 48 5.Teacher Empowerment Introduction / 51; Journal Writing / 54; 12 C’s of an Empowered Teacher / 55; The Common Barriers to Empowerment / 55; A Checklist for Administration to Facilitate Teacher Empowerment/56; Personal Enablers / 57; The Five Big Dimensions of Personality and Effectiveness of a Teacher / 57; Teachers must Rise to the Occasion / 58; Environmental Challenges Affecting Teachers / 60; Principles of Positive Change / 62; How Successful are You as a Teacher? / 62; Major Reasons for Resistance to Change / 63 6.Learning, Performance Appraisal and Feedback Findings related to Research on Learning / 66; Teachers’ Duties to Improve Learning / 67; Practices Leading to Effective Learning / 67; Results of Good Teaching / 68; Complimentary Principles of Learning for Teachers / 70; Relevance of Feedback and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats): An Analysis of the Self-Evaluation Process / 74; Peer Observation and Other Practices in Evaluation / 75; Reflective Teaching / 76; Performance Appraisal/ 78; Criteria for Performance Appraisal / 79; Performance as a Teacher / 79; Parents’ Feedback and Perception of the Standard of the Institution / 80; Areas of Interest and Concerns / 80; Importance of Feedback / 81; Evaluation of Teachers / 83 7.Challenges in the Classroom Handling the Heterogeneous Group / 85; Attending to the Basic Needs of Students / 87; Significance of Discipline and the Teacher’s Duty to Enforce Discipline / 89; Teacher, the Constant Motivator/90; Enhancing Professional Competence of Teachers in Classroom Management / 91 8.Methods of Teaching The Lecture Method / 92; Individualized Teaching Method / 97; Buzz Group Method / 97; Brainstorming Method / 98; Case Study Method / 99; Role Play Method / 101; In-Basket Exercises Method/ 101; Seminars Method / 102; Group Discussion Method / 103; Programmed Instruction Method / 104 9.Effective Communication Main Components of the Communication Process / 108; Major Barriers in Communication in the Classrooms / 109; Making Learning Possible / 110; Need for Constant Assessment of Reactions of the Learner / 111; Efficacy of Communication and Planning in Teaching / 112; Simple to the Complex Principle Makes Communication in Teaching Effective / 113; Eye Contact and Communication / 113; Tips for Effective Use of the White/Black Board / 113 10.Qualities of a Good Teacher and His Role in the Academia Characteristics of a Good Teacher / 116; Ethics of Teaching / 117; Ethical Standards of a Teacher / 117; The Real Teacher Mesmerizes / 118; Interpersonal Skills of a Teacher / 118; Interpersonal Skills of a Teacher / 118; Major Reasons for the Failure of Teachers / 119; Seven Steps to Enhance the Quality of Teaching / 120; Good Preparation is the Key to Success / 122; New Roles of Teachers /122; Building Trust / 125; Benefits of Teacher Involvement / 125; Need for Effective Teacher Involvement / 125; Importance of Meetings in Educational Institutions / 126 11.Use of Technology in Higher Education Introduction / 128; Advantages of Internet-Enabled Teaching / 130 Part II 12.Reforms in Institutions of Higher Education and their Ranking Need for Timely Reforms in Education / 141; Internationalization of Higher Education / 143; The Ranking of Institutions / 157; Documentation: A Key Factor / 163 13.Benchmarking and Good Practices to Follow Benchmarking: A Critical Factor / 169; Orientation is Essential / 173; Encourage Students to Form Study Groups / 174; Maintain Academic Honesty / 174; Be Approachable / 175; Working Portfolios for Teachers / 176; Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students /176; Bridging the Gap between Academia and Industry / 177; Importance of Extension Services in Educational Institutions / 179; Aim of Organizing Extension Services Programmes / 179; Potentials of Extension Service Programmes / 180; A Variety of Projects to be Undertaken / 181 14.Accreditation—Challenges and Problems Importance of Accreditation of Educational Institutions / 182; Important Criteria / 182; Relevance of Quality Assurance Cells in Educational Institutions / 189 15.Strengthening Work Culture Importance of Organizational Culture in Educational Institutions / 193; Role of Culture in the Institutions / 194; Steps for Effective Organizational Change / 197; Key Factors that Decide the Educational Environment of an Institution / 197 16.Major Concerns of Education Institutions Student-Teacher Ratio / 200; The Teacher-Student Relationship / 201; Stability of Tenure of Personnel / 201; Leadership / 202; A Conflict between the Staff and Teachers / 205; Need for In-Service Training for Teachers in the Higher Education Institutions / 206; The Academic Staff College / 209; Effective Teacher Recognition Programmes / 209 17.Enhancing Quality Education (Conclusion) Our Gratitude to Teachers / 211; The New Learning Environment / 212; Higher Education in a State of Flux / 215; Relevance of Quality Enhancement in the Emerging Education Scenario / 218 |
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