Few points from the circular

By geting Broadband Internet connection main services like web site, wikipedia, E-mail, blog, chat etc are to be used under studies by teachers and students.

All students from high schools must use an own Email ID.

By creating Email IDs to students they have to use it better and the decipline of Email should be aware to them.

How to search required matter, collection of details, examination results, notices are to be able to check and way of filling and submitting online application are to be compulsorily learned by them.

For each school they are permitted to use 3 GB every month.

Smt K.G Ajila (Jila Panchayath Member), Sri G. Sajinakumar (PTA President), Sri. C.S. Sreenivasan (Vilavoorkal Panchayath President), Sri Balachandran (Best teacher of HSS), Sri K. Sarathchandran (Headmaster)
Jila panchayath member K.G. Ajila laid foundation stone for a new building for higher secondary school at vilavoorkal on 13-11-08. By lighting lamp on stage speaks of respected people and carried out inauguration of keralaschools social network. In the absence of IT Secretary Dr. Ajaykumar IAS Vilavoorkal panchayath president inaugurated the social net work. At that time the IT Secretary called keralafarmer on phone personally and told about his exigency of his duties and gave his blessings to the function.  Keralafarmer (Chandrasekharan Nair) was honoured for settingup a social network for the schools named keralaschools. Sri Balachandran was also honoured for getting the  award for the best teacher of higher secondary schools in kerala. This award was first one in this respect granded by Govt of kerala. Both of them belonged to the Vilavoorkal Panchayath.

Social network of schools launched

A SOCIAL network community for teachers and students of Government Schools, Vilavoorkal, on Thursday.

Named www.keralaschools.ning.com, the schools’ social network is an effort to create a space for student community with the support of open softwre system. On the request of teachers of Vilavoorkal school, Chandrasekharan Nair, known as keralafarmer in the blogosphere, created the social community network. According to the school authorities, the articles or creative pieces or even accademic notes of one school in Thiruvananthapuram can be read and used by another school in Kasargod through the community.

“But the students and teachers must be member of the network, there cannot be any kind of anonymity. The works of the students will be moderated by teachers before publishing it,” said Udaykumar, principal-in-charge of Vilavoorkal HSS.

The community will also help teachers and students to exchange the method of teaching and learning employed in their schools. Each school is given a specific email id. Students can write in English, Malayalam and Hindi and it will be moderated by teachers handling those language in schools.

Uzhamalakkal Sree Narayana Higher Secondary School and Government HSS, Kavalayur, had already joined the community apart from Vilavoorkal HSS and students from various other schools making it a total of 26 members on the launching day itself. The schools, social network was launched by Vilavoorkal Grama Panchayat president C.S.Sreenivasan.

The school’s new building for the higher secondary students was also opened on Thursday.

Courtesy : The new Indian Express on 14-11-08

News about IT@School Click here >>>>

The malayalam news about Free Software published by Chandrika Daily (Image is in Malayalam Language)

Ajaykumar - KSEB , Prof. K. Pappootty (Director of the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications), Mr. Joseph C Mathew (IT advisor to Kerala Chief Minister )

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Balram navigates cyberspace like any other net surfer. The visually-challenged youngster, however, uses a different set of tools to scan online newspapers and browse e-mail messages.

Mr. Balram has reason to become a die-hard advocate of free software. Addressing a function organised here on Saturday as part of the ‘Software Freedom Day,’ he explained how packages like Ubuntu and ORCA had enabled him to overcome his physical constraints and explore the cyberworld like any other youth.

The programme was organised by the GNU/ Linux Users Group, Thiruvananthapuram, Free Software Foundation of India and Society for Promotion of Alternative Computing and Employment (SPACE).

Addressing a seminar held in connection with the event, noted campaigners for free software activists spoke on the applications available for various user groups and their advantages.

Representatives of the Kerala State Electricity Board, Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board and the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications spoke on how the adoption of free software had changed the functioning of their offices over the last one year. Institute director K.Pappootty explained how patent and copyright laws had led to the privatisation and monopolisation of knowledgeIT adviser to the government Joseph Mathew said the proposed International Centre for Free and Open Source Software in Kerala would harness free software for the development of technology in various sectors.

The event also included the screening of two films, Elephant Dreams and Big Buck Bunny, and a documentary titled Steal this Film, all produced using the Blender free software.

Demonstration of free software applications for the differently-abled and desktop effects were also arranged as part of the event. Another highlight was a tutorial for students and others interested in computer programming. A Freedom Toaster vending machine installed at the venue evoked a good response from those interested in installing free and open source software. As many as 40 students, teachers and technical experts participated in the workshop.
Courtesy – Thehindu

Peoples to see, hear and clap

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IT@School project on Sunday issued guidelines for the use of internet in schools. The guidelines stipulated that the schools should ensure the using of internet by students of Standard- VIII and Standard- IX for at least five hours in a year and Standard-X students at least 10 hours.

As IT@School has already provided broadband internet connectivity, the teachers should ensure that the students use it for activities relating to websites, wikepedia, search engines, e-mail, blog, chatting and search for curriculum related activities, the guidelines said.

All high school students should have to create their own e-mail address. They should be given training in using e-mail.

The internet should be used only with the permission of the teacher who is in charge of the internet.

The internet modem should be connected to the server computer which can be controlled using a password. The details of the usage should be entered in the logbook. Efforts should be put in place to ensure that students do not visit unnecessary websites. This can be ensured by creating necessary control facilities in the server and using the security facilities in the web browser.

Worksheet of at least two activities relating to the internet should be included in the practical record book to be submitted by the SSLC students at the time of public examinations. The circular and the model of the logbook is available in the website www.itschool.gov.in, the guidelines said.

Courtesy: expressbuzz