20080915

Computer Tots

Last few days has been writ with lots of calamities both manmade and natural.
The ongoing bomb blasts in India - resulting in introspective posts on Ankur's, Daydreamer's and Cinderella's Blogs
The first hand report of the trecherous hurricane IKE in Houston Texas by Solitaire
Today the US stock market shamble on Joy's blog.

Inspite of these setbacks and traumatic conditions - rational people like most of us (I say most with a reason) who for a moment pause in awe and bewiliderment - we have no choice but to get our acts together and push forward - though it may seem oblivious as to why? and for what? at the present moment. The future awaits us no matter what. Specially the kids who look upon us with hope and anticipation.

In short LIFE MUST GO ON.

So am sharing this little note, to lighten the mood, that I found stuck on my friend's refrigerator. It was a note that his three year old daughter had received from her Kindergarten School. Hope you smile as I did reading it.

"Podcasting Comes To Computertots -
In our free demo class today, your child helped create a PodCast at their School. Students made a slideshow of stickers and artwork and added a voice-over. To view this website this podcast just goto COMPUTERTOTS website at
computerexplorers.com/middlesexnj. Click on galleries and then click on Podcast with the name of your child's school. Then sit back and enjoy"

Reading this little note made me think on my drive back home -
- The way education is about to change or is already changing. It may take a while for this change to be witnessed worldwide but eventually it will change.
- Little kids will now have to get their or want their own IPods with video capabilities (Apple is surely significant from Biblical times to change the way things are in the world....Adam fell for it and now these little ones)
- Will Podcasting or websites eventually replace real textbooks?
- Will there be schools where students go - or will the schools be sent onto their personal PC's wherever they are?
- What will teachers do once all the education materials are recorded for being released periodically in the future.

These are changing times in every way. Many of our lives are in a constant flux - we adjust to new conditions but before we can fine tune - the new is already old and we have to start all over again. If you have any furthur thoughts do share it here.

Have a peaceful week ahead everyone.

63 comments:

Ankur said...

thanks for making the mood a lil lighter!!! :)

Also, yes the face of the education is going to be changed dramatically soon!!! :)

Cheers!!

♥ÐÅyÐяєÅмє®♥ said...

yeah bhai..
samay badal rah ahai..log tech savvy ho rahe hai..and bachhe tech wizmo...i think it's better to train them in childhood..so that they can learn the beneficial effect before the detrimental...
hai na?:)

RADhika said...

yeah, the crux lies in how well one adjusts in the changing environment and how fast he does that. because it changes because of so many external factors, which are out of control.

Vinz said...

its an age of quick adaptation..!!
its now mobiles , laptops and internet..

who knows tomorrow we will be living in a fully automated house..our thoughts might trigger everything..there wont be switches and all..!!

world is moving fast..and yeah we also need to catch up with the pace..!!

:)

--xh-- said...

yeah.. lot of calamities in the past few days... it do make me sad...

podcasts... that in an interesting development:)

Cinderella said...

As much as I am glad for aaj-k-genenration-k-bachhes, somewhere the frail doubt of the loosing the human touch is also there.

Tech-savvy is one thing n it surely will benefit us, but I think its also important to not get rid of the good that the old ways we had.

I dunno. I mean the old ways made us who we are,right ? N I dunno whether we are good enough - but we did well pretty much I'd like to believe, but yet...

OK, I'm rambling. :P

Cinderella said...

And yes, the show must go on..
Thnx for this.

Phoenix said...

hmm im so sorry to hear about the hurricane...but your attitude to life rocks!

*HUGS*

and as for text books..what with cultural studies as a subject coming up..age old literature or text books is surely on it way out....

Cess said...

++Will Podcasting or websites eventually replace real textbooks?
;( due to my laziness, i mostly reading blogs or article on the internet rather than spend time reading a book, I spend approximately 11 hours in front internet each day!!!

++Will there be schools where students go - or will the schools be sent onto their personal PC's wherever they are?
There is already the e-learning, i think it s cool in a way specially for people living far away from a school or not able to go to a school, but i still believe that going to a school is a part of ur education, meet new people, build a non-virtual relationship ;) it s also fun ;)
As for the last question I don t know, I m not a teacher, and my school era is sooooo far away now ;)
I saw a couple of the kids podcast it s funny ;)
have a good week Ceedy
C.

Anonymous said...

YES! We have to move on with everything that is being thrown at us.. My niece is in preschool and most of their day is spent on the computer learning ABC'S what happened to the lil song I learned from?

We are all having to play catch-up to keep up with life... I have tried to stay ontop of the new Tech thingies only to see I am still behind! This is something that brightens our day! Thanks CD!!!

Gave a great day!!

NE

Hiren said...

i too have something written on the terror blasts ... will try to post it in this week ... there is one very queer comment by a US national friend ...

LIFE goes on ... yes, it inevitably does ... but it is never the same :-(

podcasting ... damn ... I know today's kids are getting all techno savvy alright .... but I think they are loosing out on the personal touch and bonding ... not to mention the physical sports etc (I dont see many kids playing marbles now ;))

broca's area said...

for our kids with books think we shd buy a mobile and mini laptop when they start school!

Jaya said...

Have your read Isaac Asimov? There used to be a chapter in my English reader in class 6 about -"The Fun they had". It was about a brother and sister getting few minutes/hours between their classes on the computer. They search attic and find something which they later understand is book. They read how kids used to go to a common building called school. Basically they read what we are doing right now and realise the "fun they(as in we) had"...

Yup world is changing and we have to impact in a positive way. Thanks for this post. You have a good week.

Sameera Ansari said...

I agree with Cindy,no matter how hep schooling gets,technology cannot take place of real teachers.These li'l tots will surely miss out on that "something".

Indeed,life must go on!You too have a relaxed week :)

Scribblers Inc said...

it is indeed nice that you have covered the people who talked about the blasts...it is indeed disheartning...I was actually quite close to one of the blasts that happened;and inspite of the horror that you find on my blog, I couldnt find the courage to write about it...hats off to the guys who wrote about it and thanks to you for making the day a lot brighter...

Scribblers Inc.

Pavi!!!! said...

jeeez! wats the world coming to..i feel sorry for the kids who ll live in the times when going to school, wearing a uniform, reading from textbooks, writing homework, teachers teaching/scolding/pet-ing etc etc etc will be unheard of..
Computers are so BORING! reallie!

ceedy said...

@ankur

hope it helped...and I am still worried about your SORRY post...what was that?

ceedy said...

@the daydreamer

yes...you are right but read many comments here - many traditional values will be lost forever...like it has in many aspects of our lives.

ceedy said...

@radhika
yes...agree that the crux lies in how well one adjusts...but is that adjustment all that necessary?

ceedy said...

@vinz
welcome here...and yes you are right....but how long?
wont you or everyone be tired of constant change?

ceedy said...

@-xh-
:) yes its interesting

ceedy said...

@cinderella
yes....agree - human touch and sensitivity is missing.

but who is going to dictate that the old ways stay...the marketing and media are bombarding to be COOL and that is where the problem lies

yes...we did but think of it this way...we still were new from what was 40 yrs back....and they too did well - so did we - and so will the future...

no you are not rambling...it is a verbal amble

and yes surely the show must go on

ceedy said...

@phoenix

haha thanks...hugs back :)

yes change is on its way - how is it going to be we dont know

ceedy said...

@cess

wow - thats a long time....hope you make moeny too sitting there ;)

yes..meeting new people is a good way of learning but with the advent of computer games etc...it has put fuel to the already burning fire of solitude....

good you liked the podcast

ceedy said...

@ne
As always any change has its pros and cons...so only time will tell us what they are.

You too have a great evening

ceedy said...

@hiren

ok will wait for you to post it. agree it is not the same...but then that is in our perception too....without anything happening many people worry and spoil their life...what about that?

i so agree...man no gulli danda, ais pais and marbles :(

ceedy said...

@brocasarea

yes such a time is not far away

ceedy said...

@joy

No I have not read it...will try and read it. Which book BTW? It sounds interesting....
Yes...we have to get the best out of what is being offered.

ceedy said...

@sameera
Yes...there is always the good and the bad about change

you too have a good week.

ceedy said...

@scribblers inc

thanks and yes hats off to the guys and glad your day was made lighter

ceedy said...

@pavi!!!!!
agree...totally....but thats the choice everyone is making.

Anonymous said...

we used to download us university podcasts.... yes me and my friend... but that was just to show off our spanky new video ipods... gradually podcasts from university gave way to podcasts from underground radio shoes and some silly talk shows...

yes ...education face will change.... even training too... cause there was this report i read that a certain company was giving ipods to their candidate with the necessary audio files preloaded ...sumting like having your own virtual guide in ur pocket...

thought the tour reason does seem wasteful too me..there is no denying for podcasts in education.... i mean there were really some cool ones on collison theries and all...but stilll what i feel from my exp is that the podcats are still in that general public sphere...not deep enough for a students/teachers view.... not most of them...

i can only say what ive listned....

also plethora is available for enng topics... this method may be effective for chotyu bacche... teaching them phonetics maybe...principle remains the same as the older days that buying a casette and listeneing to ur walkman.... only the audio files are free now... and most of the guys atleast have a audio ipod.... if nt a pod... really download the podcast form itunes and put it on any mp3 capable machine...most of the podcasts ive seen are not drm protected...

Cess said...

I know, man, the online game pffff, my brother spends is night with World of Worcraft...her girlfriend i ll say, not sociable at all.
And I dumped one of my ex BF cause he preferred spent time playing in a battle with his guild rather than well playing with me ;) !!!!
We should banish network online game for the sake of real relationships ;)

C.

Cess said...

PS: I read the link u sent me from ur other blog and I comment on it ;) I liked it ;)
Question: are u married? the answer is not mandatory, I m simply really really curious ;)
C.

Rho Tau GWIS said...

All interesting questions.
- Will Podcasting or websites eventually replace real textbooks?
Yes. A lot of graduate courses are already online based...no textbooks.
- Will there be schools where students go - or will the schools be sent onto their personal PC's wherever they are?
Well, I don't think the time is near yet where all the schools will be replaced by the internet. But I do think that in the future people will have a choice between schooling at a physical institution, or on the internet. Home schooling is practiced quite a bit these days.
- What will teachers do once all the education materials are recorded for being released periodically in the future.
Well, there is always something new to learn. So there has to be someone who puts the courses together..whether it is online or in the classroom.

I don't think this is all bad to be honest. Think how much cost effective this will be in the future. Plus, the poor teachers won't have to deal with these brats (not in person anyways). No offense to anyone, but kids these days are not as innocent as kids back in the day.
A good friend of mine is a school teacher, and she is constantly stressed out...because of her students!! I am sure she would much rather be part of an 'internet' school.

RADhika said...

ceedy,
um, no not necessarily... but then, how can one adjust all the time is the question

Rakesh said...

finest attribute...life must go on...whatever comes we will have to move on...i think now a days education has become more experimental in place of theortical

rantravereflect/ jane said...

:)
change is the only thing that's constant-- cliche but soooo true...

teh face of education sure is changing..

while i was with HP, i used to work in the education vertical..

in india, in many shools that swear by the 'chalk n tak' method, there's a steady shift to multimedia content that is stored on a server, n used by the teacher n students to their advantage,.
n some of the content is mindblowing..

we only read abt windmills n solar eclipses.. today, 'seeing' is learning.. exposure in education is massive.. even movies are considered a medium of teaching..
:)
change is good...

n i have nothing to checkmate you with :(

Satish Bolla said...

this is one thing that confuses me sometimes. what should i tell my kid when he comes to me with a doubt abt some nano-technology or something else????

u r right, the education system's changing and that too, in a rapid way

Cinderella said...

Verbal Amble ?!

Now that sounds cool !

Prats said...

Tag ready for u at my blog.....please do it for me!

Rià said...

A very sweet post. Made me smile....a difficult thing to do especially when everything around looks so gloomy!!

joie de vivre said...

hw do u manage 3 blogs??
gr8 haan
d reflection pic..awesome

Bhai with Chai said...

life's all fast paced...
everyone's running.. towards what noone knows!!
kids..parents..

and not that life must go on..
it always DOES go on :)

ceedy said...

@the paratrooper

That was lot of information and good one.
Yes I know...if not for this free DRM download world...I would have a room full of musci cd's and movies.

Glad everything is becoming concise and easily carried along.

The only thing that like most people mentioned here...is that the human touch will be missing and that is a sad reality.

But change is going to happen and we are going to adapt....

thanks for the insights :)

ceedy said...

@cess

hahahhaa....well it is a new world I guess.

Online relationships are on their way. It has opened a world of opportunities to many and many feel dejected and left out.

The positive aspect is that those who are shy in real life are able to atleast live their fantasy

But how and what this change will bring to our society only time will tell

Thanks and glad you liked the link.

there are more stories there and I usually update them once a month - so feel free to read it when you are bored of your online rendezvous :)

Me was married. Now single.

ceedy said...

@carolinagal

Yes....

Agree to all that you have mentioned here.

Well in terms of online choice of school - it is happening where people who cant afford to travel abroad can still access and gain studies from international institutes. This is a good sign.

When I was a TA I was involved in developing a data base for history of architecture for my college here. We transferred most of the weight of the real books - I mean history books are freaking heavy into a very succint website - this made students involvment much better....so such changes are good.

Your input of the teacher is interesting - yes they will surely besaved from the brats :)

The only question though - these children when they grow up might have a very short temperament as being alone or doing stuff online can make them control everything and when the really have to interact in person - the might just be agitated.

Thanks for the insight.

ceedy said...

@radhika

yup....but we are adjusting every now and then arent we.

It is just that when things slow down now we get irritated.

ceedy said...

@rakesh

yes...and thanks...yup life must go on

education has changed a lot of faces...its interesting to see what happens.

ceedy said...

@phoenix
message received...will update

ceedy said...

@jane

cli says now who is cli? I want to meet the person :P

Yes the recorded material is good - but then it takes away the impromptu discussions and ideas that can float around with chalk and talk...

yes - learing is in every medium...but at the same time it is important to narrow your focus or we all will be JACKs of all trade and full of HBI's (half baked information)

no worries....the game is still on - so checkmate will come :)

ceedy said...

@satish

welcome buddy - good to see you back

we are doomed - cause the questions our kids will have we will only have to resort to google for that :P

chage is happening in all spheres of life.

ceedy said...

@cinderella

:)

ceedy said...

@prats

That is mother of all tags ;)....will do it....sure

ceedy said...

@ria
Thank you....yes we have to find the light in the rubble....right

glad it made you light hearted - that was the purpose

ceedy said...

@joie
well this one i update on weekly basis
story is monthly
and ambrosia is collaborative with 5 others...so its once in 3 weeks....

thanks for the pic...thats downtown philadelphia....

ceedy said...

@bhai with chai

agree...but like one other commentor said...

Life does go on - but its not the same :)

Mysterious Mia said...

i dunno mate...

btw i want ambrosia ka widget dont have it

ceedy said...

@princess mia

Ok...

will email you the widget

Anonymous said...

we are feelin the heat of Lehmann going bust and Meryl Lynch being holed out in India. Tough times ahead!!

Anonymous said...

life goes on....sadly yes..!

wowzie at the pace with which the education is changing...the things i had no access to... or had not even seen as a kid are now used by kids... yah KIDS!

lot is changing and i m scared!

ceedy said...

@buzzz

Yes...things are slow :(

ceedy said...

@veens

yes...and soon it will change in your life too :P