SlideShare ist ein Scribd-Unternehmen logo
1 von 124
Downloaden Sie, um offline zu lesen
4 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
School Ranking
22 Ranking Methodology
Interview
16 Making Higher Education Available
24X7
18 Integrating Technology to the
Curriculum
19 Enriching Students with Aesthetic
Values
................................................................
Industry Speak
20 Why Do Educational Institutions
Need Mobile Apps?
08
EduTech Redefining
Learning Landscape
08 COVER STORY
School Ranking - Zone-wise
25
North Zone
83
Central Zone
112
East Zone
25
North Zone
83
Central Zone
96
West Zone
96
West Zone
112
East Zone
VOLUME 12 ISSUE 01 JANUARY 2016
67 South
Zone
6 January 2015 / digitalLEARNING
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dr Ravi Gupta
EDITORIAL TEAM
EDUCATION
Senior Assistant Editor: Garima Pant
Senior Correspondent: Jessy Iype
SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digitalLearning
Project Manager: Seema Gupta,
Mobile: +91-8860651643
National Sales Manager: Fahim Haq,
Mobile: +91-8860651632
SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION TEAM
Manager Subscriptions: +91-8860635832;
subscription@elets.in
DESIGN TEAM
Creative Head: Pramod Gupta, Anjan Dey
Deputy Art Director: Om Prakash Thakur, Gopal Thakur
Senior Web Designer: Shyam Kishore
Designer: Ismat Pal Singh
WEB DEVELOPMENT & IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Manager Web Development: Ishvinder Singh
ADMINISTRATION
Head Administration: Archana Jaiswal
EDITORIAL & MARKETING CORRESPONDENCE
digitalLearning – Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd: Stellar IT Park
Office No: 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building,
C-25, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301,
Phone: +91-120-4812600, Fax: +91-120-4812660,
Email: info@elets.in
digitalLearning is published by Elets Technomedia Pvt
Ltd in technical collaboration with the Centre for Science,
Development and Media Studies (CSDMS).
Owner, Publisher, Printer - Dr Ravi Gupta, Printed at Vinayak
Print Media, D - 249, Sector-63, Noida 201 307.UP and
published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30, Sector - 50,
Noida, UP and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor,
F-30 Sector-50, Noida, Up
Editor: Dr Ravi Gupta
All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic and mechanical, including photocopy, or
any information storage or retrieval system, without
publisher’s permission.
Volume 12 Issue 01 January 2016
ASIA’S PREMIER MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON ICT IN EDUCATION
digitallearning.eletsonline.com egov.eletsonline.com ehealth.eletsonline.com
events.eletsonline.com bfsi.eletsonline.com smartcity.eletsonline.com
Write in your reactions to news, intervews, features and articles. You can either comment on the individual webpage of a story, or drop us a mail at: editorial@elets.in
7digitalLEARNING / January 2016
When the founder of an emerging start-up introduced me about her latest venture which
she told was born out of her frustration when she couldn’t find information about the
number of college counselors at a local high school - a basic indicator of student support,
I resonated with her passionate belief in the power of education and giving parents high
value information and perspective about their local schools.
While she elaborated about the perils of information gathering amidst the American
Schooling ecosystem, it clicked to me as to why not initiate a data driven ranking
framework in India as another first from the house of Elets Technomedia.
At digitalLEARNING we have been ranking Indian Schools for the past couple of years
based on a plethora of heuristics, evaluating the self-declaration forms, doing secondary
research and corroborating the claims from all possible dimensions.
This time we thought of graduating towards an entirely data driven framework with no
control or influence from any quarter. The deeper recesses of this framework are elaborated
in the inner pages.
Just before Diwali, when we pushed India’s most pervasive Social Perception Ranking
Survey spanning 73 eduDESTINATIONS across the length and breadth of the country
duly involving the shortlisted schools, I had no idea that thousands of parents from across
the country would be handed over a communication from the School of their children for
ranking them on a host of parameters.
Transparency is honored, if it is earnestly attempted. The digitalLEARNING School
Ranking 2015 Survey is a glaring example of the same. The School Progressiveness Index
which got created on the basis of this social perception survey and a stringent analysis of
objective parameters of Online Presence & Social Footprints, has resulted in an elaborate
list of India’s Best Schools for the year 2015.
These schools have been ranked within their very educational ecosystems so as to provide
a level playing field to all contenders. The concept of Multiplicity of ranking has been
introduced with the explicit realization that not every school can be at the same level of
excellence on every single parameter. So you shall find a variance in ranking of school
across the various parameters.
In months to come digitalLEARNING shall endeavor towards furthering this exercise
by incorporating more facts, analysis and research on schools to create one of the
most pervasive index on Indian Schools.
The forthcoming World Education Summit at Dubai and School Leadership Summit
at New Delhi would witness an elaborate commentary and conversation on the same.
Towards Data-Driven
School Ranking Framework
based on a plethora of heuristics, evaluating the self-declaration forms, doing secondary
This time we thought of graduating towards an entirely data driven framework with no
control or influence from any quarter. The deeper recesses of this framework are elaborated
Just before Diwali, when we pushed India’s most pervasive Social Perception Ranking
Survey spanning 73 eduDESTINATIONS across the length and breadth of the country
duly involving the shortlisted schools, I had no idea that thousands of parents from across
the country would be handed over a communication from the School of their children for
Transparency is honored, if it is earnestly attempted. The digitalLEARNING School
Ranking 2015 Survey is a glaring example of the same. The School Progressiveness Index
which got created on the basis of this social perception survey and a stringent analysis of
objective parameters of Online Presence & Social Footprints, has resulted in an elaborate
These schools have been ranked within their very educational ecosystems so as to provide
a level playing field to all contenders. The concept of Multiplicity of ranking has been
introduced with the explicit realization that not every school can be at the same level of
excellence on every single parameter. So you shall find a variance in ranking of school
In months to come digitalLEARNING shall endeavor towards furthering this exercise
by incorporating more facts, analysis and research on schools to create one of the
The forthcoming World Education Summit at Dubai and School Leadership Summit
at New Delhi would witness an elaborate commentary and conversation on the same.
Dr Ravi Gupta
Editor-in-Chief
Ravi.Gupta@elets.in
EDITORIAL
8 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
COVER
STORY
E
ducational institutions are
now taking the burden to
advance the culture of inno-
vation, foster environments
that accelerate learning and
creativity and to create the conditions
for innovations to happen. Technolo-
gies are becoming affirmatively accepted
by the education sector to add value to
learning experiences.
According to education experts,
major developments in education tech-
nology and technological trends will
help shape teaching and learning in
the near future. A little bit of future-
gazing suggests that emerging technol-
ogies that will impact education over
the course of the next five years would
be: cloud computing, mobile learning,
elearning, learning analytics, MOOCs,
virtual and remote laboratories, and
tablet computing, etc.
Transforming Traditional Learning
In this ever-changing dynamics of tech-
nological transformations, nothing seems
constant.The one guaranteed constant in
educational technology is change, as also
elsewhere, and the pace of that change is
definitely accelerating.Technology trends
in both higher education and K-12 class-
rooms continue to evolve and transform
In this fast-paced world,
technology is impacting every
sphere, and education is no
exception. There have been major
developments in the sphere
of education technology and
technological trends are reshaping
the teaching and learning. Besides,
some technologies have emerged
in the recent times that will
impact education over the course
of the next few years. Aamir H
Kaki of Elets News Network
(ENN) shares insights on how
technology is transforming the
learning experience, emerging
technological trends and
innovative solutions in education,
potential challenges of technology
and much more
traditional learning environments.
The advent of technology over the
decade has and would continue to play
a key role in changing the face of edu-
cation in India. As Ujjwal Singh, Vice
President, Product – K12, Pearson In-
dia, puts it, “Education providers in the
country are beginning to understand
the significance of measurable progress
in a student’s life as opposed to learn-
ing that is confined to the four walls of a
classroom.Technology is one of the most
important tools in learning that will help
Indian education progressively reach its
peak. However, growing availability of
technologies and educational apps re-
EduTech Redefining
Learning Landscape
9digitalLEARNING / January 2016
digitallearning.eletsonline.com
quire teachers to be trained to make use
of such technology integration.”
“Technology enables the dissemina-
tion of information beyond geographical
barriers and gives students access to the
same learning opportunities. This also
makes technology one of the greatest
equalisers, as it promotes inclusivity by
providing education to all whenever and
wherever. It is one of the key factors in
extending learning beyond classroom
hours,” he adds.
On the integration and adoption of
technology in learning, Nirav Khamb-
hati, CEO – Tata ClassEdge states, “To-
day, more and more schools seem to be
adopting experiential learning as op-
posed to just textbook-centric teaching.
By using a blend of traditional teaching
methods, exploratory activities, proj-
ects and interactive technology, schools
can bring in more engagement in class-
rooms. Some students do use laptops and
tablets at home. But we are not sure if
they use them creatively for educational
purposes. What we need is a structured
approach on how to integrate technol-
ogy in the teaching-learning process.”
The technology is surely redefining
the future of education. Today’s society
shows the ever-growing computer-cen-
tric lifestyle, which includes the rapid
influx of computers in the modern class-
room. As Rishi Khemka, Founder and
CEO, MindBox, says, “The Information
and Communications Technologies (ICT)
in education provide opportunities to stu-
dents to mainly build their capacity on
ICT skills and make them learn through
computer-aided learning process.”
He further says, “MOOC is gaining a
firm foothold in education around the
world. More than two-thirds of respon-
dents from academia say that their insti-
tutions offer online courses. Computing,
Communications and Storage anywhere
facility, and the ability to create interface
with digital technology, data and the
web anywhere, anytime on any device is
the key to ACCESS to ALL.”
With the change in scenario in educa-
tion, classrooms - be it in a school or col-
lege - are slowly transitioning to a more
modern approach that uses technology
to deliver education in a more impactful
and effective manner. Manikandan R,
Director – Mobility, Education & Health-
care, HP, points out, “The introduction
of technology in the education system
has not only aided the students but also
the faculty, and as a result overall effi-
ciency of the system has improved. With
Distance and
online learning
using technology not
only impart quality
education to all
despite the varying
geographies, but also
enable students to
work at a pace and
in a subject area that
facilitates comfortable
learning environment.
In the Indian context,
this model is
extremely important
as it is a great way
of transforming the
education space, since
it puts students at the
center of learning
Technology enables
the dissemination of
information beyond
geographical barriers
and provides students
access to the same learning opportunities.
This also makes technology one of the greatest
equalisers as it promotes inclusivity by
providing education to all whenever wherever
and. It is one of the key factors in extending
learning beyond the classroom hours
UJJWAL SINGH
Vice President
Product – K12, Pearson India
10 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
COVER
STORY
the introduction of technology, students
have started taking more interest in the
curriculum.”
“Use of technology in education is
one of those methods that has helped im-
prove the quality of education in India.
The face of education is somehow shifted
partly from books to ebooks. From books
and study material to the method of
teaching — everything is tending to go
virtual with the help of latest technolo-
gies. Technology is not only changing
the face of education, but also altering
the way the education is provided, mak-
ing it faster and easier to grab,” adds
Manikandan.
Innovative Technological Trends
Creative and innovative technological
educational solutions are becoming in-
creasingly significant for the develop-
ment of the 21st century knowledge
society. They contribute to economic
prosperity as well as to social and indi-
vidual well-being and are essential fac-
tors for a more competitive and dynamic
economy. Technology in education is
seen as central in fostering creative and
innovative skills.
The use of blended learning models in
schools has been on the rise, especially in
the recent past. Ujjwal Singh points out,
“Blended learning models that combine
technology with classroom instructions
help teachers experiment with a variety
of educational models. This technology
allows students to network effectively,
enables personalised learning and is an
excellent platform to display their ability
to innovate and collaborate.”
He states, “Distance and online learn-
ing using technology not only imparts
quality education to all despite the vary-
ing geographical background, but also
enable students to work at a pace and in
a subject area that suits them in a com-
fortable learning environment. In the
Indian context, this model is extremely
important as it is a great way of trans-
forming the education space, since it
puts students at the center of learning.”
With technology pervading every
sphere and field, education is no longer
lagging in accepting the transformation-
al change. As Nirav Khambhati, CEO –
Tata ClassEdge puts it, “With technology
moving into all aspects of our lives and
children becoming more tech-savvy, the
education system isn’t far behind in in-
tegrating technology in teaching-learn-
ing practices. Schools are realising that
digitisation of teaching methods gives
an experiential edge to the students. ICT
in schools in India started with digital
classrooms that comprise digital boards,
projectors and multimedia animations.”
“Tata ClassEdge was one among the
first to introduce cloud technology and
usage analytics in this space. Soon, we
are going to witness more innovations in
the personalisation of learning, through
adaptive logic and intelligent tutoring.
But this is just the beginning. What the
future holds for technology in education
is far more than what we can all imagine
at this point in time,” he adds.
Advancements in technology is
bringing societal changes and impact-
ing education, growth and development
of India. Rishi Khemka says, “We are
entering a time of momentous societal
shifts brought in by advancements in
technology. These changes will impact
the education, growth and development
of our country. Inventions previously
seen only in science fiction, such as arti-
ficial intelligence, connected devices and
3D printing, will enable us to connect
and invent in ways we never have before.
Modern tools of creativity like design
lab (3D printer), creativity lab (STEAM),
smart devices and digital cameras, on-
line resources, like social media, blogs,
virtual classrooms, video conference
and podcasts, and latest infrastructure
like ICT lab, wirefree internet, intranet,
smart boards, interactive projectors col-
lectively, all such advances will lead to
profound changes in the way courses
are taught and learned.”
Digitisation of the education indus-
try will be the most disruptive trend the
sector has witnessed after the invention
of paper. Manikandan further says, “At
HP, we believe that every student should
have access to a high quality education,
at any time and from anywhere, and the
access should be combined with true
learning, meaningful learning, social
and economic outcomes result – for stu-
dents, for schools and for communities.
Innovative Solutions - The Road
to Future
Innovative solutions in the learning
space is transforming the education sec-
tor and creating a road for the future.
Organisations are bringing out solutions
that are not only easing the learning, but
By using a blend of
traditional teaching
methods, exploratory
activities, projects and
interactive technology,
schools can bring in more engagement in
classrooms. Some students do use laptops
and tablets at home, but we are not sure
if they use them creatively for educational
purposes. What we need is a structured
approach on how to integrate technology
NIRAV KHAMBHATI
CEO – Tata ClassEdge
12 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
COVER
STORY
also changing the overall experience of
imparting and acquiring education.
Ujjwal Singh states, “We, at Pearson,
have always had a learner-centric ap-
proach. In line with this, we introduced
MyPedia, an innovative integrated learn-
ing solution that focuses on improving
conceptual understanding of students.
It is based on 5i learning process and in-
tends to actively engage students in the
learning process, help develop their criti-
cal thinking skills, stronger understand-
ing of concepts and create meaningful
learning experiences.”
He elaborates, “MyPedia allows stu-
dents to learn in a more comprehen-
sive manner, and reason abstractly and
quantitatively by integrating learning
across subjects. Its unique features help
students understand different learning
layers, where each layer comprises the
skills and concepts that a student needs
to learn in a particular grade. This really
helps students to break away from com-
partmentalisation of subjects. It com-
bines the best in curriculum and con-
tent, digital and technology, assessment
framework and training.”
Organisations in learning space are
introducing solutions to inspire learn-
ers as well as teachers. Nirav Khamb-
hati informs about initiatives at Tata
ClassEdge, “This year, we are introduc-
ing Tata ClassEdge Cosmos, an ecosys-
tem of solutions developed over the last
five years based on our core philosophy
— INSPIRED SCHOOLING. We haveTata
ClassEdge LX, our flagship classroom
solution based on our proprietary mul-
tiple learning experiences framework
to engage varied learners. We have in-
troduced ‘Thinking About Values’, the
values and life skills curriculum for stu-
dents to start questioning what is right
and wrong from an early age. Then we
have PlanEdge for automated academic
planning, and standardised assessment
management through TestEdge. Our
new app for parents, ClassEdge School
Connect, enables easy communication,
simplified transactions and enhanced
parent involvement in the child’s educa-
tion. ClassEdge After School is a tablet/
web based solution, which personalises
learning at home. The ecosystem aims
to create a complete solution for Indian
schooling, enabling inspired teaching
and learning.
Almost 40
per cent of
the skilled
workforce is not
employable as the
acquired education
and training are of
substandard quality.
With 93 per cent of
work available in
the informal sector,
a good number of
even well-educated
youth in India are
either unemployed,
underemployed,
seeking
employment,
between jobs,
or coping with
insecure work
arrangements
13digitalLEARNING / January 2016
digitallearning.eletsonline.com
He further adds, “Tata ClassEdge Cos-
mos provides end-to-end support for ac-
ademic needs and simplified and conve-
nient school administration to schools.
It enables teachers to create engaged
and effective classrooms and saves their
time spent on administrative and repeti-
tive tasks. The student has an access to
diverse experiences leading to enhanced
understanding of concepts, personalised
learning, while allowing for the devel-
opment of a discerning mind through
critical thinking. For the parent, Tata
ClassEdge Cosmos allows for greater in-
volvement in student’s education and
increased connect with schools.”
Education technology is empowering
the students and making them ready
for the future. Informing about Mind-
Box’s initiatives, Rishi Khemka, says,
“As educators, we empower students to
ideate, explore, lead, think and collabo-
rate. MindBox is an initiative that aims
to empower students with 21st century
skills. We develop creativity and life skills
of students by an output method of ex-
pression using Visual Communication as
Language, Design Thinking and STEAM
as a subject. The delivery happens using
‘technology as a tool’ inside the school’s
campus through project/design-based
learning methodology for Class I-XII stu-
dents. MindBox provides kits, industry
expert sessions, worksheet and software,
along with qualified faculty to conduct
these sessions and a four-way assess-
ment system for schools and students.”
Opportunities blossom when every-
one is empowered to control their own
educational experience. The educational
experience is much richer when the con-
tent is personalised to the needs of the
student. Manikandan R says, “HP be-
lieves in the value of the Hybrid Learn-
ing model, combining the best of digital
printing with electronic content, to op-
timise learning outcomes. Print contin-
ues to deliver intrinsic educational value
that facilitates true learning with deep
engagement, and high levels of compre-
hension and retention. Along with elec-
tronic channels for mobile consumption
and student feedback and analytics, we
can get the most out of technology, and
being given the opportunity to do so not
only makes things easier, it also makes
them greater. At HP, we don’t just hand
out gadgets; we provide the support and
training necessary to turn a device into
an instrument of change.”
Making Students Industry-ready
Though technological advancements
are taking place, we live in a country
wherein education is perceived as the
primary means of climbing the social
and economic ladder. Our education
system is still largely centered on knowl-
edge as a finished product and learning
as memorising things that are enshrined
in the textbooks. The present-day work-
place, on the other hand, is evolving at
a very fast pace. Our teaching methods
still focus on testing knowledge at the
completion of every level as opposed to
teaching skills that are vital to deal with
a volatile working environment.
Ujjwal Singh says, “Apart from the
basic aptitude to perform a specific job,
workers are expected to have technical
skills, communication skills, soft skills
and a basic understanding of IT for the
current high-paced workplace. If edu-
cational institutions take the effort to
impart these skills to students over and
above their domain knowledge, we will
be able to produce employable talented
workforce to meet the growing needs of
the industry.”
He suggests a few ways in which tech-
nological interventions can help make
youth industry-ready for future:
l Incorporating digital capabilities
meaningfully into the learning pro-
cess gives students new opportunities
to learn and attain skills required for
the present-day work environment.
Technology also grants immediate
access to vast amounts of quality in-
formation and developing valuable
research skills. Integrating technolo-
gy in teaching and learning through-
out the process, focusing on problems
unique to our educational context, is
imperative to plugging the existent
talent gap.
l Technology allows for personalised
learning, a way of teaching that
caters to students’ individual needs.
Keeping in mind, the different paces
and levels of ability helps channel
the students towards the right choice
of employment based on their inter-
ests. This in turn will enrich their ex-
perience in a future workforce.
l Another effective approach to tackle
the problem of lacking job-readiness
among Indian students is an effective
partnership between the industry
and academia. Technology provides
the platform for teachers and indus-
MOOC is gaining a firm
foothold in education
around the world.
More than two-thirds
of respondents from
academia say that their institutions offer
online courses. Computing, Communications
and Storage everywhere – the ability to
interface with digital technology, data and
the web anywhere, anytime on any device is
the key for ACCESS to ALL
RISHI KHEMKA
Founder and CEO, Mindbox
14 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
COVER
STORY
try experts to collaborate and share
their ideas and resources online.
l Providing training in high-demand
job skills to those who have limited
exposure levels in Tier II and III cit-
ies will help create far more job-ready
employees.
India is coping with the skills gap and
a significant number of even well-edu-
cated youth in the country are unem-
ployed. Manikandan observes, “Youth
unemployment is a major challenge
in India. Young job seekers constitute
49 per cent of the total unemployed in
India. And, even as literacy and educa-
tional levels are increasing, an estimat-
ed 89 per cent of young people lack any
kind of vocational training and among
the rest, about half have received it
through hereditary practices. Accord-
ing to NASSCOM, almost 40 per cent
of the skilled workforce is not employ-
able because the acquired education
and training are of substandard quality.
With 93 per cent of the available work
provided by the informal sector, a sig-
nificant number of even well-educated
youth in India are either unemployed,
underemployed, seeking employment
or between jobs, or coping with insecure
work arrangements.”
Hesuggests,“Itiscriticalfortheeduca-
tional institutions to impart 21st century
skills, such as innovation, collaboration
and critical thinking, to Indian students
to make them more employable.”
Potential Challenges
Even though the technology has
changed the way students learn, there
are some security issues which are be-
ing addressed by new pieces of educa-
tion technology tools. Ujjwal Singh
submits, “Technology makes the
teaching-learning process very easy
and interesting, but there are potential
security risks involved. Emerging ICT
applications must have security policies
and mechanisms that support authen-
tication, authorisation, confidential-
ity and accountability. Online learning
providers and practitioners must con-
sider security as top priority. Children
must be made aware of the nature of
threats that exist online and given clear
guidelines about the parameters in
which they can operate online.”
He suggests few ways to ensure chil-
dren’s security online, which are:
l Children should be given restricted
access to technology;
l Software should be designed in a way
that allows joint access with parental
or teacher supervision;
l Parental guidance and supervision
is another way to ensure children
are secure while using technological
tools; and
l It is also important to check the rate
of dependency among children on
technology. There should be clear
communication that it is a means to
an end, not the end in itself.
Though technology has lots of ben-
efits and offering support to ease the
learning process, it has some challenges,
too. Says Manikandan, “Digital tech-
nologies are everywhere and they are
impacting what, where, how and why
students learn, and who they learn from.
Many schools are using digital technolo-
gies like the internet, laptops and tablets
to quickly, easily and cost-effectively
connect students with the huge range
of digital services and resources. How-
ever, the many benefits of learning with
digital technologies are accompanied by
some challenges and potential risks for
students as well as schools. These ‘digital
challenges’ are real and present a dilem-
ma to schools seeking to use digital tech-
nology to enhance student learning.”
To overcome these challenges, he
suggests, “There are technical solutions
available like Mobile Device Manage-
ment, commonly called MDM. If de-
ployed, MDMs can provide good amount
of safety to the extent of enforcing secu-
rity policies and/or making the device
work in kiosk mode. Such technical solu-
tions have a role, but must be balanced
with strategies that promote:
l Development of skills and knowledge
for safe and responsible use of digital
technology;
l Opportunities for students to be in-
volved in decisions about the man-
agement of digital technology at the
school;
l Development of a pro-social culture
of digital technology use; and
l Cooperation of the whole community in
preventing and responding to incidents.
The ultimate goal is to ensure the online
safety of all students. We cannot sidestep
our obligation to make technology a tool
our kids can use safely and responsibly.
Digital technologies
are everywhere and
they are impacting
what, where, how and
why students learn
and who they learn from. Many schools
are using digital technologies like the
internet, laptops and tablets to quickly,
easily and cost-effectively connect
students with the huge range of digital
services and resources
MANIKANDAN R
Director – Mobility, Education
& Healthcare, HP
16 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
INTERVIEW
Bharat Lal Meena has initiated ICT projects in Karnataka PowerTransmission Corporation Ltd
(KPTCL) - a Government of Karnataka undertaking, during his previous assignment as Managing
Director, and set a trend for other States to emulate in power sector. Now as the Additional Chief
Secretary, Department of Education (Higher Education), Government of Karnataka, he is on a new
mission, making ICT an efficient tool for learning, governance and academic activities. He shares with
T Radhakrishna of Elets News Network (ENN) about the Department’s mandate, initiatives,
action plans, challenges in implementing ICT and more
‘Making Higher Education
Available 24x7’
Could you tell us about how you
have maximised the use of current
facilities at Department? What
were the challenges you faced in
managing them?
In the absence of systems and processes,
monitoring is a challenge. Data sharing
is another. There was low priority for
collating and updating data. Cyber
security and information overload
are some other concerns. Going
forward, the Department is seeing a
massive ICT implementation to bring
in digitisation in higher education.
While office automation is one aspect
Describe the Department’s
mandate and its objectives. Who
are your key stakeholders?
The mandate is to make quality
education affordable and accessible
to all sections of students. The
department deals with higher
education i.e., college, universities
and technical education. Its objectives
are: Development of undergraduate
and postgraduate education;
Increasing access to higher education;
Development of infrastructure in
Government colleges; and, Maintaining
high standards of education in colleges.
The key stakeholders are students,
faculty, administration, parents and
people in general.
What systems and processes have
you used to ensure the effective
running of the Department’s
functions? In which functions, do
you use ICT and how?
The history of implementation of
ICT in universities/colleges was poor
till mid-2015. Basic computing was
available in each office or institution,
but office automation did not exist.
The day-to-day functions of higher
education were not connected in
realtime IT environment. However, the
potential for using ICT in the higher
education is enormous. ICT is very
useful tool for learning, governance
and academic activities.
of it, there are a host of student-
centric initiatives. After I had joined
the department about 10 months
ago (in February 2015), I studied the
situation and focused on how and
where to use ICT in higher education
to bring in productivity, accountability
and transparency in the day-to-day
functions. As part of this, I travelled to
all the universities and held meetings
with officers concerned and later called
for presentations on best practices in
higher education from all. Data sharing
must be linked with critical areas like
approval, renewal, grants, etc. Finally,
Bharat Lal Meena, Additional Chief Secretary,
Department of Education (Higher Education), Government of Karnataka
17digitalLEARNING / January 2016
digitallearning.eletsonline.com
we came out with a roadmap for ICT
initiatives after elaborate discussions
with internal stakeholders.
Explain your 100-point ICT plan for
Department improvement.
The department has prepared a
roadmap for ICT initiatives to facilitate
ease of administration and academic
reach for students in universities and
colleges. The programme aims to
provide end-to-end digital solution
from admission to completion of
education, covering all functions of
the department and its stakeholders.
The 100-point table is nothing but an
action plan for each requirement of the
department’s functions. Of them, 15
ICT initiatives and solutions are related
to administration; 22 exclusively for
universities; six exclusively for colleges;
15 for colleges and polytechnics; 12 for
universities and colleges; and 30 for
universities, colleges and polytechnics.
The action plan has mapped the
entire functions of key stakeholders –
students, faculty and administration,
and feedback mechanism to
parents (of students).
Under administration, we are
deploying modules such as Online
Admission for Students; Education
Management Information System
with Dashboard; HRM System;
e-Administration System; e-Library
Networking and Synergy, Accreditation
Monitoring, etc. For Smart Student
Support System, we shall implement
modules such as Online Scholarship
Management System; e-Attendance;
Online Class Monitoring and Matrix;
e-feedback system by students about
teacher, etc. Under academic initiatives,
conversion of classrooms into Smart
Classes, Tele-education, Campus Wi-
fi, Online Affiliation System, Teachers
Biometric Attendance, Setting up
of well-equipped studios in each
University, Question Banks (10 years
old) are taken up.
What is the status on ICT initiatives?
Give details about its timelines.
We have tested ICT initiatives on
a pilot basis with the support of
National Informatics Centre (NIC)
and adopted most of the initiatives in
a holistic manner. All the initiatives
are interconnected. Software is freely
available to all institutions. The
Department has set March 15, 2016
as deadline for achieving 50 per cent
implementation of ICT initiatives and
June 1, 2016 for completing 100 per
cent implementation.
On November 6, 2015, the
department launched ‘Jnana Sangama’
(convergence of knowledge), an ICT-
enabled programme in the presence
of TB Jayachandra, Minister of Law,
Parliamentary Affairs and Higher
Education and Vice Chancellors of
Universities. It is aimed at digitisation
of higher education institutions
in the State. This ICT initiative is
the ‘Smart Karnataka Education
Yardstick’ (Smart-KEY), designed
for digitising most of the teaching
materials in public and private domain
throughout the State.
Through Jnana Sangama, the higher
education system in Karnataka - 50
Universities, 2992 undergraduate and
postgraduate colleges, 305 polytechnic
colleges, and 207 engineering colleges
– will get a major boost.
Highlight student-centric
initiatives.
Major thrust will be given to make the
processes of entire pre and post-exam
and admission, online. The department
will introduce online application and
admission process for undergraduate
and postgraduate courses. Digital
attendance registration, inter-
university information highway and
online affiliation process are on the
anvil. While some of these are partially
implemented this year, the department
is looking at full-scale implementation
from the next academic year. The
department will make the entire
admission process online, including
the application process. The students
do not have to go from college to
college to buy application forms. They
can apply once online and seats will be
allotted based on merit, like Common
Entrance Test (CET) admissions. The
Department has tried this out in
2015 for polytechnic courses and in
some government degree colleges.
This will be implemented across
all government-aided and unaided
institutions for undergraduate and
postgraduate courses.
Not every student can secure
admission in top colleges. However, on
this account alone, students should
not miss out on quality education. This
is the principle with which e-content
sharing is being implemented. To
begin with, 22 top colleges have
been selected to record their lectures
and share teaching aids with other
institutions. The content shared by
colleges is available on a central server
that can be accessed by other colleges
and students. The department has
signed MoUs with private universities
for sharing e-content, including video
classes. Today, we have 2 TB size of
videos of e-content.
Do you have any suggestions
to Ministry of Human Resource
Development (MHRD)?
There is a need for synergy of data
exchange of different portals such
as AISHE, UGC, AICTE, NAAC,
NBA, DISE, MCA, etc. ICT initiatives
in higher education need to be
encouraged. Scalable and robust ERP-
type ICT solutions could be developed
and made available to all states by
MHRD, based on Karnataka model.
Quarterly national level workshops in
different regions be held for sharing
best practices and case studies be
undertaken and sponsored. Financial
support be extended for reforms-linked
activities and annual awards and
incentives to innovative initiatives in
states should be taken up.
The Department has
set March 15, 2016 as
deadline for achieving 50
per cent implementation
of ICT initiatives and
June 1, 2016 for
completing 100 per cent
implementation
18 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
Rita Kaul, Director, The Millennium School, is a special educator
and psychologist with 23 years of experience. She shares with Elets
News Network (ENN) about the challenges in education, qualities
of a best school, role of parents in school, unique proposition of The
Millennium School and more
IntegratingTechnology
to the Curriculum
What makes your school sets apart
from others?
The Millennium Schools across the
country are based on developmental
milestones and not on the chronological
age of the students. Our curriculum,
calledThe Millennium Learning System,
is based on Piaget’s longitudinal and
cross-sectional study of children across
the world. The Millennium Learning
System (MLS) is an age appropriate
learning system that caters to the
psychological, emotional and cognitive
needsof thelearner.Ithasdifferentlevels,
based on developmental milestones and
age appropriate pedagogy.
Every tangible for MLS has been
developed at the R&D Division, with a
focused outcome in mind. This outcome
is clearly understood through our vision
for every child who enters the system.
Age appropriate, psychologically-
mapped and pedagogically apt tangibles
are used at every level of the MLS. Some
of these are the books, the assessment
system and the lesson plans.
Positive parents involvement has
a significant impact on student
education. Do you agree? If
yes, how?
To have positive and educated parents as
What do you see as the
main challenges for school
education today?
Today, the greatest challenge is to
balance the information and knowledge
we provide in school, with the harmony
in life. Gone are the days when teachers
would force the children to mug up
and vomit out during examination.
Thus, the first and foremost challenge
is to train the teachers in a way that
they can think of various strategies
to engage the students in class. There
is need to change the methodology of
assessment and let the students enquire
and discover the facts.
According to you, what are the
qualities that defines a best school?
Being the head of a school, I interact
with young parents of a nursery child
as well as with a parent who is seeking
admission of a child in grade XI. Their
expectations vary from one stage to
another. To sum up, basically a parent
looks at the quality of academics i.e., the
kind of curriculum adopted, physical
school environment that is quality
infrastructure and the psychological
environment that is the attitude of all
the stakeholders inside the school. A best
school will certainly practice cultural
values, have democratic approach, and
engagequalifiedandpassionateteachers
who are well-versed in integrating
technology to the curriculum. The
environment in a quality school is
student-centric. Parents as partners and
freedom to students for research will
also add on to the quality of school.
partners is like having a mirror in front
of us. Parents are our ambassadors. If
they speak respectfully of our schools
and are involved in certain decision-
making stages, they have an ownership
like a family member has in a family.
The student feels confident when school
and parents work together. When
these parents believe in the system,
they talk about it and give the schools
an honest feedback and thus create
opportunities for the schools to correct
the course when they are perceived in a
negative manner.
How technology is transforming
the school education landscape?
Technology has become an intrinsic
part of education and an important tool
for teachers. Integrating technology
into the classroom is definitely a great
way to reach diversity in learning
styles. It gives students the chance
to interact with classmates more, by
encouraging collaboration.
With technology, the teacher
becomes the encourager, adviser and
coach. Students can have access to
digital textbooks that are constantly
updated and often more vivid, helpful,
and creative. Technological tools,
like Fliplearn, help to communicate
and enhance knowledge, and play a
vital role in bringing the stakeholders
closer and sharing of information.
Technology also facilitated learning for
the differently abled.
Integrating technology
into the classroom is
definitely a great way
to reach diversity in
learning styles
For full interview: log on to
http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/
Rita Kaul
Director, The Millennium School
INTERVIEW
digitallearning.eletsonline.comINTERVIEW
19digitalLEARNING / January 2016
Dr Satyabrata Minaketan, Chairman, ODM Educational Group shares with Elets News Network
(ENN) about the challenges in school education, qualities of a best school, parents involvement in child
education, role of technology in education, ODM’s unique proposition and more
Enriching Students with
Aesthetic Values
in nurturing students by imparting
rich spiritual values (not specific to any
religion) as well as ensuring a tech-
based education system with modern
and advanced teaching aids used by
leading schools across globe.
Positive parents involvement has
a significant impact on student
education. Do you agree? If
yes, how?
It has been noticed that parents’
culture and lifestyle impacts the
grooming of a child to a great extent.
The way we behave at home, lead
a lifestyle - our child learns from us
and starts to act accordingly. We, at
ODM, have clearly understood this
aspect. Whatever we teach a child
in school not only in academics but
also in other aspects, if that training
is supplemented at home, then that
doesn’t lead to a complete development
What do you see as the
main challenges for school
education today?
Today, the biggest challenge in the
domainof schooleducationisthedearth
of quality teaching methodologies and
curriculum. The school education in
our country has actually gone through
very few changes to catch up with the
dynamics of the changing economy. I
believe that school education should lay
the foundation among the students to
nurture future leaders. For this, schools
today have to go through radical
changes in terms of their teaching
pedagogy and curriculum planning.
According to you, what are
the qualities that defines a
best school?
A best school is the one that truly
prepares all its students for the future.
An ideal school brings out the best out
of every child. A child might be good
at academics, sports, dance or music.
A school will be best in real sense if it
helps students recognise their latent
talents and helps them excel in the
same. This approach needs a dynamic
curriculum planning, active parental
involvement and an excellent growth
environment provided by the school
along with provisions for excellent
training and exposure.
What makes your school sets
apart from others?
Since the foundation of school, my
team and I have relentlessly been
focussing on providing a unique
pattern of education - on enriching
students with aesthetic values and
overall grooming through modern
global teaching pedagogy. We believe
in a child. Hence, we think positive
parents’ involvement has a significant
impact on students. We have seen that
parents who are concerned about their
child’s development and cooperate
with school by supplementing on the
coaching provided to the students have
witnessed their child acing domains
with flying colours.
Use of technology has become an
integral component of education.
In your opinion, how technology
is transforming the school
education landscape?
It is undoubtedly true that school
education is transforming with the aid
of technology. The advent of smart
classes, tab-based learning and other
teaching aids have not only taken
the education to next level among
students but also have improved
teachers’ efficiency exponentially. The
smart classes have made learning fun
and the visual and audio aids made
understanding and memorising of facts
easier for students.
We are one of the few schools in
eastern zone to introduce tab-based
learning for senior secondary students
this academic session. Through tabs,
they can go through recorded e-classes
of some of the best teachers in the
state which help them understand
the concepts at any time of the day or
year. The new ERP software for schools
have made the process of maintaining
records, student profiling and
examination conduction a lot easier
and the efficiency of the staffs in school
increases exponentially.
Dr Satyabrata Minaketan
Chairman, ODM Educational Group
For full interview: log on to
http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/
20 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
INDUSTRY SPEAK
Gaurav Mundra, Co-Founder & CEO and Madhup Bansal, Co-founder & COO, myly share with
Elets News Network (ENN) about the need of mobile apps in educational institutions, myly’s unique
proposition, benefits for educators, students & parents and more
Why Do Educational
Institutions Need Mobile Apps?
First, myly is completely FREE
for educational institutions, stu-
dents and parents. We guarantee
our customers that the current
offering will remain free for life.
We will introduce various op-
tional value-added services that
customers may use at a small fee.
Second, myly is useful for all
types of educational institutions:
schools, colleges, universities,
tuition classes, coaching centres
and hobby classes.
Third, myly is transaction-enabled. It is
designed to allow payments via net bank-
ing, credit/debit card and mobile wallets.
Fourth, myly is extremely easy to setup
and use. Our typical turn-around from
sign-up to go live, including training, is
only two days.
Please share the vision and mission
behind myly?
myly was born out of the common frustra-
tion of co-founders Gaurav Mundra and
Madhup Bansal, about not getting timely
information from their kids’ schools. The
conventional means of communication
like diary and circulars are grossly inef-
ficient in this digital age. Even SMS and
email leave too much to be desired. This
is why Gaurav and Madhup left their full-
time engagements and started myly.
Their vision is to have myly in hands of
every educator, student and parent across
schools, colleges, universities, tuition class-
es, coaching centres and hobby classes.
myly’smissionistoconnect,engageand
facilitate learning over a seamless mobile
platform.
How is myly benefiting educators,
students and parents?
For educators and institutions:
 Saves communication cost and staff
What is the need for mobile apps in
educational institutions?
Althougheducationleadstotechnologyim-
provement, but the implementation of tech-
nology for improvement of education deliv-
ery has been in a sorry state till now. Most
of the educational institutes are still using
age-old methods, even in this digital age.
Educational institutions need to adopt
mobile app solutions not just to look smart
but to actually act smart. Mobile apps lead
to better, cheaper and faster communication
and transaction enablement. Mobile apps
enable customised and personalised learn-
ing, content delivery, assessment and feed-
back, improving quality of learning, etc.
Which type of educational institutes
can use a mobile app?
Any and all types of institutes can and must
use mobile apps – schools, colleges, univer-
sities, tuition classes, coaching centres and
hobbyclasses.Thereisnorestrictionof min-
imum number of students to adopt an app.
What are the key features that
educational institutions must look for
in a mobile app?
There is no limit to features you can have in a
mobileapp.Tobeginwith,anyappmusthave:
 Bi-directional messaging between
educators and students/parents;
 Ability to share homework, circulars
and exam schedules;
 Attendance notification of student’s
absence;
 Ability to create events’ and holi-
days’ calendar;
 Gallery for sharing images and videos;
 Fees payment via multiple online
channels.
With several players in institute-home
communication space, what is unique
about myly?
time by up to 90 per cent;
 Improved brand image and higher
brand visibility;
 Share messages, documents, images
and videos;
 Complete audit trail on what was com-
municated, and when;
 Comprehensive data repository is cre-
ated on a secure cloud;
 Accessible anytime, from anywhere;
 Saves paper, helps the environment.
For students and parents, myly app al-
lows to:
 Get all communication even when
they are absent;
 Access all information in one single
repository;
 Access images and videos shared by
institute;
 Apply for leave from the app;
 Make fees payments via net banking,
credit/debit card and mobile wallets;
 Get advance information about events
and register for them.
Overall, it increases the participation of
all stakeholders in the student’s learning
improving outcomes.
Visit: www.mylyapp.com
For full interview: log on to
http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/
Gaurav Mundra
Co-Founder & CEO, myly
Madhup Bansal
Co-founder & COO, myly
Connect | Engage | Learn
myly
The most trusted Mobile App Solution
connecting Educators, Students & Parents
School | College | University | Coaching center | Tuition center | Hobby class
FREE FOR
Homework,
Assignment
& Notices
P
A
P
P
AP
P
P
A
P
P
P
Attendance
notification
on absence
Bidirectional
messaging
for students
Share images
and videos and
promote events
Fees payment
by credit/debit
card & wallet
Share calender
& event
notification
www.mylyapp.com
Sign-up for FREE at
Contact us at: +91-9950-481-444 | hello@mylyapp.com
22 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
RANKING METHODOLOGY
How we Ranked
them?
I
n the extremely crowded and
emerging education market of
India, performers of various hues
are differentiating themselves in
myriad ways of which ranking remains
a dominant facet.
Most of the prevalent ranking frame-
works focus on a linear standalone po-
sition in a hierarchy or scale, which at
times doesn’t reflect the eclectic diversity
across educational ecosystems in varied
geographies.
Mapping and Communicating the
wide variegated range of institutional
parameters and foci again is a daunting
task whereby a one-size-fit-all approach
just doesn’t fit the bill.
Having been into the segment for
quite a while observing the develop-
ments of India’s Education System, we
at digitalLEARNING thought of expand-
ing this quest for ranking India’s Best
Schools across the country.
A new differentiated approach based
on the parameters of:
l Stakeholder perception indexing us-
ing social communication tools;
l Online and social analytics driven
parameters; and
l Segmenting the business of ranking
to the granularity of cities, chris-
tened as eduDESTINATIONS has
been attempted.
A select list of schools were thereby
shortlisted from these 73 eduDESTINA-
TIONS based on secondary editorial re-
search and ranking nominations. This
created a cogent sample to base social
perception ranking on.
Perception-based Social Indexing
The entire attempt of finding out the
Best Schools of India for the year 2015
was therefore based on a set of five per-
ception based parameters namely:
l Goodwill, Legacy & Reputation
l Academic Ecosystem & Outcomes
S.No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
City
Indore
Dhanbad
Gwalior
Muzaffarpur
Bokaro
Bhagalpur
Bhopal
Bilaspur
Jamshedpur
Patna
Ranchi
Guwahati
Cuttack
Bhubaneswar
Asansol
Darjeeling
Kolkata
Chandigarh
Ludhiana
Noida
West Delhi
South Delhi
Central Delhi
Kanpur
Gurgaon
Allahabad
East Delhi
Lucknow
North Delhi
Agra
Ambala
Amritsar
Dehradun
Faridabad
Ghaziabad
Haridwar
Hisar
Jalandhar
Jammu
Meerut
State
Madhya Pradesh
Jharkhand
Madhya Pradesh
Bihar
Jharkhand
Bihar
Madhya Pradesh
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
Bihar
Jharkhand
Assam
Odisha
Odisha
West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal
UT
Punjab
Uttar Pradesh
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Uttar Pradesh
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh
Delhi
Uttar Pradesh
Delhi
Uttar Pradesh
Haryana
Punjab
Uttarakhand
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Haryana
Punjab
Jammu & Kashmir
Uttar Pradesh
Zone
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
Central
East
East
East
East
East
East
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
24 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
RANKING METHODOLOGY
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
Mussoorie
Nainital
Panchkula
Patiala
Shimla
Sonipat
Varanasi
Hyderabad
Bengaluru
Kochi
Chennai
Vijayawada
Calicut
Coimbatore
Mysore
Trivandrum
Vellore
Visakhapatnam
Jaipur
North Mumbai
South Mumbai
West Mumbai
Ajmer
East Mumbai
Alwar
Ahmedabad
Kota
Nagpur
Nasik
Pune
Surat
Udaipur
Vadodara
Uttarakhand
uttarakhand
Haryana
Punjab
Himachal Pradesh
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh
Telangana
Karnataka
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Andhra Pradesh
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Andhra Pradesh
Rajasthan
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Rajasthan
Maharashtra
Rajasthan
Gujarat
Rajasthan
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Gujarat
Rajasthan
Gujarat
North
North
North
North
North
North
North
South
South
South
South
South
South
South
South
South
South
South
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
West
l Future-ready Academic Infrastruc-
ture
l Enrichment of Learning Experience
l Career Advancement
An elaborate social survey was there-
by configured on the basis of aforesaid
parameters.The shortlisted schools were
communicated to approach the wards of
their students so that they can rate and
rank them on these parameters.
This was perhaps one of the most un-
precedented attempts whereby the ser-
vice providers invited there service seek-
ers to rank their performance on an open
platform where they had no control or
influence over the outcomes. You would,
therefore, find a significant variance of
participation across eduDESTINATIONS
on this count. There are cities where
schools couldn’t decipher the intent of
the same and thereby missed the boat.
Online Presence & Social Media
Footprints
In this age of online and social engage-
ment, there are quite a number of ana-
lytics tools which present key insights
about the online presence and social
footprints indices which reveal a lot
about the progressiveness of the brand
concerned.
For measuring the online presence of
the shortlisted schools, we made use of
the Domain Authority metric from moz.
com. Domain Authority is a score (on a
100-point scale) developed by Moz that
predicts how well a website will rank on
search engines. To determine Domain
Authority, moz employs machine learn-
ing against Google’s algorithm to best
model how search engine results are gen-
erated. Over 40 signals are included in
this calculation. This ensures that a web-
site’s domain authority can be used as a
competitive metric against other sites.
The online presence of all schools has
to be computed on the basis of domain
authority metric of moz.
Facebook has become the most ubiq-
uitous means of stakeholder engage-
ment. The number of facebook likes on
the school page is the simplest metric to
compute the social engagement being
pursued. This has become the basis of
Social Footprints ranking.
End Note
Every school is unique with a differen-
tiated set of foci depending on the view
of the management about the end out-
comes of learning. The Best Schools
of India 2015 is an earnest attempt to
unravel the best aspects of each of the
participating schools.
digitalLEARNING would build upon
this view and approach and shall pres-
ent further ranking indices on a dif-
ferent set of parameters in times to
come. This elaborate inclusive rank-
ing framework shall give an overview
to all the stakeholders about the vivid
elements of school education in the
country.
An elaborate
social survey was
configured on the
basis of aforesaid
parameters. The
shortlisted schools
were communicated
to approach the
wards of their
students so that
they can rate and
rank them on these
parameters
120 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING
PROGRESSIVE INDEX
S
mart Education is an integral part of the entire precept of Smart Habitations. As a part of digitalLEARNING School
Perception Survey, the chosen eduDESTINATIONS were subjected to a social poll. Some of the eduDESTINATIONS per-
formed overwhelmingly well in this social poll, while others kept guessing about the intent of the same and couldn’t open
up their tally.The extent of participation in the aforesaid social poll has somewhat a co-relation to the overall progressive-
ness of the concerned eduDESTINATION.
Based on the Social Perception Survey, following is the Progressiveness Index of eduDESTINATIONs of the country.
eduDESTINATION
Progressive Index
eduDESTINATION
Chandigarh
Hyderabad
Jaipur
Ludhiana
North Mumbai
Noida
West Delhi
South Delhi
Bengaluru
Central Delhi
South Mumbai
Kanpur
Vadodara
Indore
West Mumbai
Gurgaon
Allahabad
Kochi
East Delhi
Chennai
Guwahati
Lucknow
North Delhi
Cuttack
Dhanbad
Ajmer
Ahmedabad
Vijayawada
Gwalior
Muzaffarpur
East Mumbai
Bhubaneswar
Alwar
Bokaro
STATE
UT
Telangana
Rajasthan
Punjab
Maharashtra
Uttar Pradesh
Delhi
Delhi
Karnataka
Delhi
Maharashtra
Uttar Pradesh
Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Haryana
Uttar Pradesh
Kerala
Delhi
Tamil Nadu
Assam
Uttar Pradesh
Delhi
Odisha
Jharkhand
Rajasthan
Gujarat
Andhra Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Bihar
Maharashtra
Odisha
Rajasthan
Jharkhand
ZONE
North
South
West
North
West
North
North
North
South
North
West
North
West
Central
West
North
North
South
North
South
East
North
North
East
Central
West
West
South
Central
Central
West
East
West
Central
PROGRESSIVENESS INDEX
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
25
26
27
28
29
29
30
30
31
dL_January_2016L
dL_January_2016L
dL_January_2016L
dL_January_2016L

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15
Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15
Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15Ebba Ossiannilsson
 
Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?
Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?
Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?Julie Evans
 
Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?
Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?
Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?Luis Taveras EMBA, MS
 
5 interesting startups in the education space why are they interesting _ ed...
5 interesting startups in the education space  why are they interesting  _ ed...5 interesting startups in the education space  why are they interesting  _ ed...
5 interesting startups in the education space why are they interesting _ ed...andy_wilson
 
Next Generation Learning and the Innovation Imperative
Next Generation Learning and the Innovation ImperativeNext Generation Learning and the Innovation Imperative
Next Generation Learning and the Innovation ImperativePostsecondaryImprovement
 
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital LearningTen Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital LearningJulie Evans
 
"2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms"
"2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms""2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms"
"2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms"Julie Evans
 
2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.
2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.
2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.Merry D'souza
 
Parents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen Time
Parents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen TimeParents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen Time
Parents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen TimeJulie Evans
 
Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...
Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...
Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...Schoolwires, Inc.
 
Exponential tech & new models of k12 alex makosz - edu inno .2018
Exponential tech & new models of k12   alex makosz - edu inno .2018Exponential tech & new models of k12   alex makosz - edu inno .2018
Exponential tech & new models of k12 alex makosz - edu inno .2018Alex Makosz
 
Trends in Digital Learning and community engagement
Trends in Digital Learning and community engagementTrends in Digital Learning and community engagement
Trends in Digital Learning and community engagementJulie Evans
 
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital LearningTop 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital LearningJulie Evans
 
Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013
Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013
Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013Julie Evans
 
3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe
3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe 3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe
3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe Dassault Systemes
 

Was ist angesagt? (19)

Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15
Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15
Ossiannilsson ec et2020_wgdol_ljubliana_personalisation16_09_15
 
Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?
Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?
Too Much Screen Time: Fake News or Real Parental Concern?
 
Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?
Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?
Are Schools Getting a Big Enough Bang for Their Education Technology Buck?
 
Insights success the 10 most valuable e learning solution providers 16th nov ...
Insights success the 10 most valuable e learning solution providers 16th nov ...Insights success the 10 most valuable e learning solution providers 16th nov ...
Insights success the 10 most valuable e learning solution providers 16th nov ...
 
5 interesting startups in the education space why are they interesting _ ed...
5 interesting startups in the education space  why are they interesting  _ ed...5 interesting startups in the education space  why are they interesting  _ ed...
5 interesting startups in the education space why are they interesting _ ed...
 
Next Generation Learning and the Innovation Imperative
Next Generation Learning and the Innovation ImperativeNext Generation Learning and the Innovation Imperative
Next Generation Learning and the Innovation Imperative
 
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital LearningTen Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
 
"2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms"
"2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms""2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms"
"2013 Trends In Online Learning Virtual Blended And Flipped Classrooms"
 
2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.
2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.
2020's most innovative e learning solution provider.
 
27iccsbs2017
27iccsbs2017 27iccsbs2017
27iccsbs2017
 
Parents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen Time
Parents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen TimeParents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen Time
Parents’ Conflicting Views on Personalized Learning vs. Screen Time
 
Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...
Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...
Symposium on Parent Engagement - Session 1 "Connecting with the New Digital P...
 
Exponential tech & new models of k12 alex makosz - edu inno .2018
Exponential tech & new models of k12   alex makosz - edu inno .2018Exponential tech & new models of k12   alex makosz - edu inno .2018
Exponential tech & new models of k12 alex makosz - edu inno .2018
 
Trends in Digital Learning and community engagement
Trends in Digital Learning and community engagementTrends in Digital Learning and community engagement
Trends in Digital Learning and community engagement
 
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital LearningTop 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know about Today’s Students and Digital Learning
 
Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013
Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013
Oklahoma Speaks Up 2013
 
http://mlmmomsndads.com/barki2015
http://mlmmomsndads.com/barki2015http://mlmmomsndads.com/barki2015
http://mlmmomsndads.com/barki2015
 
3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe
3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe 3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe
3 ds 2017 mag_academy_education in the aofe
 
2017 nmc-horizon-report-he-en
2017 nmc-horizon-report-he-en2017 nmc-horizon-report-he-en
2017 nmc-horizon-report-he-en
 

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (11)

ABS_slideshow_finish
ABS_slideshow_finishABS_slideshow_finish
ABS_slideshow_finish
 
CV
CVCV
CV
 
Топовые производители слотов
Топовые производители слотовТоповые производители слотов
Топовые производители слотов
 
Test
TestTest
Test
 
Interview_Karnataka_HE_Minister_October_Issue_30-31
Interview_Karnataka_HE_Minister_October_Issue_30-31Interview_Karnataka_HE_Minister_October_Issue_30-31
Interview_Karnataka_HE_Minister_October_Issue_30-31
 
The life-project-of-the-valentine
The life-project-of-the-valentineThe life-project-of-the-valentine
The life-project-of-the-valentine
 
Thomas Simiyu cv
Thomas Simiyu cvThomas Simiyu cv
Thomas Simiyu cv
 
Resume#
Resume#Resume#
Resume#
 
Ruokalistan suunnittelujärjestys
Ruokalistan suunnittelujärjestysRuokalistan suunnittelujärjestys
Ruokalistan suunnittelujärjestys
 
Á la carte -ruokalista
Á la carte -ruokalistaÁ la carte -ruokalista
Á la carte -ruokalista
 
ACC_Country_Profile_2016_EN
ACC_Country_Profile_2016_ENACC_Country_Profile_2016_EN
ACC_Country_Profile_2016_EN
 

Ähnlich wie dL_January_2016L

A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...
A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...
A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...Chandan Srivastava
 
A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...
A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...
A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...RHIMRJ Journal
 
Reach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updated
Reach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updatedReach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updated
Reach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updatedTony Wan
 
The Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School Culture
The Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School CultureThe Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School Culture
The Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School CultureJennifer L. Scheffer
 
A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...
A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...
A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...Chandan Srivastava
 
2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education
2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education
2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher educationThe Tambellini Group
 
Connecting the Dots Between Equity and Communications
Connecting the Dots Between Equity and CommunicationsConnecting the Dots Between Equity and Communications
Connecting the Dots Between Equity and CommunicationsJulie Evans
 
The 10 best international schools in italy 2020
The 10 best international schools in italy 2020The 10 best international schools in italy 2020
The 10 best international schools in italy 2020Merry D'souza
 
Leading Towards Equity & Student Agency
Leading Towards Equity & Student AgencyLeading Towards Equity & Student Agency
Leading Towards Equity & Student AgencyJulie Evans
 
Reading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdf
Reading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdfReading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdf
Reading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdfJulie Evans
 
Connected educator leading a connected generation
Connected educator leading a connected generationConnected educator leading a connected generation
Connected educator leading a connected generationspaul6414
 
Trends in curriculum development
Trends in curriculum developmentTrends in curriculum development
Trends in curriculum developmentHennaAnsari
 
Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...
Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...
Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...Indian Affairs
 
Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)
Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)
Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)Blacketor Consultants, LLC
 
Storyboard e pd updated
Storyboard e pd updatedStoryboard e pd updated
Storyboard e pd updatedGini Crisanti
 
Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...
Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...
Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...eraser Juan José Calderón
 
SIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptx
SIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptxSIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptx
SIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptxSWRPKDA
 

Ähnlich wie dL_January_2016L (20)

A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...
A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...
A Study on Customer Preference and Perception towards Extramarks Education in...
 
A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...
A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...
A brief view on Technological Challenges and trends in upcoming one to five y...
 
Reach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updated
Reach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updatedReach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updated
Reach K-12 Impact Report 2022 - updated
 
Tech-Savvy School Leadership
Tech-Savvy School LeadershipTech-Savvy School Leadership
Tech-Savvy School Leadership
 
2019's most recommended ed tech companies to watch
2019's most recommended ed tech companies to watch2019's most recommended ed tech companies to watch
2019's most recommended ed tech companies to watch
 
The Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School Culture
The Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School CultureThe Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School Culture
The Impact of the Tech-Savvy School Leader on School Culture
 
A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...
A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...
A STUDY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION TOWARD DIGITAL EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENC...
 
2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education
2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education
2014 essential guide social enterprise software for higher education
 
Connecting the Dots Between Equity and Communications
Connecting the Dots Between Equity and CommunicationsConnecting the Dots Between Equity and Communications
Connecting the Dots Between Equity and Communications
 
The 10 best international schools in italy 2020
The 10 best international schools in italy 2020The 10 best international schools in italy 2020
The 10 best international schools in italy 2020
 
Leading Towards Equity & Student Agency
Leading Towards Equity & Student AgencyLeading Towards Equity & Student Agency
Leading Towards Equity & Student Agency
 
Reading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdf
Reading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdfReading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdf
Reading the Tea Leaves Speak Up Findings Julie Evans August 2022.pdf
 
Connected educator leading a connected generation
Connected educator leading a connected generationConnected educator leading a connected generation
Connected educator leading a connected generation
 
Trends in curriculum development
Trends in curriculum developmentTrends in curriculum development
Trends in curriculum development
 
Koppal PPT Geeta Ma'am.pptx
Koppal PPT Geeta Ma'am.pptxKoppal PPT Geeta Ma'am.pptx
Koppal PPT Geeta Ma'am.pptx
 
Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...
Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...
Making india $5 trillion economy REVA University Feature at India Leadership ...
 
Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)
Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)
Virtual Learning Policy Consideration (iNacol)
 
Storyboard e pd updated
Storyboard e pd updatedStoryboard e pd updated
Storyboard e pd updated
 
Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...
Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...
Instructional Design in Higher Education. A report on the role, workflow, and...
 
SIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptx
SIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptxSIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptx
SIP PRESENTATION on education sector.pptx
 

dL_January_2016L

  • 1.
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4. 4 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING School Ranking 22 Ranking Methodology Interview 16 Making Higher Education Available 24X7 18 Integrating Technology to the Curriculum 19 Enriching Students with Aesthetic Values ................................................................ Industry Speak 20 Why Do Educational Institutions Need Mobile Apps? 08 EduTech Redefining Learning Landscape 08 COVER STORY School Ranking - Zone-wise 25 North Zone 83 Central Zone 112 East Zone 25 North Zone 83 Central Zone 96 West Zone 96 West Zone 112 East Zone VOLUME 12 ISSUE 01 JANUARY 2016 67 South Zone
  • 5.
  • 6. 6 January 2015 / digitalLEARNING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Dr Ravi Gupta EDITORIAL TEAM EDUCATION Senior Assistant Editor: Garima Pant Senior Correspondent: Jessy Iype SALES & MARKETING TEAM: digitalLearning Project Manager: Seema Gupta, Mobile: +91-8860651643 National Sales Manager: Fahim Haq, Mobile: +91-8860651632 SUBSCRIPTION & CIRCULATION TEAM Manager Subscriptions: +91-8860635832; subscription@elets.in DESIGN TEAM Creative Head: Pramod Gupta, Anjan Dey Deputy Art Director: Om Prakash Thakur, Gopal Thakur Senior Web Designer: Shyam Kishore Designer: Ismat Pal Singh WEB DEVELOPMENT & IT INFRASTRUCTURE Manager Web Development: Ishvinder Singh ADMINISTRATION Head Administration: Archana Jaiswal EDITORIAL & MARKETING CORRESPONDENCE digitalLearning – Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd: Stellar IT Park Office No: 7A/7B, 5th Floor, Annexe Building, C-25, Sector-62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301, Phone: +91-120-4812600, Fax: +91-120-4812660, Email: info@elets.in digitalLearning is published by Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd in technical collaboration with the Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS). Owner, Publisher, Printer - Dr Ravi Gupta, Printed at Vinayak Print Media, D - 249, Sector-63, Noida 201 307.UP and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30, Sector - 50, Noida, UP and published from 710, Vasto Mahagun Manor, F-30 Sector-50, Noida, Up Editor: Dr Ravi Gupta All rights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic and mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without publisher’s permission. Volume 12 Issue 01 January 2016 ASIA’S PREMIER MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON ICT IN EDUCATION digitallearning.eletsonline.com egov.eletsonline.com ehealth.eletsonline.com events.eletsonline.com bfsi.eletsonline.com smartcity.eletsonline.com Write in your reactions to news, intervews, features and articles. You can either comment on the individual webpage of a story, or drop us a mail at: editorial@elets.in
  • 7. 7digitalLEARNING / January 2016 When the founder of an emerging start-up introduced me about her latest venture which she told was born out of her frustration when she couldn’t find information about the number of college counselors at a local high school - a basic indicator of student support, I resonated with her passionate belief in the power of education and giving parents high value information and perspective about their local schools. While she elaborated about the perils of information gathering amidst the American Schooling ecosystem, it clicked to me as to why not initiate a data driven ranking framework in India as another first from the house of Elets Technomedia. At digitalLEARNING we have been ranking Indian Schools for the past couple of years based on a plethora of heuristics, evaluating the self-declaration forms, doing secondary research and corroborating the claims from all possible dimensions. This time we thought of graduating towards an entirely data driven framework with no control or influence from any quarter. The deeper recesses of this framework are elaborated in the inner pages. Just before Diwali, when we pushed India’s most pervasive Social Perception Ranking Survey spanning 73 eduDESTINATIONS across the length and breadth of the country duly involving the shortlisted schools, I had no idea that thousands of parents from across the country would be handed over a communication from the School of their children for ranking them on a host of parameters. Transparency is honored, if it is earnestly attempted. The digitalLEARNING School Ranking 2015 Survey is a glaring example of the same. The School Progressiveness Index which got created on the basis of this social perception survey and a stringent analysis of objective parameters of Online Presence & Social Footprints, has resulted in an elaborate list of India’s Best Schools for the year 2015. These schools have been ranked within their very educational ecosystems so as to provide a level playing field to all contenders. The concept of Multiplicity of ranking has been introduced with the explicit realization that not every school can be at the same level of excellence on every single parameter. So you shall find a variance in ranking of school across the various parameters. In months to come digitalLEARNING shall endeavor towards furthering this exercise by incorporating more facts, analysis and research on schools to create one of the most pervasive index on Indian Schools. The forthcoming World Education Summit at Dubai and School Leadership Summit at New Delhi would witness an elaborate commentary and conversation on the same. Towards Data-Driven School Ranking Framework based on a plethora of heuristics, evaluating the self-declaration forms, doing secondary This time we thought of graduating towards an entirely data driven framework with no control or influence from any quarter. The deeper recesses of this framework are elaborated Just before Diwali, when we pushed India’s most pervasive Social Perception Ranking Survey spanning 73 eduDESTINATIONS across the length and breadth of the country duly involving the shortlisted schools, I had no idea that thousands of parents from across the country would be handed over a communication from the School of their children for Transparency is honored, if it is earnestly attempted. The digitalLEARNING School Ranking 2015 Survey is a glaring example of the same. The School Progressiveness Index which got created on the basis of this social perception survey and a stringent analysis of objective parameters of Online Presence & Social Footprints, has resulted in an elaborate These schools have been ranked within their very educational ecosystems so as to provide a level playing field to all contenders. The concept of Multiplicity of ranking has been introduced with the explicit realization that not every school can be at the same level of excellence on every single parameter. So you shall find a variance in ranking of school In months to come digitalLEARNING shall endeavor towards furthering this exercise by incorporating more facts, analysis and research on schools to create one of the The forthcoming World Education Summit at Dubai and School Leadership Summit at New Delhi would witness an elaborate commentary and conversation on the same. Dr Ravi Gupta Editor-in-Chief Ravi.Gupta@elets.in EDITORIAL
  • 8. 8 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING COVER STORY E ducational institutions are now taking the burden to advance the culture of inno- vation, foster environments that accelerate learning and creativity and to create the conditions for innovations to happen. Technolo- gies are becoming affirmatively accepted by the education sector to add value to learning experiences. According to education experts, major developments in education tech- nology and technological trends will help shape teaching and learning in the near future. A little bit of future- gazing suggests that emerging technol- ogies that will impact education over the course of the next five years would be: cloud computing, mobile learning, elearning, learning analytics, MOOCs, virtual and remote laboratories, and tablet computing, etc. Transforming Traditional Learning In this ever-changing dynamics of tech- nological transformations, nothing seems constant.The one guaranteed constant in educational technology is change, as also elsewhere, and the pace of that change is definitely accelerating.Technology trends in both higher education and K-12 class- rooms continue to evolve and transform In this fast-paced world, technology is impacting every sphere, and education is no exception. There have been major developments in the sphere of education technology and technological trends are reshaping the teaching and learning. Besides, some technologies have emerged in the recent times that will impact education over the course of the next few years. Aamir H Kaki of Elets News Network (ENN) shares insights on how technology is transforming the learning experience, emerging technological trends and innovative solutions in education, potential challenges of technology and much more traditional learning environments. The advent of technology over the decade has and would continue to play a key role in changing the face of edu- cation in India. As Ujjwal Singh, Vice President, Product – K12, Pearson In- dia, puts it, “Education providers in the country are beginning to understand the significance of measurable progress in a student’s life as opposed to learn- ing that is confined to the four walls of a classroom.Technology is one of the most important tools in learning that will help Indian education progressively reach its peak. However, growing availability of technologies and educational apps re- EduTech Redefining Learning Landscape
  • 9. 9digitalLEARNING / January 2016 digitallearning.eletsonline.com quire teachers to be trained to make use of such technology integration.” “Technology enables the dissemina- tion of information beyond geographical barriers and gives students access to the same learning opportunities. This also makes technology one of the greatest equalisers, as it promotes inclusivity by providing education to all whenever and wherever. It is one of the key factors in extending learning beyond classroom hours,” he adds. On the integration and adoption of technology in learning, Nirav Khamb- hati, CEO – Tata ClassEdge states, “To- day, more and more schools seem to be adopting experiential learning as op- posed to just textbook-centric teaching. By using a blend of traditional teaching methods, exploratory activities, proj- ects and interactive technology, schools can bring in more engagement in class- rooms. Some students do use laptops and tablets at home. But we are not sure if they use them creatively for educational purposes. What we need is a structured approach on how to integrate technol- ogy in the teaching-learning process.” The technology is surely redefining the future of education. Today’s society shows the ever-growing computer-cen- tric lifestyle, which includes the rapid influx of computers in the modern class- room. As Rishi Khemka, Founder and CEO, MindBox, says, “The Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in education provide opportunities to stu- dents to mainly build their capacity on ICT skills and make them learn through computer-aided learning process.” He further says, “MOOC is gaining a firm foothold in education around the world. More than two-thirds of respon- dents from academia say that their insti- tutions offer online courses. Computing, Communications and Storage anywhere facility, and the ability to create interface with digital technology, data and the web anywhere, anytime on any device is the key to ACCESS to ALL.” With the change in scenario in educa- tion, classrooms - be it in a school or col- lege - are slowly transitioning to a more modern approach that uses technology to deliver education in a more impactful and effective manner. Manikandan R, Director – Mobility, Education & Health- care, HP, points out, “The introduction of technology in the education system has not only aided the students but also the faculty, and as a result overall effi- ciency of the system has improved. With Distance and online learning using technology not only impart quality education to all despite the varying geographies, but also enable students to work at a pace and in a subject area that facilitates comfortable learning environment. In the Indian context, this model is extremely important as it is a great way of transforming the education space, since it puts students at the center of learning Technology enables the dissemination of information beyond geographical barriers and provides students access to the same learning opportunities. This also makes technology one of the greatest equalisers as it promotes inclusivity by providing education to all whenever wherever and. It is one of the key factors in extending learning beyond the classroom hours UJJWAL SINGH Vice President Product – K12, Pearson India
  • 10. 10 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING COVER STORY the introduction of technology, students have started taking more interest in the curriculum.” “Use of technology in education is one of those methods that has helped im- prove the quality of education in India. The face of education is somehow shifted partly from books to ebooks. From books and study material to the method of teaching — everything is tending to go virtual with the help of latest technolo- gies. Technology is not only changing the face of education, but also altering the way the education is provided, mak- ing it faster and easier to grab,” adds Manikandan. Innovative Technological Trends Creative and innovative technological educational solutions are becoming in- creasingly significant for the develop- ment of the 21st century knowledge society. They contribute to economic prosperity as well as to social and indi- vidual well-being and are essential fac- tors for a more competitive and dynamic economy. Technology in education is seen as central in fostering creative and innovative skills. The use of blended learning models in schools has been on the rise, especially in the recent past. Ujjwal Singh points out, “Blended learning models that combine technology with classroom instructions help teachers experiment with a variety of educational models. This technology allows students to network effectively, enables personalised learning and is an excellent platform to display their ability to innovate and collaborate.” He states, “Distance and online learn- ing using technology not only imparts quality education to all despite the vary- ing geographical background, but also enable students to work at a pace and in a subject area that suits them in a com- fortable learning environment. In the Indian context, this model is extremely important as it is a great way of trans- forming the education space, since it puts students at the center of learning.” With technology pervading every sphere and field, education is no longer lagging in accepting the transformation- al change. As Nirav Khambhati, CEO – Tata ClassEdge puts it, “With technology moving into all aspects of our lives and children becoming more tech-savvy, the education system isn’t far behind in in- tegrating technology in teaching-learn- ing practices. Schools are realising that digitisation of teaching methods gives an experiential edge to the students. ICT in schools in India started with digital classrooms that comprise digital boards, projectors and multimedia animations.” “Tata ClassEdge was one among the first to introduce cloud technology and usage analytics in this space. Soon, we are going to witness more innovations in the personalisation of learning, through adaptive logic and intelligent tutoring. But this is just the beginning. What the future holds for technology in education is far more than what we can all imagine at this point in time,” he adds. Advancements in technology is bringing societal changes and impact- ing education, growth and development of India. Rishi Khemka says, “We are entering a time of momentous societal shifts brought in by advancements in technology. These changes will impact the education, growth and development of our country. Inventions previously seen only in science fiction, such as arti- ficial intelligence, connected devices and 3D printing, will enable us to connect and invent in ways we never have before. Modern tools of creativity like design lab (3D printer), creativity lab (STEAM), smart devices and digital cameras, on- line resources, like social media, blogs, virtual classrooms, video conference and podcasts, and latest infrastructure like ICT lab, wirefree internet, intranet, smart boards, interactive projectors col- lectively, all such advances will lead to profound changes in the way courses are taught and learned.” Digitisation of the education indus- try will be the most disruptive trend the sector has witnessed after the invention of paper. Manikandan further says, “At HP, we believe that every student should have access to a high quality education, at any time and from anywhere, and the access should be combined with true learning, meaningful learning, social and economic outcomes result – for stu- dents, for schools and for communities. Innovative Solutions - The Road to Future Innovative solutions in the learning space is transforming the education sec- tor and creating a road for the future. Organisations are bringing out solutions that are not only easing the learning, but By using a blend of traditional teaching methods, exploratory activities, projects and interactive technology, schools can bring in more engagement in classrooms. Some students do use laptops and tablets at home, but we are not sure if they use them creatively for educational purposes. What we need is a structured approach on how to integrate technology NIRAV KHAMBHATI CEO – Tata ClassEdge
  • 11.
  • 12. 12 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING COVER STORY also changing the overall experience of imparting and acquiring education. Ujjwal Singh states, “We, at Pearson, have always had a learner-centric ap- proach. In line with this, we introduced MyPedia, an innovative integrated learn- ing solution that focuses on improving conceptual understanding of students. It is based on 5i learning process and in- tends to actively engage students in the learning process, help develop their criti- cal thinking skills, stronger understand- ing of concepts and create meaningful learning experiences.” He elaborates, “MyPedia allows stu- dents to learn in a more comprehen- sive manner, and reason abstractly and quantitatively by integrating learning across subjects. Its unique features help students understand different learning layers, where each layer comprises the skills and concepts that a student needs to learn in a particular grade. This really helps students to break away from com- partmentalisation of subjects. It com- bines the best in curriculum and con- tent, digital and technology, assessment framework and training.” Organisations in learning space are introducing solutions to inspire learn- ers as well as teachers. Nirav Khamb- hati informs about initiatives at Tata ClassEdge, “This year, we are introduc- ing Tata ClassEdge Cosmos, an ecosys- tem of solutions developed over the last five years based on our core philosophy — INSPIRED SCHOOLING. We haveTata ClassEdge LX, our flagship classroom solution based on our proprietary mul- tiple learning experiences framework to engage varied learners. We have in- troduced ‘Thinking About Values’, the values and life skills curriculum for stu- dents to start questioning what is right and wrong from an early age. Then we have PlanEdge for automated academic planning, and standardised assessment management through TestEdge. Our new app for parents, ClassEdge School Connect, enables easy communication, simplified transactions and enhanced parent involvement in the child’s educa- tion. ClassEdge After School is a tablet/ web based solution, which personalises learning at home. The ecosystem aims to create a complete solution for Indian schooling, enabling inspired teaching and learning. Almost 40 per cent of the skilled workforce is not employable as the acquired education and training are of substandard quality. With 93 per cent of work available in the informal sector, a good number of even well-educated youth in India are either unemployed, underemployed, seeking employment, between jobs, or coping with insecure work arrangements
  • 13. 13digitalLEARNING / January 2016 digitallearning.eletsonline.com He further adds, “Tata ClassEdge Cos- mos provides end-to-end support for ac- ademic needs and simplified and conve- nient school administration to schools. It enables teachers to create engaged and effective classrooms and saves their time spent on administrative and repeti- tive tasks. The student has an access to diverse experiences leading to enhanced understanding of concepts, personalised learning, while allowing for the devel- opment of a discerning mind through critical thinking. For the parent, Tata ClassEdge Cosmos allows for greater in- volvement in student’s education and increased connect with schools.” Education technology is empowering the students and making them ready for the future. Informing about Mind- Box’s initiatives, Rishi Khemka, says, “As educators, we empower students to ideate, explore, lead, think and collabo- rate. MindBox is an initiative that aims to empower students with 21st century skills. We develop creativity and life skills of students by an output method of ex- pression using Visual Communication as Language, Design Thinking and STEAM as a subject. The delivery happens using ‘technology as a tool’ inside the school’s campus through project/design-based learning methodology for Class I-XII stu- dents. MindBox provides kits, industry expert sessions, worksheet and software, along with qualified faculty to conduct these sessions and a four-way assess- ment system for schools and students.” Opportunities blossom when every- one is empowered to control their own educational experience. The educational experience is much richer when the con- tent is personalised to the needs of the student. Manikandan R says, “HP be- lieves in the value of the Hybrid Learn- ing model, combining the best of digital printing with electronic content, to op- timise learning outcomes. Print contin- ues to deliver intrinsic educational value that facilitates true learning with deep engagement, and high levels of compre- hension and retention. Along with elec- tronic channels for mobile consumption and student feedback and analytics, we can get the most out of technology, and being given the opportunity to do so not only makes things easier, it also makes them greater. At HP, we don’t just hand out gadgets; we provide the support and training necessary to turn a device into an instrument of change.” Making Students Industry-ready Though technological advancements are taking place, we live in a country wherein education is perceived as the primary means of climbing the social and economic ladder. Our education system is still largely centered on knowl- edge as a finished product and learning as memorising things that are enshrined in the textbooks. The present-day work- place, on the other hand, is evolving at a very fast pace. Our teaching methods still focus on testing knowledge at the completion of every level as opposed to teaching skills that are vital to deal with a volatile working environment. Ujjwal Singh says, “Apart from the basic aptitude to perform a specific job, workers are expected to have technical skills, communication skills, soft skills and a basic understanding of IT for the current high-paced workplace. If edu- cational institutions take the effort to impart these skills to students over and above their domain knowledge, we will be able to produce employable talented workforce to meet the growing needs of the industry.” He suggests a few ways in which tech- nological interventions can help make youth industry-ready for future: l Incorporating digital capabilities meaningfully into the learning pro- cess gives students new opportunities to learn and attain skills required for the present-day work environment. Technology also grants immediate access to vast amounts of quality in- formation and developing valuable research skills. Integrating technolo- gy in teaching and learning through- out the process, focusing on problems unique to our educational context, is imperative to plugging the existent talent gap. l Technology allows for personalised learning, a way of teaching that caters to students’ individual needs. Keeping in mind, the different paces and levels of ability helps channel the students towards the right choice of employment based on their inter- ests. This in turn will enrich their ex- perience in a future workforce. l Another effective approach to tackle the problem of lacking job-readiness among Indian students is an effective partnership between the industry and academia. Technology provides the platform for teachers and indus- MOOC is gaining a firm foothold in education around the world. More than two-thirds of respondents from academia say that their institutions offer online courses. Computing, Communications and Storage everywhere – the ability to interface with digital technology, data and the web anywhere, anytime on any device is the key for ACCESS to ALL RISHI KHEMKA Founder and CEO, Mindbox
  • 14. 14 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING COVER STORY try experts to collaborate and share their ideas and resources online. l Providing training in high-demand job skills to those who have limited exposure levels in Tier II and III cit- ies will help create far more job-ready employees. India is coping with the skills gap and a significant number of even well-edu- cated youth in the country are unem- ployed. Manikandan observes, “Youth unemployment is a major challenge in India. Young job seekers constitute 49 per cent of the total unemployed in India. And, even as literacy and educa- tional levels are increasing, an estimat- ed 89 per cent of young people lack any kind of vocational training and among the rest, about half have received it through hereditary practices. Accord- ing to NASSCOM, almost 40 per cent of the skilled workforce is not employ- able because the acquired education and training are of substandard quality. With 93 per cent of the available work provided by the informal sector, a sig- nificant number of even well-educated youth in India are either unemployed, underemployed, seeking employment or between jobs, or coping with insecure work arrangements.” Hesuggests,“Itiscriticalfortheeduca- tional institutions to impart 21st century skills, such as innovation, collaboration and critical thinking, to Indian students to make them more employable.” Potential Challenges Even though the technology has changed the way students learn, there are some security issues which are be- ing addressed by new pieces of educa- tion technology tools. Ujjwal Singh submits, “Technology makes the teaching-learning process very easy and interesting, but there are potential security risks involved. Emerging ICT applications must have security policies and mechanisms that support authen- tication, authorisation, confidential- ity and accountability. Online learning providers and practitioners must con- sider security as top priority. Children must be made aware of the nature of threats that exist online and given clear guidelines about the parameters in which they can operate online.” He suggests few ways to ensure chil- dren’s security online, which are: l Children should be given restricted access to technology; l Software should be designed in a way that allows joint access with parental or teacher supervision; l Parental guidance and supervision is another way to ensure children are secure while using technological tools; and l It is also important to check the rate of dependency among children on technology. There should be clear communication that it is a means to an end, not the end in itself. Though technology has lots of ben- efits and offering support to ease the learning process, it has some challenges, too. Says Manikandan, “Digital tech- nologies are everywhere and they are impacting what, where, how and why students learn, and who they learn from. Many schools are using digital technolo- gies like the internet, laptops and tablets to quickly, easily and cost-effectively connect students with the huge range of digital services and resources. How- ever, the many benefits of learning with digital technologies are accompanied by some challenges and potential risks for students as well as schools. These ‘digital challenges’ are real and present a dilem- ma to schools seeking to use digital tech- nology to enhance student learning.” To overcome these challenges, he suggests, “There are technical solutions available like Mobile Device Manage- ment, commonly called MDM. If de- ployed, MDMs can provide good amount of safety to the extent of enforcing secu- rity policies and/or making the device work in kiosk mode. Such technical solu- tions have a role, but must be balanced with strategies that promote: l Development of skills and knowledge for safe and responsible use of digital technology; l Opportunities for students to be in- volved in decisions about the man- agement of digital technology at the school; l Development of a pro-social culture of digital technology use; and l Cooperation of the whole community in preventing and responding to incidents. The ultimate goal is to ensure the online safety of all students. We cannot sidestep our obligation to make technology a tool our kids can use safely and responsibly. Digital technologies are everywhere and they are impacting what, where, how and why students learn and who they learn from. Many schools are using digital technologies like the internet, laptops and tablets to quickly, easily and cost-effectively connect students with the huge range of digital services and resources MANIKANDAN R Director – Mobility, Education & Healthcare, HP
  • 15.
  • 16. 16 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING INTERVIEW Bharat Lal Meena has initiated ICT projects in Karnataka PowerTransmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL) - a Government of Karnataka undertaking, during his previous assignment as Managing Director, and set a trend for other States to emulate in power sector. Now as the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Education (Higher Education), Government of Karnataka, he is on a new mission, making ICT an efficient tool for learning, governance and academic activities. He shares with T Radhakrishna of Elets News Network (ENN) about the Department’s mandate, initiatives, action plans, challenges in implementing ICT and more ‘Making Higher Education Available 24x7’ Could you tell us about how you have maximised the use of current facilities at Department? What were the challenges you faced in managing them? In the absence of systems and processes, monitoring is a challenge. Data sharing is another. There was low priority for collating and updating data. Cyber security and information overload are some other concerns. Going forward, the Department is seeing a massive ICT implementation to bring in digitisation in higher education. While office automation is one aspect Describe the Department’s mandate and its objectives. Who are your key stakeholders? The mandate is to make quality education affordable and accessible to all sections of students. The department deals with higher education i.e., college, universities and technical education. Its objectives are: Development of undergraduate and postgraduate education; Increasing access to higher education; Development of infrastructure in Government colleges; and, Maintaining high standards of education in colleges. The key stakeholders are students, faculty, administration, parents and people in general. What systems and processes have you used to ensure the effective running of the Department’s functions? In which functions, do you use ICT and how? The history of implementation of ICT in universities/colleges was poor till mid-2015. Basic computing was available in each office or institution, but office automation did not exist. The day-to-day functions of higher education were not connected in realtime IT environment. However, the potential for using ICT in the higher education is enormous. ICT is very useful tool for learning, governance and academic activities. of it, there are a host of student- centric initiatives. After I had joined the department about 10 months ago (in February 2015), I studied the situation and focused on how and where to use ICT in higher education to bring in productivity, accountability and transparency in the day-to-day functions. As part of this, I travelled to all the universities and held meetings with officers concerned and later called for presentations on best practices in higher education from all. Data sharing must be linked with critical areas like approval, renewal, grants, etc. Finally, Bharat Lal Meena, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Education (Higher Education), Government of Karnataka
  • 17. 17digitalLEARNING / January 2016 digitallearning.eletsonline.com we came out with a roadmap for ICT initiatives after elaborate discussions with internal stakeholders. Explain your 100-point ICT plan for Department improvement. The department has prepared a roadmap for ICT initiatives to facilitate ease of administration and academic reach for students in universities and colleges. The programme aims to provide end-to-end digital solution from admission to completion of education, covering all functions of the department and its stakeholders. The 100-point table is nothing but an action plan for each requirement of the department’s functions. Of them, 15 ICT initiatives and solutions are related to administration; 22 exclusively for universities; six exclusively for colleges; 15 for colleges and polytechnics; 12 for universities and colleges; and 30 for universities, colleges and polytechnics. The action plan has mapped the entire functions of key stakeholders – students, faculty and administration, and feedback mechanism to parents (of students). Under administration, we are deploying modules such as Online Admission for Students; Education Management Information System with Dashboard; HRM System; e-Administration System; e-Library Networking and Synergy, Accreditation Monitoring, etc. For Smart Student Support System, we shall implement modules such as Online Scholarship Management System; e-Attendance; Online Class Monitoring and Matrix; e-feedback system by students about teacher, etc. Under academic initiatives, conversion of classrooms into Smart Classes, Tele-education, Campus Wi- fi, Online Affiliation System, Teachers Biometric Attendance, Setting up of well-equipped studios in each University, Question Banks (10 years old) are taken up. What is the status on ICT initiatives? Give details about its timelines. We have tested ICT initiatives on a pilot basis with the support of National Informatics Centre (NIC) and adopted most of the initiatives in a holistic manner. All the initiatives are interconnected. Software is freely available to all institutions. The Department has set March 15, 2016 as deadline for achieving 50 per cent implementation of ICT initiatives and June 1, 2016 for completing 100 per cent implementation. On November 6, 2015, the department launched ‘Jnana Sangama’ (convergence of knowledge), an ICT- enabled programme in the presence of TB Jayachandra, Minister of Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Higher Education and Vice Chancellors of Universities. It is aimed at digitisation of higher education institutions in the State. This ICT initiative is the ‘Smart Karnataka Education Yardstick’ (Smart-KEY), designed for digitising most of the teaching materials in public and private domain throughout the State. Through Jnana Sangama, the higher education system in Karnataka - 50 Universities, 2992 undergraduate and postgraduate colleges, 305 polytechnic colleges, and 207 engineering colleges – will get a major boost. Highlight student-centric initiatives. Major thrust will be given to make the processes of entire pre and post-exam and admission, online. The department will introduce online application and admission process for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Digital attendance registration, inter- university information highway and online affiliation process are on the anvil. While some of these are partially implemented this year, the department is looking at full-scale implementation from the next academic year. The department will make the entire admission process online, including the application process. The students do not have to go from college to college to buy application forms. They can apply once online and seats will be allotted based on merit, like Common Entrance Test (CET) admissions. The Department has tried this out in 2015 for polytechnic courses and in some government degree colleges. This will be implemented across all government-aided and unaided institutions for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Not every student can secure admission in top colleges. However, on this account alone, students should not miss out on quality education. This is the principle with which e-content sharing is being implemented. To begin with, 22 top colleges have been selected to record their lectures and share teaching aids with other institutions. The content shared by colleges is available on a central server that can be accessed by other colleges and students. The department has signed MoUs with private universities for sharing e-content, including video classes. Today, we have 2 TB size of videos of e-content. Do you have any suggestions to Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)? There is a need for synergy of data exchange of different portals such as AISHE, UGC, AICTE, NAAC, NBA, DISE, MCA, etc. ICT initiatives in higher education need to be encouraged. Scalable and robust ERP- type ICT solutions could be developed and made available to all states by MHRD, based on Karnataka model. Quarterly national level workshops in different regions be held for sharing best practices and case studies be undertaken and sponsored. Financial support be extended for reforms-linked activities and annual awards and incentives to innovative initiatives in states should be taken up. The Department has set March 15, 2016 as deadline for achieving 50 per cent implementation of ICT initiatives and June 1, 2016 for completing 100 per cent implementation
  • 18. 18 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING Rita Kaul, Director, The Millennium School, is a special educator and psychologist with 23 years of experience. She shares with Elets News Network (ENN) about the challenges in education, qualities of a best school, role of parents in school, unique proposition of The Millennium School and more IntegratingTechnology to the Curriculum What makes your school sets apart from others? The Millennium Schools across the country are based on developmental milestones and not on the chronological age of the students. Our curriculum, calledThe Millennium Learning System, is based on Piaget’s longitudinal and cross-sectional study of children across the world. The Millennium Learning System (MLS) is an age appropriate learning system that caters to the psychological, emotional and cognitive needsof thelearner.Ithasdifferentlevels, based on developmental milestones and age appropriate pedagogy. Every tangible for MLS has been developed at the R&D Division, with a focused outcome in mind. This outcome is clearly understood through our vision for every child who enters the system. Age appropriate, psychologically- mapped and pedagogically apt tangibles are used at every level of the MLS. Some of these are the books, the assessment system and the lesson plans. Positive parents involvement has a significant impact on student education. Do you agree? If yes, how? To have positive and educated parents as What do you see as the main challenges for school education today? Today, the greatest challenge is to balance the information and knowledge we provide in school, with the harmony in life. Gone are the days when teachers would force the children to mug up and vomit out during examination. Thus, the first and foremost challenge is to train the teachers in a way that they can think of various strategies to engage the students in class. There is need to change the methodology of assessment and let the students enquire and discover the facts. According to you, what are the qualities that defines a best school? Being the head of a school, I interact with young parents of a nursery child as well as with a parent who is seeking admission of a child in grade XI. Their expectations vary from one stage to another. To sum up, basically a parent looks at the quality of academics i.e., the kind of curriculum adopted, physical school environment that is quality infrastructure and the psychological environment that is the attitude of all the stakeholders inside the school. A best school will certainly practice cultural values, have democratic approach, and engagequalifiedandpassionateteachers who are well-versed in integrating technology to the curriculum. The environment in a quality school is student-centric. Parents as partners and freedom to students for research will also add on to the quality of school. partners is like having a mirror in front of us. Parents are our ambassadors. If they speak respectfully of our schools and are involved in certain decision- making stages, they have an ownership like a family member has in a family. The student feels confident when school and parents work together. When these parents believe in the system, they talk about it and give the schools an honest feedback and thus create opportunities for the schools to correct the course when they are perceived in a negative manner. How technology is transforming the school education landscape? Technology has become an intrinsic part of education and an important tool for teachers. Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles. It gives students the chance to interact with classmates more, by encouraging collaboration. With technology, the teacher becomes the encourager, adviser and coach. Students can have access to digital textbooks that are constantly updated and often more vivid, helpful, and creative. Technological tools, like Fliplearn, help to communicate and enhance knowledge, and play a vital role in bringing the stakeholders closer and sharing of information. Technology also facilitated learning for the differently abled. Integrating technology into the classroom is definitely a great way to reach diversity in learning styles For full interview: log on to http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/ Rita Kaul Director, The Millennium School INTERVIEW
  • 19. digitallearning.eletsonline.comINTERVIEW 19digitalLEARNING / January 2016 Dr Satyabrata Minaketan, Chairman, ODM Educational Group shares with Elets News Network (ENN) about the challenges in school education, qualities of a best school, parents involvement in child education, role of technology in education, ODM’s unique proposition and more Enriching Students with Aesthetic Values in nurturing students by imparting rich spiritual values (not specific to any religion) as well as ensuring a tech- based education system with modern and advanced teaching aids used by leading schools across globe. Positive parents involvement has a significant impact on student education. Do you agree? If yes, how? It has been noticed that parents’ culture and lifestyle impacts the grooming of a child to a great extent. The way we behave at home, lead a lifestyle - our child learns from us and starts to act accordingly. We, at ODM, have clearly understood this aspect. Whatever we teach a child in school not only in academics but also in other aspects, if that training is supplemented at home, then that doesn’t lead to a complete development What do you see as the main challenges for school education today? Today, the biggest challenge in the domainof schooleducationisthedearth of quality teaching methodologies and curriculum. The school education in our country has actually gone through very few changes to catch up with the dynamics of the changing economy. I believe that school education should lay the foundation among the students to nurture future leaders. For this, schools today have to go through radical changes in terms of their teaching pedagogy and curriculum planning. According to you, what are the qualities that defines a best school? A best school is the one that truly prepares all its students for the future. An ideal school brings out the best out of every child. A child might be good at academics, sports, dance or music. A school will be best in real sense if it helps students recognise their latent talents and helps them excel in the same. This approach needs a dynamic curriculum planning, active parental involvement and an excellent growth environment provided by the school along with provisions for excellent training and exposure. What makes your school sets apart from others? Since the foundation of school, my team and I have relentlessly been focussing on providing a unique pattern of education - on enriching students with aesthetic values and overall grooming through modern global teaching pedagogy. We believe in a child. Hence, we think positive parents’ involvement has a significant impact on students. We have seen that parents who are concerned about their child’s development and cooperate with school by supplementing on the coaching provided to the students have witnessed their child acing domains with flying colours. Use of technology has become an integral component of education. In your opinion, how technology is transforming the school education landscape? It is undoubtedly true that school education is transforming with the aid of technology. The advent of smart classes, tab-based learning and other teaching aids have not only taken the education to next level among students but also have improved teachers’ efficiency exponentially. The smart classes have made learning fun and the visual and audio aids made understanding and memorising of facts easier for students. We are one of the few schools in eastern zone to introduce tab-based learning for senior secondary students this academic session. Through tabs, they can go through recorded e-classes of some of the best teachers in the state which help them understand the concepts at any time of the day or year. The new ERP software for schools have made the process of maintaining records, student profiling and examination conduction a lot easier and the efficiency of the staffs in school increases exponentially. Dr Satyabrata Minaketan Chairman, ODM Educational Group For full interview: log on to http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/
  • 20. 20 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING INDUSTRY SPEAK Gaurav Mundra, Co-Founder & CEO and Madhup Bansal, Co-founder & COO, myly share with Elets News Network (ENN) about the need of mobile apps in educational institutions, myly’s unique proposition, benefits for educators, students & parents and more Why Do Educational Institutions Need Mobile Apps? First, myly is completely FREE for educational institutions, stu- dents and parents. We guarantee our customers that the current offering will remain free for life. We will introduce various op- tional value-added services that customers may use at a small fee. Second, myly is useful for all types of educational institutions: schools, colleges, universities, tuition classes, coaching centres and hobby classes. Third, myly is transaction-enabled. It is designed to allow payments via net bank- ing, credit/debit card and mobile wallets. Fourth, myly is extremely easy to setup and use. Our typical turn-around from sign-up to go live, including training, is only two days. Please share the vision and mission behind myly? myly was born out of the common frustra- tion of co-founders Gaurav Mundra and Madhup Bansal, about not getting timely information from their kids’ schools. The conventional means of communication like diary and circulars are grossly inef- ficient in this digital age. Even SMS and email leave too much to be desired. This is why Gaurav and Madhup left their full- time engagements and started myly. Their vision is to have myly in hands of every educator, student and parent across schools, colleges, universities, tuition class- es, coaching centres and hobby classes. myly’smissionistoconnect,engageand facilitate learning over a seamless mobile platform. How is myly benefiting educators, students and parents? For educators and institutions:  Saves communication cost and staff What is the need for mobile apps in educational institutions? Althougheducationleadstotechnologyim- provement, but the implementation of tech- nology for improvement of education deliv- ery has been in a sorry state till now. Most of the educational institutes are still using age-old methods, even in this digital age. Educational institutions need to adopt mobile app solutions not just to look smart but to actually act smart. Mobile apps lead to better, cheaper and faster communication and transaction enablement. Mobile apps enable customised and personalised learn- ing, content delivery, assessment and feed- back, improving quality of learning, etc. Which type of educational institutes can use a mobile app? Any and all types of institutes can and must use mobile apps – schools, colleges, univer- sities, tuition classes, coaching centres and hobbyclasses.Thereisnorestrictionof min- imum number of students to adopt an app. What are the key features that educational institutions must look for in a mobile app? There is no limit to features you can have in a mobileapp.Tobeginwith,anyappmusthave:  Bi-directional messaging between educators and students/parents;  Ability to share homework, circulars and exam schedules;  Attendance notification of student’s absence;  Ability to create events’ and holi- days’ calendar;  Gallery for sharing images and videos;  Fees payment via multiple online channels. With several players in institute-home communication space, what is unique about myly? time by up to 90 per cent;  Improved brand image and higher brand visibility;  Share messages, documents, images and videos;  Complete audit trail on what was com- municated, and when;  Comprehensive data repository is cre- ated on a secure cloud;  Accessible anytime, from anywhere;  Saves paper, helps the environment. For students and parents, myly app al- lows to:  Get all communication even when they are absent;  Access all information in one single repository;  Access images and videos shared by institute;  Apply for leave from the app;  Make fees payments via net banking, credit/debit card and mobile wallets;  Get advance information about events and register for them. Overall, it increases the participation of all stakeholders in the student’s learning improving outcomes. Visit: www.mylyapp.com For full interview: log on to http://digitallearning.eletsonline.com/ Gaurav Mundra Co-Founder & CEO, myly Madhup Bansal Co-founder & COO, myly
  • 21. Connect | Engage | Learn myly The most trusted Mobile App Solution connecting Educators, Students & Parents School | College | University | Coaching center | Tuition center | Hobby class FREE FOR Homework, Assignment & Notices P A P P AP P P A P P P Attendance notification on absence Bidirectional messaging for students Share images and videos and promote events Fees payment by credit/debit card & wallet Share calender & event notification www.mylyapp.com Sign-up for FREE at Contact us at: +91-9950-481-444 | hello@mylyapp.com
  • 22. 22 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING RANKING METHODOLOGY How we Ranked them? I n the extremely crowded and emerging education market of India, performers of various hues are differentiating themselves in myriad ways of which ranking remains a dominant facet. Most of the prevalent ranking frame- works focus on a linear standalone po- sition in a hierarchy or scale, which at times doesn’t reflect the eclectic diversity across educational ecosystems in varied geographies. Mapping and Communicating the wide variegated range of institutional parameters and foci again is a daunting task whereby a one-size-fit-all approach just doesn’t fit the bill. Having been into the segment for quite a while observing the develop- ments of India’s Education System, we at digitalLEARNING thought of expand- ing this quest for ranking India’s Best Schools across the country. A new differentiated approach based on the parameters of: l Stakeholder perception indexing us- ing social communication tools; l Online and social analytics driven parameters; and l Segmenting the business of ranking to the granularity of cities, chris- tened as eduDESTINATIONS has been attempted. A select list of schools were thereby shortlisted from these 73 eduDESTINA- TIONS based on secondary editorial re- search and ranking nominations. This created a cogent sample to base social perception ranking on. Perception-based Social Indexing The entire attempt of finding out the Best Schools of India for the year 2015 was therefore based on a set of five per- ception based parameters namely: l Goodwill, Legacy & Reputation l Academic Ecosystem & Outcomes S.No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 City Indore Dhanbad Gwalior Muzaffarpur Bokaro Bhagalpur Bhopal Bilaspur Jamshedpur Patna Ranchi Guwahati Cuttack Bhubaneswar Asansol Darjeeling Kolkata Chandigarh Ludhiana Noida West Delhi South Delhi Central Delhi Kanpur Gurgaon Allahabad East Delhi Lucknow North Delhi Agra Ambala Amritsar Dehradun Faridabad Ghaziabad Haridwar Hisar Jalandhar Jammu Meerut State Madhya Pradesh Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Bihar Jharkhand Bihar Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh Jharkhand Bihar Jharkhand Assam Odisha Odisha West Bengal West Bengal West Bengal UT Punjab Uttar Pradesh Delhi Delhi Delhi Uttar Pradesh Haryana Uttar Pradesh Delhi Uttar Pradesh Delhi Uttar Pradesh Haryana Punjab Uttarakhand Haryana Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand Haryana Punjab Jammu & Kashmir Uttar Pradesh Zone Central Central Central Central Central Central Central Central Central Central Central East East East East East East North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North North
  • 23.
  • 24. 24 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING RANKING METHODOLOGY 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 Mussoorie Nainital Panchkula Patiala Shimla Sonipat Varanasi Hyderabad Bengaluru Kochi Chennai Vijayawada Calicut Coimbatore Mysore Trivandrum Vellore Visakhapatnam Jaipur North Mumbai South Mumbai West Mumbai Ajmer East Mumbai Alwar Ahmedabad Kota Nagpur Nasik Pune Surat Udaipur Vadodara Uttarakhand uttarakhand Haryana Punjab Himachal Pradesh Haryana Uttar Pradesh Telangana Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Kerala Tamil Nadu Karnataka Kerala Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh Rajasthan Maharashtra Maharashtra Maharashtra Rajasthan Maharashtra Rajasthan Gujarat Rajasthan Maharashtra Maharashtra Maharashtra Gujarat Rajasthan Gujarat North North North North North North North South South South South South South South South South South South West West West West West West West West West West West West West West West l Future-ready Academic Infrastruc- ture l Enrichment of Learning Experience l Career Advancement An elaborate social survey was there- by configured on the basis of aforesaid parameters.The shortlisted schools were communicated to approach the wards of their students so that they can rate and rank them on these parameters. This was perhaps one of the most un- precedented attempts whereby the ser- vice providers invited there service seek- ers to rank their performance on an open platform where they had no control or influence over the outcomes. You would, therefore, find a significant variance of participation across eduDESTINATIONS on this count. There are cities where schools couldn’t decipher the intent of the same and thereby missed the boat. Online Presence & Social Media Footprints In this age of online and social engage- ment, there are quite a number of ana- lytics tools which present key insights about the online presence and social footprints indices which reveal a lot about the progressiveness of the brand concerned. For measuring the online presence of the shortlisted schools, we made use of the Domain Authority metric from moz. com. Domain Authority is a score (on a 100-point scale) developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engines. To determine Domain Authority, moz employs machine learn- ing against Google’s algorithm to best model how search engine results are gen- erated. Over 40 signals are included in this calculation. This ensures that a web- site’s domain authority can be used as a competitive metric against other sites. The online presence of all schools has to be computed on the basis of domain authority metric of moz. Facebook has become the most ubiq- uitous means of stakeholder engage- ment. The number of facebook likes on the school page is the simplest metric to compute the social engagement being pursued. This has become the basis of Social Footprints ranking. End Note Every school is unique with a differen- tiated set of foci depending on the view of the management about the end out- comes of learning. The Best Schools of India 2015 is an earnest attempt to unravel the best aspects of each of the participating schools. digitalLEARNING would build upon this view and approach and shall pres- ent further ranking indices on a dif- ferent set of parameters in times to come. This elaborate inclusive rank- ing framework shall give an overview to all the stakeholders about the vivid elements of school education in the country. An elaborate social survey was configured on the basis of aforesaid parameters. The shortlisted schools were communicated to approach the wards of their students so that they can rate and rank them on these parameters
  • 25.
  • 26.
  • 27.
  • 28.
  • 29.
  • 30.
  • 31.
  • 32.
  • 33.
  • 34.
  • 35.
  • 36.
  • 37.
  • 38.
  • 39.
  • 40.
  • 41.
  • 42.
  • 43.
  • 44.
  • 45.
  • 46.
  • 47.
  • 48.
  • 49.
  • 50.
  • 51.
  • 52.
  • 53.
  • 54.
  • 55.
  • 56.
  • 57.
  • 58.
  • 59.
  • 60.
  • 61.
  • 62.
  • 63.
  • 64.
  • 65.
  • 66.
  • 67.
  • 68.
  • 69.
  • 70.
  • 71.
  • 72.
  • 73.
  • 74.
  • 75.
  • 76.
  • 77.
  • 78.
  • 79.
  • 80.
  • 81.
  • 82.
  • 83.
  • 84.
  • 85.
  • 86.
  • 87.
  • 88.
  • 89.
  • 90.
  • 91.
  • 92.
  • 93.
  • 94.
  • 95.
  • 96.
  • 97.
  • 98.
  • 99.
  • 100.
  • 101.
  • 102.
  • 103.
  • 104.
  • 105.
  • 106.
  • 107.
  • 108.
  • 109.
  • 110.
  • 111.
  • 112.
  • 113.
  • 114.
  • 115.
  • 116.
  • 117.
  • 118.
  • 119.
  • 120. 120 January 2016 / digitalLEARNING PROGRESSIVE INDEX S mart Education is an integral part of the entire precept of Smart Habitations. As a part of digitalLEARNING School Perception Survey, the chosen eduDESTINATIONS were subjected to a social poll. Some of the eduDESTINATIONS per- formed overwhelmingly well in this social poll, while others kept guessing about the intent of the same and couldn’t open up their tally.The extent of participation in the aforesaid social poll has somewhat a co-relation to the overall progressive- ness of the concerned eduDESTINATION. Based on the Social Perception Survey, following is the Progressiveness Index of eduDESTINATIONs of the country. eduDESTINATION Progressive Index eduDESTINATION Chandigarh Hyderabad Jaipur Ludhiana North Mumbai Noida West Delhi South Delhi Bengaluru Central Delhi South Mumbai Kanpur Vadodara Indore West Mumbai Gurgaon Allahabad Kochi East Delhi Chennai Guwahati Lucknow North Delhi Cuttack Dhanbad Ajmer Ahmedabad Vijayawada Gwalior Muzaffarpur East Mumbai Bhubaneswar Alwar Bokaro STATE UT Telangana Rajasthan Punjab Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh Delhi Delhi Karnataka Delhi Maharashtra Uttar Pradesh Gujarat Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Haryana Uttar Pradesh Kerala Delhi Tamil Nadu Assam Uttar Pradesh Delhi Odisha Jharkhand Rajasthan Gujarat Andhra Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Bihar Maharashtra Odisha Rajasthan Jharkhand ZONE North South West North West North North North South North West North West Central West North North South North South East North North East Central West West South Central Central West East West Central PROGRESSIVENESS INDEX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 30 31