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A two-day teachers’ training on Computer Aided Learning (CAL) in progress on in the deputy commissioner’s conference hall in Kohima on March 20. (EM Images)[/caption]
Kohima, March 20 (EMN): A two-day teachers’ training on Computer Aided Learning (CAL) commenced on Tuesday in Kohima at the deputy commissioner’s conference hall. The programme is beign organised under the District Mission Authority of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (DMA-SSA), Kohima.
The concept of CAL involves the delivery of lesson modules via computers in an active and engaging manner as a means to augment classroom instruction. The modules are said to be designed basing on the state SCERT school curriculum.
Delivering the keynote address during the inaugural programme, DC Kohima Rajesh Soundararajan, who is also chairman of DMA-SSA Kohima, stressed that computer technology has leveraged education towards a different level altogether and underscored the need for teachers to make the use of the technology and work with a broad and open spectrum.
The administrative official also called upon the teachers to give the best of what they had in their hands so that weaknesses are addressed by use of technology.
District education officer cum district project coordinator DMA-SSA, Kohima, Piholi Swunetho delivered a presentation on the advantages of computer aided teaching and learning.
The main objective of the CAL programme was to attract school children, retain them in the schools and to improve the quality of the education through animated multimedia-based educational content besides imparting technical training to subject teachers on the usages of CAL multimedia software and teaching students the basics of computers. The programme is implemented on BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model, where the implementing agents build/ design the project, own and operate the project till the contract period and transfer the project i.e., the computers and other equipments in working condition at the end of the contract period to the school authority.
The basic intents of CAL programme are: to make students and teachers familiar with computers, to teach subjects through computers, to use educational software to assist the user in learning a particular subject, to enable the government school students, particularly those from rural areas to be at par with the urban and ‘advanced’ schools’ students.
The programme is aimed at improving the IT literacy in rural areas particularly to increase school attendance and improve performance in examinations, improve the teaching process with the integration of the IT in the class and improve student and teacher learning and productivity.
It has been learned that for 2016-17, MoU was signed in January 2017 with two ISO certified companies - M/S ECROUS IT Solutions, Maharashtra, and M/S I CUBE Technologies & Services, Chennai - to provide computer hardware, software and to provide training to subject teachers in 84 selected schools across the state.
The programme is so far being implemented by outside agents till date as the SSA Nagaland felt that the programme would be more successful if the entire package - delivery of hardware, development of multimedia content CDs, teacher training on CAL, providing technical support etc. was done by implementing firms due to lack of man-power and non availability of adequate infrastructure in the state.
Besides hardware and furniture, software on CAL multimedia of subjects mathematics, science, history, geography and political science based on the state SCERT school curriculum are to be developed and installed in schools by the implementing firms.
The inaugural function was chaired by Ruokuoneinuo, project assistant DMA, SSA Kohima, while the welcome address was delivered by Thongsenlo, assistant district co-ordinator DMA, SSA Kohima.
Talimoa Longkumer, faculty of All India Computer Saksharta Mission (AICSM), Kohima, was the resource person.
