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10th anniversary pratishdha mahotsava
side to education that is impossible today.
educational institutions may be one of two Frederick Benett, Ph.D.
alternatives. The first is 'business as usual', a scenario
in which traditional institutions, especially research The computer revolution occurred approximately 5 universities, try to maintain their monopoly over the years ago with the introduction of the World Wide knowledge base. Or, the adaptive scenario which Web, or the Internet as it is more commonly known envisions higher emphasis as a younger and This facility, opens the doors to an enormous library restructured industry necessary for adopting an IT of information. The knowledge by every professional, based perspective. every expert, in every field is compiled onto the Internet and is freely available to browse through at It is believed by some professionals in this field, that our own leisure. This has had a great impact on the demand for IT based education and learning education methods, as now there are no limits to programmes will grow substantially over the next the amount of information accessible to individuals. decade. In an economy that is itself increasingly However, the Internet has been under scrutiny by knowledged base, the new information technologies sceptics who claim the Internet is a breeding ground offer economical means of providing the continuous for corruption. But the advantages of such a systems and readily available education that is required. IT and activities far outweigh the disadvantages that may will change teaching and learning methods be caused by unsupervised access. In fact, with new profoundly. The transformation may take a long software parents can supervise partially what children time, perhaps long enough for critics to claim that can access.
education can thrive without these changes. But
perhaps this change is inevitable and should be seen It has strong potential to increase learning as a step forward. productivity. The implication is that IT should supplement human instructors whenever possible. Human intervention should be orientated mainly toward making the advantages of IT accessible to all learners.
Ohe Jain
So, is it the end of the pen and paper method of learning? The fact is computers have introduced a variety in the learning process. Computers will never replace the traditional methods but will provide children with new and fun ways of learning. This is because, some fields are not suited to extensive computer mediation, especially those concerned with questions of meaning and value of culture and philosophy. The most IT can do is extend or enrich the scope of human interchange, as in distance learning or where access is limited.
What is the future of universities and colleges going to be? The future of
Wise men mingle mirth with their cares, as a help either to forget or overcome them; but to resort to intoxication for the care of one's mind to cure melancholy by madness.
Jain Education Intemational 2010_03
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