Mumbai school students explore coding, ‘language of future’

Sharmila Ganesan Ram,TNN | Dec 5, 2015, 11.42 PM IST

MUMBAI: It's not that Nimesh Haldankar hates cats. It's just that he can't help smiling every time his hammer thwacks a feline head that dares to peek from a bin. "I prefer dogs," admits the shy 13-year-old who recently created this wicked computer game with a few other dog-loving boys from his school. "It's easy," says Haldankar, showing you how to train the Garfield-like orange cat waiting onscreen to draw a 100 circles as a start.

First, you drag the ready pink block that says "Repeat" into the instructions panel. Then you place the yellow block that says "Move forward" inside this pink block. Enter the relevant numbers--repeat 99 times and move forward 360 degrees, for instance--and press go. At the end of its assignment, the cat's smile is still intact and so is Haldankar's, even though he spent his Diwali vacation learning what grown-ups call "coding".

Seated in the computer lab at Juhu's Vidyanidhi High school, Haldankar and a few other students from grades six to eight are exploring a free playground called Scratch, a software that helps them learn the basics of coding through a drag-and-drop programming block approach. So far, students have created enough games and animations in this software to unwittingly offer their supervisor, Varsha Bhandari, an insight into gender. After front-bencher Divya Nair finishes showing off her onscreen Diwali greeting card that boasts a moving flame, Bhandari says, "The girls like dance games while the boys like to show things like plane crashes and skulls."

But this vacation batch would not have made it this far in Scratch had their school not signed up for something called 'Hour of Code' last year. Launched in 2013, 'Hour of Code' is a global campaign run by Code.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to demystifying computer science for students and underrepresented groups such as women. "Don't just buy a new video game—make one," Obama urges in a video on behalf of the campaign.

The idea here is that coding need not always look like a bunch of nerdy men in spectacles entering green semicolons on their screens. So, every December, during the Computer Science Education Week, which this year runs from December 7 to 13, students in over 180 countries learn how to code through Code.org's fun, hour-long tutorials created in collaboration with engineers from Microsoft, Google, Twitter and Facebook. Here, Angry Birds, Disney princesses, Star Wars characters and even Minecraft's Steve and Alex help break down things like 'repeat loops' for those between ages of four and 104. The graphical interface is similar to Scratch and the puzzles get more challenging as you progress.

Last December, as the only participant from Mumbai, Vidyanidhi school, saw a bunch of students ingesting code as they instructed Frozen's Anna to draw a snowflake or adjusted the speed at which an angry bird reaches a pig through a maze. "Since these tutorials were like games, kids were vying to finish first," recalls Nidhi Poddar, academic head at Vidyanidhi Info Tech Academy (Vita), who ran the workshops. Irrespective of their speed, though, the students received a certificate each at the end of the week.

There are benefits to introducing computer science early, says Savita Thakur, director of Vita. That is perhaps why, in its bid to help nurture budding app and game developers, Vidyanidhi school is conducting free week-long 'Hour of Code' workshops from December 7 to 12. Students from other schools and even adults who may be interested are free to register. After all, "coding," says Thakur, "is language of future".

https://csedweek.org/

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbai-school-students-explore-coding-language-of-future/articleshow/50059402.cms?

Computer Science Education Week - December 7 to 13

About

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) is an annual program dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science.

Originally conceived by the Computing in the Core coalition, Code.org® organizes CSEdWeek as a grassroots campaign supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide.

CSEdWeek is held in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).

Code.org®

Code.org is a non-profit dedicated to expanding computer science education. The Code.org vision is that computer science should be part of the core curriculum in every school, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra.

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Accelerated learning mooted for academically weak students

MUMBAI: From the next academic year, students who are academically weak may be able to opt for an accelerated learning programme, which will teach them three to four years’ curriculum within one year, and help them catch up with their peers.

The principal secretary of the state school education de partment, Nand Kumar, has put forth this proposal to reduce the number of students failing in Class 9 and to arrest the dropout rate in secondary sections.

Cur rently, t he state has the highest dropout rate in Class 9- it stands at 8.9% as per the latest U-DISE (Unified District Information System for Education) report. This is much higher than dropout rates for other classes, which range between 1% and 3%.

According to officials, schools fail a large number of students in class 9, and as a result the students drop out. This trend has been aggravated with the introduction of the no- f ail policy in 2010, which provides for automatic promotion from class 1 to class 8.

“We are studying accelerated learning programmes that have managed to teach four-and-ahalf year’s curriculum to students in just one year,” said Kumar. “It was implemented for primary students by a private non-profit organisation.”

The department will rope in officials, educationists and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) working for education to provide their suggestions to the proposal. “The idea is at a nascent stage right now, we will finalise the details after consulting with experts,” said Kumar.

But educationists raise concerns over the benefits of an accelerated learning programme for secondary students. “Such programmes can be done easily for students in primary sections, as students are able to grasp concepts better at a young age, but it will be a little difficult for 14-15-year-olds to study at that pace,” said Farida Lambay, cofounder, Pratham, NGO.

City school principals welcomed the proposal. “Owing to the no-fail policy, children have lost the practice of writing and are hence unable to score in exams in higher classes,” said Father Francis Swamy, principal, St Mary’s School (ICSE), Mazgaon, and the joint secretary of the Archdiocesan Board of Education that runs 150-odd schools in the city.

Source: The Hindustan Times dated October 26,  2015

At IIT Bombay, decade-old mentorship plan bears fruit

HAND-HOLDING

It gives protection from ragging, stress and offers solace to newbies

MUMBAI: Akanksha Yadav, a first-year engineering student in Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B), recalls a recent incident. “One of my batch-mates had fared poorly in the Chemistry paper. She was feeling very low. Fortunately, one of our seniors consoled her and talked her out of the phase,” she said.

The senior student is one of the ‘mentors’ appointed as part of IIT-B’s Student Mentor Programme (SMP). The decadeold programme, launched with the primary objective of protecting newcomers from ragging, has matured into a larger campus acclimatization initiative.

This year the institute has appointed 80 mentors to cater to more than 900 freshers. “This year, we had received around 350 applications from those aspiring to mentor,” said Yamini Bansal, one of the coordinators of SMP. The mentors were selected after a round of interviews. A website launched by the group a few months ago had received more than 70,000 page views, say the group members.

These mentors have been tasked with guiding the firstyear students in their academics, helping them cope with stress, and making them acquainted with the institute’s culture. “The students come from various backgrounds and different parts of the country. SMP helps them navigate through IIT’s culture and even helps them with their personal problems,” added Bansal.

The IITs are known for their exhaustive curriculum and vigorous training, which often takes a toll on newcomers. To help these students, the SMP coordinators sometimes organise special stress management sessions.

Most of the freshers find their mentors to be very helpful. “When we come to IIT, we are clueless about most things here. So, whenever we get stuck with some problem we reach out to our mentors, who are always willing to help,” said Ajay Kotwal, a first-year student. “The mentors make it a point to visit us once in a while. In any case, they are just a phone call away, if we need any help.”

According to Bansal, the mentor-mentee relationship often develops into a valuable friendship. “Many of the mentors continue guiding the juniors even after graduating from IIT. It’s their way of giving back to the institute,” she said.

Source: The Hindustan Times dated 26 October, 2015

Visitors to Vaachan Prerana Diwas on 15/10/2015 (Report on Reading Inspiration Day: 2015)

 

Vaachan Prerana Diwas (Reading Inspiration Day) was celebrated in St. Francis Institute of Technology (Borivali, Mumbai) to commemorate the birth anniversary (15 October) of Late dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam - the Missile Man of India.

As part of the celebrations, the Learning and Information Resource Centre (Central Library) initiated a few activities as outlined below:

1) Take Away of Books

2) Sale of withdrawn books

3) Book Exhibition

4) Modification of the overdues

5) Extending Scholar's Card facility to students whose GPA is =/> 8.6.

The LIRC witnessed a huge response for the Take Away of books and the Sale of Withdrawn book bank books. More than 150 people visited the library and an odd 100 availed the same. Staff and students alike were happy and all smiles since almost everybody got something to carry with them.

Book Exhibition was well organized with a majority of the books on "Wireless Communications". Many faculty members glanced through the displayed books and a few selected them too.

The modification in the overdues structure came as a pleasant surprise for the student community and they were more than happy to take note of their reduced fines.

From the next semester onward, Scholar's Cards would be extended to students whose GPA is =/> 8.6 thereby maximizing the library's usage.

All in all, the library did mark the Vaachan Prerana Diwas by offering a tribute to the vision and knowledge of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Thank You all for making Vaachan Prerana Diwas a SUCCESS!

Happy to note that 100 people including staff and students of SFIT availed the "Take Way of books, CDs and magazines!

A big thank you for making the "Vaachan Prerana Diwas" (Reading Inspiration Day)" a success!!

Photos will soon follow this post!

Change in the Overdues Structure for Books

GOOD NEWS!!GOOD NEWS!!GOOD NEWS!!

Fine Structure has been changed with effect from October 15, 2015 to mark the Celebrations of Vaachan Prerana Diwas.

Rupees 2/- per day for the first five days

Rupees 5/- per day for the next ten days

Rupees 10/- per day subsequently