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An ICT-based Network
Expert Centre Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University
Belur Math, Howrah 711 202 Tel: (033) 2654 9999
www.vivekdisha.in
E-mail: [email protected]
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Inspiration: Swamiji’s Vision
Swami Vivekananda felt that his vision of a new India
combining the hoary spiritual heritage of the East and the modern science and technology of the
West could be actualized by the hard work of a dedicated band of youth fired with a spirit of selfless
service. He had a comprehensive plan for community development, both urban and rural, integrating the best
elements of the East and the West. He gave a new
philosophy of work for the modern world. One of the important principles Swami Vivekananda learned from
his Master, Sri Ramakrishna, was Shiva Jnane Jiva Seva—‘service to living beings looking upon them as veritable
embodiments of the Divine’.
VIVEKDISHA: An ICT-based Network VIVEKDISHA is an information and communication technology (ICT) –based network
of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, Belur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. It is providing a single window –based services like online education from secondary
to undergraduate level, online teachers’ training, Spiritual Heritage programmes, telemedicine services and research programmes.
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VIVEKDISHA Network: At present we have 22 VIVEKDISHA centres in West Bengal for Online
and offline education, teachers training and other activities. The
University has the provision to connect twenty five centres for
videoconferencing through Internet Broadband facility
anywhere at anytime on the globe. The centre at University, Belur Math
is the Expert Centre, while the other centres in West Bengal and other
areas are participating centres. The distribution of the Vivekdisha
Centres in West Bengal is wide
enough to cover a greater part of the State of West Bengal—from Tufanganj, in the north of the state, to the Sundarban region in the south, and to the district of
Bardhaman in the west. All the Vivekdisha Centres are located in the branch centres of Ramakrishna Mission or in places where ex-students/devotees of Ramakrishna Mission
run centres with dedication to the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology.
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Programmes of VIVEKDISHA
Online education : Class 6 to Graduation
Subjects- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Life Science, Communicative English, Value Education
Offline education : Communicative English, History, Geography, Value Education Online Examinations
Recording and Uploading of Teaching videos Tele-medicine services
Research in education and other areas Spiritual Heritage programmes mainly for International Audience
Teachers’ training and workshops Creation of Book Bank at different centres
Asansol Kamarpukur
Medinipore Nimpith
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VIVEKDISHA Website:
We are glad to announce that VIVEKDISHA Website is now available to access. Its address is www.vivekdisha.in. This site has some special features like: 1. Some old photographs are used in connection with Sri Ramakrishna’s life to have the feelings of Sri Ramakrishna’s time. 2. Cross references of different books related to Sri Ramakrishna and Swamiji have been added. 3. The site is having bilingual nature i.e. in English and in Bangla. 4. Online Examinations- This site is providing opportunities to students to have practice tests for different subjects at different levels. Moreover, institutions and teachers can set their questions for specific examinations which will be available only on specific date and time of examinations. The questions can be set in English and in any Indian languages. Students of schools, colleges and University can take advantages of it. 5. 3600 Studio - providing a panoramic view of a place. 6. Teaching videos- some edited videos of our online classes are available here.
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Installation of equipment on first day at Begampur School
Chakdwipa School
Installation of equipment on first day at Chakdwipa School
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Tele-education Tele-education is the use of information and communication technology to provide online and offline education. In today’s world, education is needed for sustainable
development. Tele-education encompasses a new vision of education that seeks to empower people of all ages to assume responsibility for creating and enjoying a
sustainable future. As the world is gradually becoming more and more connected, ICT-based teaching practices in education are being extensively used and emphasized,
although face-to-face meetings or synchronous interaction in real time are still required
to supplement asynchronous and independent learning, if more effective learning is to take place. ICT facilitates a high level of interaction among students and the teacher,
with the aid of multimedia-based materials. Hence, communication can be dynamic between the teachers and students through video-conferencing.
ICT-based learning offers greater diversity of learning goals, projects, activities, and exercises than traditional classroom learning. Also it allows the learners to make full
use of their own multiple cognitive abilities and conative powers. In the ICT-based teaching-learning process, teachers and students alike are enthused because teaching
becomes more dynamic, expanding their vision and making available high quality study materials. Moreover, teachers are motivated to teach more creatively and to exchange
lesson plans and pedagogical strategies with their colleagues all over the globe even on a day to day basis.
Multimedia-based teaching is in progress at
Belur math Expert Centre
Masat Aptap Mitra High School,
Hooghly
Nawabganj Balika Vidyalaya,
North 24 Paraganas
Rajendra Smriti Vidyalaya,
Konnagar, Hooghly
Begampur High School,
Hooghly
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What exactly happens in an online class?
A teacher teaches using a digital notepad or multimedia presentation prepared by using computer software. This is transmitted simultaneously to all the centres logged in to the University Expert Centre. In these centres the students are able to see and hear the teacher, the multimedia presentation, the notepad as well as students at other centres who are also participating in the online class. At the same time, the teacher at the University Expert centre or anywhere on the globe can see and hear all the participating centres. It is a virtual class room whose boundaries are not defined! It makes a vibrant interactive virtual classroom environment for the teacher and students at various geographically isolated centres.
Online class for multiple centres is in progress
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Tele-education : Our Programs
The VIVEKDISHA network run by Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University has taken up the following educational programmes:
Online education : Class 6 to Graduation
Subjects- Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Life Science, Communicative English,
Value Education
Offline education : Communicative English, History, Geography, Value Education
Online Examinations
Recording and uploading of Teaching videos
Publication of concept-based books
Research in education, telecommunication and other areas
Spiritual Heritage programme for International Audience
Teachers’ training and workshops
Creation of Book Bank at different centres
Telemedicine
Telemedicine technology makes it possible for doctors at a hospital or an Expert Centre
to examine, advise and direct the treatment of patients in remote centres. The technology gives rural residents access to medical specialists who are not often
available in remote areas. This saves the patient the cost of travelling to the doctor for advice and treatment and also allows family members to participate in the discussions.
The specialist service may involve general diagnosis of disease, dermatology, orthopaedics, pathology, etc. This technology can also be used to provide follow-up
care for patients who have had surgical interventions. This service will also help the non-specialist and local doctors to gain advanced knowledge that would enable them
to treat their patients better.
Breaking the digital divide in the rural front: Swami Vivekananda was a unique modern saint in India who equated service of living
beings, especially the poor and the downtrodden, with worship of the Divine. He stated boldly: 'He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak and the diseased, really worships
Shiva; and … with him Shiva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples.' It was Swami Vivekananda who coined the word daridra-narayana to refer
to the poor and the afflicted. Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University is making humble efforts to infuse in the youths this attitude and feeling for the poor and the
underprivileged through the VIVEKDISHA Network.
(a) Knowledge as the catalyst: The catalyst for change and empowerment is information and knowledge. Access to
relevant information gives people opportunities to develop and better their lives. In
turn it helps family, society and the nation at large to strengthen the development process. Moreover, the ability to share information on a level playing field helps all to
overcome barriers of isolation and encourages exchange and collaboration.
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(b) Growing tele-density in India: 72% of India’s
national population consists of people
living in rural areas. However, it is a
matter of pleasant wonder that the
country now had nearly 1174.8 million
wireless and wireline users at the end of
January 2014. In India during January
2017 the urban tele
density was 169.39% and the rural tele
density was 56.08%. The telecom sector is
trying to emphasize affordability,
focussing particularly on rural India. This
will enable the country to bridge the tele-density gap between rural and urban India. Vivekdisha in its small capacity providing the facilities of online classes even to
remote rural areas where stable broadband connectivity with a minimum 512 kbps speed is available.
On-going Activities: The regular transmission
of various programmes through the
VIVEKDISHA Centres has generated great
enthusiasm besides opening up enormous
possibilities for the all-round development
of the locality in which these centres are
situated. Programmes are transmitted from the
University Expert
Centre at Belur Math with unerring regularity.
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Online classes: Salient Features of our programmes: Physics, Chemistry,
Mathematics, Biology, Value Education and Communicative English for students of Classes six to twelve are
taught mostly through multimedia presentations
i.e. through texts, pictures, animations, real visual clips,
video recordings from laboratory or operation
theatres.
a) Classes are held in
Bangla or in English, for the students of Classes six to
twelve in an interactive mode for the benefit of
participants. In case of
higher classes the medium of instruction is English.
b) ICT tools like PC, laptop,
LCD monitor, camera, digital notepad, projectors, audio system, many software etc. are used to make the
teaching-learning process not only more
effective, but more joyful and fruitful as
well.
c) Interactions and discussions give the
learners certain inputs
that take them to a slightly higher level
than the classes in which they are
presently studying.
d) The technique of tackling questions and
the art of writing precise and relevant
answers are also highlighted with examples.
Multimedia based presentation and students seen on Teacher’s Desktop
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e) Students are
encouraged to ask
questions till they gain a proper
understanding of the topic under
discussion.
f) Teachers from different institutions
are giving free service.
g) The time table is
modified/expanded according to the
feedback received
from different stakeholders
especially students.
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Youth Interaction across various regions:
It has become a fashion, and perhaps an obsession, among the youth to communicate
with one other and exchange views through the internet and other online devices that
are now freely available.
These devices doubtless
have their vicious
influences, but cannot be
totally avoided. In tune
with Swami
Vivekananda’s thoughts,
these very devices could
be turned into agencies
for positive and elevating
thinking and education if
the youth could be
properly guided. The
online networking
involving the youth that
we are trying to building
up, which may be called
the Youth Thought Exchange Programme Initiative, is a step towards building bridges
of national and international level understanding.
Sometimes a bunch of
kids can accomplish
more in a small amount
of time than a country
can achieve in decades.
Students in our online
classes belonging to
different regions of our
State and different
States of our country get
the feeling of
brotherhood and unity
through interactions with
a large community of
eager students all
studying together under
one particular teacher
and sharing the same study material. The common focus being science or humanities
education blended with value education, these students unconsciously form a bond of
understanding which is a powerful tool to remove their misconceptions of caste,
regional, linguistic and religious prejudices and bias gathered through wrong and
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negative education. We may hope one day our online students will be able to contribute
a positive step towards regional, national and world peace. In this system, the students
are given a wonderful opportunity to spread their wings to grow with liberal attitudes
by taking their lessons regularly with the students of other parts of the state.
Spiritual Heritage Programme for International Audience: Vivekdisha is trying to cater the need of the devotees residing in faraway places from their homelands. At present devotees of Sri Ramakrishana are joining the bilingual
class on “Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita” (The Gospel of
Sri Ramakrishna) from different countries like
Canada, United Arab Emeritus (Dubai, Abu Dhabi,
Sharja, Dubai), United States of America (Cleveland,
Pennsylvania, Fargo). One of the overwhelming
statements made by a devotee after attending the
initial class is:
“It is just past noon on a
Saturday afternoon. I am in my home in Pennsylvania - thousands of miles away from Belur Math....... not
really..... I am just a click away from attending a live on-line class on my favorite book Kathamrita by Sri M (Sri Mahendranath Gupta). I will soon get to hear Sri
Ramakrishna’s Amritavani not just read out to me but also expounded upon by Swami Atmapriyanandaji, the Vice Chancellor of Vivekananda University.
Technology, the yearning of the
monks of the Order to serve the needs of devotees in faraway lands
and the desire of the Bhaktas (devotees) to know more about our
Beloved Thakur has made it possible for us to share in this
enchanting experience. Kathamrita
is becoming a wonderful source of Satsang for so many of us Guru
brothers and sisters (disciples) sitting in different parts of the
world. What better Satsang can we ask for but to hear Kathamrita
directly from a Monk of the Ramakrishna Order? Thank you
Thakur for blessing us with this wonderful opportunity to be here in
this world at this time and partake of Your words, thoughts, actions and divine guidance on-line!”
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(An ICT– based Network)
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University
Time Table : Afternoon and Evening (w.e.f. 4.1.2017)
11.00-12.00
12.10-
12.50
12.50-
1.30
2.15-
2.55
2.55-
3.30
3.30-
4.00 Evening/ Night
MON
LSc 10A
PSc 8A PSc 9A
CE 9A
CE 10B
TUE
11.00-12.00
NEET BIO 11
(English
Medium)
PSc 7A
LSc 9A
Scienc
e 6A
LSc 8B
WED
11.45-12.45
Foundation Sc for Cl 9
(English Medium)
PSc 10B LSc 9B
CE 9B
CE 10A
THU
PSc
10A
Science
6B
PSc 7B
LSc 8A
FRI
PSc 8B
PSc 9B LSc
10B
SAT
12.00-1.30
Teachers’
workshop
(on specific dates)
10.15 - 11.15 pm
Spiritual
Heritage for
International
Audience
SUN
CE = Communicative English
Tentulia High School Bergram Palli Sevaniketan High School (HS)
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Results in Secondary Examination 2017:
Online Student Attendance (approx) March 2017
Class
Centres
Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls BSc Boys Girls Students
Rural
1 Kamarpukur 122 110 110 90 432
2 Begampur 120 110 105 120 118 573
3 Chakdwipa 108 78 72 82 91 105 92 71 71 79 849
4 Balarampur 75 90 81 93 78 113 105 99 61 81 876
5 Bergram 90 87 95 79 75 70 160 134 97 60 947
6 Palashipara 221 188 198 327 266 1200
7 Nasigram 55 64 42 37 31 229
8 Nimpith 40 40 40 40 40 200
9 Dasagram 94 92 87 94 74 441
10 Borai 14 28 22 22 20
11 Jarura 20 15 20 15 20 15 20 15 20 15
Total 823 284 884 297 846 325 1105 341 868 255 4526 1502 5747
Urban
12 Asansol 123 120 118 112 130 603
13 Medinipur 113 118 107 87 137 562
14 Tufanganj 160 150 150 160 140 760
15 Taki 100 79 84 263
16 Tentulia 105 141 169 194 151 760
17 Nawabganj 55 34 36 71 66 262
18 Masat 70 75 70 72 70 75 55 75 69 96 727
19 Nabagram 191 189 180 224 122 906
20 Konnagar 64 64 50 60 60 298
21 Apeejay, Kolkata 60 22 82
22 RKM Vidyamandira 14 14
Total 826 130 852 106 944 111 1031 168 893 162 14 4560 677 5237
International Sites
Male Female
12 11 12 11 23
Total 11007
Spiritual Heritage
10 Total6 7 8 9
Results of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (2017):
Class X
Online Classes
Ramakrishna
Mission Schools
Students
appeared
1st
Division
(above
60%)
2nd
Division
(above
45%)
3rd
Division
Star
Mark
(above
75%)
Above
90%
Highest
Marks
State
Ranks
(Out of 700)
Asansol 90 90 90 76 679
Kamarpukur 100 94 6 66 21 685 6th
Midnapore 103 103 101 69 676
Taki 71 71 58 8 661
Total 364 358 6 315 174
* Marks mentioned in Aggregate.
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Medical and Engineering Entrance Examinations 2016: A few students who studied in Vivekdisha online classes up to class 10 got chance in State Engineering and Medical Colleges. Three out of four students who studied only
for Medical Entrance Examinations in Vivekdisha online classes were selected for reputed Medical Colleges in the country.
Results of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (2017):
Class X
Grades & Highest Marks in different Science subjects
Ramakrishna Mission High School, Asansol
AA A+ A B+ B TotalHighest
Marks
(90-100) (80-89) (60-79) (45-59) (<45) Students (H.M.)
Mathematics 82 6 2 90 100 21
Phy. Science 76 12 2 90 100 8
Life Science 61 27 2 90 99 1
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyabhavan, Midnapore
Mathematics 89 5 6 2 1 103 100 34
Phy. Science 87 8 5 3 0 103 100 6
Life Science 94 8 1 0 0 103 100 5
Kamarpukur Ramakrishna Mission Multipurpose School
Mathematics 46 19 23 12 0 100 100 12
Phy. Science 29 18 36 15 2 100 100 1
Life Science 47 30 23 0 0 100 99 1
Taki Ramakrishna Mission High School
Mathematics 32 21 14 4 71 100 7
Phy. Science 27 12 32 71 98 2
Life Science 31 28 12 71 99 1
Grades/
Marks
No. of
students
got
H.M.
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Content Generation: (a) For School and college education: Content generation is one of the key factors in teaching science, Value Education and communicative English. The contents
published in print media cannot be updated in a short span of time, but in the case of
ICT-based content, easy and swift revision and updating are made possible through
circulation of content both to the learners and to other experts/professionals in the
field of science teaching, Value Education and communicative English, who can make
suggestions for updating information.
To promote the attitude of participative and
interactive teaching and learning and to use ICT tools effectively to achieve development goals,
the content should be tailored to the particular needs of the users and relevant to the specific
cultures and languages of targeted communities. This is a special need of the hour.
The contents of the multimedia presentations of different science subjects were mostly
developed in the local language of Bangla in order to fulfil the local need in West Bengal.
Sometimes video clippings shown during the lessons were in English to help the students
strengthen their command of that language while learning science
subjects in an easy and entertaining manner. The content of the lessons
was developed more or less according
to the syllabus of the West Bengal Board or universities in West Bengal
though the syllabi of other boards were consulted and relevant study materials
were also incorporated. Care was also taken to motivate all types of students
and to develop in them an inner urge to learn more and to grasp the ideas
presented after careful thought. During the content development process, feedback and views were taken from experts in the
relevant fields.
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(b) Development of Multimedia-based Study Materials with Special Focus on
Higher Values of Life: Multimedia based study materials for different science
subjects, communicative English, etc., are being prepared and constantly upgraded
keeping in view the value education aspect by incorporating positive ideas based on
Swamiji’s teachings.
Swamiji’s ideas on
various subjects and
various aspects of life
are being included as
integral parts of
regular class lessons
to increase the
awareness of the
students as well as to
familiarize them with
Swamiji’s unique
insights and ideas in
areas of science. To
bring the quality of
the study materials
at par similar
materials at the
international level, many internationally reputed books, articles have been consulted.
To foster the spirit of
scientific enquiry in the
students, many visual
clips of laboratory
experiments and
animations of different
processes or theories
have been incorporated
within the study
materials. We have
presented these study
materials to a large
cross-section of teachers
and discussed with the
contents with them.
Experienced teachers of
Ramakrishna Mission
schools and other institutions have been consulted and their views incorporated in these
study materials thus prepared.
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Distress Relief Works: We have received different types of garment from a reputed company for distribution mainly for students. So far we have distributed 930 shirts, 238 trousers, 227 sweaters, 36 sweatshirts and 57 jackets to 855 male beneficiaries and 714 tops, 334 trousers, 497 sweaters, 134 jackets and 115 dresses to 878 female beneficiaries belonging to Bergram, Nawabganj, Tentulia, Masat, Konnagar, Belur, Salkia, Ichapur areas.
Value Education: Inculcation of higher human values is one important objective of the VIVEKDISHA Project, particularly in the youth.
Values imbibed and practised in one’s own life makes life
valuable and living joyous. To inculcate the attitude of
practising higher ideals in life and to influence young minds
right from the school days,
VIVEKDISHA has taken up this value education programme,
which used multimedia presentations to illustrate
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda teachings for students of various
age groups, followed by a lively interactive session. Spiritual
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classes have also been conducted for youth and adults at various centres through
videoconferencing from the Expert Centre at University. Value education books are introduced through creation of Book Banks at different
schools and also taken up as rapid readers at different classes to promote values in life.
Bringing out Integrated Science Text Books with modern ideas:
We are keenly scrutinizing science books that have been published at the secondary and higher secondary levels, and trying to eliminate and correct certain fundamental
errors that have crept into them and unfortunately perpetuated for decades on end. We are trying to put our expertise in the field of Physical and Life Sciences to rectify
such fundamental errors by drawing attentions to many professors, teachers, authors and administrative personnel of various universities, colleges, schools and educational
bodies. We already met the Head of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and given him written request letter along with corrected study materials in Science
subjects which are to be incorporated in the Science text books approved by the Board and in the proposed books to be published by the Board itself in the coming session.
This year (2014) science text books for classes 6 to 8 are published by West Bengal
Board of Secondary Education accepted our most of corrections for these classes.
Publication of a concept-based Science book for Secondary students: Building Science Concepts VIVEKDISHA has published a book on Science of
International standard in Bangla to build students’ science concepts with an integrated approach to
various subjects the students learn at the secondary
level. This book is also tool for the teachers at secondary level in the following way:
To refresh one’s science understanding of the topic and to gain awareness of potential misconceptions that the students may bring to
the topic To use the thoughtful questions in the book to
find out what the students already think and why they think that
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To use the concepts to decide
what the students need to think about next
To select lab demonstrations mentioned in the book that will
support the intended learning of the young learners
The pedagogical ideas behind
publication of this book is based on research and experience to how
children learn. Reading about and
reflecting on these ideas will be useful for all teachers of science regardless
of whether or not they are using this book.
Workshops with Teachers at several places:
Educational expectations and curricula are constantly evolving. Advances in technology require new skills and offer new ways of learning, both in school and later
in a complex and changeable socio-economic situations. Professional development helps teachers keep up with those changes and pass them on to their students.
Professional development for one teacher benefits the entire school by bringing fresh ideas, insights and enthusiasm to everyone.
Good teachers become great teachers by
going beyond the call of duty and beyond
the textbook. To do this, he or she must
continue their education. Our workshops
with teachers intended to provide the
teachers extra help to equip them better
motivated teachers. Our workshops also
‘Vivekdisha Vijyankatha (Volume 2)’ was published by the Chairman, ISRO while General Secretary of Ramakrishna Mission was present in the function
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provide an opportunity to understand how to integrate technology into the classroom
and how to make it cross curricular.
Online Teachers’ Training:
Nowadays one of the key components of educational reform effort has been that effective professional development which in turn help ‘to transform and restructure
quality schools’. Much of the available research on professional development involves its relationship
to student achievement. Researchers differ on the degree of this relationship. There are several factors
which greatly influence the teaching- learning
scenario in the school are overall school
environment, teacher,
level of understanding of the students, parent
and community involvement,
instructional strategies, classroom
management, curriculum design,
student background knowledge, and student
motivation. Based upon a review of several
studies, Marzano (2003) concluded that the professional development activities experienced by teachers have a similar impact on student achievement to those of
the aforementioned variables. Our everyday online Teachers’ training programme is a real demonstration of
teaching methods, screening and selection process of contents and integration of the
contents with various other topics and above all innovative methods of building up of
the concepts among the students.
The exchange of one-to-one suggestions and guidance between two teachers can be
an excellent opportunity for new teachers to benefit from their mentor's experience
and experienced teachers to add new skills and knowledge to their repertoire.
Professional development can be a solo effort, too. Books, magazine articles and
lesson plan packages provide a resource and reference for teachers. We put emphasis
on all these to motivate the teachers to have self confidence in teaching with more
creativity and innovativeness to address the need of their students including first
generation learners.
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Online Life Science Teachers Workshops:
VIVEKDISHA wants to promote excellence in concept-based and innovative teaching in all subjects including science, mathematics and language. Implementing and
supporting these types of teaching are rooted in engaging students to use core ideas of the topics and crosscutting concepts to explain phenomena or solve problems.
These require changes in teachers’ professional learning. To encourage
teachers to take greater ownership of
the reforms to a large extent will depend on their leadership
capabilities. These capabilities of all the teachers will impact and ultimately
shape the school with its modern outlook.
Leading a paradigm shift in thinking
and practice of any magnitude is a
challenge that requires leadership
based on hope, trust, faith, and civility
from all the teachers and support from
school administrators.
What’s the best thing about this online Life science Teachers meet? The teachers, of
course! To meet teachers of
different schools urban and rural,
to share the ideas of concept-
based and innovative teaching
ideas and also to understand the
role that multimedia-based
VIVEKDISHA online education
plays for students. Through this
meeting we are assisting
teachers in the process of
building capacity to bring a
positive change in teaching-
learning methods. The goal is to
get others involved in learning
and creating so that the workload is shared. This process of new initiative in a school
need to be integrated with teaching of various subjects and co-curricular activities
and not just science teaching.
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Creation of Book Banks in different Schools:
Putting quality books in the hands of the children who need them most
In some of the schools joining in our online classes
having more than sixty percent of children live in low-income households. Most of these children
have no age-appropriate books at home, and the classrooms and courses they attend are woefully
under-resourced. Approximately two-thirds of these school children cannot afford to buy books at
retail prices.
VIVEKDISHA has pioneered groundbreaking
channels to provide quality books and educational resources for free to schools serving children in
need.
We provide teachers and school administrators with greater access to high-quality books that
otherwise would not be available to them. Through
Book Banks created by VIVEKDISHA in different schools, educators can create enriched learning experiences
for their students, and the children can enjoy an ongoing
supply of wonderful quality books for their joyful learning.
Outcomes for Children:
Several months’ longitudinal study of students at different
schools found that books
provided through Book Banks:
1. Improves interest in reading- Students
demonstrating a 'high interest' in reading after
getting books and regular help from the teachers.
2. Increases children's reading skill- School teachers are observing books from VIVEKDISHA were "very important" in children’s inclination to read more and
improve their reading skills.
Outcomes for Schools: A general survey of our Book Banks shows:
1. Increases educational opportunities- The books given from VIVEKDISHA would allow them to increase educational opportunities or activities, including parent
involvement.
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2. Increases productive use of time- Study shows that regular classes as well as
provisional classes can be more productive if given the opportunity to distribute books kept as resources in VIVEKDISHA Book Banks.
Paper presented at National Conference on Communications 2013 and
accepted in IEEE:
A paper named ‘Bridging the Digital Gap in Rural India: VIVEKDISH- A Novel
Experience’ which was accepted
and presented in the National Conference on Communications
2013 at IIT Delhi. This has also been accepted in the
digital library of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Xplore (IEEE xplore).
Mr. Partha Goswami, IIT Khargpur, co-author of the paper presented our
paper at the National Conference of Communications 2013
International Programmes:
To address widening health and social inequalities, VIVEKDISHA at Ramakrishna
Mission Vivekananda University (RKMVU), Belur Math, and the Global HealthShare®
(GHS) initiative at the University of California, Davis (UCD) have begun a novel
partnership to improve public health education and outreach efforts and to promote
research that will contribute to nutritional health and increased food security in rural,
low-income regions adversely impacted by climate change and seasonal disasters.
School of Life Sciences, University of California, Davis, USA
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Salient features of our present International Programmes:
Create new partnerships between RKMVU and UCD faculty, researchers, and
students, laying the groundwork for future interdisciplinary collaborations
Promote cultural exchange and bidirectional learning between international
groups
Understand the influence of culture on the practice of global health, health
education, and outreach
Promote nutritional health, food security, and an upgraded standard of living in
rural communities, through the use of innovative education and training
technologies
Faculty Exchange Programme with University of California, Davis, USA:
Dr Rupak Goswami, Assistant Professor of our University visited University of California
(October-November 2013) as a part of faculty exchange
programme taken up in VIVEKDISHA–GHS
programme. Dr Somen Nandi and other scientists of UC
Davis facilitated some great exposures for Dr Goswami,
which enhanced his understanding on international
development in Sustainable Agriculture and related
areas. Dr Goswami also visited
Georgia South University during this trip and met with
GSU faculties and interacted with students and visited farmland. He
got an exposure of Workshop and Seminar facilities of the
Departments in the University as well.
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Result of Chakdaha KAS varieties along with two local varieties in RBD pilot testing at Chhoto Sehara village, Sandeshkhali-I Block, North 24-parganas:
The researcher collected two soil tolerant rice varieties (Kakdwip Selection-15 and Kakdwip Selection-29) from Chakdaha unit of BCKV for a pilot testing at Chhoto
Sehara village, Sandeshkhali-I Block. Chhoto Sehara which was affected by ‘Aila’ cyclonic storm. In this area agriculture was highly affected due to soil salinity and
others adverse effects of Aila. VIVEKDISHA of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University and Global Health Share of University of California, USA took up a research
project titled ‘Promoting health and economic development in the Sundarban region of India through improved nutritional and agricultural education and
outreach’ to bring back economic development and sustainable agriculture in this area as a pilot programme.
Below picture shows that production status of KAS varieties are quite impressive and
higher than local varieties though Panicle length, Number of tiller/plant and Number of spikelet are lower in KAS varieties than local varieties. Plant height is good for
water stagnation condition but it has a negative effect of lodging percentage due to
cyclonic storm. ‘Mazra’ pest found in local varieties whereas ‘Mazra’ pest, Black & brown spots are found in KAS varieties.
Some pictures regarding our study:
Saline Tolerant KAS-15 & KAS-29
with more production
Local-CR
Promising results found for saline tolerant rice varieties in Aila affected area of Sandeshkhali
after 2012
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Acknowledgements: We express our deep gratitude to all who readily extended
their academic or financial assistance to run this network.
In this context we would like to specially remember Ernst and
Young Foundation. We hope the generous people and
organisations will continue to support this noble cause and
make Swami Vivekananda’s dream of a prosperous modern
India a reality.
Expert Services: VIVEKDISHA has been able to
successfully provide expert services including online expert
services by involving scholars and technical experts from around the globe to support our project with a diverse
wealth of expertise, ideas and contacts. This online collaboration from experts and scholars from various parts of the globe is a valuable addition to our services under
the VIVEKDISHA scheme. Among the scholars and experts who deserve special mention are the following:
(1) Swami Atmapriyananda, Vice Chancellor, RKMV University, Belur Math (2) Swami Sarvasthananda, Secretary, RKM Ashrama, Rajkot, Gujrat
(3) Swami Devapriyananda, Minister-in-charge, Lusaka, Zambia
(4) Br. Naren, Ramakrishna Mission Saradapith, Belur Math (5) Dr. Indrajit Roy, Professor, University of Cardiff, UK
(6) Mr. Anindya Mukherjee, Teacher in Mathematics, Dasnagar, WB (7) Dr. Partha Goswami, Cheif System Manager, Computer & Informatics Centre,
IIT Kharagpur, WB (8) Dr. Soma Majumder, Teacher, Konnagar Rajendra Smriti Vidyalay
(9) Dr. Somen Nandi, Managing Director, Global Health Share, University of California, Davis, USA
(10) Sri Kushal Roy, Teacher (11) Mr. Janardan Ghosh, Faculty member, RKM Vivekananda University
Website: http://vivekdisha.in Email: [email protected] Postal Address: Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University PO-Belur Math, Dist- Howrah, WB – 711 202, INDIA. Phone: 033 2654 9999