Teacher Tube: Video Sharing for Teachers

It is a wonderful day and the weatheris cool.In my search for new ideas for teaching and learning ,I came across a wonderful site " TeacherTube.com".Though it is very similar to YouTube,it has many advantages to the teaching community as compared to YouTube which is very general .In YouTube one has to really search and find a video on education. In TeacherTube everything is for teachers. Is n't it really cool!!
I really congratulate the great teachers behind this innovation.



Teacher Tube: Video Sharing for Teachers

Waiting for the Inauguration

On the eve of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States,people around the world are excited like never before.The only other President who ignited whole world during the recent times was John F Kennedy.People all over accepted Kennedy's words,"My fellow citizens of the world,ask not what America will do for you but what,together we can do for the freedom of man"
His oratory evoked hope for the whole world especially for the youth for whom he was an icon.It was a sort of assurance to the world that America will stand for justice and freedom.
However,the American dream died gradually for many around the world as successive presidents pursued the interests of only the rich and the powerful.Things became worse during last couple of years when Washington tried to destabilise nations allegedly to help big American oil companies.
Finally, the world was pushed in to a severe economic crisis since Great Depression by the Wall Street corporations and greedy financial institutions aided by the inactive regulators of capital market.
What is so special about this election in America?This time the whole world voted for the future president of States much before the American voters made up their mind.Right from Buenos Aires to Birlin to Mumbai it was only Obama Obama.
Once again our hopes and aspirations are raised by the man from Hawai who enterd politics with a "genuine sense of mission to make life better for most people in the middle class."
Ronald Regan declared in 1981 that "government is not the solution to our problem,government is the problem"
Obama believes that" a pro-active leadership with honesty and integrity can provide solutions for the people"
We are all waiting for OBAMA to lead us to a progressive and peaceful world out of this severe recession.

A Victory for Democracy!

The industrialists assembled in for the 'Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit' took an extra-ordinary step forward and declared "Narendrabhai, the leader of the western state is the most suitable person to become the leader of the nation". There is no disagreement on the spirit of the declaration made by the group including the highly respected Ratan Tata at Ahmedabad. Large number of Indians agree that we need a strong leader with a vision for the country. This belief has been strengthened further as a result of the vulnerability of the country to multiple terror attacks.
Except for the familiar reaction of a lone spokesman of the ruling party at the centre, even the most secular among the secular press also seem to be supporting this view. Such a thing was unimaginable in India earlier. So liberalisation is taking strong roots in the country!
During the 60's and 70's the Congress Party used poverty as a weapon to garner votes while blaming the Tatas, Birlas and the Mafatlals for all the problems faced by the country (Reliance was too small those days). The political leaders collected funds from businessmen by selling licences to a selected few while creating an "Inspector Raj" across the country.
The businessmen in India never dared to praise an opposition leader like Modi before. It is surely a sign that the industry is gradually getting out of government control. All credit should go to Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.
Let us call it a victory for democracy when people speak out without any fear!

Creating a Librarian's Blog

Blogging@Your Library

I am presently working on a very intersting presentation for the Refresher Course for University and College Librarians. Library is the "Heart of a Learning Institution" and a librarian meets more students than the teachers or the head of an educational institution. Many studies conducted in American Universities have tried to establish the positive relationship beween good libraries and student progression.
When we talk to students about their reading habits in Mumbai, they often complain about the difficulty in accessing books in the college libraries or unfriendly behavior of the staff. My plan is to create a Librarian's Blog which can give information to members on all new arrivals of books, periodicals and events organised in the library.
I will write more about it after the presentation on 15th January at the Academic Staff College, Mumbai University.