Ideal Education

Learning from Others-10:

2011-12-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

From Sextus, a benevolent disposition, and the example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the idea of living conformably to nature; and gravity without affectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration: he had the power of readily accommodating himself to all, so that intercourse with him was more agreeable than any flattery; and at the same time he was most highly venerated by those who associated with him: and he had the faculty both of discovering and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical way, the principles necessary for life; and he never showed anger or any other passion, but was entirely free from passion, and also most affectionate; and he could express approbation without noisy display, and he possessed much knowledge without ostentation - Marcus Aurelius

Learning from Others-9:

2011-10-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

From Apollonius I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason; and to be always the same, in sharp pains, on the occasion of the loss of a child, and in long illness; and to see clearly in a living example that the same man can be both most resolute and yielding, and not peevish in giving his instruction; and to have had before my eyes a man who clearly considered his experience and his skill in expounding philosophical principles as the smallest of his merits; and from him I learned how to receive from friends what are esteemed favors, without being either humbled by them or letting them pass unnoticed - Marcus Aurelius

Learning from Others-8:

2011-10-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

From Rusticus I received the impression that my character required improvement and discipline; and from him I learned not to be led astray to sophistic emulation, nor to writing on speculative matters, nor to delivering little hortatory orations, nor to showing myself off as a man who practices much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make a display; and to abstain from rhetoric, and poetry, and fine writing; and not to walk about in the house in my outdoor dress, nor to do other things of the kind; and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuessa to my mother; and with respect to those who have offended me by words, or done me wrong, to be easily disposed to be pacified and reconciled, as soon as they have shown a readiness to be reconciled; and to read carefully, and not to be satisfied with a superficial understanding of a book; nor hastily to give my assent to those who talk overmuch; and I am indebted to him for being acquainted with the discourses of Epictetus, which he communicated to me out of his own collection - Marcus Aurelius

Learning from Others-7:

2011-10-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

From Diognetus, not to busy myself about trifling things, and not to give credit to what was said by miracle-workers and jugglers about incantations and the driving away of daemons and such things; and not to breed quails [for fighting], nor to give myself up passionately to such things; and to endure freedom of speech; and to have become intimate with philosophy; and to have been a hearer, first of Bacchius, then of Tandasis and Marcianus; and to have written dialogues in my youth; and to have desired a plank bed and skin, and whatever else of the kind belongs to the Grecian discipline - Marcus Aurelius

Videos Talk-5: Learning and Memory: How it Works and When it Fails

2011-10-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to YouTube and Frank Longo, MD, PhD, George and Lucy Becker Professor, Stanford University

Learning from Others-6:

2011-09-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Learning from Others-5:

2011-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

From my governor, to be neither of the green nor of the blue party at the games in the Circus, nor a partisan either of the Parmularius or the Scutarius at the gladiators' fights; from him too I learned endurance of labor, and to want little, and to work with my own hands, and not to meddle with other people's affairs, and not to be ready to listen to slander - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Learning from Others-4:

2011-09-20T23:53:00.000-07:00

From my great-grandfather, not to have frequented public schools, and to have had good teachers at home, and to know that on such things a man should spend liberally - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Learning from Others-3:

2011-09-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

From my mother, piety and beneficence, and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts; and further, simplicity in my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Words of Wisdom-87:

2011-09-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires - William A. Ward

Videos to Watch-4: Five ways to listen better by Julian Treasure

2011-09-05T02:13:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to Julian Treasure, TED Talks and YouTube.

Videos to Watch-3: Geometry - 1 - Algebra Applications with Angles

2011-09-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

In this Geometry series of The New Boston, there are 23 free online tutorials. If you are interested you can go from this video to the others and enrich your knowledge of Geometry. All the best!

Grateful thanks to thenewboston and youtube.

Learning from Others-2:

2011-09-04T17:38:00.003-07:00

From the reputation and remembrance of my father, I learned modesty and a manly character - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Learning from Others-1:

2011-09-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

From my grandfather Verus, I learned good morals and the government of my temper - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Videos to Watch-2: Algebra Tutorial - 1 - Multiplying and Dividing Real Numbers

2011-08-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

There are 32 serials in this series, Algebra Tutorial. All of them are available in YouTube. From Tutorial No.1, you can continue and view all of them.

Grateful thanks to thenewboston and youtube.

Words of Wisdom-86:

2011-07-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

... Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not - T.H.Huxley

Websites to Watch-2: Top Education Guide

2010-12-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

Top Education Guide is a comprehensive directory of colleges, universities, career schools, trade schools, vocational training and online degree programs. You can quickly search through their database of online and campus college locations to find the right degree program best suited for advancing your professional goals.

The relevant link is:

http://www.topeducationguide.com/

Videos to Watch-1: BBC for Schools and Colleges - Part 1

2010-11-26T18:24:00.000-08:00

For a detailed article on BBC from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC

Grateful thanks to BBC, Coolsteelmedia, YouTube and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Words of Wisdom-85:

2010-11-19T23:47:00.001-08:00

A child must learn early to believe that she is somebody worthwhile, and that she can do many praiseworthy things - Benjamin Mays

For a detailed article on Dr.Benjamin Mays from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Mays

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Video Talks-9: Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

2010-11-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Grateful thanks to TEDtalksDirector and YouTube.

Video Talks-8: Cool Science Experiments from Steve Spangler

2010-11-10T05:51:00.000-08:00

For a detailed article on Science Experiments from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_experiments

Grateful thanks to Stevespanglerscience, YouTube and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Words of Wisdom-84:

2010-11-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

All of the top achievers I know are life-long learners... looking for new skills, insights, and ideas. If they're not learning, they're not growing... not moving toward excellence - Denis Waitley

For a detailed article on Denis Waitley, motivational speaker and writer, from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Waitley

Grateful thanks to Denis Waitley and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Video Talks-8: Infant Education - Montessori home tools for the 1st year of life

2010-11-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

For a detailed article on Montessori Method of Education from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montessori

Grateful thanks to MontessoriDemo,YouTube and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Video Talks-7: Education in India - BBC

2010-10-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to BBC and YouTube.

Words of Wisdom-83:

2010-10-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

...What then is education? Surely gymnastics for the body and music for the mind - Plato

Free Education Books-2: Free Science Books Online

2010-10-26T03:48:00.000-07:00

Makeuseof.com have this very useful provision for science students, Free Science Books Online. One can read them online or download them in PDF format. If you are a science student, just try this site.

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/sciencebooksonline-free-science-ebooks/

Grateful thanks to Makeuseof.com.

Words of Wisdom-82:

2010-10-25T07:32:00.000-07:00

Bharatiya Shiksha must be formative more than informative and cannot have for its end mere acquisition of knowledge. Its legitimate sphere is not only to develop natural talents but so to shape them as to enable them to absorb and express the permanent values of Bharatiya Vidya - Sister Nivedita

Words of Wisdom-81:

2010-10-21T04:20:00.000-07:00

The foundation of every state is the education of its youth - Diogenes

Video Talks-6: "21st Century Learning Matters"

2010-10-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to lisalortiz, Dr James H.Billington, The Librarian of Congress, Roger Quintanilla, YouTube.

Video Talks-5: Education Today and Tomorrow

2010-10-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to Shareski and YouTube.

Video Talks-4: Never Stop Learning

2010-10-16T05:21:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to EducationDynamics and YouTube.

Video Talks-3: Bringing 21st Century Learning to Your Classroom

2010-10-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to Lucy Gray, Elemenous and YouTube.

Video Lectures-2: "Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth"

2010-09-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Wonderful, lucid, lecture! Clears many fundamental hurdles in learning mathematics. Parents, teachers and students - all must watch and could learn something from this great video talk. 866,717 viewers have already viewed this video. That should give you an idea about the usefulness of the talk. It is really very interesting. Please don't miss it.

To know more about Ms M J McDermott, a science geek and meteorologist with a degree in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington and who does weather report in Channel 13:

http://www.q13fox.com/about/station/newsteam/mcdermott/

The Raining Queen of TV Weather, M J McDermott: Interview in Seattle Times published in the website of The Free Library by Farlex:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+raining+queen+of+TV+weather%3B+M.J.+McDermott.%28Northwest+Life%29-a0161367070

Grateful thanks to Ms M J McDermott, prestondave, YouTube, q13fox.com, Marc Ramirez, Seattle Times staff reporter, The Seattle Times and The Free Library of Farlex.

Teachers' Day Greetings!

2010-09-05T04:27:00.000-07:00

Greetings and Respects to all Teachers on the occasion of Teachers' Day!

May God bless you all!!

Words of Wisdom-80:

2010-07-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

Learning without thought is useless.

Thought without learning is dangerous - Confucius

Words of Wisdom-79:

2010-07-06T01:53:00.000-07:00

Teach yourselves, teach everyone, his/her real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come, goodness will come, purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come, when this sleeping soul is roused to self-conscious activity - Swami Vivekananda

Words of Wisdom-78:

2010-05-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master - Leonardo da Vinci

Words of Wisdom-77:

2010-05-18T01:06:00.000-07:00

Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world - Maria Montessori

Words of Wisdom-76:

2010-05-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death - Einstein

Words of Wisdom-75:

2010-05-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it - Edith Wharton

Words of Wisdom-74:

2010-05-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it - Marian Wright Edelman

Words of Wisdom-73:

2010-05-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Only the educated are free - Epictetus

Letters-3: Study of Humanities

2010-05-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Apropos the article, "Higher Education Needs Overhaul" (The Hindu, Education Plus, April 26, 2010), it is pertinent to note that the technical courses insist on the manpower skill and intellectual power only. But if Humanities are included in the higher education syllabus, the learner's mind will be humanised. So the study of English Literature - say novels, short stories, biographies, lyrics, autobiographies etc. will broaden the mind and outlook of the learners. If we neglect the study of humanities, a total degradation of ethical and moral values will spread - M.S.Sankaran, Palani.

Courtesy: Reader's Mail, Education Plus, The Hindu.

Grateful thanks to Mr.M.S.Sankaran and The Hindu, India's National Newspaper.

Words of Wisdom-72:

2010-05-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn - and change - Carl Rogers

Letters-2: Educating India

2010-05-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

... it has been decades since the focus of education in this country shifted to MARKS. In the process, the system failed to educate children in other areas, such as sensitising them to their societal responsibilities, teaching them to coexist in a multi-cultural environment and creating global citizens. It is important that those of us who are 'educated' work in a coordinated fashion to overhaul our education system and redefine the very concept of education. If we don't do this, our society will continue to be full of people who are literate, not educated; a corrupt, selfish bunch that cares only about enriching itself. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, we must each be the change we wish to see - Sushmita Mukherjee, Delhi.

Excerpt from Mail Bag, The Times of India, Chennai, April 29, 2010.

Grateful thanks to Ms Sushmita Mukherjee and The Times of India.

Education News-8: Engineering College Admission

2010-05-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

Dinamalar, Tamil daily, reports that in Tamilnadu, the sale of application forms for Engineering college admission has exceeded 1,24,000!

Grateful thanks to Dinamalar.

Words of Wisdom-71:

2010-05-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life - Plato

Books on Education-3: "INCLUSIVE EDUCATION"

2010-05-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION -
International Policy and Practice
by Ann Cheryl Armstrong, Derrick Armstrong, Ilektra Spandagou
176 pages
Sage Publications India P Ltd
B 1/1-1, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area
Mathura Road
New Delhi-110044

For bookreviews, product description and other details from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inclusive-Education-International-Policy-Practice/dp/1847879411

Grateful thanks to Amazon.com.

Words of Wisdom-70:

2010-05-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

Instead of a national curriculum for education, what is really needed is an individual curriculum for every child - Charles Handy

Words of Wisdom-69:

2010-05-05T03:31:00.000-07:00

Education is only a ladder to gather fruit from the tree of knowledge, not the fruit itself - Carl Rogers

Words of Wisdom-68:

2010-05-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

To be able to be caught up into the world of thought—that is educated - Edith Hamilton

Words of Wisdom-67:

2010-05-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

The length of your education is less important than its breadth, and the length of your life is less important than its depth - Marilyn Savant

Words of Wisdom-66:

2010-04-29T00:24:00.000-07:00

The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it - John Ruskin

Words of Wisdom-65:

2010-04-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing - Thomas Huxley

Words of Wisdom-64:

2010-04-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies - Robert Frost

Words of Wisdom-63:

2010-04-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Learning is movement from moment to moment - J.Krishnamurti

Words of Wisdom-62:

2010-04-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

Education is the best provision for the journey to old age - Aristotle

Words of Wisdom-61:

2010-04-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

Education should prepare our minds to use its own powers of reason and conception rather than filling it with the accumulated misconceptions of the past - Bryant H. McGill

Words of Wisdom-60:

2010-04-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

The great need of our educational system and our educational institutions is inculcation of spiritual ideas along with technological knowledge. Man with mere material knowledge becomes selfish and self-centred. Therefore the present need is to give social purpose to education, so that educated people will not be exploiters of the not so fortunate but be friends and helpers of the poor, the weak and the downtrodden and be dedicated servants of our country and people – T.S.Avinashilingam

Words of Wisdom-59:

2010-04-19T09:23:00.001-07:00

That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true Knowledge, all else is only a negation of Knowledge. – Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa

Words of Wisdom-58:

2010-04-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence - Robert Frost

Words of Wisdom-57:

2010-04-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live - John Adams

Words of Wisdom-56:

2010-04-14T04:23:00.000-07:00

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever - Gandhiji

Words of Wisdom-55:

2010-04-11T21:51:00.000-07:00

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires - William A. Ward

Books on Education:OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics

2010-04-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

OECD Handbook for Internationally Comparative Education Statistics: Concepts, Standards, Definitions and Classifcations
By Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Words of Wisdom-54:

2010-02-20T05:36:00.000-08:00

The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life - Plato

Free Mathematics Books-3: "Maths, a Student's Survival Guide"

2010-02-15T02:16:00.000-08:00

Maths, a Student's Survival Guide
Cambridge University Press
643 pages
pdf format

Please go to the following URL to download the entire book:
http://www.xpmath.com/ebooks/math_ebooks.php

Grateful thanks to Cambridge University Press and XP Math.com.

Free Mathematics Books-2: "How to Help Your Child Excel in Math"

2010-02-12T23:42:00.000-08:00

HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD EXCEL IN MATH:
AN A-Z SURVIVAL GUIDE
by Professor Brita Immergut
253 pages
pdf format

The author taught maths for 30 years in middle schools, high schools and then in college.

This book is for parents to help their children with maths problems.

You can go to the following URL to download the book:
http://www.xpmath.com/ebooks/math_ebooks.php

Grateful thanks to Prof Brita Immergut and XP Math.com.

Free Education Books-1: "Being an Elementary School Teacher"

2010-02-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Being an Elementary School Teacher:
Real-World Tips and Stories from Working Teachers
from 25 working teachers
64 pages

For downloading the book:
http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/elementary-school-teachers

Grateful thanks to GetFreeEbooks.com and CityTownInfo.com.

Linguistics-1: "Why study language?"

2010-02-07T19:59:00.001-08:00

Why study language

What good is the scientific study of language? Why does anyone do it? Why should you care about it? These are the sorts of questions you have a right to ask about any university course. The answer to the last question depends a lot, of course, on how you happened to end up in a course using this book in the first place and on what your interests and long-term goals are. Language is a part of everyone's life, but it is more central to some people than to others. But I happen to believe that a scientific look at language should be a part of the basic curriculum, like mathematics and history are.
Second-language learning

Many of you have already studied one or more languages other than your first, and more of you will later on. A few of you may teach a foreign language. In either case, you are not likely to find the learning process an easy one. Some of the difficulties faced by second-language learners have to do with differences between their first and second languages, differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and usage. You do not have to know linguistics to learn a second language; after all, people all over the world who have never heard of linguistics do this successfully all the time. However, knowing what pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and usage are; how they can differ between languages; and how people seem to learn them (as first- or second-language learners) can help you be aware of and understand your problems and possibly correct some of them. A second-language teacher needs to be able to focus on problem areas, for example, by giving lots of practice or by simplifying other aspects of the language being learned. It is difficult, if not impossible, both to understand the source of the problem and to come up with ways of addressing it without understanding the nature of the material being learned, that is, what linguists and other language scientists study.
First-language learning

Some students, when beginning a linguistics course, believe it will help them improve their knowledge of their first language. In fact this is not something you can expect from a linguistics course. You already know the great majority of the words, the grammatical patterns, and the usage conventions that you will need to survive. Of course you can improve; you can learn new words and expressions, become more proficient with the grammatical patterns that are part of formal language, and get better at using language to accomplish your goals. Most of the improvement should come naturally as you are exposed to the complex language of academia and the workplace. But you will also face evaluations of your language by other people — teachers, colleagues, supervisors, even family and friends — throughout your life. You will be in a better position to make use of this criticism and advice if you understand what sort of problem is involved (if there really is a problem) and how it fits into the larger scheme of things. This is where linguistics can help.

Another way in which most people encounter first-language learning is in raising children. Of course you don't have to know linguistics to know how to "teach" a baby a language; babies aren't really taught language anyway. But knowing what it is that babies learn when they learn a language can make the process more enjoyable. You'll be able to better appreciate what an amazing process learning a language is, why so many people are fascinated with how this process happens, how your baby does the same kinds of things that others do and, at the same time, how your baby's learning steps are unique.

You may end up in a job that involves first-language learning more directly, as a teacher of your first language to native speakers. In this capacity, part of your job will probably be to make sure your students are competent in the standard dialect of the language. As we saw in the section on what linguists study and the section on prescription, sorting out what belongs to the standard is not a trivial matter, and a knowledge of what linguistic conventions are seems essential. As I've already said, there is a lot of confusion and controversy about what should be emphasized or even taught at all. You will also need to teach your students what counts as appropriate and effective language. Again linguistics and other language sciences can help; some language scientists devote their efforts to figuring out what makes different expressions appropriate in different situations, while others are concerned with how words and expressions are interpreted by hearers and readers.

Or you might work as a speech therapist, dealing with people with speech disabilities of one kind or another. Here the relevance of the scientific study of language is obvious; you first need to know what the norms of a language are before you can hope to address the ways in which your clients or patients deviate from these norms.
Cognition

Language is probably the best window we have on the workings of the human mind. Language gives us the extraordinary ability to describe the contents of our thoughts, an ability that no other animal has. Of course there are many unconscious aspects to cognition that we cannot talk about, but these properties are apparently also reflected in what we say. The units of language — elements of form, words, grammatical patterns, conventions of usage — are in some sense also units of cognition. The implication is that the study of what all languages share is also the study of what it is to be human, something that is certainly an important topic for any educated person.
Linguistics and tolerance

What we can learn about the human mind by studying how languages differ from one another is more controversial. Linguists and other cognitive scientists disagree on how deeply the nature of a person's first language influences how the person thinks and views the world around them. I'll have more to say on this topic at various points throughout the book. But language is such an important part of our lives that learning about the languages of other people, including how those languages differ from ours, is in a very real sense learning about those people. As with any other aspect of culture, lack of knowledge can lead to intolerance. It is easy to believe that other languages are inferior in one way or another to ours, to think that some languages, especially the languages of relatively small ethnic groups in the Third World, are more primitive than others. So the realization that a language like Tzeltal, Lingala, Amharic, or Inuktitut has a set of grammatical categories and communicative options not even found in English is an eye-opening experience. Looking more closely at languages, and in particular at languages that might seem exotic to us, can make us more tolerant.

Finally, language is what we use to influence the beliefs of one another. This happens in everyday conversation, as we argue about who forgot to put the mayonnaise jar back in the refrigerator or what the results of the latest election mean. It happens in advertising, as companies do their best to get us to buy their toothpaste, shoes, and cars. It happens in education, as educators provide us with what they say are truths and try to convince us that knowing how to speak Spanish or how to do a t-test will be useful to us later in life. It happens in politics, as politicians and political activists try to get us to vote for them or to support their program. None of this is new, but the enormous quantity of information that is now available to most of us is new, and most of this information is designed to change our beliefs in some way. Obviously an educated person needs to be able to navigate their way through all of this, to sort out the nonsense, to see how bias and ideology are behind what is being claimed, to be a critical reader and listener, to make informed decisions. I don't believe that any of this is possible without understanding the role that language plays in knowledge, belief, and persuasion.

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© 2006. Indiana University and Michael Gasser.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

URL: www.indiana.edu/~hlw/Introduction/why.html
Edition 3.0; 2006-08-25

Excerpt from the free ebook, "How Language Works" (Edition 3.0) by Mike Gasser of Indiana University.

For the full book:
http://www.indiana.edu/~hlw/pf.html

Grateful thanks to the author, Mike Gasser and Indiana University.

Free Computer Programming Books-1:

2010-02-07T19:48:00.000-08:00

367 free ebooks on Programming - covering major programming languages - are available for free download from this webpage of e-booksdirectory.com. Those who are on the lookout for free ebooks on Computer Programming would do well to visit this site.

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/physics.php

My grateful thanks to e-booksdirectory.com.

Free Medical Books-1:

2010-02-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

188 free ebooks on Medicine - covering various branches of Medicine - are available for free download from this webpage of e-booksdirectory.com. Those who are on the lookout for free ebooks on Medicine would do well to visit this site.

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/medical.php

My grateful thanks to e-booksdirectory.com.

Free Engineering Books-1:

2010-02-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

318 free ebooks on Engineering - covering wide areas of Engineering - are available for free download from this webpage of e-booksdirectory.com. Those who are on the lookout for free ebooks on Engineering would do well to visit this site.

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/engineering.php

My grateful thanks to e-booksdirectory.com.

Free Physics Books-1:

2010-02-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

310 free ebooks on physics - covering various areas of physics - are available for free download from this webpage of e-booksdirectory.com. Those who are on the lookout for free ebooks on physics would do well to visit this site.

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/physics.php

My grateful thanks to e-booksdirectory.com.

Free Mathematics Books-1:

2010-02-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

531 free books on mathematics - textbooks, monographs, lecture notes etc - are available in the following website. Those who are on the lookout for free books on mathematics would do well to visit this useful webpage from e-booksdirectory.com, which deserves all appreciation:

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/mathematics.php

Grateful thanks to e-booksdirectory.com.

On Education-17: "Education Today and Tomorrow"

2010-01-31T20:09:00.000-08:00

Grateful thanks to "shareski" and YouTube.

On Education-16:

2010-01-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil -C.S.Lewis

Blog of the day-1: "Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom"

2010-01-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

I have been a subscriber to the Email Alert Service of Kendriya Vidyalaya Library, Pattom, Kerala (They also provide SMS Alert!). Though I have never been a student of KV, my kids were KV students. Further, when I visited their blog, I was so much impressed, I signed their email alert service. A school in India running a wonderful blog, which contains a lot of useful services for the students and is updated regularly (Unlike some government portals which are updated once in six months or a year or sometimes never, with the result you see the names of retired and dead persons still on roll!) is something very novel.

The first thing that caught my eye the list of New Arrivals. They have a very good collection of books and keep on adding to them. They display the cover page of recent additions of books and journals. They welcome the visitors in a very friendly way to get a complete picture of all offline and online sources and services from the Library. It is all very impressive and one should be really lucky to have been a student of KV, Pattom!

Then I saw I was visitor number 619,095! So popular a blog!

Then there is the Online Network of Library – LIBRARY JUNCTION.

They have sample question papers for Classes X and XII on their downloads page, in addition to Question Banks.

They have Tutorials for different subjects.

Their index page which gives you an idea of what you can see from the archives. For example, they have Karan Thapar Interviews. You have Links to useful portals like NASA videos, Aids to Netsearch, Educational Portals, Libraries Online, Online TV. Ebooks and Ejournals.

Mr.S.L.Faisal is the Librarian. Kudos to him and the school authorities for their exemplary service. One wishes that other schools and colleges emulate them and provide such commendable services to their students.

You can take a look at the blog for yourself:
http://librarykvpattom.wordpress.com

Grateful thanks to the Librarian and other authorities of KV, Pattom.

Video Talks-1: "Stanford University Commencement Address" by Steve Jobs

2010-01-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

Grateful thanks to Steve Jobs, Stanford University and YouTube.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T16:56:00.001-08:00

Wish You All

a Happy, Prosperous and Purposeful 2010!

- Suri

Words of Wisdom-53:

2009-12-12T03:40:00.000-08:00

Higher education can be a boon only if there is a sound foundation of critical thinking, curiosity, active participation in the classroom, and a problem-solving orientation at the high school level - N.R.Narayana Murty

Words of Wisdom-52:

2009-12-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

Communication of good values by reputed people is an important first step in changing the mindset of youngsters - Dr A P J Abdul Kalam

A Website for Research Students

2009-10-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Reproducing below copy of another mail from Prof Subbiah Arunachalam addressed to Prof Joshi regarding acquiring information literacy and writing skills, citing a free website useful especially for research students:

"Please visit

<http://courses.informationliteracy.org.uk/login/index.php>

and examine the site. After we go through it in detail we may promote its use in India. It helps students (and others interested in research) acquire information literacy and writing skills. And it is free!

Arun"

Helping the Talent Pool of Moffusil India

2009-10-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

I am reproducing below an interesting mail received from Prof Subbiah Arunachalam, forwarding an article, "MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Sunday Trek To The Golden Gate" (He gives up his weekends to help his kindred folk: the vast scientific talent pool of mofussil India) by S. Anand that appeared in Outlook, 20 December 2004.

Friends:

Prof. G Rajasekaran of Matscience alerted me to this short write-up which appeared five years ago in Outlook*. I do not know if Dr Satyanarayana's Sunday classes continue to this day, but I will find it out. But he has provided a good model. Resaerch scientists and university professors in small towns like Karaikudi and Rourkela can follow this model and help motivated students get into research. Fortunately now many open educational resources are available free on the Internet, iTunes and YouTube, e.g. the NPTEL courses offered by IITs and IISc, the Open University, UK, courses, the MIT (USA) courses and several others. An organization called ISKME (Half Moon Bay, California) has a directory of open educational resources.

Best wishes.

Subbiah Arunachalam

* May be available in the archives of OUTLOOK.

** Contact address of Prof Satyanarayana as given in the above Outlook article:
233, Off Central Avenue, DAE Township, Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu—603102.
Tel: 094443-46247.
Email: svmsatya@yahoo.co.uk

Diwali Greetings!

2009-10-16T19:40:00.001-07:00

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OF YOU!

With Love

Suri

Words of Wisdom-51:

2009-09-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts - Henry Adams

For Teachers-21: "3 Steps for 21st Century Learning"

2009-09-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to TeacherTube Channel and YouTube.

Teachers Day Special-2: "Teachers Day in India"

2009-09-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to SupremeMaster TV (http://www.suprememastertv.com) and YouTube.

Teachers Day Special: "To Our Dear Teachers"

2009-09-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to Renn09 and YouTube.

Education for Digital World: Global Efforts

2009-08-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

This interview of Prof.Asha S.Kanwar,Vice President & Programme Director, Commonwealth of Learning, Canada by Prof.S.Panda is presented by the IGNOU. It takes a look at the changing scenario of education in the digital world.

Grateful thanks to Prof.Asha Kanwar, Prof.Panda, IGNOU and YouTube.

For Teachers-20: "Teachers Today in this Digital World"

2009-08-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

The above is a short commentary about how teachers are changing the culture of education in the 21st century through the use of technology and web 2.0. Video created at animoto.com. This should be interesting to teachers.

Grateful thanks to Animoto.com and YouTube.

Words of Wisdom-50:

2009-08-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Education has mainly two aspects: the cultural aspect which makes a person grow and the productive aspect which makes a person do things. Both are essential. - Jawaharlal Nehru

Words of Wisdom-49:

2009-08-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

There is a brilliant child locked inside every student - Marva Collins

Education News-6: "Course in Value Education and Spirituality"

2009-06-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

Annamalai University has launched a Postgraduate Diploma course aimed at making human beings live happier by improving their attitude, character and temperament in collaboration with Brahma Kumaris Education Wing (Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation). This one year course starts from July 1 and will be offered in Hindi, English and Tamil. Eligibility a degree from a recognized university. Spot admissions are open in the various centres of Annamalai University and that of Brahma Kumaris. Subjects covered include Value Education and Spirituality, Major Religions, Consciousness and the Divine, Personal Development and Values in Life, Meditation and Values in Society, Personal Progress and a field project with practicals.

Prospectus-cum-application form can be obtained on payment of Rs.100/- at the above centres.

For more information:

Mr.Padiamani
9442222157 and 0452-2640715

Source: The Hindu, (Education Plus), June 22, 2009.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Open Educational Resources-1: "OER at different areas and different levels"

2009-06-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Posting below a mail received from Prof.Subbiah Arunachalam on the above topic, which may be of interest and use to readers:

Friends:

Here is a website particularly relevant to NMEICT:
http://www.oercommons.org/

This site provides links to open educational resources for different areas at different levels. I list a few categories here.

Subject Areas

Arts (1446)
Business (599)
Humanities (4028)
Mathematics & Statistics (2028)
Science & Technology (10534)
Social Sciences (4539)

Grade Levels

Primary (4376)
Secondary (6306)
Post-secondary (13324)

Grateful thanks to Prof.Subbiah Arunachalam, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Internet and Society.

Skill Development: "NMEICT and Skill Building"

2009-06-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

I am reproducing below the mail received from Prof.Subbiah Arunachalam, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Internet and Society on the above topic for the benefit of readers:

Friends:

NMEICT should make special efforts to support the National Skill Development Initiative. In particular, we should tap the NIT faculty and ICAR scientists to prepare content for imparting skills in a variety of technical trades to a large cross section of people. The target audience could be unemployed youth and school dropouts, students at ITIs and Polytechnics and people already employed in farms and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises).

NMEICT may partner with NGOs to reach out to a large number of potential users of such content. The government would like to create a pool of over 500 million skilled people by 2022. A huge task indeed.

India has the advantage of large numbers. But we need to improve the skill base. Even among university graduates, it is widely conceded that a very large percent is unemployable.

Subbiah Arunachalam
Distinguished Fellow
Centre for Internet and Society

How To-139: "How to Develop Good Communication Skills"

2009-04-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

How to Develop Good Communication Skills

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Here are some guidelines for developing good communication
skills that you can practice anywhere and at anytime.

Steps

Know what communication really is. Communication is the process of transferring signals/messages between a sender and a receiver through various methods (written words, nonverbal cues, spoken words). It is also the mechanism we use to establish and modify relationships.
Manifest constructive attitudes and beliefs. The attitudes you bring to communication will have a huge impact on the way you handle yourself and those with whom you interact. Choose to be honest, patient, optimistic, respectful, genuine, accepting, and believe in other people's competence.
Make eye contact. Whether you are speaking or being spoken to, looking into the eyes of the person you are in conversation with can make the experience successful. Eye contact conveys interest, and encourages your partner to be interested in you in return. In less intimate settings, when giving a speech or when in front of several people, holding the eyes of different members of your audience can personalize what you are saying and maintain attention.
Be aware of what your body is saying. Body language can say so much more than a mouthful of words. An open stance with arms easily to your side tells anyone you are talking to that you are approachable and open to hearing what they have to say. Arms crossed and shoulders hunched, on the other hand, suggest disinterest in conversation or unwillingness to communicate. 'Often, communication can be stopped before it starts by body language that tells people you do not want to talk:' Appropriate posture and an approachable stance can make even difficult conversations flow more smoothly.
Have courage to say what you think! Communication skills begin with simple communication. Take time each day to be aware of your opinions and feelings. Individuals who are hesitant to speak because they do not feel they have worthwhile opinions need not fear: what is important or worthwhile to one person may not be to another and may be more so to someone else. In a world so very big, someone is bound to agree with you, or to open your eyes to an even deeper perspective. The courage to say what you think can afford you the opportunity to learn more than you did before.
Speak loudly enough to be heard. When you are saying what you think, have the confidence to say it so as to be heard. An appropriate volume can inform listeners that you mean what you say, you have thought about what you are saying, and what you are saying is worth hearing. An appropriate tone and volume ensure your listeners hear exactly what you are saying, and decreases room for misunderstanding.
Practice. Communication skills can be practiced every day in settings that range from the more social to the more professional. New skills take time to refine, but each time you use your communication skills you open yourself to opportunities and future partnerships.
Develop effective listening skills. Not only should one be able to speak effectively, one must listen to the other person's words and engage in communication on what the other person is speaking about. Avoid the impulse to listen only for the end of their sentence so that you can blurt out the ideas or memories that come to your mind while the other person is speaking.

Tips

Try to speak fluently and try to make sure people can hear you when you speak.
Make sure you're using proper grammar as well.
Never rush with your words. Listen carefully and speak slowly so the other person can decipher what you are saying

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

http://www.tips-to-organize-life.com/organize-your-speech.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Develop Good Communication Skills. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

TED Talk-3: "Creativity and Play" by Tim Brown

2009-03-24T02:45:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to Ted.com and Tim Brown.

TED Talk-2: "Amy Tan on Creativity"

2009-03-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to Ted.com and Amy Tan.

TED Talk-1: "A different way to think about Creative Genius" by Elizabeth Gilbert (A TED Video & Audio Presentation)

2009-03-17T02:34:00.000-07:00

Grateful thanks to TED.com and Elizabeth Gilbert.