English in the Classroom - Competition for Teachers

The winners have been announced! 

Grand Prize Winner	Puja Singh - Teacher (Language & Literature), Victorious Kidss Educares, Pune (Entry - Sub-skills)
Category Prizes	Young Learners	Middle School	Tertiary / Higher Education
I Prize	Gurdeep Kaur Aujla- Primary Teacher, Bombay Cambridge School, Andheri (East), Mumbai  (Entry - Language)	D. Sreedevi - English Teacher, Sri Jayendra Swamigal Silver Jubilee Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Tirunelveli (Entry - Language)	Catherine Anna Pushpam A - Assistant Professor, B S Abdur Rahman University, Chennai (Entry - Exam)
II Prize	Viral Vimal Shah - English Teacher, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Public School.(Vidyashram)Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad (Entry - Language)	Priyanka Payaal - English Assistant Teacher, Mount Carmel School, Dwarka, New Delhi (Entry - Sub-skills)	Shashi Prabha Nagendra - Assistant Professor, BNM Institute of Technology, Bangalore (Entry - Language)
III Prize	Sunali Mehrotra - English Teacher, Chiranjiv Bharati School, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon (Entry - Language)	Surabhi S.Vasavada - Fulltime faculty, Sheth C.N. Angreji Kendra, Ahmedabad (Entry - Language)	Ananthan Balakrishnan - Associate Professor, Hindustan University, Chennai (Entry - Exam)
Participant with maximum likes	Arva Mustafa Masvi - Fulltime faculty, Sheth C.N. Angreji Kendra, Ahmedabad
Most Collaborative participant	P. Rathna - Associate Professor, B S Abdur Rahman University, Chennai

About Cambridge English India Network

Cambridge English India in association with Flinnt has launched an online / mobile app – the Cambridge English India Network that provides a platform for educators to connect with one another, view and share resources, and to function essentially as a networking platform.The platform offers a managed network to enable seamless flow of information and becomes a repository of all the past communication and learning resources that can be retrieved and reused with convenience. It is a device agnostic platform and can be accessed through the website as well as through the android and iOS app.

This easily downloadable application, designed exclusively for English language trainers, enables them to contribute and access material such as classroom activities and to access information and resources on Cambridge English Tests at various levels such as YLE, KET, PET, FCE and BEC.

Once logged in, members will be able to access 5 groups, the details of which are provided below – the first 3 groups will be updated by our administrators, where the users can only view the content, but will not be able to post. The last two are open forums, the ‘Pathway’ groups, where the users will be able to post their content and resources. These posts will be moderated by admin.

1. Whatsup @ Cambridge - This group is to communicate the training events, availability of new resources, updates in any qualifications, meetings, seminars etc.

2. Cambridge Resources - This is a channel for Cambridge to connect with the teachers directly, sharing validated sample materials, seminars and new resources. Our Materials Writers/ Coordinators can additionally help with new materials. This will ensure that the resources are made available to the teachers in their smart phones and they can access it when they require. Teachers will come to know about the various resources and how they are to be used through this channel.

3. Cambridge Extras - This will have posts related to third party resources mapped to the different Cambridge English Qualifications for e.g. Books related to KET, Test paper sets related to FCE, online preparatory resources etc. If educators or institutions are looking for buying any of these resources then a repository of resources will be available tagged to the different qualifications.

4. Cambridge English Schools pathway - A channel for peer-to-peer connection where a YLE, KET, PET or FCE teacher in a school can share new lesson plans with their peers and comment on the same from others.

5. Cambridge English BEC pathway - A channel for peer-to-peer connection for BEC teachers. In both these streams all the registered users will have rights to post any of their own resources, lesson plans, activities, worksheets etc. . The educators can share any information or resource that they feel is relevant and others may also interact on the same. The posts will be moderated.

Innovative classroom activities which have resulted in higher student performance can be uploaded onto the app to make them available to a wider network of educators who might find them useful. Furthermore, other trainers can view this content and comment or “like” them, making this an interactive platform. The app is designed to be very user friendly, making the upload of material very simple and straightforward.

Members can log on to the app to access resources such as vocabulary exercises, reading activities, listening skills training exercises, lesson plans and handbooks for teachers. All resources are tagged for easy retrieval. The other groups are resource and information groups which will have content provided by Cambridge English and which they can use to consult and refer.

Innovative classroom activities which have resulted in higher student performance can be uploaded onto the app to make them available to a wider network of educators who might find them useful. Furthermore, other trainers can view this content and comment or “like” them, making this an interactive platform. The app is designed to be very user friendly, making the upload of material very simple and straightforward. Innovative classroom activities which have resulted in higher student performance can be uploaded onto the app to make them available to a wider network of educators who might find them useful. Furthermore, other trainers can view this content and comment or “like” them, making this an interactive platform. The app is designed to be very user friendly, making the upload of material very simple and straightforward.

Members can log on to the app to access resources such as vocabulary exercises, reading activities, listening skills training exercises, lesson plans and handbooks for teachers. All resources are tagged for easy retrieval.

Members can stay connected and up to speed on the latest and upcoming events at Cambridge English through the updates on the app.

English in the Classroom

Cambridge English India has conducted a competition exclusively for the teachers and trainers of English on our new mobile app, Cambridge English India Network. Titled "English in the Classroom," the competition is open to English language teachers in both the school and higher education segments who are registered members on the Cambridge English India Network.

The competition requires the teachers to submit original classroom activities produced by the teacher him /herself through this platform. These activities need to fall under one of the following three categories and focus on any one skill:

Source:  http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/in/events/teachers-competition/

Young Learners	Middle School	Tertiary / Higher Education
Exam	Exam	Exam
Sub skills	Sub skills	Sub skills
Language	Language	Language

'Adopt NCERT markers or develop one'

Clearly defined learning outcomes for each class would help parents track student’s progress

MUMBAI: Even as the state government has come up with new programmes such as competency tests to improve the learning levels of students in schools, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has defined class-wise, learning indicators and outcomes for students across the country. City school principals and other academicians have said that the state government should adopt these indicators or develop special markers for students in Maharashtra.

In a 208-page report, the NCERT has laid down the indicators and outcomes, which state exactly what a child is expected to learn at a particular age. The report also provides evaluators a guide to identify whether students are acquiring the skills. It has provided simple guiding points for parents to check the progress.

Although states have been given the liberty to adopt these indicators as per their needs, Maharashtra has not yet accepted them despite the state having set up new programmes that focus on improving learning levels.

Education experts said that these new programmes of the state including the Pragat Shaikshanik Maharashtra are blindly following Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the MHRD instead of looking at learning outcomes.

“The government introduced two competency tests this year to assess the skills of students in maths and first language but nowhere have they defined the basic competencies that students of different age-groups,” said Rohan Bhat, chairperson, Children’s Academy Group of Institutions, Kandivli and Malad.

According to Bhat, listing out competencies will help schools in monitoring the children as well. “Most private schools already have their own learning outcomes to ensure quality of learning, but setting up standards by the state will surely help in uniform quality across schools,” said Bhat. “This will specially help students in government-aided schools and schools in rural areas.”

Adopting these guidelines will also help teachers in drawing out their lesson plans, said others. “All the status of education reports point out to dropping learning levels in the state, this is because the schools and teachers are unable to identify the needs of the students and teach them accordingly,” said Farida Lambay, co-founder, Pratham, an NGO that comes up with the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER).

In fact, a national forum on Right to Education Act has also put this forth as a recommendation for the new education policy which is being formulated right now. They said that such indicators should also be provided to parents so that they can get better involved in the students learning.

“A school report card only shows the marks scored by the child and his rank among his peers, but it doesn’t help parents in understanding whether the child is meeting all the learning levels expected of him,” said Hemangi Joshi, education manager, city-based, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation, an NGO working in education. “If teachers, principals and even parents are given such guidelines, they will be able to track the progress of their children better and seek intervention when required.”

Source: Hindustan Times dated 23 December, 2015

The beautiful Icelandic tradition of giving books on Christmas Eve

Katherine Martinko (@feistyredhair)

Living / Culture
December 21, 2015

CC BY 2.0 Steve Bissonette

Book lovers will want to adopt this lovely holiday tradition, which melds literary and holiday pleasures into a single event.

Icelanders have a beautiful tradition of giving books to each other on Christmas Eve and then spending the night reading. This custom is so deeply ingrained in the culture that it is the reason for the Jolabokaflod, or “Christmas Book Flood,” when the majority of books in Iceland are sold between September and December in preparation for Christmas giving.

At this time of year, most households receive an annual free book catalog of new publications called the Bokatidindi. Icelanders pore over the new releases and choose which ones they want to buy, fueling what Kristjan B. Jonasson, president of the Iceland Publishers Association, describes as “the backbone of the publishing industry.”

"It's like the firing of the guns at the opening of the race," says Baldur Bjarnason, a researcher who has written about the Icelandic book industry. "It's not like this is a catalog that gets put in everybody's mailbox and everybody ignores it. Books get attention here."

The small Nordic island, with a population of only 329,000 people, is extraordinarily literary. They love to read and write. According to a BBC article, “The country has more writers, more books published and more books read, per head, than anywhere else in the world… One in 10 Icelanders will publish [a book].”

It seems there is more value placed on physical, paper books than in North America, where e-books have grown in popularity. One bookstore manager told NPR, “The book in Iceland is such an enormous gift, you give a physical book. You don't give e-books here." The book industry is driven by the majority of people buying several books each year, rather than the North American pattern of a few people buying lots of books.

When I asked an Icelandic friend what she thought of this tradition, she was surprised.

“I hadn't thought of this as a special Icelandic tradition. It is true that a book is always considered a nice gift. Yes, for my family this is true. We are very proud of our authors.”

It sounds like a wonderful tradition, perfect for a winter evening. It is something that I would love to incorporate into my own family’s celebration of Christmas. I doubt my loyalty to physical books will ever fade; they are the one thing I can’t resist collecting, in order to read and re-read, to beautify and personalize my home, to pass on to friends and family as needed. Combining my love for books and quiet, cozy Christmas Eves sounds like a perfect match.

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/culture/icelanders-give-books-christmas-eve.html

CITY SCIENTISTS BLAZE A NEW TRAIL TO MAKE ARTIFICIAL LIVER TISSUE

Abdullah Chand, Arun Chandru and Sivarajan T

At a time when scientists all over the world are struggling to develop artificial liver tissue, three Bengaluru scientists have actually developed such tissues that perform functions of the human liver. This breakthrough has not just brightened hopes for patients seeking liver tissues from live donors, but has also brought a potential alternative to artificial extracorporeal liver support (or liver dialysis) used in detoxification treatment for liver failure - a process similar to hemodialysis.

The trio that achieved the breakthrough comprises Arun Chandru, Dr Abdullah Chand and Dr Sivarajan T - all senior scientists at Pandorum Technologies Pvt Ltd, the Bengaluru-based biotechnology start-up working on tissue engineering.
The ideation process for the same started way back in 2009. In 2012, they received a grant for the research project from the Union department of biotechnology (DBT), under the ministry of science and technology.
It has not yet reached the stage where it can be transplanted. But the made-in-India mini liver will presently serve as test platforms for discovery and development of drugs with better efficacy, less side-effects and lower costs.
And it could eventually replace the human liver, thus enabling transplants without waiting for living donors.
The process of making this made-in-India liver tissue involved taking cells from a live human liver and encapsulating them in hydrogel.
These were then bio-printed as mini-livers using an indigenously developed 3D bio-printer. The cells in the hydrogel were then grown in an environment that almost replicated the conditions in which liver thrives in a live human body.
The scientists found that the cells grown in such a way were viable and stable for up to four weeks outside the human body.
The scientists say the artificially grown liver tissue resemble the original human liver tissues structurally and functionally - which means they can produce albumin, fibrinogen, transferrin, ferritin, urea and cholesterol, besides being able to store fat and secrete enzymes responsible for metabolism and detoxification.
The scientists feel the artificial tissues could help cut down costs of medical research by 20-30 per cent, besides transplant costs too when that can be achieved subsequently. The current cost of liver transplant is around Rs 20 lakh. "The 3D printed living tissues enable affordable medical research and could reduce animal and human trials. It will eventually lead to full scale transplantable organs," Chandru, who is also the co-founder of the company, said.
This is not only a significant milestone but will also meet the acute shortage of human organs available surgical transplantation. They can produce personalised tissue patches and organs that can be used by surgeons in a clinical setting.
"They perform functions like any other liver tissue and their response drugs and toxins are more realistic than current industry standards of 2D cell culture and animal models which are not human alike. Generally testing on animals may not get accurate results all the time. The tissue that we have developed has 10 million cells and can be primarily be used in medical research which is mainly to do with disease modelling and studying the radiation effects," says Chandru.
As of now, the biggest challenge in clinical trials is a lack of human-like models, which is why this 3D bio-printing technology, that enables producing artificial tissues, can improve drug and vaccine delivery, mechanistic toxicology and medical research.
In 2013, a Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) engineer Sangeeta Bhatia told one of the science writers of their news magazine that although the liver is a regenerative organ, global efforts of researchers working in the hope of producing an artificial liver tissue for transplantation have repeatedly been stymied.
The question that is bugging the scientists globally is this: "Why do mature liver cells quickly lose their normal function when removed from the human body?" Well, Chandru, Abdullah Chand and Sivarajan seem to have found the answer to that question. As of now, work on artificial organs have been going on Japan, USA, and Europe with China recently joining the league.
The Bengaluru scientists are now in talks with the pharmaceutical industry specialised in liver-specific drugs, a multi-billion-dollar market.




Artificially manufactured living human liver tissue


HOW THEY DID IT

* The living human-origin liver cells were taken from the body and these are encapsulated in Hydrogel. These embedded hydrogel with cells is called as Bio-ink. These are then bio-printed as mini livers using an indigenous 3D-bio printer. The bio-materials were also indigenously designed. * Precise and reproducible multi-cellular hepatic architecture was achieved via 3D bio-printing. * They are grown in an environment resembling that of a human body and are viable and stable for four weeks outside the body * They resemble native human tissue, structurally and functionally and possess critical liver functions such as production of albumin, fibrinogen, transferrin, ferritin, urea and cholesterol. They store fat and secrete enzymes responsible for metabolism and detoxification.







The 3D printed living tissues enable affordable medical research and could reduce animal and human trials. They perform functions like any other liver tissue and their response drugs and toxins are more realistic than current industry standards — Arun Chandru, senior Scientist

Source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/City-scientists-blaze-a-new-trail-to-make-artificial-liver-tissue/articleshow/50288429.cms

In #DigitalIndia; Student will get All CBSE Books online without any charge

There is a big news for the more than 14 lacs students of class 10th and 12th lakh, as they are going to get their books without any charge. Some of the books are already available and now with the #DigitalIndia mission all books will now be available in coming days.

As per theAccording to Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani,NCERT has already made some of its books available online through its mobile app and e-books, and will look to add CBSE books, videos and other learning material. and All CBSE textbooks and other learning material will be made available online by the NCERT.

“We made NCERT books available online for free through e-books and mobile applications a month-and-a-half ago. We are similarly going to make CBSE books available online along with additional learning material and videos as part of our good governance efforts,” Irani said at the inauguration of a new building of the school in Khichripur.

Says Smriti Irani in At a function organised at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in east Delhi.

This is a really big decision as digitalizations in the education field is really important as this may impact large number of people In rural India.

Government is also taking more people online with the partnership of state owned BSNL with Facebook to offer free WiFi

How you can get these Books ?

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) currently offers copyrighted textbooks online for classes I to XII in Hindi, English and Urdu.

1. The online textbooks can be accessed from here
2. After that you need to select Class and Subject
3. The Title list is populated after selection of class and subject
4. When Title is selected the respective books is made available.

Digital India For Education

There are many updates in the field of education. These includes

• HRD ministry has set up National Institutional Ranking Framework all educational institutes and universities will get rankings by April 2016
• Government launches GIAN a government project to boost the higher education in India
• In the month of November, Smriti Irani had announced  ‘e-Pathshala’ program. Besides desktop, these books would be now available on mobile based apps as well.
• Khan Academy has also launched their India-centric website in Hindi, and made the content available in Hindi.

Source: http://www.bumblebeehub.com/2015/12/in-digitalindia-student-will-get-all-cbse-books-online-without-any-charge/

17-year old South Bombay teen invents solar bicycle, donates 5 to dabbawalas

Ahaan Parekh, 17-year-old south Mumbai resident, has invented an Eco Solar Bicycle (ESB), which offers three different usage options – solar-powered, battery-powered and manual. This cycle can make life easier for home delivery vendors, such as newspapermen, milkmen, and dabbawalas.

• dna Research & Archives

Ahaan Parekh, 17-year-old south Mumbairesident, has invented an Eco Solar Bicycle (ESB), which offers three different usage options – solar-powered, battery-powered and manual. This cycle can make life easier for home delivery vendors, such as newspapermen, milkmen, and dabbawalas.

The ESB can touch a maximum speed of 20kmph and takes about 5-6 hours to be completely charged under normal sunlight conditions. It also offers the comfort and convenience of getting charged while in use. The project was selected for the All India Nehru Science Center Innovation Festival and Parekh's participation was acknowledged with a trophy. He also impressed as one of the prominent speakers for TEDx, Juhu, in one of their flagship events titled,'Ideas marrying execution'. Parekh have donated five ESBs to dabbawalas.

Parekh, a former student of The Cathedral and John Connon School in Fort, decided to do his International Baccalaureate (sIB) studies from Seven Oaks in the UK, so that he could "experience a different culture and a boarding house".

He said, "I did an internship with a solar energy company last year and also attended some online courses on renewable energy. I was thinking of using solar energy in everyday life. That is when I thought about the solar bicycle. This is my own idea and project, and I started working on it in May 2014, when I had a five-month break. It has been more than a year. I made my first prototype in about four months but kept improving it."

"Primarily, home delivery vendors such as newspaper boys, milkmen, dabbawalas, dhobis and so on can use this bicycle. It will make their work easier and they can earn more by covering more customers. If they stop using mopeds or motorcycles, it will also help in reducing pollution. It will be a good showcase for use of clean energy. The financial part of the project was not substantial, as I used indigenous components readily available in the market," added Parekh.

When asked about the difficulties he faced, Parekh said, "Yes, there were a lot of issues with design and placement of components. The major challenge was to keep the weight low, while maintaining the balance. Also, procurement of components in single quantity and vendors selling the parts without providing detailed specifications made the task difficult."

Source: DNA dated 21 December, 2015

Christmas 2015: This woman from Borivali celebrates by helping her maid set up her own business

Sumi has set up a small stall near a grocery store in IC Colony.

• Sumi with her Marzipan packets at Cassandra's residence. Aparna Shukla Team iamin

Borivali’s IC Colony resident Cassandra Nazareth, as part of her Christmascelebration, has helped her maid Sumi Hemrom, become an independent woman.

Nazareth helped her set up a cookingbusiness during Christmas. Sumi sells Marzipans, Potato Chops, barbequed chicken and much more. A relation that is 16-years-old, is close to Cassandra’s heart. She can't hold back tears, as she speaks of Sumi. As a working professional herself, Cassandra has helped Sumi bring out the cook in her. "She had just come back from West Bengal when I got her home. She was very shy in the beginning but was very honest. Somebody I could trust my children with. They were very young and I had to work. She was a great support then," says Cassandra, who taught Sumi the art that business is.

From structuring the business idea to packaging, taking orders and cooking, Cassandra has been Sumi’s role model. "I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am to ma’am. I didn't have anything when I came here. Zero! But she took me in like a sister, trusted me. Who does that these days? She not just provided for me financially whenever I needed but was always there for me emotionally. I owe her everything that I have today," says a teary-eyed Sumi, who with Cassandra's help has been able to have some land for her own, back in her village, where she initially had nothing.

Sumi has set up a small stall near a grocery store in IC Colony and with word of mouth and through people who see her on the road, she has been able to have a good business. "Madam’s mother is a great cook. She and I go along very well. I never want to leave these people. They are my world now," Sumi says.

After Cassandra suggested that Sumi alone be interviewed for this piece, it was a heart-warming sight that both the women couldn’t hold back their tears.

"One day my children came home and I, for fun told them that Sumi has gone back to West Bengal as we had an argument. My children first searched the entire house, then had a discussion among them and said, 'she will never go without saying bye to us’. That just melted my heart. That's the kind of relationship we share. I'm not going to be there forever. I'm doing this so she can stand on her own feet," says Cassandra.

 The article was originally published on www.iamin.in

Source: DNA dated 20 December, 2015