NEW DELHI: A total of 81 lions have died across the country from January 2006 to 2008, with nine of them becoming victims of poaching, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Fifty two lions died a natural death, 1 because of an accident and 6 due to electrocution while 13 fell in a well and 9 lions died because of poaching in Gir protected area and surrounding habitats of Gujarat.
Out of th 6 lions electrocuted, five of them died in Permpara village, outside the Gir Protected Areas in October 2007.
Investigation shows that a farmer had laid electrified wire fencing his agriculture land to prevent crop damage from wild herbivores, Minister of State for Environment and Forests S Regupathy said.
Answering a separate question on declining population of endangered animals including lions, tigers and elephants, Regupathy said fluctuation in the wildlife population is a natural phenomenon.
As per the information available there are no reports to indicate a continuous sharp decline in the population of endangered species, he said.
The minister said, "census of gharials are conducted on a regular basis and is not done for the first time."
It is very appalling to hear that Lion the 'Pride of Jungle' and one time National Animal of India; now replaced by Tiger; is facing the threat of extinction. Unscrupulous hunting and poaching has resulted in the extinct of this animal in India.What is Indian govt doing about poaching?Man so called rational and a social animal looks to be more a depraved animal who gets a sadistic pleasure in slaughtering such innocent animals. 'Humanity' seems to be word extremely ironical when analyzed in this context wherein our deeds as a human being are unforgivable! We must wake up now before its too late lest this 'Pride of the Jungle' gets converted to classroom subject alone.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Divorce goes Hi-tech
Read this !!!
This age of time crunch, divorces are also getting a hi-tech avatar.
In the first case of its kind, a judge of Tis Hazari Court in Delhi will hear a divorce case through video-conferencing. The plea was filed by the husband, Vijay Viswanathan, who lives in New Jersey.
Since the case has been filed in Delhi, it’s difficult for Vijay to attend all the hearings. But the big question is, will this new mode of divorce ease off the burden of Indian courts by facilitating a faster decree, or will it make a mockery of the man-woman relationship with its fast track oeuvre?
In courts around the country, there are thousands of divorce cases pending at the moment. Out of these around 20 per cent cases are such in which one party is stationed elsewhere.
The Principal Judge of Family Court, Meera Khadakkar says, “The High Courts and the Supreme Court have accepted this form of recording the statements. It will help those who have a genuine problem and can’t travel to some other city frequently to attend the court proceedings. This mode is here to stay and will turn out to be a time-saving device.”
When a marriage fails and couple decides to part ways, the vibes between husband and wife are at their lowest ebb as negativity reigns supreme.
In such a scenario, it is better that they don’t meet in person, says Preeti Manchanda (name changed), who’s working as an event organiser in the city.
She adds, “Recently, I went through a divorce process and seeing my (then) husband during each hearing was a painful experience. Since I had gone back to my hometown Jabalpur when my marriage started failing, for every hearing I had to come back. I really wish this facility of videoconferencing was introduced earlier. It could have saved me a lot of heartburn.”
Industrialist Vishal Dange (name changed), who went through a divorce recently, feels that this step will help all those middle-class people, who find it difficult to travel to other cities for each court hearing.
“For the elite, distance is not a big deal, especially when there are several flights connecting the various metros. But yes, this hi-tech mode will nail the trouble makers who try to delay the divorce proceedings by not appearing for the hearing and make various excuses. But in this hi-tech process too, the couple must not forget to be sensitive to their child (if there’s any), before parting ways forever.”
Senior High Court lawyer Kumkum Sirpurkar feels that in divorce proceedings, the presence of husband and wife is vital.
“Even after the one year separation and additional six month statutory period, there have been instances when the couples decided to come together when they met during the court hearings. Video-conferencing will not give them that final chance. But yes, when the marriage has broken down completely, then these hi-tech modes will speed up the process,” says she.
This age of time crunch, divorces are also getting a hi-tech avatar.
In the first case of its kind, a judge of Tis Hazari Court in Delhi will hear a divorce case through video-conferencing. The plea was filed by the husband, Vijay Viswanathan, who lives in New Jersey.
Since the case has been filed in Delhi, it’s difficult for Vijay to attend all the hearings. But the big question is, will this new mode of divorce ease off the burden of Indian courts by facilitating a faster decree, or will it make a mockery of the man-woman relationship with its fast track oeuvre?
In courts around the country, there are thousands of divorce cases pending at the moment. Out of these around 20 per cent cases are such in which one party is stationed elsewhere.
The Principal Judge of Family Court, Meera Khadakkar says, “The High Courts and the Supreme Court have accepted this form of recording the statements. It will help those who have a genuine problem and can’t travel to some other city frequently to attend the court proceedings. This mode is here to stay and will turn out to be a time-saving device.”
When a marriage fails and couple decides to part ways, the vibes between husband and wife are at their lowest ebb as negativity reigns supreme.
In such a scenario, it is better that they don’t meet in person, says Preeti Manchanda (name changed), who’s working as an event organiser in the city.
She adds, “Recently, I went through a divorce process and seeing my (then) husband during each hearing was a painful experience. Since I had gone back to my hometown Jabalpur when my marriage started failing, for every hearing I had to come back. I really wish this facility of videoconferencing was introduced earlier. It could have saved me a lot of heartburn.”
Industrialist Vishal Dange (name changed), who went through a divorce recently, feels that this step will help all those middle-class people, who find it difficult to travel to other cities for each court hearing.
“For the elite, distance is not a big deal, especially when there are several flights connecting the various metros. But yes, this hi-tech mode will nail the trouble makers who try to delay the divorce proceedings by not appearing for the hearing and make various excuses. But in this hi-tech process too, the couple must not forget to be sensitive to their child (if there’s any), before parting ways forever.”
Senior High Court lawyer Kumkum Sirpurkar feels that in divorce proceedings, the presence of husband and wife is vital.
“Even after the one year separation and additional six month statutory period, there have been instances when the couples decided to come together when they met during the court hearings. Video-conferencing will not give them that final chance. But yes, when the marriage has broken down completely, then these hi-tech modes will speed up the process,” says she.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Do Games Help In Enhancing Learning Experience?
I asked this question myself many times. And the answer is ? you bet they work!Games have a high presence in non-formal and informal segments of learning. Unfortunately, in formal education, games are still too seldom seen just as a serious activity.The big challenge is to make your learning objective integral to game play.Once you've done that, you can use games to:
What are the features of game based learning(GBL)?
Features of game-based learning (GBL):
Digital Game -Based Learning
Board and Card games.
Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) is emerging as the next generation of e-learning. Organizations are adopting this approach for many reasons: games provide an immersing and engaging way to learn, provide a safe environment in which to fail, and can give learners incremental challenges and control over their progress.
What makes games such a powerful platform for standards training ?
what makes games such a powerful platform for standard training is that they are structured using proven and effective learning.
Take Monopoly for example - Monopoly is played for fun, but it can also be used to teach economics, accounting, or property management.
The learning that comes from these games is informal or implicit. The players don't think about how they are acquiring knowledge or skills - they simply react to the situation at hand.
What makes DGBL great for learning?
Good games are naturally designed with the principles of adult learning in mind, and DGBL is no exception.
DGBL addresses adult learner needs in several important ways:
The interactive nature of games enables the player to actively engage with the subject matter. How many times have you sat through a video or a lecture and forgotten most of what was taught?most people will absorb less than 5% of information presented to them if they are just passively listening. However, being actively involved in an activity or exercise increases knowledge retention significantly.
Practical examples are situated in a familiar setting
Situating the game in a realistic setting - a workplace - enables us to use practical and meaningful subject matter examples to which the player can relate.
Practice environments support the building of new knowledge
New knowledge needs to be built on previous knowledge and experience in a supported and incremental way.Just like a building needs to be supported until it can stand on its own, learners need support until they have a sufficient understanding of the subject matter.
DGBL provides incrementally increasing challenges
As we learn new skills, we crave new challenges. Once we've learned to break the code of 'tic-tac-toe', it ceases to be interesting for us. Our games are designed to offer incrementally increasing learning challenges that build on previous experience.
Learners are in control
Adult learners should feel that they have control over their choices. They should be able to play the game wherever and whenever they want to and be able to access the same information in several different modes.Careful design of the game ensures that any choice the player makes will lead to a meaningful learning outcome. This also ensures that the players' learning experience is tailored to their learning needs.
Games make learning more fun
People play games because they are fun, and this feature of DGBL is the key to motivating learners. Adding humour and a touch of suspense and drama to serious games is what makes them come to life.
- Make learning fun
- Liven up your classroom
- Motivate your students to learn outside the classroom
- Games Engage People Bridging the Digital Generation Divide
- Learning from mistakes
What are the features of game based learning(GBL)?
Features of game-based learning (GBL):
- GBL uses competitive exercises, either pitting the students against each other or getting them to challenge themselves in order to motivate them to learn better.
- Games often have a fantasy element that engages players in a learning activity through a storyline.
- In order to create a truly educational game, the instructor needs to make sure that learning the material is essential to scoring and winning.
Digital Game -Based Learning
Board and Card games.
Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) is emerging as the next generation of e-learning. Organizations are adopting this approach for many reasons: games provide an immersing and engaging way to learn, provide a safe environment in which to fail, and can give learners incremental challenges and control over their progress.
What makes games such a powerful platform for standards training ?
what makes games such a powerful platform for standard training is that they are structured using proven and effective learning.
Take Monopoly for example - Monopoly is played for fun, but it can also be used to teach economics, accounting, or property management.
The learning that comes from these games is informal or implicit. The players don't think about how they are acquiring knowledge or skills - they simply react to the situation at hand.
What makes DGBL great for learning?Good games are naturally designed with the principles of adult learning in mind, and DGBL is no exception.
- Adults need reasons to learn something.
- Their motivations are personally and practically based.
- They need to know why they are learning something, how it relates to them personally and what they will get out of it.
- Adults need to have a sense of autonomy and choice over their learning.
- They need help and support but they also need to feel respected and valued.
DGBL addresses adult learner needs in several important ways:
The interactive nature of games enables the player to actively engage with the subject matter. How many times have you sat through a video or a lecture and forgotten most of what was taught?most people will absorb less than 5% of information presented to them if they are just passively listening. However, being actively involved in an activity or exercise increases knowledge retention significantly.
Practical examples are situated in a familiar settingSituating the game in a realistic setting - a workplace - enables us to use practical and meaningful subject matter examples to which the player can relate.
Practice environments support the building of new knowledge
New knowledge needs to be built on previous knowledge and experience in a supported and incremental way.Just like a building needs to be supported until it can stand on its own, learners need support until they have a sufficient understanding of the subject matter.
DGBL provides incrementally increasing challenges
As we learn new skills, we crave new challenges. Once we've learned to break the code of 'tic-tac-toe', it ceases to be interesting for us. Our games are designed to offer incrementally increasing learning challenges that build on previous experience.
Learners are in control
Adult learners should feel that they have control over their choices. They should be able to play the game wherever and whenever they want to and be able to access the same information in several different modes.Careful design of the game ensures that any choice the player makes will lead to a meaningful learning outcome. This also ensures that the players' learning experience is tailored to their learning needs.
Games make learning more fun
People play games because they are fun, and this feature of DGBL is the key to motivating learners. Adding humour and a touch of suspense and drama to serious games is what makes them come to life.
Games provide a safe environment for learning
•DGBL transcends e-learning because there is no need to fear failure, which can be very intimidating for many adult learners.
Do users really learn what they are supposed to?
Users are constantly evaluated as they progress through a practice environment, and feedback tells them what they did right and where they need to improve.
By using proven pedagogical principles and making the game content accessible and relevant, DGBL aligns what we learn with how we learn.
I can still vividly remember the way our teacher used to help us learn the subject with the help of games. she was actually making us involve in the subject at a very emotional level.
I can still vividly remember the way our teacher used to help us learn the subject with the help of games. she was actually making us involve in the subject at a very emotional level.
The thrill of breaking rules!
This is a true incident.
A young man was addicted to smoking cigarettes. He asked for my help."Master please help me to quit smoking. I don't know how i became addicted .please help me".
I asked him " How did you start smoking?" " Master , I never wanted to smoke. In fact I hated that smell," he said. One day, I was talking to my friend on the street. My friend was smoking a cigarette. My father saw this from a distance. He thought I was smoking. When I went home, he started yelling and shouting at me. He did not listen to me. Then I decided, how does it matter if I smoke now? I have already been punished for it. I then started to smoke."
We all get a thrill, a feeling of adventure, satisfaction in doing what we are not allowed to do. When we are not allowed to do something, we feel a strong urge to do it; we feel provoked to do it. We feel a kind of joy and satisfaction in doing it. This is the basic tendency of every human being. When there is a strict rule, we always try to work around it, go beyond it. How many of us drive fast until we see a cop? we say no to our parents to prove that we are now grownups. We think that we become adults only when we say no. Adults have the power and authority to veto anything by saying no. By saying no, we assume that we also have become adults. we feel that as long as we say yes we are only children. we feel that we are not mature. when we say no, we think , we assume that we have become adults. we think that we have become mature. this is the basic tendency of every human being. We feel that we have matured into adulthood, become men or women, simply by saying no to our parents. In western countries that is why theire are so many rebellious groups, gangs and other problems. These people develop a deep satisfaction in and taste for saying no.Saying no is almost like an addiction. When we say no, we try to prove that we are someone special. we feel by saying no we become someone different.
Breaking rules will not make you an adult. To be an adult you need an understanding of what you do and why. Only then, even if you break a rule, will you do it without guilt.
A young man was addicted to smoking cigarettes. He asked for my help."Master please help me to quit smoking. I don't know how i became addicted .please help me".
I asked him " How did you start smoking?" " Master , I never wanted to smoke. In fact I hated that smell," he said. One day, I was talking to my friend on the street. My friend was smoking a cigarette. My father saw this from a distance. He thought I was smoking. When I went home, he started yelling and shouting at me. He did not listen to me. Then I decided, how does it matter if I smoke now? I have already been punished for it. I then started to smoke."
We all get a thrill, a feeling of adventure, satisfaction in doing what we are not allowed to do. When we are not allowed to do something, we feel a strong urge to do it; we feel provoked to do it. We feel a kind of joy and satisfaction in doing it. This is the basic tendency of every human being. When there is a strict rule, we always try to work around it, go beyond it. How many of us drive fast until we see a cop? we say no to our parents to prove that we are now grownups. We think that we become adults only when we say no. Adults have the power and authority to veto anything by saying no. By saying no, we assume that we also have become adults. we feel that as long as we say yes we are only children. we feel that we are not mature. when we say no, we think , we assume that we have become adults. we think that we have become mature. this is the basic tendency of every human being. We feel that we have matured into adulthood, become men or women, simply by saying no to our parents. In western countries that is why theire are so many rebellious groups, gangs and other problems. These people develop a deep satisfaction in and taste for saying no.Saying no is almost like an addiction. When we say no, we try to prove that we are someone special. we feel by saying no we become someone different.
Breaking rules will not make you an adult. To be an adult you need an understanding of what you do and why. Only then, even if you break a rule, will you do it without guilt.
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