New Year's Eve and New Year

In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve (also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries), the last day of the year, is on December 31 which is six days after Christmas

.New Year’s Day, which according to the Gregorian calendar falls on January 1, is one of the most popular occasions around the globe. Beyond religion, ethnicity, caste and creed it’s a common festivity enjoyed by all. The culmination of the long holiday season, it marks a new beginning, symbolising new hope and a fresh start.
 * 12 Months happiness, 52 weeks fun,
365 Days laughter, 8760 hrs good luck,
525600 Minutes joy, 31536000 seconds success,

NEW YEAR

With amazing parties and fanfare, we are all ready to welcome 2017 and leave behind the bygones. From sad memories to shocking incidents, from heartbreaks to failures – there’s a belief that we will slip into the coming year with replenished soul and vigour. To conquer the best and defeat the worst.Around the world to mark the new year there are many unusual traditions that people follow. While in Latin American countries believes something as bizarre as the colour of your underwear may affect the coming year, British folklores believe sweeping your house of the New Year’s day will sweep away all the good luck out of the door! No matter what you choose to believe and follow, everyone just hopes the next year is always happier and better than the last one.So, to celebrate the coming new year, here are few messages and greeting to wish your loved ones and friends a very Happy New Year 2017.

The Advantages of SMART boards in the classroom

SMART boards put simply, are a sophisticated replacement of the traditional overhead projector. Over the years, this cutting-edge technology has proved popular for students of all ages. The interactive board turns a typical classroom into a fun learning environment. It enriches classrooms in several ways by providing hands on collaboration and creating the perfect learning setting.
There are several advantages of bringing in a SMART interactive whiteboard into a classroom setting. Here are the top 8 advantages of this state-of-the-art technology in the education industry.

The Top 8 Reasons why SMART Boards are an essential component in the modern day classroom:
1. Provides Flexibility: Interactive whiteboards allow many different forms of media – including photos, illustrations, maps, graphs, games, and video, to be displayed. These tools not only enrich the classroom experience but also help to expand the nature of content that can be used in learning. In addition, SMART Boards makes learning to be more dynamic owing to the different forms of presenting information.
2. Enhanced teaching/learning experience: SMART Boards provide new ways for teachers to teach, and student to learn. These tools support a wide variety of learning styles. For instance, visual learners can watch as their tutors use the whiteboards to project visual elements, whereas audio learners can listen and have discussions. On the other hand, the Boards come with touchscreen capabilities that allow tactile learners to touch and interact with the board.
3. Interact and share: The interactive nature of SMART boards offers learners an opportunity to share and participate in the instructional process. Interactivity provides a platform for students to demonstrate their grasp of the subject through touching, drawing, and writing. Every learner has an opportunity to participate or contribute to the presentation and/or discussion via notebooks and tablets. In addition, the boards provide for rapid assessment whereby learners can receive immediate feedback. Teachers and students are able to identify individual strengths and weaknesses in various subject areas and isolate areas/topics that need more focus or review.
4. Low-Maintenance: SMART Boards are neat and easy to use. There are no hassles cleaning or maintaining whiteboards. The data on the screen can be modified using a specialized highlighting tool or pen. There is no need for using unhygienic chalk or marker pens.
5. Access to online information & tools: SMART boards allow learners to easily access a rich database of online resources. Teachers can use the wide variety of online information sources such as knowledge databases, online video and news items to reinforce their lessons. Learners can also quickly access the wide range of powerful tools and resources to conduct research and supplement their usual study material.

6. Going Green: Interactive boards are also environmentally friendly. They offer teachers an entirely different way of presenting information to students, which eliminates the need for writing, printing or photocopying. Which, contribute to eliminate waste and pollution, from over-utilization of paper and ink.
7. Technology Integration: SMART boards allows for integration of various technologies in order to improve the learning experience. For instance, it is possible to attach tools such as microscopes, document cameras, cameras or video cameras to a whiteboard to aid in instruction. It is also possible to integrate the interactive learning tools with a wide range of software applications.
8. Communication: Interactive whiteboards allow for connectivity in different locations; making ideal collaboration and distance learning environments. When using SMART boards, student show to increase student-to-student collaboration and increase overall participation in the lesson.
Overall, incorporating SMART Boards to the classroom environment is likely to change the way teachers impart knowledge to students and at the same time simplify the learning process for students. Students will find it easy to engage with lessons and gain a better understanding of the overall lesson. It is an ideal tool for any classroom setting. The education field needs technology like this for students, learners, and educators to continue to grow in their field.

Experience undertaken during the fourth week of teaching practice

 Our school had Christmas examinations on this week.There were 34 exam hall were used to conduct the examinations.The teachers in charge of the examinations are, Sasikala .R (HSA English),Vinitha Kumary. V(HSA Hindi),Rani.R(HSA Mathematics),Sindhu .S.B (HSA Mathematics) and Rajani.R (HSA Hindi)

                    This week was very busy with Christmas examinations.Tuesday i had examination duty in the two sections.In the morning section i got 9 K room ,the room contains the students from 10 L ,9M and 9L,and they had Physics examination.In the second section i got 9 D room, it also contained the girl students from the classes 10 G,8Land8K,then the students have Malayalam and Hindi exams.I clarified some doubts of the students.Wednesday i got 10 L room,the  students from 10 J,10 K,and 9 L were included there and they had chemistry exams,and in the afternoon section i got the 9 G room there was biology exams for10th standard and Basic science exam for 8th standard.We collect the papers of physics and chemistry at the proper interval of time .On Thursday i got 10 F class ,they had social science exam, the students from 10 A,9A and 9 B were in the class.In the afternoon section i got the 9 N class,the students from 8 N were included there ,they had also the Social Science examinations.On Friday the 8th standard students had the exams on art education,health and physical education ,and work education.I got 9 H and the students from 8I  class.The exams ended on 11.30 am.After that,there was a Christmas celebration by the students of 10 L.I got a chance to cut the whole cake to that students. It was a very good celebration with the happiness and joy ,It was very very interesting. One of the major thing was the support from the teachers.

SEND OFF FOR SINDHU TEACHER

    X'MAS CELEBRATION

SEND OFF FOR SINDHU TEACHER

    X'MAS CELEBRATION

SEND OFF FOR SINDHU TEACHER

    

Happy Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is prepared for by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an Octave. The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies; when Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then disseminated the message furthermore. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by the vast majority of Christians, as well as culturally by a number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the holiday season, while some Christian groups reject the celebration. In several countries, celebrating Christmas Eve on December 24 has the main focus rather than December 25, with gift-giving and sharing a traditional meal with the family.

Although the month and date of Jesus' birth are unknown, by the early-to-mid 4th century the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on December 25, a date which was later adopted in the East.Today, most Christians celebrate on December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, which has been adopted almost universally in the civil calendars used in countries throughout the world. However, some Eastern Christian Churches celebrate Christmas on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, the day after the Western Christian Church celebrates the Epiphany. This is not a disagreement over the date of Christmas as such, but rather a preference of which calendar should be used to determine the day that is December 25. In the Council of Tours of 567, the Church, with its desire to be universal, "declared the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany to be one unified festal cycle", thus giving significance to both the Western and Eastern dates of Christmas.Moreover, for Christians, the belief that God came into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity, rather than the exact birth date, is considered to be the primary purpose in celebrating Christmas.
Although it is not known why December 25 became a date of celebration, there are several factors that may have influenced the choice. December 25 was the date the Romans marked as the winter solstice,and Jesus was identified with the Sun based on an Old Testament verse. The date is exactly nine months following Annunciation, when the conception of Jesus is celebrated. Finally, the Romans had a series of pagan festivals near the end of the year, so Christmas may have been scheduled at this time to appropriate, or compete with, one or more of these festivals.
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of Pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, completing an Advent calendar or Advent wreath, Christmas music and caroling, lighting a Christingle, an exchange of Christmas cards, church services, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christ kind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

Exam...

I thought,writing  exams are very difficult.But today i want to change those thoughts.Because this is the first time i experienced the whole responsibilities of an exam....Really it was very good and needs more attention and responsibility

Back to school...

Tomorrow,a new day for a fresh restart....

Hoping for the best

First two semesters gave good marks to me,which i can't expected.Now our third semester exams were made some confusions and hope for the best..

Environmental Education

Environmental education is a learning process that increases people’s knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).

Environmental education generally refers to curriculum and programs which aim to teach people about the natural world and particularly about ways in which ecosystems work. Environmental education programs often aim to change people’s perceptions about the value of the natural world and to teach how to change environmental behavior, such as getting people to recycle or how to build eco-friendly dwellings.

Environmental education programs often aim to (i) help students develop factual knowledge about the natural environment, particularly with regard to how ecosystems work and human impacts on the natural environment; (ii) foster more positive perceptions about the value of the natural world (iii) develop eco-friendly habits, (iv) engage students in environmental rejuvenation projects and (v) develop students’ psychological and spiritual relationship with nature.

Experience undertaken during the third week of teaching practice

This week was amazing.I can understand the hard work and efforts of both teachers and students while the time of sub-district youth festival.The sub-district youth festivals were conducted in the last 25 years,and this school got the over all championship during 23 years in Chadayamangalam.There was an assembly on Monday,H M informed about the vacant classes and schedules. This school has a positive approach to the students ,because they always motivate and congratulate the students,each assembly had this session.In the same day i had class on the second hour.I gave additional notes and activities based on the chapter 'The Jungle Air Crash' .In the afternoon session, I got two classes.One is 10 F, to conduct social science unit test and the other is 9N.I gave the anagram game with the word ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.It was very interesting. Tuesday was a declared  holiday.Wednesday ,all of our English optional student teachers assisted the teachers to conduct English unit test to the 10th standard students.I got the class 10 E,their teacher was Sindhu. I wrote down the paragraphs on the black board and read the other questions loudly.Deepthy teacher was came today to observe the classes of Physical science students. In Thursday, Our school starts programmes based on ''Harithakeralam mission'' by Government of kerala.. cleaning section was the Ist programme each block participated in it based on  the instruction of H.M. The school authority conduct class for 9th standard boys about personality development.. Anna teacher came to our school to observe classes , .Ardhra taught the first period,Ragi, Mahesh,I, Ashna were taught second,third,fourth and fifth period respectively.I taught the poem 'Another Chance' written by Helen Steiner Rice.During the last hour Ragi and me conducted a test paper on the 9 G class.
In Friday,the school was also in a festival mood.All the students were in the last session of exam preparations.Blessing u..All the best

We want to came back to college for our third semester examinations....So a short good bye to the gorgeous school and my lovely adorable students.Thanks to the teachers and my loved ones for your valuable wishes for my exams .

                                     

 AWARENESS CLASS FOR PERSONALITY

WEBINAR

I introduced the webinars to my students. Their text book also prefer this.

SHOCKING......

During this time of our teaching practice I heard a shocking news..."An oral banning order of whitener sailing".....Most of the students are addicted to this chemical substance. The officers of Kadakkal police stations were always took action to remove the whiteners from the surrounding shops.Their raid helped to control this issue.Some of the students inhale the smell of this chemical liquid and some mixed this liquid with water, and  used like drinks.This is not a new news for me,because we studied about the substance abuse in children.But, when i am the victim of this issue ,i  realized its depth .It was too much shocking

ANOTHER CHANCE

                                                                           

                                                                   Helen Steiner Rice

How often we wish for another chance

To make a fresh beginning.

A chance to blot out our mistakes

And change failure into winning.

It does not take a new day

To make a brand new start,

It only takes a deep desire

To try with all our heart.

To live a little better

And to always be forgiving

And to add a little sunshine 

To the world in which we're living.

So never give up in despair

And think that you are through,

For there's always a tomorrow

And the hope of starting new.

         A nice poem says about the new chances,challenges and attitudes towards changes.A well poem written in simple lines.The poem gives a very good message and advice toward a new chance,it help us to change our life drastically only with the deep desire of own heart.

Smart Classrooms

Smart Classrooms are technology enhanced classrooms that foster opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating learning technology, such as computers, specialized software, audience response technology, assistive listening devices, networking, and audio/visual capabilities. Classroom Services leads the support, design, and planning for campus learning spaces.

·         The Benefits of Going for Smart Classrooms in your Education Institution

• ·         We all know how helpful it is to remember something that is taught visually to us rather than the one that is read through pages after pages. Just imagine, how beneficial would it be for students to understand a chapter visually in class. The concept of smart class education is indeed a blessing to the students of the 21st Century. Technology is changing the way life functions and if it’s for the good, then why not go for it!
  
  

• ·         Smart classes use all interactive modules like videos and presentations and these visually attractive methods of teaching becomes appealing to students who are already struggling with the traditional method of teaching in a classroom. In fact, smart classes are almost like watching movies as sometimes, animated visuals are used to teach a point. This kind of visual is both eye-catching and young students can easily relate with them. This is because the audio-visual senses of students are targeted and it helps the students store the information fast and more effectively. And then, there is the advantage of utilizing much of the time wasted earlier in drawing or preparing diagrams on board. Smart boards have all these information in memory and can be presented during the time of class lectures and thus, the time saved can be used in more important things.
• ·         Some students and teachers have problems with chalk dust and they tend to suffer from allergic reactions. The smart boards saves you from such distress and won’t let you develop any health issues later. Smart boards are a lot smarter when it comes to field trips which is impossible with textbooks. A field trip to the deserts of Sahara or the rain forests of the Amazon basin becomes easy with visuals in the smart boards of smart classroom. These visuals are definitely more attractive than those descriptions in a few lines of a textbook.
  •      One of the main reasons behind the constant increase in popularity of smart classes is the fact that this kind of education is perfect for all kinds of students. A classroom has students with varied power of understanding and learning, and studying from notes and other materials becomes difficult for some students. But the use of smart classes and modern technology eases the learning process for all students. Moreover, this kind of education in class promotes more interaction between teacher and student with more participation from both sides
  • ·         When you take the negative side of this kind of smart education, there are just a few when compared to the myriad advantages it offers to students. Some technical fault that might arise during a class lecture is a common concern among those lobbying against smart technologies in classroom education. Then, there is the costing factor as well that is preventing schools to adopt this technology. With smart education comes the problem of high cost of education.The possibilities or advantages of smart classrooms are endless. Although adopting such a new concept might be a tough decision for many, but the technology can create a new opening for the education sector.

SMART CLASSES FOR IMPROVEMENT IN COMMUNICATIVE ENGLISH-

In the modern era there is hardly anyone who can keep away from the mainstream technology. English speaker's smart class is the first of this kind making use of 21st century's technical revolution in education by digitalizing classrooms as the real substitute for traditional classrooms. As a part of linking language with technology smart classroom helps students to set up activity room for English to acquire accent and fluency. It minimizes the work of teacher. Along with the software, books, audio visual equipment furniture and trainer ,some activities to increase speaking skills can be arranged. This helps to have interaction. In an audio visual room of this sort learning is in a new environment enjoyable and sometimes funny without formal textbooks. There is no need of expertise to handle a smart class, but a teacher with even less knowledge can do it profitably as the handbook supplied along with it guides and eases teaching. Finally, the smart classroom is not simply meant for English alone but can be a classroom for teaching other subjects too. Language is the basis of all communication that has made possible all the advancements. As far as language is concerned English is playing an important role in our system as well as in national life. It has greatly contributed to the growth of knowledge in India. English has 4 important skills. Listening and speaking can be learnt from the environment, reading skill requires efforts and it is important from academic point of view too. But, these skills must be practiced at primary level. It is commonly experienced that if child don't learn to read by third grade, then he can't read to learn. Earlier researches in the field of linguistics reveal that nearly 8% of children suffer from reading difficulties who remain under-achievers.
Smart classroom are good to overcome this problem. Through proper audio-visual presentations, students get maximum sensory experience. An independent study by Eugene Research Institute reveals that 5th% graders who participate in smart classroom are 60% more likely to reach state reading benchmarks than those who do not participate. According to Lincoln(1992) without the images to create meaning in the words, children will not read. Glasser (2001) states that children only understand 10% of what is read but 80% of what is experienced. It can be improved by giving students the opportunities to work with or experience the reading passage.
Moreover, reading skills and academic achievement are related. Smart classrooms through various interactive modes, present different topics from different subjects. These are easily understood by the learners and academic achievement is affected. Trifonas(2004) argues that a text is a set of "lexical or visual signs" that acts as cues to guide the reader's mental decoding and meaning-making operations. Sevindik (2007) determined the effectiveness of smart classrooms on academic achievement of nursing students. The finding showed that lectures given through smart classroom increased academic achievement. In another study, to measure the effectiveness of Educomp smart classrooms, D and B street information service India Pvt. Ltd. (2010), it was reported that the educomp smart class program has a larger impact on two of the three key learning goals of all students-comprehension and retention. The Educomp smart class program has an over all positive impact on students more in terms of generating curiosity and grasping complex concepts rather than capturing attention, while it help teachers in managing time better. Becker (2005) argues that the kind of active learning necessary to master principles and concepts and explain student work is easier to implement in a technology-rich environment where "students have a rich array of information to work with, when communications structures enable students to pose relevant questions to appropriate individuals…and when technology based tools such as databases, analytic software and composition software help them to extract understanding from information".