Learning Avenues With MarkSharks...

I recently came across MarkSharks, an App that is bringing about a complete transformation in learning and teaching. According to me, it brings a complete paradigm shift in the phenomenon, as Marksharks believes that learning will never be the same again. 

MarkSharks is creating a complete system that aims to teach secondary school students. To start with, it is focusing on Maths and Science. The innovative approach is to combine phenomenal pedagogy with the power of mobility. Students can learn on-the-go thus preventing waste of time. In addition, it creates a meaningful engagement and enables ‘learning by doing’. 

Although there have been many significant innovative advancements in Education Technology (EdTech), there is no remarkable change in the process of teaching worldwide. In fact, it is the same for decades. The main drawback of our existing education system is that it is mostly unidirectional. Whatever mode a teacher adopts, it is usually passive learning. 

The various modes are chalkboard, whiteboard, smart board, audio-visual broadcast on internet or offline. But it lacks interaction and seems to be ‘watch’ and ‘listen’. That is why I call it Passive Learning. It is like watching TV which is a purely one-sided affair. 

MarkSharks is a result of disruptive technology to end this unidirectional mode of teaching and learning. In fact, the younger generation belongs to the digital age. Thus they need to learn in a

different manner. 

Now there is a learning app evolving fast to help them. Students can use mobile devices to create there own knowledge mechanism. MarkSharks helps them in learning classroom concepts in a real immersive, multi-sensory, interactive, and meaningful way. And all this happens in a very interesting manner. So it is more learning with fun. They have games, simulations, interactive exercises, and virtual experiments. In fact, it is visually more enriching and is an interactive experience. And that too in a student's own style, as per their own convenience. That is what I call as Active Learning. 

If we look at the current learning and teaching mechanism, it is quite raw and mechanical in nature. Students easily get bored and dissatisfied. There is no fun. 

Students are of the general opinion - “I have to memorize everything that makes studying painful.” On the other hand the statement of a parent is, “How can I get my child to WANT to learn? I spend so much of my time and energy forcing her to study because I know that education is the only way to secure a bright future.” 

And, in general, an educator has an altogether different predicament to share - “Marks are important and my time in class is limited. So I just cannot devote the time and energy I need to individual students’ learning requirements. I KNOW there are students who are getting left behind”. 

MarkSharks, on the other hand, imparts a unique experience of learning that enhances a student's interest and speed. It provides a one-on-one experience thus introducing a personalized environment. This happens because a learner is using their own mobile device with a freedom of anywhere, anytime. It provides 100% hands-on and learner-driven self-paced learning experience that is quite enriching. There is CBSE Maths & Science curriculum for classes 6 to 12. The app is easy to install and modules are available for Class 8 and 9 on Google Play Store. I was able to download and install it quite easily. It was a hassle-free experience. 

There are features like voice-over and text in English which helps to grasp the concept intuitively. Since the content is modular, it enables easy adaption into various languages and curricula. Learn, Analyze, and Connect is the lifeline of MarkSharks. Learning is a fun because there are interactive games and interactive exercises. In addition, a learner can easily analyze performance in real-time. In fact, parents and teachers also have access to the same information. Connecting with friends in a constructive manner is another remarkable feature of this app. There is a feature - ‘Social Learning Network’ - where a learner can share notes with friends, request help from online tutors, and network with others on MarkSharks. 

You can download MarkSharks Class 8 & 9 Science CBSE content for Android devices on the Google Play store here. Also, you can watch videos of MarkSharks content being used here. 

I tried a few of their modules, those were available on Play Store. All the modules begin with this screen: 

Also, one can read the MarSharks story via the module by tapping on 'Our Story': 

Sliding Friction 

Phases of Moon 

Seismograph 

Lateral Inversion 

Air Pollution

All of them ran smoothly and an intermediate pace, neither too rushed, nor too slow. However, in the Lateral Inversion module, it got stuck at the following screen, for some reason. 

Other than that, it was a nice experience exploring MarkSharks, both as a learner and an educator. :)

The New School...

I've been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Yes, it's a never before and never will be opportunity,

What is it, you ask?

I get to revamp, or redesign the old school system in India, straight from the base.

Being a teacher, I'm being asked to redesign the entire academic build-up being followed in our country...

Well, I wouldn't want to take on such a magnanimous task all by myself, would I?

So, I've turned this into a collaborative post. So, I am not the only one authoring this.

My blogger - friends and team mates at Project 365 are there with me too... :)

I will get to my idea of what needs to be redone in our academic structure, towards the end of the post.

First, I am handing over this space to Salesh, Yamini and Rekha...

Salesh Dipak Fernando, who blogs at 'Scribblings', has the following to say:

"I was a special kid when I started out and hence needed individual attention. Every child is different. You can’t ask a fish to climb a tree. It would be absurd and stupid. Tweak the education system. Let be an environment where a child can nurture his unique abilities. Give the child the freedom to choose. Do away with the herd mentality."

I agree.

It reminds me of this:

Also, Albert Einstein.

Our education system lacks, and lacks a lot on this front. We need to focus on the concept of 'inclusive education', and not just focus. Serious and feasible implementations need to be enforced, so that the children with special needs are treated as equals, in every sense of the word.

I'm again reminded of this:

And, the concept behind this, lies in the sense of fairness, and its interpretation by the masses...

This thought comes to mind, and resonates through...

~~~

Yamini Vijendran, who blogs at 'Straight From The Heart', had this to opine:

"I would like schools that would provide only the tools, and encourage children to explore and gain knowledge by themselves. The teachers will only give a push whenever needed, in the right direction. You should also take a look at this and other talks by Sugata Mitra. Read about his 'Hole in the Wall' experiment - It'll change the way one perceives education."

Again, the concept of rote-learning and minimal practical exploration on the academic front, vexes me too.

The pressure of memorization, rather than learning and understanding the concept, must be done away with. Students must be able to inculcate a solid ground for exploration, and explanation of a concept by expression, within themselves.

Calvin comes to the rescue...

He knew the answer. But he also knew what's more important for him in the long run...

'I now intend to forget it forever...'

The system needs to be revamped so that our kids don't need to memorize, so that they may forget.

The system needs to be revamped so that our kids understand, and take it with them, forever.

The knowledge being imparted amid those four closed walls needs to be such that it is of appreciable importance in every day life-like situations.

Another gem, again from Calvin:

I'm not saying that rote must be completely done away with, but that it must not be of prime importance.

Well, you do need integers to form the basis of your Mathematics, but yes, the 'Big Picture' needs to be taken into account too, big time. :)

Pardon me for taking too many references of such kind but, the one which follows, must certainly NOT be the case!

This one goes out to the teacher, rather than the learner, too... :)

Then again, Mr. Sugata Mitra, Chief Scientist, Emeritus at NIIT, Winner of TED Prize 2013, had this to say, about his concept.

"Onstage at TED2013, Sugata Mitra makes his bold TED Prize wish: Help me design the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can explore and learn from each other — using resources and mentoring from the cloud."

For the ones who don't know of the Hole  In The Wall experiment, this is it.

"In 1999, the Hole in the Wall (HIW) experiment in children's learning, was first conducted. In the initial experiment, a computer was placed in a kiosk in a wall in a slum at Kalkaji, Delhi and children were allowed to use it freely.

The experiment aimed at proving that children could be taught by computers very easily without any formal training. Mitra termed this Minimally Invasive Education (MIE). The experiment has since been repeated in many places; HIW has more than 23 kiosks in rural India. In 2004 the experiment was carried out in Cambodia.

This work demonstrated that groups of children, irrespective of who or where they are, can learn to use computers and the Internet on their own with public computers in open spaces such as roads and playgrounds, even without knowing English. Mitra's publication was judged the best open access publication in the world for 2005 and he was awarded the Dewang Mehta Award for innovation in IT that year.

The Hole in the Wall experiment left a mark on popular culture. Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup read about Mitra's experiment and was inspired to write his debut novel Q & A, which later became the movie Slumdog Millionaire."

~~~

Rekha Nair Dhyani who blogs at 'Dew Drops', stated this:

"I had the good fortune of working with Sugata Mitra on his book in this Hole In The Wall experiment. It was indeed a breakthrough experiment. Touch and Feel, Do and Learn."

~~~

Coming to my point of view, in this regard...

Education needs a fresh perspective, especially primary education. This is the stage when a kid’s foundation is being built. This is the stage when maximum learning can be adapted by a child. Instead of going for digital education at a later stage, I would prefer students to incorporate e-learning right from the first standard. 

This is because e-learning is the most interactive means, apart from group activities in today's time. Interactions pave the way for better retention of concepts in a fresh mind, thus minimizing rote - learning. 

There has been an instance when the move to implement smart classrooms was more than welcome by Charu and  her peers, in her school. The only regret she had, was that such an initiative should have been taken when they had entered school, at the age of six, rather than when they were to exit it, on the threshold of writing their Senior Secondary Board Examination. 

Skills and knowledge for a subject must be given equal importance. The practical, hands-on, application part of the theory being retained, must also to be revamped in a constructive manner, so as to benefit the learner in the long run.

~~~

I would like to know your opinion in this regard too, either as a Parent, as a Student, or even as a Teacher. :)

~~~

This post is a part of the WordPress Daily Prompts : 365 Writing Prompts program where the aim is to post at least one post a day based on the day's prompt.

December is the month when I officially Guest Author for Project 365, in partnership with Jaibala and Vinay, for our respective Guest Authoring Prompts, chosen beforehand.

The Prompt is, The New School - 'You get to redesign school as we know it from the ground up. Will you do away with reading, writing, and arithmetic? What skills and knowledge will your school focus on imparting to young minds?'

This is my Twenty Fourth Post as a guest author to Project 365 : We Post Daily!

Size Does Matter - But Of An EGO ? - Say No To Big One

In our childhood days, we all used to love playing with balloons - big inflated balloons. But I wonder as we grow up, does that air from those balloons enter our brains!

If not then how come percentage of persons with inflated egos is increasing day by day? What does this type of ego supply? Ego satisfaction? Does it - really?

I doubt, when I see someone zooming at a speed of  a hundred kilometers overtaking another car to feel elated but then is found standing amid other vehicles at the next red light as he doesn't have a flying gear. 

Rickshaw pullers and carrier autos show off their inflated egos when they ply at 5-20 kilometers per hour but still move in right lane and don't give way to fast moving vehicles even on persistent honking by them (though they don't want to honk but have to do). Does it really satisfy their egos? I wonder - does their ego not deflate when these fast moving vehicles overtake them (although they have to do it from wrong side thanks to these stupid driver's egos). 

Those pedestrians who walk in the middle of the road as if they are having their morning walk in the garden and as if they are deaf when vehicles try to warn them by honking horns - Doesn't this inflated egos of theirs at times cause them their limbs or even their lives? So what is the use of such inflated egos? 

The previous day while on wheel I saw one learner in a car jumping the red light and I was confused whether it was the learner's ego to cross the road first or the trainer's ego who instead of teaching him never to do it, taught him the lesson of doing something which he himself did every now and then.

People jumping the red light when bang their vehicle in another person's vehicle who is crossing the road when the signal is green for his side, not only hurt themselves but the other person also gets hurt because of no fault of his. So has one person's inflated ego to cross the road first helped anyone? Certainly not. People read about and see such accidents so many times but still the condition is not improving. 

So let go of your EGO and let PEACE prevail in everybody's life.

DECREASING the size of EGO by one person can INCREASE the happiness and peace in so many person's lives whether of his family or the society.

~~~