Ed Matrix July 2008

Contents

C Earn while you learn Cover Story

Most young people take up part time jobs, not because there is an urgent need to work, but only because they need to do something constructive in their spare time. However, one cannot overlook the section of youth, who need to work in order to be able to pay their fees. And while they are doing so, they might as well be sensible about the job they take up, rather than just picking up something for the sake of it.

22

S

Strategy

P

* Making the best out of every situation

* Children expect notheing but trust

Psycho-logic

Inflation has already crossed over 11%. At present we are forced into a situation where we need to cut the costs of our living even to the extent of reducing the quantity of food intake. Because this inflation may increase by 20% again. The current crisis must teach us many strategies for life. But, what lessons can we learn from the current crisis situation? 14

R

How good are you in understanding your children, particularly in giving them a guided and guarded freedom to socialise, to decide for themselves and to take responsibility for their own actions? Are you too scared to let them have their way? While the elders think that the children need money and comfort from parents, all that the children need from parents is trust and understanding. 17

Regular Columns

Media Scan

09 06

Career Seasonal

30 32

Personality Pedagogy

10

Yours Space

33

Campus Abroad

12

Technology

36

Strategy

14

Review -Book

Event

16

Bingo!

39

Management Skills

18

News you can Use

41

E-Learning

20

Travel

40

In-Depth

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38



E d i t o r ’ s De s k

Plan, even while you learn and earn

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ealth is being passed from one generation to the next. All that we earn is not for ourselves alone. But, this is becoming more difficult than ever before, because living longer means it is increasingly likely that you will spend your money before you have the chance to bequeath it. Economists call this transference of wealth. Historically, money was passed from father to son. It started with our immigrant ancestors, who built homes and had children. When the children married, they moved into the house with Mom and Dad. Then the kids had kids, making it three generations in one house. As the family grew larger, each generation built new rooms, increasing the size and the value of the family’s wealth. When the first generation died, the second generation inherited the house, later passing it to the next generation, with each growing more affluent than the previous one. That doesn’t happen today. We don’t have three generations living in one house as often as we once did. Today, when our grandparents die, we’re more likely to sell their house because we have our own home and we don’t need theirs. Furthermore, we find that our grandparents live so much longer than before, longer than they expected, that they often run out of assets and have nothing to leave to their children. Therefore, instead of passing wealth 

Editor - in - Chief Rajvee. S.

Associate Editor Raj

Executive Editor Rajesh

Sub-Editor

down to the children, the kids send money up to the parents. Thus, in many cases, the transfer of wealth is going backwards, and economists worry that most youngsters are not prepared for this reality. It is for all these reasons, to protect against risk; to eliminate debt; you’re going to live a long time; to handle such major expenses as children, college costs and weddings; to buy cars and homes; to afford a comfortable retirement; to protect against long-term medical and health care costs; and to pass wealth to your heirs that you need to create a good financial plan. If you fail to plan you are planning to fail. Even a small plan for a particular segment of your life, can enhance your life and take you far in your effort towards development. Let us reinforce once again the meaning and usefulness of planning amidst the members of our families, groups, institutes, organizations and learning centres. When we plan well we will be able to leave a heritage that will be appreciated by people. Rockefeller had $900 million when he died in 1937, the equivalent of about $13 billion today. What will be the legacy that we will be leaving for the next generation? Perhaps that will be the driving force for you to earn even while you learn. To do this we need a good financial plan. So why don’t we help our youth prepare a good financial plan even while they learn and earn!

Talitha Christy

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Personality

H

e is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution. Although he is admired by many, a large number of industry insiders criticize his business tactics, which they consider anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by the courts. Time magazine named him one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century, as well as one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005, and 2006. William Henry Gates III is an American business magnate, philanthropist, the world’s third richest man (as of 2008), and chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and remains the individual shareholder with the most shares, with more than 9 percent of the common stock. He has also authored or co-authored several books.

He is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution.

Gates’ role at Microsoft for most of its history was primarily a management and executive role. However, he was an active software developer in the early years, particularly on the company’s programming language products. He has not officially been on a development team since working on the TRS-80 Model 1 0 0 line,

BILL GATES

A potential achiever of destinies



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Personality but he wrote code as late as 1989 that shipped in the company’s products. In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavours, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programms through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000. On June 15, 2006, Gates announced

and number one on Forbes list of “The World’s Richest People” from 1995 to 2007. In 1999, Gates’s wealth briefly surpassed $101 billion, causing the media to call him a “centibillionaire”. In a May 2006 interview, Gates commented that he wished that he were not the richest man in the world because he disliked the attention it brought. Gates has several investments

Group, a wealth management firm with diverse holdings.

that he would transit out of his dayto-day role over the next two years to dedicate more time to philanthropy. One of his last initiatives before announcing his departure was the creation of a robotics software group at Microsoft. Gates was number one on the “Forbes 400” list from 1993 through to 2007

outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of $616,667, and $350,000 bonus totalling $966,667. He founded Corbis, a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company headed by long-time friend Warren Buffett. He is a client of Cascade Investment

January 2008. Gates was also made an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) from Queen Elizabeth II in 2005, in addition to having entomologists name the Bill Gates flower fly, Eristalis gatesi, in his honour. In November 2006, he and his wife were awarded the Order of 

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Gates has received honorary doctorates from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, Breukelen, The Netherlands in 2000, the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden in 2002, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in 2005, Harvard University in June 2007, and from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, in

Personality research and development in the 2007 fiscal year. Gates wrote “The Road Ahead” and “Business @ the Speed of Thought” which received wide critical acclaim. Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development. From Microsoft’s founding in 1975 until 2006, Gates had primary responsibility for the company’s product strategy. He aggressively broadened the company’s range of products, and wherever Microsoft achieved a dominant position he vigorously defended it. the Aztec Eagle for their philanthropic work around the world in the areas of health and education, particularly in Mexico, and specifically in the programme “Un país de lectores”. Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International. Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13. In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer,the present Microsoft’s chief executive officer. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the 

Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) Altair. In his juniour year, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates’ foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. Under Gates’ leadership, Microsoft’s mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a longterm view, reflected in its investment of approximately $7.1 billion on ed matrix july 2008

The charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated charitable foundation in the world.The foundation’s grants have provided funds for college scholarships for under-represented minorities, AIDS prevention, diseases prevalent in third world countries, and other causes. In 2000, the Gates Foundation endowed the University of Cambridge with $210 million for the Gates Cambridge Scholarships. The Foundation has also pledged over $7 billion to its various causes, including $1 billion to the United Negro College Fund. His reputation makes him more charitable and his massive victory in the software field motivates many today. His commitment and hardwork proves him to be a mastercrafts man. His love for computers is irresistable and thus he experiences his life from top ranked billionaire to a humble humanitarian. Regina Anand

Media Scan

“CHAINED PAST INTO AN EMPOWERED FUTURE”

Agaram Foundation Agaram foundation is committed to discharge its duties to people who have been denied basic and quality education.

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he society has shifted from the traditional way of sympathizing with the downtrodden people to a new path of empathizing with the people who are suppressed in every aspect. The proof for this change is the Agaram foundation. It was founded to form an alternative society rather than to mourn on the present day evils. The trustees are none other than film actors Suriya and Vijay, T.J. Gnanavel and Prakash Babu. They have a view that the foundation’s efforts to bring about a change in the society is not a mere service but a big responsibility of the foundation. This foundation aims to execute well planned activities, which will give a long term solution rather than a temporary one. As a prime means of helping society at large, Agaram has come forward to present “Herovaa Zerovaa,” a short film to spread awareness on school dropouts. The common idea that the government will handle everything and we have no role to play, will only ruin the society, said the founders expressing their basic belief in social work. The motivation and encouragement of Mr.Thangam Thennarasu, Minister of School Education to bring back the school dropouts has prompted Agaram to make this film. Going by a statistical report, they had found out that the main reason for the dropouts are child labour, lack of women education, ignorance of parents and disinterest among kids. So this film emphasises on these factors and on the whole encourage to students take education seriously. The chairman of the foundation Mr. Suriya said that, “Education has the power to make a human civilized and face the challenges of life. Education can destroy the poverty of an individual, suppress religion and caste division that prevails in the society and could be an important factor that can change the life of the next generation. Help extended in any other form to an individual benefits only that individual ed matrix july 2008

but when it’s helpful for the individual’s education it benefits the whole family”. Agaram foundation is committed to discharge its duties to people who have been denied basic and quality education. Their objective is to form an educational institution in the future for the students who are below poverty line and are marginalized. Their aim is to train youth with every skill, which is needed to become an empowered people in the society. They also have a future plan of training girls and boys, to get through the examination, which is the entry for the government jobs, to have collaboration with the government schools to elevate the standard of the education in the government schools and to create awareness about the importance of sports among students. This foundation has planned to join hands with the social service organisations which are ready to help the students in education and to give a helping hand for the downtrodden. For the education of the students the foundation has allocated Rs.25 lakhs. Schools near Chennai which are run by the government for the Adi –Dravida students will be the main beneficiaries. Thus they hope that through their training programes for English and personality development programes at least hundred students will benefit. This foundation is to be appreciated for its vision in training the oppressed and poor students to emerge as skilled personalities in the society. They strongly believe that this step will change the society from a “CHAINED PAST INTO AN EMPOWERED FUTURE.” Talitha 

PedAgogy

E

ducation in Canada is provided, funded and overseen by federal, provincial, and local governments. Education is within provincial jurisdiction and the curriculum is overseen by the province. Education in Canada is generally divided into Elementary (Primary School, Public School), followed by Secondary (High School) and Post Secondary (University, College). Within the provinces under the ministry of education, there are district school boards administering the educational programmes. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Ontario and New Brunswick, where the compulsory age is 18. Canada generally has 190 school days in the year, officially starting from September (after Labour Day) to the end of June (usually the last Friday of the month, Wednesday in some Ontario schools). Elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education in Canada is a provincial responsibility and there are many variations between the provinces. Starting at grade one, at age six or seven, there is universal publicly funded access up to grade twelve (or equivalent). Dependent on the province the age of mandatory entry is at 4-7 years. Children are required to attend school until the age of sixteen. Canada spends about 7% of its GDP on education. Since the adoption of section 23 of the Constitution Act, 1982, education in both English and French has been available in most places across Canada. Divisions by religion and language Originally all the provinces had educational systems divided by religion, but most provinces have abolished these. Ontario, Alberta, and certain cities in Saskatchewan are exceptions to this, as they still maintain publicly funded Separate district school boards (usually Catholic but occasionally Protestant). In Quebec, the Catholic Protestant divide was replaced with a French/English one in 1998. Québécois must attend a French School up until the end of high school unless one of their parents previously 10

Educational System in Canada Liberal, Flexible and Full of Exceptions

attended an English-language school somewhere in Canada. Length of study Most Canadian education systems continue up to grade twelve. In Quebec, the typical high school term ends after Secondary V, the same as to grade eleven (age sixteen to seventeen); following this, students who wish to pursue their studies to the university level have to attend CEGEP. Pre-university In Canada, secondary schooling, known as high school, “école secondaire” or secondary school, differs depending ed matrix july 2008

on the province in which one resides. Additionally, grade structure may vary within a province and even within a school division. Education is compulsory up to the age of 16 in every province in Canada, except for Ontario and New Brunswick (where the compulsory ages are 18). Post-secondary education Post-secondary education in Canada is also the responsibility of the individual provinces and territories. Those governments provide the majority of funding to their public post-secondary institutions, with the remainder of funding coming from tuition fees, the federal government, and research grants.

PedAgogy Compared to other countries in the past, Canada has had the highest tertiary school enrollment as a percentage of their graduating population. Nearly all post-secondary institutions in Canada have the authority to grant academic credentials (i.e., diplomas or degrees). Generally speaking, universities grant degrees while colleges, which typically offer vocationally-oriented programmes, grant diplomas and certificates. However, some colleges offer applied arts degrees that lead to or are equivalent to degrees from a university. When Ontario had five years of high school, a three-year bachelor’s degree was common, but these degrees are being phased out in favour of the fouryear degree. Private schools In Canada there is no obligation for parents to place their children in the public school system, and about 8% of students are in the private system. A minority of these are elite private schools. These schools are attended by only a small fraction of students, but do have a great

deal of prestige and prominence. It is not unusual for the wealthy and prominent in Canada to send their children to public schools, especially in the lower grades. A far larger portion of private schools are religious based institutions. Private Schools are also used to study outside the country. For example CCI has an Ontario curriculum, but the students study in Italy. Private Universities At present, all private universities in Canada maintain a religious history or foundation. British Columbia’s Quest University will become the first privately funded liberal arts university without a denominational affiliation (although it is not the first private liberal arts university). Many provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, have passed legislation allowing private degree-granting institutions (not necessarily universities) to operate there. Many Canadians remain polarized on the issue of permitting private universities into the Canadian market. On the one hand, Canada’s top universities find it difficult to compete with the private American powerhouses because of funding, but

Levels in education ( outside Quebec) Pre-School or Nursery School up to the age 5. This consists of Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten. Elementary school: refers to grades 1 through 6, but may also include grades 7 and 8. Grade 1-6 ( 6-12) Junior high school: also called “middle school” or “intermediate school”. Grade 7 (12-13), Grade 8 (13-14), Grade 9 (14-15) High school College: Two to three years leading to a diploma. University: In Ontario and the Atlantic Provinces, university normally consists of three years leading to a Bachelor’s degree; four years leading to an advanced major degree, a

double degree or (in Ontario) an Honours Bachelor’s degree (the latter is in Ontario usually required for Graduate school). In Western Canada, university normally consists of four years leading to a Bachelor’s Degree (whether Honours, With Distinction, or otherwise), and five years for a double major or for a Bachelor’s Degree in certain specific fields. However, at many universities in Western Canada students are permitted to take up to ten years to complete a Bachelor’s Degree part-time. Graduate school : One or two years leading to a Master’s degree, depending on programme requirements. Four years leading to a Doctoral degree.

on the other hand, the fact that the price of private universities tends to exclude those who cannot pay that much for their education could prevent a significant portion of Canada’s population from being able to attend these schools. Religious schools The role of religion in Canadian education has been controversial for centuries. At the time religious study was considered an integral part of education, but Protestants and Catholics were deeply divided over how this education should be delivered. Each province deals differently with private religious schools. In Ontario the Catholic system continues to be fully publicly funded, but other faiths receive no such funding. Ontario has several private Jewish, Muslim, and Christian schools, but all are funded through tuition fees. Since the Catholic schools system is entrenched in the constitution, the Supreme Court has ruled that this system is not unconstitutional. In other provinces privately operated religious schools are funded. These schools have to follow the provincial curriculum and meet all standards, but are given considerable freedom in other areas. In all other provinces private religious schools receive some funding, but not as much as the public system. Residential School System The Canadian residential school system consisted of a number of schools for Aboriginal children, operated during the 20th century by churches of various denominations and funded under the Indian Act by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, a branch of the federal government. The schools’ purpose was, according to the Indian Act, to “civilize” aboriginals, teach them English or French, convert them to Christianity, and end their traditional ways of life. Thus education in Canada is liberal, flexible and so fall of exception that almost any kind of study for any number of years is possible. Rodrigues

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11

C a mp u s A b r o a d

F

oreign education is becoming an achievable dream for more and more Indian students. In fact many long for it and consider it as a great achievement. No educational system is perfect but Finland’s is much admired by the world at large. The main aim of the Finnish education system is to ensure that the entire population has access to education and training. The principle of lifelong learning and the idea that people are always capable of learning new things at all stages of life, is an important principle for all education provision. The universities represent the oldest educational tradition in Finland. According to the legal definition, it is the purpose of the universities to promote free academic research, scientific and cultural education, and to provide higher education based on research and scholarship. The Ministry of Education is the highest education authority in Finland, and supervises all education and training provision that is covered by public subsidies. Finland has a network of 20 excellent universities and 29 polytechnics, all of which offer international education programmes. Go to www.edu.fi to learn more about the Finnish educational system. If you are currently enrolled in another university, you can explore different exchange opportunities by going to the following sites: www.edu.fi, www.finaid. com, and www.worldwide.edu. If you take the exchange path, you will have to continue to pay tuition at your home university. The second option is to apply directly to the Finnish institution. You can apply for specific study blocks or for a degree program. If you get accepted, you pay no tuition. The only fee is €75 a year for student union fees. The student union offers some great benefits. You can check them out at www.tamy.fi. Once you are accepted to a university, the application is simple. See www.finland. org for information on getting a visa. Non-citizens of Finland can get financial aid for studies in Finland if they live 12

Study in Finland Education in Finland is admired by world at large and preferred the world over in Finland on a permanent basis for a purpose other than studying. This requires that they are registered as a permanent resident in the Finnish population register system. The purpose of residence in Finland is determined by reference to such matters as the residence permit, registration or acceptance to an educational institution. If you come to Finland solely for the purpose of attending a school, you cannot get Finnish student financial aid. Many students in Finland finance their studies with part-time jobs. For vacancies and tips for job hunting, KELA - student financial aid, Scholarships on the CIMO webpage, Scholarships on the SYL webpage and Ministry of labour - job search (in Finnish) offer solutions. You can also contact the recruitment services of your university. ed matrix july 2008

Every student that studies in a Finnish higher education institution is eligible for a student flat. Respective housing foundation gives you more information. Student unions and/or universities take a good care of their international students. Many student unions are also members of the Erasmus Student Network. To find out what kind of services are available to you, each institution or student union offers many chances. Your biggest expenses will be rent and food. If you take advantage of the student housing options you can expect to pay between €130 and €500 per month. Food will cost €150-€300 per month. University cafeterias are also very affordable: about €2 per meal. You can find some international insurance carriers at the following sites:

C a mp u s A b r o a d www.ihi.com, www.globalcover.com, and www.imglobal.com. For international health insurance you can expect to pay between $75-$125 per month. A monthly bus pass costs €30 per month. Including some room for miscellaneous and fun stuff, the total comes to somewhere between €550–€1,100 per month. Most people have to find a job to help make both ends meet. This can be a challenge. Your first tip is to start looking for a job several months before arriving in Finland. Good web sites for jobs include www.uranus.fi and www. planetedu.com. A great forum for foreigners looking for jobs in Finland is www.iesaf.com.

example. If you have experience with e-bay, there are some ways to make money buying and selling online. If you have teaching experience, there are many English language schools that are always looking for native speakers. Start your search at www.tefl.com. Another place to look is the American Scandinavian Foundation. Or look into the Au Pair program at www. aupair-world.net. Don’t expect the jobs to come to you; you’ll have to put in some hard work. It is worth the effort as the education in Finland is admired by world at large and preferred the world over.

Also, get creative-freelance writing or proof reading for magazines, for

University of Kuopio The University of Kuopio in Eastern Finland has an international reputation in the fields of health, environment and well-being, with particular strengths in biotechnology, biosciences and molecular medicine. The University’s latest fields of expertise are business administration and technology education.The University contains five faculties namely, Business and Information Technology, Medicine, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Pharmacy and Social Sciences. The University of Kuopio offers more than 140 learning pathways. The University is the third largest employer in Kuopio after the City of Kuopio and Kuopio University Hospital. Kuopio Science Park is a focal point of innovative education, creative research and expertise projects managed by the University, University Hospital, Polytechnic, national research institutes, Technology Centre Teknia Ltd., and over 160 private companies The A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences AIVI houses a Graduate School of approximately 90 doctoral students. The Institute is also fully responsible for implementing the international Master-level Degree Programmes in Molecular Medicine and Biotechnology and in Neurobiology at the University of Kuopio.Many of the researchers working in the A.I.Virtanen Institute’s laboratories are world leaders in their field. The University also houses several research units which have been awarded the prestigious status of Centre of Excellence by the Academy of Finland. These groups carry out research in the fields of cardiovascular diseases and type 2diabetes, atmospheric composition and climate change, health risk analysis of environmental factors, and development and testing of new biomaterials and medical devices. Nordic Centers of Excellence In addition, three research groups at the University of Kuopio are involved in the Nordic excellence programme (2002–2007), which focuses on global changes. The research group working on aerosol physics is examining the correlation between biosphere, aerosols, clouds and climate, and the global change research and educational unit, GLOBIOC, is a specialist unit exploring the exchange of greenhouse gases between ecosystems and the atmosphere. Also two research groups are involved in the Nordic Centre of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (2004–2009).

Zachary Sorrells Everett, PA. With Harish Tumma ed matrix july 2008

13

S t r at e g y

Making THE BEST OUT OF EVERY SITUATION

I

nflation is on the increase. The current crisis must teach us many strategies for life. Generally we draw strategies from people’s life, but situation of inflation is about to teach us something interesting. What lessons can we learn from the current crisis situation? Inflation has already crossed over 11%. At present we are forced into a situation where we are forced to cut the costs of our living even to the extent of reducing the quantity of food intake. Because this inflation will increase by 20% again, says a bank manager. The fact that America, Britain, France and other wealthy nations are also suffering due to inflations comes as a consolation. We find many economists saying, ‘open your purse,’ ‘don’t hide your money,’ ‘spend’ ‘this is nationalism’. It is said that the industrial growth takes place with the expenses made by the ordinary people. The word ‘saving’ was considered to be bad. But now even in America, the prices have gone up so high, that the industrialists themselves have tied their own belts tight with the price hike. Those who were not even ready to spend money on anything, now keep collecting newspapers or magazines that come with coupons or special offers. People queue up in places where the word ‘Sale’ is written. With the fuel price hike, a new system called ‘car pooling’ has been introduced among the workers who work in the same office. They take turns and choose to join in someone else’s car to reach their office. Some people even buy some instruments to take out 14

the last bit of the paste from the tooth paste. Some flower gardens are slowly turning to be vegetable gardens. Instead of beautiful flowers, there are tasty fruits and vegetables. Most of the money management specialists have come up with tips on how to reduce expenses and save money. The saving itself is looked at as a special earning. ed matrix july 2008

On the other side, David Suzooki, a priest, and others who are insist on living with nature say, ‘we have more money because of the things that we buy. How much do we want? Are they needed? Even after amassing wealth are you happy and peaceful?’ Spiritual masters keep posing the same questions to people.

S t r at e g y Websites have come up preaching wisdom on saving and spending, replacing the wisdom of grandmas in olden style. Even ideas like saving liquid hand wash, Fuel, Energy and time have come up. There are also other ideas and messages on how to go ahead in this situation. The following points may be useful for our people who still feel that they live in America. • Don’t buy big cars like Lorries to show off, because petrol costs a lot and at the time of repair, you may find the parts costing more. Small cars are comfortable and you can save a lot with that. You can even get a car loan easily if it is a small one. • We are unknowingly forced to become debtors by the number of credit cards. We swipe unconsciously while shopping. It shows up only when the monthly statements reaches your doorsteps. It is too late to realize that you had spent money lavishly on things you do not need. When you are careful you have a better budget to spend later. • The cancer affecting the middle class family is to buy a things as soon as they see them in the first instance. So before leaving your home try to plan and make a list of things that you will buy. Don’t go beyond that limit. • Before going to the super market eat some chappathis and some curd rice. Because when you go with a hungry stomach for shopping you will tend to buy all eatables available there. • When you go along with your neighbours you can buy at a wholesale rate. • There are cheaper clothes to suit you. Set aside big money for big occasions. • After washing your clothes in the washing machine take out and dry them yourself instead of using the dryer because it consumes more electricity. • Those who have dogs with long hairs can comb them on Sundays by

themselves instead of spending money by taking them to the veterinary doctor. • Let us not waste water, particularly that which is purified and kept safe for you. You should realize that a long process is needed to purify the water you drink. • Alter your food habits to suit your health. It is good not to waste all the money you earn in a hospital or a clinic. • Buy some consumables not when the price is kept at a very high instead when the rush is over you will able to buy them at a cheaper price. • Do you have the habit of going out for meals to hotels? If so keep the bills safely and calculate all the bills at the end of the month. You may hate going to hotels later when you see them together, although your partner may insist on going to a hotel. ed matrix july 2008

• On Sundays wives may like to go out to eat in the hotels because they will have to wash more vessels. If husbands voluntarily come out to wash the vessels and help out, you will not only save money but nurture your relationship with your partner. It is often said that in America there is a village called Aamish. The people of Aamish live without car, phone, and electricity, and grow ducks and hens. Yet they keep living peacefully. To witness this we don’t need to go to America. May be you can visit a neighbouring village or the village where you were born and brought up. These are lessons one must choose without being forced during critical times. Any rate of inflation will not threaten us. We will live a contended life. Remi 15

E V E NT

“Tourism & Education Fair 2008”

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dmission Season just passed by! New academic year brought in changing trends, rising competition and fresh opportunities to cope with.

During the admission seasons, the focus of the students and parents is largely on finding suitable school and course for your students. Getting enrolled in a professional course still seems to be the top priority in the State. However, a lot of skill factors determine how a student can perform while in, and once out of college and school. Whether it is a primary or secondary education or employment, it is this value addition that, on most occasions, outweighs academic credentials of a candidate. While marks and performance in school and college still count, it is the student’s performance in extra – curricular activities and their soft skills and communication skills that are likely to give them an edge over their counterparts. It was with this motive The Tamilnadu Tourism Development Corporation in association with Spell Bound has organised “Tourism and Education fair 2008”, at Rajaji hall Chennai. The fair started on 27th June 2008, and continued up to 7th July 2008. Inaugurating the exhibition, V. Iraiyanbu. IAS., Secretary, Tourism Development Corporation and culture, said the fair will guide the students in shaping their career prospects and to provide educational counselling for academic improvements. “For the benefit of the students, Aptitude tests, memory improvement programmes, Learning enhancement programmes and Personality Development Programmes 16

While marks and performance in school and college still count, it is the student’s performance in extra – curricular activities and their soft skills and communication skills that are likely to give them an edge over their counterparts. will be conducted by the team of clinical Psychologists,” he said. “Individual counselling for slow learners and low achievers will also be offered. Children with learning disabilities, hyper active tension deficit syndrome, dyslexia, etc. will be identified by the psychologists and treatment will be prescribed.” he added while speaking about the special function of the fair. ‘Career Talks’ is yet another salient feature of the fair. Eminent educational experts were roped in to conduct sessions ed matrix july 2008

on topics ranging from Engineering to Job opportunities in Tourism and Hotel Industries. Leading Nationalised Banks participated in the exhibition to facilitate educational loans. Besides health check up programmes such as eye testing, dental check up. Blood grouping, etc were also part of the show for the benefit of the students attending the fair, he said. The fair had 75, stalls represented by Catering Colleges and universities and book publishers, Government Departments and the State Parent Teacher Association related to Education and UNICEF. Information on job opportunities, career options, studying abroad, Institutions giving career guidance will also be provided through this exhibition, Iraiyanbu said. He said, “It offers you information at your fingertips with experts to help you make sense of all the data. It is up to you to make the best of this opportunity and arm yourself with knowledge as admissions 2008 gets in to full swing.” Ananda K.

Psycho -logic of rebellion. She started going out with her friends even when she knew that her dad would follow her. In his presence, she started doing things that would provoke his anger.

Children expect nothing but trust

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avithra (19) was a mama girl. She loved her parents and obeyed their orders and advices. Parents usually decided for her and she accepted them. Her likes and dislikes came second to her.

her even for the changes in her dress code, could not accept and understand such a phenomenal change in the teenager. Her father decided to have a close watch over her and followed her wherever she went, without her knowledge.

It happened in her education too. Once she finished her tenth grade, parents decided to put her in another school, though she was reluctant to change.

This came to Pavithra’s knowledge and she started hating her father. She developed a complete aversion to him, as he did not have faith in his child. She started believing that her father was not happy about her being happy. Her mind projected her dad as a big enemy to her happiness, when he tried to detain her in the house.

An introvert, Pavithra, found it very difficult to mingle with others in the new school. She found herself alienated from others and did not want to go school and stayed back at home some days. Then, Monica, her classmate, a happygo-lucky girl started speaking to Pavithra. Monica had a big gang of friends including boys. They were known for their pranks and were of carefree nature. Pavithra slowly started mingling with these friends. They hanged out in malls and cinema theatres in the free hours and visited friends’ houses. Pavithra also accompanied. Pavithra and Monica became good friends. Not only Pavithra’s routine life but the whole lifestyle changed. Orthodox family members of Pavithra started suspecting her change of behaviour. The family which suspected

She finally completed her schooling and it was time for the friends to part, as Pavithra was to study engineering according to parents’ wish and others were to do visual communication. She persisted that she joined visual communication along with them, but it did not work with her parents. She could not disobey her parents and joined an engineering college paying lakhs as capitation fee. But she longed to be with her friends. So she bunked classes and spent time with them. The report of absence reached the father and he shifted her to another college, where too she continued to do the same. The parents’ austerity took her to the stage ed matrix july 2008

At this stage she was brought to me for counselling, with the complaint from the parents that she had spoiled her life and needed counselling. During counselling, she assured me that she was not doing anything wrong. She was just spending time with her friends, which included members of opposite sex. I found her to have gone through “Negative Reinforcement,” when she said that she would not mind even committing a mistake as her parents were already believing that she was in the wrong path. ‘Being good does no good,’ was her argument. She imbibed ‘negative adapting’, that is to go against whatever her dad said.

Then I found that the counselling was required for her parents and not her. I advised them to put her in the college along with her friends. * Parents should understand today’s teenagers. * Parents should be friends to their children in their adolescent stage, rather being a boss and monitoring their activities. * Trust is the most important aspect, a child could expect from his/ her parents. * Parents should understand the changing trends and guide the children to stay right, according to the scenario. * Let children decide for themselves and parents should guide their decision, instead of imposing their decision on them. Glory Bai The author is a General Psychologist, running Shapex Counselling Centre at Chennai. She is a Ph.D., scholar in educational psychology. This column will feature a case study involving educational psychology, followed by analysis and solution for the same. Write to us at [email protected] for issues relating to psychological problems concerning students, teachers and parents.

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M a n a g eme n t further down the road. But the beginning of the process should be open and encouraging, because there’s nothing more disheartening than being told at the outset that your idea stinks. Indeed, negative feedback at the beginning of the process can be humiliating to the person on the receiving end. Try to avoid these common managerial mistakes: • Don’t mix idea generation with idea evaluation. These are two distinct processes, and they should be as separate as church and state. If you start to evaluate or critique an idea the minute it’s brought forth, chances are you’ll not only kill the idea in question, but also any future suggestions from that person (and anyone else within earshot). • Don’t show disdain. All ideas should be greeted with gratitude and an open mind. If an idea strikes you as crazy (or just plain dumb), keep that to yourself. Resist the temptation to snort, roll your eyes, or slip into wizened-expert mode .

How to Nurture New Ideas

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rom Henry Ford’s assembly line to Apple’s iPod, every great innovation started with a great idea. But in the business world, it’s a lot easier to say “no” to new ideas than it is to dedicate time, money, and resources to developing them. That’s why idea-friendly companies like Toyota, Yahoo, and IBM have structures in place to encourage and capitalize on good ideas — be they flashy new products or time-saving strategies for improving efficiency on the factory floor. No matter what their precise approach, all ideafriendly companies have a few principles in common: They reward employees who suggest ideas, and they solicit feedback from across the organization to identify ideas with the greatest staying power. Read on to learn how to nurture the best new ideas — and how to harness them to improve your business. All that you will need will be some money with some equipments like laptops, mobile phones

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etc., communication tools and softwares, a process, a team or teams to work with and a rare phenomenon that is not often found in the business world called perseverance. 1.Institutionalize Idea Generation Few managers would admit that they’re hostile to new ideas, but on the other hand, how many times have you heard (or said), “That would be nice, but we don’t have enough [time, money, people]”? Or, “Great idea, but we did something like that once before, and it didn’t pan out”? Companies that innovate well don’t do so by accident; they make idea generation a priority for everyone — from the CEO to entry-level employees — and they have a process in place to solicit and collect new ideas so that suggestions don’t get lost in the day-to-day shuffle. Of course, successfully nurturing good ideas doesn’t mean that nobody ever says “no” — rigorous analysis and trial are crucial steps ed matrix july 2008

• Don’t be opaque or fickle. When the time does come to vet ideas — preferably after all ideas have been submitted and heard by everyone in the group — be clear about your filtering criteria. If an idea has potential but needs work, make suggestions for how to improve it. If it’s way off the mark, offer tips on how to move into a more fruitful direction. Give examples of ideas that impressed you in the past and explain their appeal. • Don’t forget your manners. Always thank employees for their ideas (even when they’re bad) and encourage them to keep making suggestions.

2. Identify the Problems that Need Clever Solutions

Idea-friendly companies don’t wait for employees to dazzle them with brilliant suggestions; they actively seek out new ideas, and looking for solutions to existing problems is often the best place to start. The most important part of generating new idea is to identify problems that need solutions. One may end up inventing newer problems that will lead to more confusion.

3. Filter and Prioritize

Regardless of how many ideas you start out with, you only want to fund, prototype, and test those that have real potential to succeed. That means a significant amount of attention must be devoted to hearing each idea, deciding which ones to decline and which to support, and negotiating political battles or other potential project killers.

M a n a g eme n t

Seven Idea-Generation Tools

Here are some helpful techniques you can use to generate new ideas: Brainstorming Meetings Good for: Solving a specific problem. When you want to solicit ideas on a particular topic, the best forum is a structured roundtable meeting run by a professional or third-party facilitator. Office Hours Good for: Encouraging employees to come to you with their ideas. Opening your door to everyone in the organization for a few hours a week sends the message that you value employee ingenuity. It’s also a great opportunity to give early direction and help shape unpolished ideas that need a second opinion. Offsite Gatherings Good for: Breaking through creatively when

your team is stuck. Whether it’s a beach cabin a few hours away or a local restaurant around the corner, a change in physical environment can break old social and cognitive habits. Public Events Good for: Targeting the expertise of outside communities, getting feedback on ideas in development. In India, Google has held “code jams,” where members of the public compete in writing software code; top performers are sometimes offered job interviews. Online Suggestion Boxes Good for: Capturing internal ideas and making sure they don’t get lost. Security-protected private websites are a good way for employees to share and analyze ideas and organize development.

A public website can solicit feedback from customers and the general public. Targeted Partners Good for: Gathering and applying industry wisdom. Non-company experts such as members of academia, government, related businesses, nonprofits, or media can offer tremendous insight and ideas. Market Research Good for: Product development, solving problems for customers. Firms like San Francisco’s Ideo and Portland, Oregon’s Ziba help companies conduct a blend of marketing and anthropological research that can guide and give sharper focus to idea generation by rooting it in well-defined market needs.

This work requires multiple points of view, which is why many companies form an institutionalized group devoted to idea management. In many cases, such groups consist of people from a variety of disciplines within the company who have collectively volunteered to look at new ideas on a regular basis.

for progress — as well as opportunities for support and guidance.

Here are Fake’s basic principles for operation: • Detach from the Mothership - It depends on your parent organization or company. It is tempting but dangerous. The opposite danger is getting too far away from the parent company and building things that nobody wants or needs. You need to balance a healthy degree of physical distance and relative autonomy An advisory board provides direction, but projects don’t need to be approved before they can move forward.

The selection process should be rigorous. Here’s what you’ll need to do to get started: • Form a team: You need an assortment of players with different sets of skills — both those who can view the big picture (how this idea fits within the company’s business model and the market) and those who know the nitty-gritty details (experts whose work relates directly to the proposals). Any department that will be affected should be included. • Assign tasks: Some ideas may require a lot of research and analysis between team meetings. Assign each team member an aspect of the prioritization and analysis process. Tasks could include reading and grading proposals and gathering necessary support from other important parties in or out of the company. • Communicate: Don’t waste meeting time learning what the ideas are. Give team members the chance to read and comment on proposals in advance. • Establish criteria: Ideas should meet strict standards before they receive funding. Questions might include: Does it solve a problem?; Is it within our company’s core competency?; Does it fit in with our long-term business strategy and goals?; and What is the return on investment? • Set a schedule: You can’t just throw money at a project and expect it to succeed: milestones and deadlines create a structure

4.Field Test the Very Best Prototype the strongest ideas, and try them out in the real world. Once you’ve decided that an idea is worth pursuing, it’s time to put resources behind it. You must prototype the strongest ideas and try them out in the real world. Rather than

• Form “Two Pizza” Teams - If you can’t feed your team with two pizzas, it’s too big. Small teams that sit clustered together are more nimble, work faster, and communicate better. On big projects, it’s best to scale your process so that several small teams work on different pieces of the whole.

All ideas should be greeted with gratitude and an open mind. betting the firm on one or two ideas, many companies spreads funding among 30 or so a year, knowing that many will fail. For short terms testing you need to use previous or early customer trials and other market research. You’re taking it out of PowerPoint and making it real, which means a lot of testing will happen. That’s how you get it to graduation. ed matrix july 2008

• Get to Prototype ASAP - Some companies are so focused on avoiding mistakes that their projects get mired in endless planning and debate. Your process shouldn’t require a lot of time spent writing product requirement documents or trying to sell an idea to others inside the company. Instead, write the briefest requirement document possible, start prototyping right away, and iterate repeatedly. • Launch Early and Often - It’s scary to put imperfect offerings before the public, but today many customers like to be involved in product development and will develop a loyal bond with your brand as a result. But until you put it out in front of them, you’re never really going to know. Generating new ideas will be a lot easier if you are constantly at it. All you need to do will be to be in touch with yourself all the time and listen to the sudden prompting you get from your insightful self within.

Brian Libby 19

E - Le a r n i n g

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he new millennium heralds exciting opportunities to diversify the ways in which we offer education. We can now provide greater flexibility through online access to learning when, where and how we do it. Breaking the shackles of tradition empowering all learners, including students with disabilities, as their diverse needs are increasingly accommodated in educational programmes that are supported by information technology. Such programmes can support what people with disabilities have known all along we all learn in different ways and the more that differences can be accommodated through universal design, the less remarkable and marginalising those differences become. E-learning is one important avenue for promoting greater access for all learners. To bring students with disabilities

from the outer edge of educational considerations, teaching and information technology staff need to: apply principles of universal design, better understand the benefits of accessible technology for all learners, and ensure that electronic information environments are accessible to people with a range of disabilities. Teaching staff and students need new skills to embrace e-learning. These include presenting information in new ways, navigating and utilising the benefits of the web, and engaging in computer mediated conferencing. Leading edge advances, in both computer operating systems and assistive technology, provide students with disabilities new opportunities for fulfilment in educational programmes. Educational administrators need to ensure that resources are available to progress the advantages of e-learning for all students, and that accessible electronic learning environments remain a central priority.

From Outer Edge to Leading Edge E-Learning and Students with Disabilities

By the beginning of the twentieth century, free public education was characterised by large classes, inadequately trained teachers, limited knowledge of children’s development, compulsory attendance limited to primary school, and specialised and separate education for children with disabilities. By the 1980s, greater emphasis was placed on secondary education for all students, and segregated education for people with disabilities was being challenged. In the ‘90s, post-secondary education was overhauled to increase access for greater numbers of students in TAFE colleges and colleges of advanced education. By the post-secondary education sector was restructured to create a greater focus on vocational education and training. Notably in that final decade, increasing emphasis was also placed on access to post-secondary education for people with disabilities and on the concept of lifelong learning for everyone. Information dissemination in the classroom has largely occurred via the textbook of prescribed reading and exercises. The implements of writing have progressed through the quill and ink, the slate and graphite pencil, the steel nib and ink, the fountain pen, the propelling pencil, the biro, the clutch pencil, the ball point pen, roller ball pens to electronic pens. Information recording has progressed from manual typewriters to electric typewriters, and electronic typewriters with simple memory, to the desk top personal computer and lap top PC. Input has changed from keyboard strokes to voice recognition software. Apart from textbooks, information reproduction depended on carbon paper copies, spirit duplicators, ink-based stencil duplicators, thermal reproduction technology, photocopiers and finally electronic scanners. Mass printing in educational institutions has included photocopying, small offset printers and Perfector offset printers and now CTP (computer to plate) print technology that accommodates electronic input of print and graphical images in colour. It is against this background that the proliferation of computer technology has greatly impacted on the ways in which education is conducted at the commencement of this new century. Computers have become personal tools for teaching and learning across all

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ed matrix july 2008

E - Le a r n i n g first language), rather than translate via typed English on a TTY (teletypewriter). Much is expected of this technology to deliver greater access and equity to people with disabilities. The global information village that is the Internet is promoting access internationally. World Wide Web Consortium Director and inventor of the Web, Tim Berners-Lee, reminds us that “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” What are the implications for students with disability? How can e-learning embrace such developments to promote inclusive educational experiences for students with a disability? E-learning creates new challenges for teaching staff, curriculum support services, disability support services and institutional administrators.

There is increasing pressure to change educational programmes that have been largely teacher-centred, textbook-driven, assessment-dominated, classroom-confined, timetable-constricted, and peer-competitive. sectors of education. Many institutions install computers and networks as essential infrastructure or expect students to purchase or lease computers to facilitate their learning. Shared use of desktop computers in computer laboratories is rapidly giving way to the flexibility of laptop computers, and families are embracing computer ownership to aid their children’s education. Increased computer memory capacity and storage using CD ROM have also increased dependence on technology rather than paper. Access to information has been transformed by the increased sophistication of the Internet. There is increasing pressure to change educational programmes that have been largely teacher-centred, textbook-driven, assessment-dominated, classroom-

First, teaching staff need to accommodate diversity within their curriculum - the way they design their subjects, plan the learning experiences, identify the learning materials and assess the outcomes. This requires new IT skills to design curriculum materials that can be placed on the Internet or stored on CD ROM. confined, timetable-constricted, and peer-competitive. Traditional educational approaches that have been dominated so pervasively by constraints of time and place and conservative practices face a liberating revolution. While wide access to multimedia technology in the home has been touted for some years, the full impact of this innovation is soon to be experienced as telephone lines cope with more sophisticated data transmission. People with varying disabilities have the potential to benefit greatly from these new technologies. Information creation, storage and retrieval are now largely handled electronically. Digital technology can convert speech to print and print to voice, increase the size of print, vary the contrast of print against background, and send broadband video signals to specific audiences via a telephone line. As a result, greater access to information is occurring for people who are deaf or hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired, or who have reading difficulties or speech difficulties. Broadband videotelephony now enables Deaf people to communicate via the telephone line using sign language (their ed matrix july 2008

Third, disability expertise needs to be harnessed and embedded across the institution among teaching staff, library staff, information technology staff, Web designers, instructional designers and senior managers. Students with disabilities, disability advisers and equal opportunity managers can assist, but ultimate ownership needs to reside with staff in each of the key areas. Many people with disabilities have languished at the edge of mainstream post-secondary education for a long time. They have coped with delays in obtaining timely services and learning materials in accessible formats. They have endured passing rather than higher grades because of low expectations. While e-learning is not a panacea, it has an enormous capacity to honour diversity in learning styles and capabilities if we become more enlightened about its potential uses for all learners. E-learning has the potential to progress people with disabilities from the outer edges of educational opportunity to the leading edge of educational innovation. Adapted from Barrie O’Connor’s article on E-learning for disabled students

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C o ve r S t o r y

Earn while you Learn

For those who hail from financially affluent families, the income may not be important, but then for them the experience would increase their future career prospects. After all, gaining any kind of work-related experience would help them get better offers when they are ready to completely plunge into their profession. Most people take up part time jobs, not because there is an urgent need to work, but only because they need to do something constructive in their spare time. However, one cannot overlook the section of youth, who need to work in order to be able to pay their fees. And while they are doing so, they might as well be sensible about the job they take up, rather than just picking up something for the sake of it.

Most people take up part time jobs, not because there is an urgent need to work, but only because they need to do something constructive

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art time jobs are on the increase as many students want to earn as they study.

Today, inflation is leading many-a-household to literally exist on a hand-to-mouth level, with little or nothing to save. Providing further education to the children is more of a burden than a pleasure, as the cost of 22

higher education is increasing each year. Yet, people are willing to go that extra mile to provide the best education to their children. In this kind of scenario, it is essential for many students to take up part time jobs. No one says it’s easy to study and work at the same time. But then being in the prime of their youth, makes them energetic enough to survive the dual responsibility. Whatever little a student can earn becomes a large contribution towards disburdening the family’s coffers. Even though the fees may be paid by the earning members of the family, the student can take pride in sharing their burden. ed matrix july 2008

Though Chennai is one of the four prime metropolitan cities in India, yet as far as part time jobs are concerned, it is still not very popular here. This is because this city has only recently opened itself to the IT industry. Apart from that the city has held onto its conventional and traditional ideologies for a long, long time. The city essentially has propagated the need for the youngsters to first complete their formal education and then enter the job market. The elders of the household would keep aside a large part of their earnings to provide the best of education to their children, and for them the only choices were to become doctors, engineers, architects, lawyers or accountants, amongst very few others. And for the women it was the nursing profession.

Photo: Kalpana

Part time jobs are on the increase as many students want to earn as they study.

So, whether it is for money or the experience, or then a combination of the two, a part time job for a student is essential. In fact, a number of business houses have realized the value of employing students and have job openings for them. The companies not only gain better output from the young ones, but also contribute towards building a better nation by helping in nurturing more mature youth.

C o ve r S t o r y However, with modernization coming in, the city, so to speak has been witnessing a wind of change. Now, with the IT industry, and other global aspects, which include escalation in the retail business, there is an increase in the opportunities for part time jobs in Chennai. Yet, however, most of the womenfolk are not allowed to step out to work. However, the younger tribe of the populace is allowed to work and study, as people have started realizing the need of the hour knowledge and experience together. One without the other is incomplete education for the youth. The financial capital of the country, Mumbai, is also called as the land of opportunity. With the largest migrant population in the country, this city boasts of seeing that nobody sleeps hungry. Whether skilled or unskilled there is an opportunity for every one of all ages to make money, on a fulltime or part time, as well as freelance basis. Interestingly, a large number of companies are providing fulltime opportunities with part time timings. This implies the consultant jobs.

Most often the part time jobs call for field based activity, rather than being in the office. This is the latest trend in the city of Mumbai - Consulting jobs. The role of a consultant is to help set up a company or aid in the day-to-day running of the company from the outside, providing timely advice, as well as troubleshooting solutions to all the problems. Most companies pay consultants heavy sums and require them to visit the office from time to time. In Mumbai, infrastructure is one of the most restrictive aspects that come into

Earn While You Learn With Apprenticeships

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f you have the determination and drive to succeed, then you may end up as one of the most successful persons ready for a placement. Being paid while you learn might sound too good to be true — but as an apprentice you really do get the best of both worlds. And while you’re studying for your qualifications, you’ll be able to get hands-on work experience. If you have the dedication to succeed in the world of work, and you’re not afraid to commit yourself to one, two or even five years of training and study, then an Apprenticeship could be for you.

Apprenticeships are suited to people who are focused and know the career they want. Many Apprenticeships are sought after, so demand for places is high. But if you have the determination and drive to succeed, then you may end up as one of the most successful persons ready for a placement. If you’re still considering options other than an Apprenticeship or aren’t sure play when employing fulltime staff. This is because of space constraints and other aspects. Most companies are now following the rule of employ as needed - part time or full time. There are numerous openings for part time jobs in Mumbai. Almost every industry has a number of opportunities. This is mainly in the areas of sales and marketing, event management, production of television programmes and films and the like. Most often the part time jobs call for field based activity, rather than being in the office. ed matrix july 2008

about the right career for you, why not discuss your interests and concerns with the HR consultants or any of the HR managers of different companies that hire people part time. There are Apprenticeships in many different occupations. Which Apprenticeship is right for you will depend on your interests, your experience and the opportunities in your area. Apprentices learn on the job, building up knowledge and skills, gaining qualifications and earning money all at the same time. By applying to do an Apprenticeship, you’re agreeing to work well and study hard. The success of any Apprenticeship is dependent on the hard work and dedication of all those taking part. Apprenticeships are increasingly popular and are a fantastic way to further your career plans, but they’re not for everyone. If you’re not keen on the idea of further study or not sure you could commit for up to two years (in some cases), then an Apprenticeship may not be for you. As an apprentice, you’ll be given the very best training for a formal qualification by both learning providers and employers. In return, you’ll be expected to use your training and studies to do the best job possible. Delhi, the political and diplomatic centre of India - the age old capital of the country, is a city of opportunities for the intellectually striving and like they say, conniving. Yet, there are plenty of opportunities out there for the part time job seekers. It is all about going out there looking for it, after all, nothing simply falls in the lap. One of the highest paying part time jobs in New Delhi is that of translation and interpretation. With all the foreign 23

C o ve r S t o r y diplomat headquarters housed in the city, a large number of foreign nationals keep visiting the city. Since they do not know Hindi, or other Indian languages, they need someone, who can constantly interpret what they have to say. This is a part time job and the interpreter needs to be around, as long as he/she is in need. Interpreters are paid very well, by the hour. Another part time opportunity is that of writing and editing. A large number of publishers are located in New Delhi - general, as well as educational. They assign work to authors who can write books in their spare time. However, one needs to be careful when taking up such assignments. Apart, from the above mentioned part time job opportunities, there are also such jobs in the BPO and KPO industry, where one can work only a few hours a day, or for only some part of the month. There are also opportunities for consultants, as well as for students in the malls, departmental stores and boutiques. After Hyderabad, Bangalore was touted as the next silicon valley of India. However, due to physical restrictions, the city had stop short of further development and

has reached its saturation point. While this may not sound like very good news, for many, yet one need not lose heart, as there are still plentiful opportunities going around. In the last couple of years, Bangalore has also attained widespread acclaim in the area of medical tourism. The medical facilities have been attracting people from around the world to visit the city for treatment, and this has brought about a large number of part time jobs in the medical field. Even the field of information technology, a number of companies has part time, shift-wise openings for the young techno-savvy populace, as well as the senior lot, who are called in to conduct training programmes. Bangalore is also the city of creativity and arts. A large number of artisans are required to further the handicrafts of the state. Another interesting area for part time jobs in Bangalore is the field of social service. The large number of NGOs of the city keeps requiring social workers, whom they reimburse, even though it is a small sum of money. The new generation has changed its approach to life. It is mature and talented, and on the way to taste the cream of life

Areas of Concern Choosing the right kind of jobs will always remain as the most daunting part of part time jobs What kind of part time jobs for teens are out there? This is a common type of question one generally asks. It is a matter of making the most of the opportunities Here is a list of possibilities for part time jobs: • Sales staff at boutiques • Sales staff at electronic showrooms • Sales staff at malls • Ticketing staff at theaters and multiplexes • Attendants at theaters and multiplexes • Baby sitters • Pet walkers • Waiters at fast food restaurants and cafes • Part time teaching staff at coaching classes for school going children • Web designers • Freelance reporters for the varied media

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with innovative ideas, as the world is full of opportunities. “Youngsters of this generation believe in fulfilling their dreams at their own cost, be it buying books or participating in a bash. For this, they are prepared to do part-time jobs or summer jobs in their free time which is a common thing in the West. The modern day youth nowadays are not only trying out the Western outfits but also their zest to be on their own,” said prof. Padmanabhan from Coimbatore. Such assignments not only earn the youngsters money but also enable them to have best of experiences which can be useful in their life and career. They also get to meet people from various walks of life, which helps them to improve their communication and writing skills - an add-on to their CV. “Now there are many openings for the youth like BPO, marketing, data entry, project works and many more, upon which they can lay hands during their free time to fulfil their dreams. However, while earning money and gaining precious experience that way, I feel that they should not neglect their studies, which should be their first priority said Ramanujan, a retired lecturer.

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Production staff for television and movies

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Copywriters and other creative staff at advertising agencies

There are many more options. But one needs to move away from the couch first to find something productive and meaningful. Whether youth, or others who are finding a suitable part time job, here is a checklist one can go through. This list will help one know whether the job they are taking up is suitable for them or not… • Is the nature of work in keeping with one’s own nature? This implies if one is an introvert, then taking up a job where one needs to interact with people will lead to frustration. For instance, taking up an evening job as a receptionist at a doctor’s dispensary. • Is the job matching your skills? This implies that if one is good at teaching people, then rather than selling something in a retail outlet, they should rather join a coaching class as part time faculty • Is the job paying you enough? Whether one is working to put their spare time into constructive use, or then for the money; it is important to feel that the pay is a deserving amount, definitely not far too below the expectations.

ed matrix july 2008

C o ve r S t o r y

Advantages Vs Disadvantages

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art time jobs have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. While the former do outnumber the latter, yet it is important for people to be aware of both sides of part time jobs.

Advantages:

• Financial independence. This is important for the youngsters, as well as the homemakers. Even though one may hail from an affluent family, yet it becomes awkward each time one needs to ask for money. Instead of that it is easier to earn and spend • Additional income in the household. This is all the more the situation where homemakers have spare time in hand. After completing the entire household chores one tends to spend time in front of the television or reading books and magazines. However, one can take up a part time job in the locality and bring in that extra income that could either go into savings or take care of some additional expenses. • Makes one productive. Sitting and whiling away time can be destructive, especially for youngsters and ladies. While there are parents who would like to bring up their children in a protected environment, there are parents who are decisive about their children’s future and the way they build up their self confidence. “Parents, too, should encourage their

Instead going out and taking up a job for a few eyes, would put the mind to a constructive mood, and also brings home the extra earning • Interaction with the world. By taking up a job in the spare time, one gets to interact with more people, rather than sitting within the four walls and spending time in loneliness waiting for other members of the family to return • Experience and maturity amongst youth. Employing the youth for a couple of hours a day initiates them into the work culture. It also brings in them a lot more maturity.

Disadvantages are:

• Excessive money in the hands of youngsters can lead them to bad habits • Earning one’s pocket money may make them so overconfident that they would rather drop their education, since they are already earning more than they knew they could

children, if they are interested in doing part-time jobs, and desist from spoonfeeding, said Vishnu Mohan, a father of two children from Mysore. Private and public organisations should take steps to offer such free-

time opportunities, as they would in return get quality work from the youth. Private and public organisations should take steps to offer such free-time opportunities, as they would in return get quality work from the youth, says

• Is the job contributing to your future career plans? This is again something important for the youth that have chalked out a definite career path. It is pointless working for the sake of working. Instead, take up a job that will hone the skills required later on. For instance, if one is heading towards hospitality as a profession, then taking up a waiter’s job, or apprentice in the kitchen will help one gain further experience in the field.

• Event planner • Event consultant • Coordinators • Press and media officers • Stage managers • Event hosts and presenters • Script writers • Performers and artists • Service providers and technicians Most of these people are hired on an event-basis and paid accordingly.

Life is all about fun. And this does not mean that all the fun has to happen, only post office hours. Well, this will be the feeling when it comes to working in an event management company. Nonetheless this does not mean that these kinds of jobs are free of stress. This is one type of job, no matter in what department, which teaches the employee people skills, as well as time management. The various departments in an event management company:

Taking up a retail job on a part time basis has the following advantages, apart from a fairly decent pay packet. These include:

• Is the job contributing to your growth and maturity? This is something important for the student populace taking up part time jobs. This is because the job should contribute towards their understanding of work culture, as it all forms a part of their resume.

For those looking out for a better paying job, then working for an electronic retail outlet, or a car showroom would reap more. This is because almost all of the outlets pertaining to these two markets pay a commission on their sales, apart from a minimum basic salary.

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C o ve r S t o r y • Improving communication skills • Helps one take responsibility • Increases one’s social status • Better knowledge of latest trends • Helps one build better contacts • Increases maturity level • Develops leadership qualities, as well as helps one learn to be a better team member • Making sales, or rather selling anything requires a certain technique, and is considered by any as an art. After all, having someone part with their money is not exactly an easy task. Even before spending the least amount people think so many times. And a good salesman is one, who can sell something without letting the buyer feel the pinch of money cost, but the value of the object, or service. • Since every business is based on the sales made, many companies provide the option of offering not only full time, but also part time sales jobs. Most such employees let their part-time salespersons work at their own convenience and offer them a commission on their sales, which is actually the best form of motivating people. • The part jobs in the sales department are also popular in publications that require space sellers. After all, while the fulltime

Geetha, a housewife who earns her bucks from home through internet. Many feel that some of these companies that employ part timers do not even reach the right type of people who are waiting with enough talents out in the job market, or in colleges and universities. “ There should be some method by which the companies can have access to the right kind of talented boys and girls. I don’t think a proper way out of this problem exists right now in India said Sudhakaran who is versatile in many fields, but still awaits the right kind of job while he is pursuing his studies in Madras University. Part time jobs are meant for persons who are unable to dedicate whole day on job, or jobs that do not require a full time worker. Part time job seekers may be mostly students, householders (or housewives) who are engaged with other responsibilities. Internet enables a person work for companies in a distant continent at time of his choice. Many jobs are outsourced online, which any eligible person can do 26

staff chase the larger fish, the part time space sellers are looked up for smaller ads, which include the classifieds too. • There are also a large number of multi-level-marketing companies that have stepped onto Indian shores. And rather than employing a large number of sales staff, they have minimal administrative staff, and their salespersons work in their own free time, making large sales in order to earn the attractive incentives. • Sales jobs, on a part time basis, provide the opportunity to work at one’s own convenience and the amount one earns is in proportion to the number of hors put in. However, one major disadvantage is that most of these jobs are field jobs, requiring the employee to pay visits to potential buyers. But an advantage to counter this is that one’s creative talents are put to test, as there is minimal restrictions to the methods that can be used to sell the product or service. You have teenager at home, whiling his or her time away in front of the computer or the television screen? Well, then it’s time that they get a dressing down and sent out of the house in search of a part time job. Youth is the most exciting time in person’s life, and more so the teenage years, when one is most active and adventurous, as well as creative. Then why not have your teenager step out to work and earn some self-respect, self-confidence and self-esteem.

Retail jobs, data entry jobs, coding jobs that are part time are being offered even to beginners with enthusiasm in these fields. from the cool comfort of his own home. There are also many portals which promise jobs but not the way they are explained leave the job surfer confused all the more. There are still others that take the job surfers through a round about way of getting into a job perhaps to verify the seriousness with which they surf such sites. Worst are the sites that promise one thing but take money out of the job seekers in some other way. Some sites give you a feeling of network marketing. Having such varied ed matrix july 2008

Nirupama Sekhar

employment sites, the job seeker has to be very sure of the employer as he has no chance of knowing their genuineness. Today, umpteen number of jobs are placed before the youth. Hundreds of online portals offer unimaginable offers to attract youth particularly students into part time jobs and internet based jobs. Marketing has taken yet another giant leap with the help of internet facilities. There are part time sales jobs out there in many of the malls and posh shops in and around big cities. Retail jobs, data entry jobs, coding jobs that are part time are being offered even to beginners with enthusiasm in these fields. Many jobs are outsourced to groups which in turn hire some of these youth who wish to earn while still doing their studies in the colleges and in the universities. Apart from all these there are customer care jobs, promotional jobs that are hourly and even some part time teaching jobs. There are myriads of avenues for those who are waiting with talents and enough creativity. Tarun & Navya

C o ve r S t o r y

Realise Your Dreams Through Savings

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avings is not an activity but it is a part of life. It starts right at your toddler stage as a game. When your father gets you a piggy bank, it is just a toy in your opinion. You do not know that you are ‘SAVING’ coins in it. The elders at home give you coins to be dropped in the piggy bank and you do just that not even knowing what the coin is and what it can fetch you. Next time you see the piggy bank you start asking for coins only because you like the click sound or just the feeling of dropping something in to it. Your aim at that time would be just to fill it. So we have been given the practice of saving right from the infant stage but the problem is we don’t continue that in the stages to come. We all think that saving is for elders who have some earning. But have we ever thought our pocket money could also be saved? It is a general opinion that

Just imagine the happiness you will have when you tell your friends that you paid your fees out of your savings.

the pocket money we get from our parents is to be spent. You might think that we don’t get big amounts that could be saved. Savings need to be in thousands or lakhs, it can be just a rupee a day which will give you 365 rupees in a year. Well, a big question would be: will it be sufficient enough to pay a months school fees? Just imagine the happiness you will have when you tell your friends that you paid your fees out of your savings. It would make you stand apart from the crowd. You can do so many other things with it like surfing the net, buying books or your favourite Harry Porter novel or even a cricket bat by yourself. We get used to the idea of getting gifts from our parents; but how would it be if you can surprise your mother with a gift on her birthday? It would give you a great feeling. Right? If you can do so much with just a rupee a day, just imagine if we save Rs.30 a month or Rs. 100 a month. At the end of the year you will have more than Rs. 1200 if you invest it properly. There are different saving schemes to achieve this. The simplest ed matrix july 2008

is to open a savings account which will give you a marginal interest for your monthly deposits. There are other schemes like Recurring deposit, Fixed deposits. The latest is the SIP i.e Systamatic Inverstment Plan’ wherein a meager Rs. 100 a month is sufficient for investment which will fetch you good returns since these funds are invested in equity markets. Small rain drops make an ocean and every brick makes a house. Likewise it is every penny you save today and everyday will help you realize your dreams. It gives you confidence to aim higher. All of us have dreams and ambitions in life to be successful in one field or the other. Today, money is one of the ingredients of success. Perhaps, the first step to make money is through savings. We don’t have to earn more to save. We can save well even if we reduce our unnecessary expenditure. This kind of savings will automatically generate a earning stream over a period of time. Start saving today and realize your dream. CA B.S.Sridhar 27

IN - D E P TH

Retracing the footprints of Freedom fighters!!

Students at the book fair organized by Stalin Gunasekarn

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t was the year 1970. A ten year old boy was reading the biography of Bhagat Singh to 33 of his companions and they were greatly impressed with the courage of Bhagat Singh. The boys who were listening with unwavering attention burst into tears when they heard Bhagat Singh was hanged to death. The life history of Bhagat Singh made such a great impact on them that after ten years, this group of 33 young boys came together to form a movement called “Maunavar Munnetra Sangam”. Their main motive was to read the books of great leaders and to know about their life history and to meditate on the ideologies of great people who made a big impact. This ten year old 28

boy named Stalin Gunasekar, who read the biography to his friends is now the founder of the movement. After 38 years, Stalin is still continuing his service of imparting patriotic feelings to the mass in and around the district of Erode in Tamil Nadu. This time its not through reading that he has delivered the messages of the leaders to the young generation but by his writing, by his speech, by conducting book festivals, by opening libraries and by conducting literary festivals. Maunavar Munnetra Sangam took various shapes before becoming Makkal Sindhanai Peravai. The medium has ed matrix july 2008

changed but the focus has remained the same to help the upcoming generation, to develop love for the country, to value the hard earned freedom and a love and passion for literature. “Today people think that independence was easily won. They are unaware of the struggle the noble leaders underwent to win freedom and the innumerable atrocities leashed out against them and the whole nation. It is not the mistake of the youngsters, but it is the irresponsibility of the elders who failed to communicate them,” says Stalin Gunasekaran. The movement he had started has more than a thousand members including teachers, professors, doctors and

IN - D E P TH

Stalin has given up his profession as an advocate and involves in the welfare of the people. college students. Stalin who is the author of numerous books has also published Viduthalai Velviyil Tamilagam, which deals with the life of freedom fighters of Tamil Nadu in a detailed manner. He distributed this book of two volumes to thousand students whom he selected from the schools of Erode. This book is distributed free of cost as an effort to inculcate patriotism in youngsters’ mind. He also met a number of surviving freedom fighters to write the book and shared his experience with ED Matrix, which showed the plight of some freedom fighters, who are not cared for.

Address a gathering Stalin Gunasekarn He gives speeches in the schools of Erode, Coimbatore, Madurai and Salem districts of Tamilnadu about great scholars and freedom fighters . His urge lies in meeting one lakh students together with in a limited period. The main aim is to motivate students to develop a social outlook, to be proud of the Indian history and culture, to encourage the habit of reading and to make students socially concerned and committed. The association conducts book fair every year, which has been very successful, as a result of which one find in spite of the fact that the book fair gave free entry to the public. Apart from this, the association has opened a library with more than 10,000 books in a village called Manickampalayam. Stalin has given up his profession as an advocate and involves in the welfare of the people. As you would have guessed from his name, he associates himself with the Communist Party of India and ed matrix july 2008

is a member of the National Council. His father inspired him to be interested in the communist ideologies. He cherishes the moments and the opportunities he experienced with great leaders like Captain Laxmi, Kalpana Datt, and other freedom fighters. The latest project of the association is to felicitate the government teachers who created state ranks in their subjects. Stalin receives feedback from students and youth. Invariably everyone of them points out that his speech was a turning point in each of their life. Stalin considers this response from growing youth as his success. He comments that he has to journey many more miles to reach his destiny just as Robert frost says ‘I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep’. Keerthana raj

Readers can send in information about individuals involved in such developmental activities. Write to [email protected] They will be brought to lime light through EDMATRIX.

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C a r ee r

Animation The Art of Movements Drawn Once you complete it, the (virtual) world is at your feet.

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reativity, even in the very recent past, could not earn a person a decent monthly salary but now the scenario is completely different. In the booming market of cartoons and animations, one can easily satiate his creative spirits and take home a handsome pay packet. The art of animation, a creative field dominated by the West, now has India running as one of the most serious contenders. Animation is a type of optical illusion. It involves the appearance of motion caused by displaying still images one after another. Often, animation is used for entertainment purposes. In addition to its use for entertainment; animation is considered a form of art. It is often displayed and celebrated in film festivals the world over. It is also used for educational purposes; animation has a place in learning and instructional applications as well. Cartoon animation is often considered to be animation in its classic form. From the beginning, animation has been an important part of film history. Even before the invention of the motion picture camera, photographer Eadweard Muybridge used sequential photographs to analyze animal and human movement. Qualification For acquiring a diploma in animation, one has to pass the 12th standard examinations from any recognized board with a minimum of 45% marks. For the bachelor’s degree programme the same eligibility criterion is applicable, while for the PG program one must have a bachelor’s degree. Benefits: As the animation & multimedia industry is growing rapidly, pursuing a course in these fields can boost your career. Moreover, if you have a knack of drawing or creating characters it would help satisfy your creative spirits. The Animation program offers a unique learning experience that enables students to explore the production of animation projects and understand the full complexity of the animation process. One of the youngest of art/design disciplines, animation continues to develop in new and exciting ways. Scope in India: Animation in India has been a long way with Indian animations catering to the needs of several private and public sectors and

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C a r ee r indigenously produced animated films constituting the bulk. Various T.V programs, advertisements / commercials and computer games are demanding a huge quantity of manpower from the Indian market. Animation is also being used in titling films, creating special effects or in web entertainment programs. Thus the scope for students of animation is huge in the context of the emerging Indian market. There are various courses on animation and cartoons offered in colleges all over the country. The major colleges are: • National Institute of Design ( NID, Ahmedabad) • J.J School of Arts.

Though cartoons and animations hardly seem to be products meant for outsourcing, yet Indian cartoonists and animators have begun working for foreign companies.

• Zee Institute of Creative Arts ( ZICA) • Industrial Design Center (IDC), IIT - Mumbai & Guwahati • Arena Multimedia • Pentamedia Animation courses are offered in almost 16 states in India. They train students in the fields like Multimedia Training, Support modern-day instructional technologies and teaching methods, enabling easy and efficient interaction between students and learning environment, Promoting creativity and enhancing the learning experience, Lending itself to change with evolving training needs and Facilitating state-of-theart Animation. Arena Animation Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad hastened to master the nuances of Animation Training. The New Delhi-based Picasso Digital Media Private Limited has introduced a three-year degree programme – B.Sc. (Multimedia and Animation – Film and TV) in Visakhapatnam and Mumbai. Picasso Animation College is the India’s only Animation College with Full Time Canadian Experts. Animation courses help you to excel in areas like International Studio Quality Infrastructure, Project oriented approach, Short Animation Film by each student, Live Project / Industry Internship The animation and gaming industry had a bright future in India as there was a demand for 30,000 animators though the industry had only 20,000 animators in India. A 3D animator

could earn a minimum of 12,000 US dollars per minute of work from the present 2,000 US dollars being paid for 2D animators. While the industry grew at eight percent worldwide in India the growth had already touched 25 percent, he said. Another advantage of this course, conducted in association with Centennial College of Canada and Punjab Technical University, was that the students get trained by the international faculty, get Canadian certificate for their program, go for internship in an animation studio and get campus placements, he said. Academic advisor of the college, Canadabased Philip Edward Alexy, known for his animations in Star Wars, Casper, Angela and Anaconda, said the programme was much cheaper in India (Rs.5 lakhs for three years) as in Canada it would cost about Rs.12 lakhs. Another advantage of Indian students was that they were better in spoken and written English which could fetch market in North American animation industries when they gain experience, he added. Scope Abroad: Though cartoons and animations hardly seem to be products meant for outsourcing, yet Indian cartoonists and animators have begun working for foreign companies. Indeed, Indian companies are moving ahead of their South East Asian counterparts in the field of animation. But the application of animation in these fields ed matrix july 2008

in western countries is quite common, thus providing the Indian students with career opportunities. The western countries are favoring India over any other country for outsourcing animation because of the following reasons: • Vast base of English speaking manpower • Cost advantage • Abundance of well-equipped studios. 3D Animation is, of course, a fiercely competitive area to get involved in, so the Qantm course is designed to give a course which has an advantage over the many self-taught animators out there who have simply learnt from the manual. 3D Animation; Graphic Design, Games Design + Programing; Web Development and Game Audio courses beginning in September 2008 are taught in Qantm College London, UK. These animation courses cover both practical and conceptual topics. Real-world and hands-on projects are encouraged and close industry involvement ensures that the methods taught and software programs used are totally relevant and completely up to speed with what’s going on in the greater industry.Academy of art university in san Francisco designs for a limited number of students who want to take their talent and creativity and transform them into a viable profession, as well as wanting to acquire knowledge as a means of constructing the personal, professional and social project for their own lives. The animation training aims at achieving three basic objectives: knowledge of technologies, of materials and of design culture, the ability to understand the market and its requirements and the ability to communicate the qualities of design. This stimulates the students to acquire critical skills, the ability to operate independently, the responsibility to make decisions and the ability to relate to the client. Ralph Bakshi, an American director of animated and occasionally live-action films says, “What are most important in animation are the emotions and the ideas being portrayed. I’m a great believer of energy and emotion”.

Kalpana.E 31

seasonal

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ndia’s education system is considered to be one of the best. We have produced great scientists, economists, and businessmen who are admired world over. We have one of the best institutions, under the names, IIT and IIM, whose students are in demand among the prominent MNCs. We produce the finest engineers and doctors who comprise most of the Indians working abroad. A lot of foreign students take India as their education destination.

Something is missing!

The thing that is missing is not just access to education, but also our understanding of education Education should teach children how to face a failure, how to cope up with a problem, how to lead a team and how to carry oneself forward.

These milestones mark the happy side of the system. We have another side too, in fact a larger one, the sad side. Education and access to education is restricted only to the creamy layer of the society. Almost 53% of children in India do not go school according to a June 2008 statistics, which is certainly not a happy news for a developing nation like India. The number is more than half the total population! With most of the enthusiastic and energetic student mass turning to engineering, we have only a meager mass that turn to teaching. There are about 350 universities and 18,000 colleges providing higher education to just 10% of the relevant age group in the country. The cities have schools in every nooks and corners while the villages have schools that require children to travel a considerable distance. Well, these issues have been dealt at length from all angles in the past decades and government bodies like National Knowledge Commissions are trying every means to fill this gaps. Our concern here, in this article, is not the reach but the quality. India has 32

business. While parents see education as a means to see their children as doctors and engineers, children see it as a burden of childhood. institutions sporadically spread and a huge human resource; but, they are either incompetent or wrongly placed. We have school buildings, but with no toilet facilities. We have classroom facilities, but with many dropouts. We have staff but they are either not interested in teaching or they do not teach to the extent of developing an interest in the subject for the students. Government see education as a department that needs an allocation in budget. While private schools concentrate on marks, private colleges see educating as a good ed matrix july 2008

There are a lot of short comings from the government side and a lot more from the parent-teacherchildren triangle. The boy who has the will power to score first mark in all examinations does not have the courage to address a mass. A parent who fulfills a child’s material dreams is not able to understand his interest in fields other than text books. A teacher who can motivate a child to reach higher altitudes in studies is not able to help another child to get over his psychological problems. Education should teach children how to face a failure, how to cope up with a problem, how to lead a team and how to carry oneself forward. It should concentrate on the overall development of a child and not just on how to score marks. Keerthana Raj

Y o u r Sp a c e

Not only to instruct, but to inspire ‘A student spends 25,000 hours in the campus. The school must have the best of teachers who have the ability to teach, love teaching and build moral qualities’ A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM

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ho and what exactly does it mean to be a role model? A role model is an individual who acts as a guide; a person who uses one’s personal experience to inform and help, direct the life of others in a positive light. This positive attitude is extremely important for young people. One who does not have anything positive to look forward to will not help others to achieve anything positive in life. Role models possess qualities that one would like to have and emulate. Young people spend most of their time in the school as students. Therefore, no one else can provide for the intellectual upbuilding of students as much as a teacher. Teachers must realize the influence they can have on the students.

Young people spend most of their time in the school as students. Therefore, no one else can provide for the intellectual upbuilding of students as much as a teacher. Many teachers forget this fact of life. They come in front of students and teach something and get away with that. In fact, students look up to them not only for knowledge. They are their unproclaimed role models for demeanour, dress code, habits, style, personality and even for certain behaviour. Similarly, people don’t realize the enormous responsibility the teachers have in moulding young people into selfed matrix july 2008

sufficient adults. They do much more than teach math, science, English, etc. They really get to know what is going on in the child’s home. “Teachers should be the best minds in the country”. The teachers lay the foundation for creating enlightened citizens for the nation. Dr. Abdul Kalam says, ‘The three teachers in my life- in an integrated way it can be said, that any enlightened human being can be created by three unique characteristics. One is moral value system which I got from my father. Next is my teacher. Not only does the student learn, but the teacher shapes his/her life with great dreams and aims. Finally, the education and learning process has to culminate in the creation of professional capability leading to confidence and will power to make a design, to make a product, to make a system and thus bravely combating many problems. What a fortune and blessing I had from three of my teachers’. A teacher has to generate energy in oneself and handle it in one’s work of educating the boys and girls who come to him or her. A teacher has not only to instruct but also to inspire the students; he or she has to influence the life and character of his or her students, and equip them with ideas and values which will fit them to enter the stream of national life as worthy citizens. You have to do all these during the years they are under your influence in the school. The students must be educated to become the instruments to develop an integrated nation out of our diversities. They must be made acquainted with the noble humanistic sentiments of our constitution and impressed with the passion to translate them into sociopolitical realities. Teachers have a great responsibility of understanding the true implication of their service and are involved in bringing up citizens of the country. Robert Fulghum says ‘Do not worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you’. Sundar Raj

Hyderabad

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Te c h n o l o g y Nokia’s New and Novel N800

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his ultra-mobile PC has cool features, such as easy Web access and online calling, and is a snap to use Pocket-size. Offers Net access, Web calling, and other features over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectionsLots of good features if you’re looking for a device to complement your laptop and cell phoneThe new N800 is a faster processor and more internal memory. It can also take several different external memory cards, including MultiMediaCard and SD cards. The new model is designed to access the Web via WiFi connections or a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. The Nokia N800 is pocket-sized and easy to carry, so it can come in handy if you want to check e-mail, skim a PDF file, send an Instant Message, or call a friend via Google Talk without firing up your laptop. It’s also a good option if you don’t want to squint at your phone’s smaller screen. For now, though, the N800 has one major advantage over many such rivals. Because it can use a Wi-Fi connection, the tablet allows for easy Web use and Web calling from public hotspots, cool video capabilities And

Snowflake USB microphone

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o truly take advantage of computer-based communications such as VoIP and Skype, you’ll eventually want to invest in a decent USB microphone. Unlike those cheap microphones that plug into your desktop computer’s mic input, or the noisy microphone built into your laptop, a quality USB microphone like the Snowflake ($79) can make you sound like a million bucks.

the viewing experience is better than that of most of today’s phones.You can download video wirelessly, or by hooking up to your computer’s USB port. Video looks very sharp and crisp, and it’s easy to watch on the N800’s landscape-oriented screen used with a pull-out stand that works like a picture frame. That certainly makes for more comfortable video viewing—though I’ll concede my eyes got tired very quickly looking at the N800 screen, even with the device’s great zoom-in functions. The N800 touch screen can be navigated with a stylus or finger, though I found the stylus to be more responsive. In all, the N800 is a feature-packed and mostly easy-to-use device. 36

It’s easy to find USB microphones that are a better value than the Blue Microphones Snowflake, but what makes the Snowflake something special is its luxurious and portable design that looks like it fell from the pages of Dick Tracy. The Snowflake can be positioned in two ways: loosely hung over a laptop screen or resting on a tabletop. In either orientation, an included 3foot USB cable runs from the back of the microphone to your computer. Beneath the Snowflake’s metal J-shaped stand lies a detachable hollow plastic base used to store the USB cable when not in use. The Snowflake’s microphone capsule swivels 360 degrees on its base, and can collapse into a portable 3inch by 2-inch block. The Snowflake USB microphone’s design allows it to hang off a laptop screen, but its hefty metal construction is less precarious when placed on a table. The Snowflake’s opulent design lies in stark contrast to the bare bones simplicity of its features. There are no settings to adjust on the Snowflake, no software control panels, and no drivers to install. To use the Snowflake, all you need to do is

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Te c h n o l o g y SONY HANDICAM HDR-SR10E AND HDR-HC9E HI-TECH, RICH DETAILS

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plug it into your computer’s USB port, designate it as an audio input in your system preferences, and you’re ready to record or stream audio to whatever application you prefer (none are included with the microphone). The Snowflake is universally compatible with both Mac and PC computers and records at a maximum resolution of 44.1kHz at 16-bits. The Snowflake’s microphone is fixed in a mono-cardioid recording pattern that works best with audio sources placed no more than arm’s length in front of it. Although the limited throw of the Snowflake’s microphone produces relatively clean and noise-free recordings, those of you who prefer to pace the room while you talk are better off investing in a noise-canceling microphone or Bluetooth headset.

haring advanced imaging technologies from Sony’s digital camera line, these two camcorders, unlike other handycam models with face detection, allocate more pixels to the image for the best possible picture when people are the subjects. Other technologies include sensors that utilise column analog/digital conversion to minimize picture noise. Together with the high processing speed and noise reduction capability, the new camcorders produce high-resolution video and photos with natural colour reproduction and rich details. A USB port allows transfer of files to DVD burners and recorders. Recording time is around five hours for the in-built hard drive with option of media cards. It also offers a wide range of video editing suites. The 6.1megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics is good. White balance, shutter speed and focus can also be adjusted manually.

NIKON D60 SMALL, NIFTY

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outed as the most compact DSLR camera till date, the model is quite small and light as compared to other cameras in its category. The 10.2 mega The Snowflake collapses to a pocket-size package that includes pixel counts along with its a storage compartment for its USB cable. other features make it a During testing, using the Snowflake over Skype produced good bang for the buck. noticeably better voice quality than our MacBook’s built- Features like sensor cleaning while switching the camera on in microphone. The Snowflake’s superior voice quality is and off is a nifty feature for any DSLR, but its effectiveness remains arguable. I wish they had gone a bit beyond the characterized by a smoother sound with a significantly reduced 3-point autofocus, but it’s not bad, considering the audience noise floor. Musicians interested in a computer recording it’s catering to. There are other great features like in-camera solution won’t be blown away by the Snowflake’s fidelity when RAW processing, some post processing options, D-Lighting held up to a more sonically flexible, non-USB microphone, such and even Stop Motion Animation support. The overall image as the Sony ECM-MS907. On-the-go musicians, however, quality is average. At Rs. 36,000 it is a great first DSLR might value the Snowflake’s portability, style, and ruggedness camera, but if you already own a D40 or a D40X, you have in spite of its modest recording quality. little reason to upgrade. 37 ed matrix july 2008

REVIEW - Book

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lmost anyone who listens to Wisconsin Public Radio has, at one time or another, would have heard the voice of Jean Feraca. As host of WPR’s “Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders,” she is an advocate and educator, an expert at mixing international issues with culture and aesthetics. An example of the programme’s diversity can be seen in any random week’s schedule: this week features the presidential election, climate change, travel for women, love sonnets and natural aphrodisiacs. Now, Feraca has turned her craft on herself with “I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Love, Death and the Radio.” She traces her own life and craft through a collection of personal vignettes, retrospectives that consider the people who have shaped her and her journey to become a writer. The end result is a vivid, often haunting autobiography that unites a fascinating life with a voice gifted enough to provide all the details. Feraca’s life is as mixed as the selections of her programme growing up in an Italian-American New York family, courtship in a monastery, a Jewish wedding in a nightgown, poetic rebirth in Italy with a sick child. She skims over her messy divorces and personal loneliness in favor of the epiphanies that saved her, concerned with the positives and the process. Readers are also treated to the aesthetic side of Feraca’s work: the book is peppered with asides such as a commentary on California wine, tips on writing poetry and a report on South American tribes. The book is written in the exact style you expect from someone with decades of experience in public radio, a calm and literate voice which feels like it can nurture and inform on any topic. Her words evince her 38

I Hear Voices A Memoir of Love, Death and the Radio

JEAN FERACA other career as a poet, filled with “liquid gold” by family stories and her veins running with “quicksilver” anger over her ex-husband. Feraca knows exactly what she wants to say. She is talented enough to say it right, and not afraid of saying what most keep private. Her writing’s potency is also attributed to the characters she writes about, practically forces of nature in their own right. These include a brother who holds Sitting Bull and Mussolini in equal regard, a mother whose mind is rapidly deteriorating but exerts a manic energy, a poetry teacher more comparable to a master ed matrix july 2008

craftsman and an aunt consisting of ethereal sweetness. There is a mix of frustration at how difficult growing up with these people was, tempered with a wistful gratitude at being able to grow up with them. Although she listens too closely in some cases - the last chapter on marriage and God feels almost thick after a glorious odyssey to an Amazon clinic - “I Hear Voices” is a memoir worth reading in depth, both for its burnished prose and the startling life it recounts. Feraca’s life is as much a story as any of her show’s topics, and deserves equal time and attention. Les Chappell

BINGO !

Why Is Camel’s Neck Crooked?

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kbar was very impressed with Birbal’s wit and wisdom. So one day Akbar promised him many gifts. But it so happened that several days passed, but there was no sign of gift. Birbal was very disappointed. He didn’t know what to do. One day when Akbar was taking a stroll at the bank of Yamunaa with his dear minister Birbal, he happened to notice a camel. He

asked Birbal, “Tell me Birbal, why the camel’s neck is crooked.” Birbal was more interested in getting the gifts which Akbar promised than answering his questions. But, still he wanted to make use of the situation to convey the fact that the emperor has not thought of giving the assured gifts to Birbal.

Problem Solving Story -3

Write to us about the possible ways through which he would have conveyed the fact that the emperor had not given him the gifts he had promised and at the same time give an answer to the question posed by Akbar. The best solution will find a place in the next issue of ED MATRIX.

Answer for the last month’s Problem Solving Story Emperor Akbar was already furious and was waiting to punish Birbal. When Birbal entered the courtyard Akbar asked him a direct question. “ Did you say that I was small in front of the King of Persia?” asked the emperor. “ Yes my king!” came the reply almost instantaneously. The king became all the more angry and wanted to pronounce judgement against Birbal. ed matrix july 2008

He continued, “ I said that you are like the crescent that keeps growing always and Persian king is like the full moon that keeps diminishing in stature day by day. His kingdom is sure to perish soon; whereas your reign will bring more and more honour and fame to you my king!” Akbar did not expect this twist given by Birbal. Quiet smile erupted from the lips of Akbar. He praised him and gave him gifts. 39

TRA V E L

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eople in the city are heading towards hill stations to escape the scorching summer. It’s either ooty or kodaikanal that might come to our mind to chill this summer but there is another magnificent hill station which does not feature in any tourist itinerary. We were told that Valparai, which is around 100 kms from Coimbatore has a great weather all round the year. I got hold of my friend Dhananjeyan who works at the coconut research station in Aliyar to help me explore Valparai. We took the 40 hair pin bend long uphill road, the only way to reach Valparai from aliyar. Our first stop was at Aliyar Dam which is at the beginning of the road to Valparai. It has awesome view and boasts of a well maintained park. I was told that a 8 km long tunnel has been drilled through the mountains for the water to reach from Neerar to Aliyar Dam. Our next stop was at Monkey Falls, going by the name it sports there are monkeys hanging in and around the site of the falls almost all the time. They are harmless but we were cautioned not to leave any thing unattended. It’s a small waterfall which is a boon for the locals and tourists alike. A nominal entrance fee is charged for the maintenance and upkeep of this place. It’s a perfect spot to get a natural water massage. I enjoyed a good head and body massage under the constant flow of water. My friend asked me to drink the water so as to avoid headache. It’s a general belief that one should drink or taste the water before he/she bathes in these waters. And I readily obliged. Then for the next two hours it was an uphill journey on the winding roads which gives some breathtaking view of the places in and around Valparai. We were lucky enough to spot some lion-tailed macaques, dragon lizards and birds on the way to Valparai. The only sign shown that we reached valparai was the vast stretches of tea estates. Even though it looks emerald green and clean, environmentalists say these are biological deserts. Decades of spraying pesticides and insecticides had made sure not even a frog croaks on a rainy night here. Plenty of forest areas have been replaced by these mushrooming tea estates. Anyway life just goes on for these people who are happy plucking and pruning with their typical backbag of tea leaves.

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The Inviting Valparai Man-eating-leopard-onthe-prowl was constantly in the back of our mind but still our thirst to see the tunnel had the advantage. Unlike other tourist destinations, Valparai doesn’t have any specific tourist spot as such. We were told that there is a great view point near Nallamudy village which is known as suicide point. After a point we have to go on foot to reach this suicide point. And it was worth the effort because we saw one of the most picturesque places where we saw clouds passing beneath us. It was a gorgeous valley decked by a couple of waterfalls. I wish I had a glider to take a bird’s eye view of the entire surrounding. We chilled at this place for sometime taking some snaps from various angles to capture the depth of its beauty. Then we headed towards Neerar Dam where we wanted to go and find out the scenic beauty and the great mountain tunnel. After a long arduous journey through the forest and tea plantations we reached Neerar Dam. We were told that this dam is used for irrigation and production of hydro electricity. We met a PWD contractor who was inspecting minor repairs on the ed matrix july 2008

dam. He warned us not to venture deep because a man-eating leopard was on the prowl which killed a five-year -old girl baby a couple of days earlier. That did startle us a little but we were keen to see the eightkilometer-long tunnel bored through the mountains. The reservoir side of the dam has got an awesome view too. From there we went on foot for a couple of kilometers to see the water canal drilled through the mountains. Man-eating-leopard-on-theprowl was constantly in the back of our mind but still our thirst to see the tunnel had the advantage. From a distance we spotted a small cave shaped structure with iron barricades like structure to control the flow of water. The canal is so big that even an elephant can go and inside and there were instances of elephants entering into these canals. We wanted to go inside the canal but after a few steps of walking in the canal , the darkness, silence and the instances of animals getting into these canals forced us to retreat. This is a perfect example of the architectural skills of our engineers built way back in 1962. It can last for another couple of centuries. Finally, it was time to say goodbye and we took the same road to go where we came from.

Rajvee

N E W S y o u CAN US E

The power of communities Build Good Communities (www.Injoos.com)

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t last we have one safe and secure community network site amidst hundred other network sites that provide problem instead of a promise of safe netwrok. Injoos is a safe and easy platform with rich interactivity that will help you to start or join a community, share or seek relevant information, and make it easy for you to form world communities to realize goals online. By no means it is simple. There is power and punch though it looks simple and small. The mission of Injoos is to harness the power of communities in thought and action. Today, more and more people who build communities look for communities that build trusted connections, a sense of common identity to achieve greater

relevance of information through sharing and realize common goals through collaboration. All these are truly realized in Injoos.com. Injoos supports and sustains communities through member interaction, sharing, collaboration, and moderation. Different organizations, schools, institutions and even a small group of four or five can have easy access to this safe portal for a dynamic interactivity. You can share about ideas, events, your class notes, articles and even your work process. You can share photos, video and audio files too. This automatically documents your files and helps your group members to download them with ease. There is no doubt injoos develops identities which connect people with a

strong bonding and provides a lifelong community experience. If you are not part of any group or even if you are part of one in other networking sites, try Injoos and you are sure to make an indelible identity and a unifying experience.

Literacy, the Basic Currency of Knowledge Economy! (www.Childrenslibrary.org)

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arents could be happy that this multicultural library features carefully selected, age-rated books and is completely kid-appropriate. Parents can rest easy -- the site doesn’t have any interactive areas, and the non - profit organization uses strict policies on privacy and external links to keep kids away from inappropriate content. With a growing collection from around the world, the International Children’s Library invites kids to grow their world through online reading. The library’s multilingual books are age-rated and include a variety of genres like folk tales, classics, non-fiction, etc.

The library also focuses on translations, offering most books in more than one language (one book is offered in thirteen different languages!). The site has great search tools, broken down into many ed matrix july 2008

categories. Large buttons make it easy to navigate and to read through the books, but some books required the “zoom in” feature, which enlarges text and pictures (but depending on your monitor, resulted in not having everything on one page). While this online library doesn’t offer the newest best sellers, it overflows with exotic places, spell-binding stories, fascinating characters, and exciting languages. It’s an excellent resource for parents who want to expose their kids to different cultures and languages, and for families who speak more than one language. Raj. A 41

ImPrint

Owned & Published by KALPANA.E and Publised from 36/201, V.O.C IInd Street, Ponniamman Medu, Ambattur Taluk, Chennai- 600 110 and Printed by V.N.A. BASHEER AHMED at Patel Graphics No. 573, Anna Salai, (Inside Congress Ground), Chennai - 600 006. Editor: RAJVEE. S

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