Case Study PSBB Millennium School, Chennai, About

Case Study
PSBB Millennium School, Chennai,
About the PSBB Millennium Group of Schools
The PSBB Millennium Group of Schools at Chennai, a recognized landmark in its
pursuit of excellence in education, holistic development and human excellence, is
deeply dedicated to the mission of building "Global Citizens with Indian Values",
with an emphasis on value education, and respect for our rich cultural heritage.
The PSBB Millennium Group of Schools has been set up by the Learning
Leadership Foundation (a public charitable trust) in active collaboration with the
PSBB Group of Schools, Chennai, under the dynamic leadership of Dr. Mrs. Y G
Parthasarathy, the Dean and Director for the entire group of the PSBB Schools.
The PSBB Millennium Schools come directly under her purview and follow the tried
and tested methodology of the teaching – learning process that has been the
mainstay of academic excellence in over 50 years.
The Learning Leadership Foundation comprises a group of enterprising people,
who have considerable experience in education, and are recognized for 'professional
development initiatives' for teachers. The School is backed by the combined strength
of over a decade of 'thought leadership' in best pedagogic practices of the Learning
Leadership Foundation and more than five decades of academic excellence of
PSBB group of schools.
We pride in the PSBB Millennium Group of Schools being a state-of-the-art
institution, with modern, technology-based methodologies incorporated in the
everyday use of the teaching- learning process.
Five academic years later, we continue to provide more students the opportunity to
benefit from upholding the rich legacy of the Padma Seshadri group of schools and
its unique teaching methodologies, providing them with opportunities to recognize
their future potential.
Our expansions to Gerugambakkam and DLF Garden City in Navalur on the
OMR (located behind Satyabhama Deemed University) now benefit a larger number
of children, satisfying the needs of parents who seek quality education and all round
development in their children. With each Campus providing the best of facilities
meeting every requirement of the children, it is a heaven on earth of the
PSBBMillenniumites! One year from now, the new campus will boast of being the
state-of-the-art Institutions.
Co-curricular activities are given as much importance as the academics. With a team
of committed staff who have a passion for what they do, and a motley crowd of
students eager to learn, the imparting and assimilation of knowledge at The PSBB
Millennium School is a treat to watch and experience.
The school curriculum, combined with personal support extended by the teachers
who choose to be role models rather than mere facilitators, inspires students to
realize their full potential. In addition to the school curriculum, we offer academic
enrichment programs that will stir your child's creativity, foster a better understanding
of the world, and make his/her overall educational experience more enjoyable. They
are designed to complement the core courses.
The School through the daily transactions and practices provides a distinctive
educational environment that enables young persons to grow not only in intellectual
capacities, but also in other dimensions of their being. While developing the students'
intellectual faculties, there is a conscious effort towards creating a wider awareness
of the world and giving space for the development of the aesthetic, moral and
emotional dimensions.
We know that students passing out from The PSBB Millennium Group of Schools
would grow into self-aware, sensitive and responsible human beings, who remain
life-long learners. The golden triangle that is formed by the Student, the Teacher and
the Parent forms an integral part of The PSBB Millennium.
CMPC O3 Program Launch
The Program was formally launched on the 21st of February 2008. Earlier, Mr.
Shantanu Prakash, CEO Educomp Solutions, had a press conference where he
declared the launch of the 3 Program in the School. CMPCs were distributed by Mrs
Sonia Handa, Head of Strategic Alliances Educomp Solutions along with Mr. Ashok
Manchegowda from Intel Bangalore. Mrs Rukmani Mothilal, Academic Advisor The
PSBB Millennium Group of Schools was also present on this occasion.
The class targeted for the pilot program in the
academic year 2007-08 was Std. II to Std. VI. 700
children were given CMPCs after getting the
consent from the parents. 19 teachers were given
their laptops for their use and implementation of the
CMPC O3 Program. The children were also given
the accompanying charger and instructions given
on how to charge the instrument before bringing it
to school on a daily basis.
The first one month was allotted to ‘get to know your
laptop better’ module. The children were given a
free reign on getting to learn the know how of
handling the computer through trial and error
methods. They were allowed to experiment using
the laptop, working on the various functionalities of
the help buttons and the keyboard and also the
effective use of the touch pad mouse. They were
also asked to list out what all they could do with
their computer and how they could use if to study
and learn. These children came into the 3rd and 7th
respectively at the start of the academic year 200809.
Teachers in the meantime were put through the
grind of getting to know their own laptops and how
to use it as an effective teaching tool as part of the
teaching learning process. Workshops and demo
classes were conducted for the teachers from
resource people from Educomp Solutions R & D
Department who came from Delhi and others as
well from Intel. This enabled them to get over the
inhibitions of handling technology and gave them
the ease to work on modules they required for
teaching. Regular peer group activities encouraged them to be creative in the
making of their worksheets and presentations.
TEACHERS’ FIRST INTERACTION WITH O3
Class Teachers handling Std 2 and 3 and subject teachers handling English,
Science, Math and Social Studies in Classes 4 to 7 were called for an introduction
and presentation of the O3 module. Mr. Ashok Manchegowda who gave the
introduction, said that it would prove to be a revolutionary method being incorporated
in the School. The assembled teachers listened with interest to the new teaching
methodology that was to be part of the teaching - learning process thereafter.
Teachers comfortable with the use of technology showed keenness to know more.
Those who were not tech savvy had their own inhibitions and doubts.
Children Receiving their Laptops
700 delighted and extremely excited children braved the heat to wait for their turn to
receive what would be ‘their own’ laptop! The shouts of joy echoed in the quadrangle
when the first laptop was handed over to the youngest child in the group. The
seniors in Std 7 could hardly wait their turn. By and by the rest of the laptops were
distributed in the classrooms. The excitement was particularly high because the
children had already seen the
O3 Room, had seen the
unloading of the small CMPC
and were also aware that
they were being charged and
loaded with the software
required for their use. Daily
enquiries and a walk along
the O3 room had become a
feature for many during the
morning break time. So,
when the day finally dawned
and the children were asked
to assemble, cheers rent the
air!
The pre-charged laptops and the
adaptor for charging were handed
over to every individual child across
Classes 2 to 7. Care had been taken
to ensure that the Roll number of the
child was written on the top flap insert
paper to identify the CMPC.
In turn, the serial numbers had
already been noted against the name
and roll number of the student it was
being handed over to.
Training and Handholding
Along with the CMPC, the children were given a handout on how to care for their
laptops. They were given a free reign to get to know their laptops better and
investigate and learn for themselves how to operate the system. Then they received
step-by-step instructions on how to go about it in the classroom. They were later
encouraged to work on their laptops submitting assignments given in English, or
EVS or Math in the lower classes. Higher classes were given worksheets to be
completed and topics to be presented as
presentations.
Children being children, took to
technology like a duck to water. Within a
few weeks they were in complete sync
with their laptops and its uses. Infact,
they had even mastered the use of pen
drives and copying or transferring of files
and had also changed the password on
the laptops making it difficult for the
admin in charge to access the laptop!
The First Steps:
1. Teacher Training: Even prior to the actual handing over of the laptops to the
children the Staff members handling classes 2 and 3 and subject teachers
handling classes 4 to 7 were put through an orientation and training program
for the use of the CMPC. They were taught how to use the teacher laptops in
the best pedagogical manner. All key features of the teacher laptop were
highlighted and
discussed in detail.
They were taken
through the following
features:
Broadcast
File Transfer
Quick
Assessment
Attendance
Student
Monitoring
Group Work
2. Students and CMPC: The students started using the CMPC as a regular
feature. As and when the Teachers gave them instructions the children
executed their assignments. The laptops were put into full use particularly
during the Summer Holidays. Students especially those in Std 3 used their
laptops to make their presentations and sent the same back as emails to their
class teachers. The seniors put theirs’ to good use during class presentations,
quiz to be conducted as
part of their teamwork,
and during the Annual
Educational Project.
3. Parent’s attitude:
Undoubtedly the
introduction of the
CMPC was a USP for
the School during the
academic year. Parents
who were returning from
their stint abroad could not believe that children in India could be equipped
with a laptop each! Obviously India had a lot more to offer along with culture
and tradition. Some parents raised doubts about the effect it could have on
the eyes of the children. But they were assured that the children would not be
looking into the screen all eight hours of their study in the School. Some
raised an objection to the weight of the CMPC. It added to the weight of the
existing school bag. However, during the academic year 2008-09 steps were
taken to ensure that the notebooks were reduced to help the children balance
the weight. Grades III to V were encouraged to keep the textbooks in the
Classroom cupboard and further reduce the load in the bag. This was
accepted and welcomed by the parents. Most of the others were very happy
as the children came back with all information and lessons taught directly
transferred as files by the teachers. It also helped the absentees to cope with
lessons being covered during their absence.
The Challenges
CHALLENGES THAT HAD TO BE ADDRESSED
Called for detailed planning on part of the teachers. This meant that the teachers
had to be word perfect and completely prepared with the lesson plan and activity
Lessons had to be selected to
suit the need and use of the
CMPC
Teacher laptops that were given
to the teachers were used ones.
The battery life of the laptop
given did not last long enough for
the conduction of the lesson.
Having it connected to the power
point restricted the movement of
the teachers. They needed to be
able to use it effectively.
The routers in each class had to
be set to perfection. Once in place it worked perfectly. However, we found that
students from other rooms were still able to log in to the subject teacher in
another room and were able to send messages to her! Educomp tech support
had to spend days to overcome the problem.
One major concern was trying to prevent the children from loading games on the
CMPC with the help of a pen drive.
Carrying their laptops in their schoolbag protected by their books still resulted in
some of the displays being damaged. In some cases the keys from the keyboard
came loose.
Sometimes the chargers failed to charge and we found that the same charger
could not be procured from the local market. This meant getting the children to
bring it to the school to have it charged in the Charger Station.
CHALLENGES THAT THE PROGRAM HAS ADDRESSED
Apart from saving time on
writing questions/points on the
board that the children had to
copy, the teachers also
ensured that the file transfer
sent carried correct spelling
and structure.
Announcements made in the
School or special instructions
for the parents of the
particular class or level could
be sent as a circular through
the CMPC.
Announcements made on
School website were also
transferred onto the CMPC to
allow access to information
that may have been missed
out on in the event of Internet
connection being down.
More importantly, the use of
CMPC’s ensured that the
children finished the given
assignments on time.
The classrooms were a lot
quieter with lessons being
conducted and work being carried out in groups in their respective places.
Solutions that Worked Well For the School
A letter was sent out to the
parents intimating them
about the new concept being
introduced and how we
wanted their support at home
front as well, in helping the
children to charge their
laptops and enquire about
what they were learning and
doing.
Assurance from the School
about the availability of a
Teacher Lock and a Parent
Lock further appeased the
parents who were worried
about unwarranted and
unauthorized sites the
children may browse while
using the Internet.
Children brought the laptops
to the school duly charged
everyday.
The individual attention was
available for each child. This
increased dramatically
through the one-on-one
module.
The individual screen gave
proximity to what was being
taught.
Concepts were introduced in
a thrilling and exciting
manner.Assessments
provided instant results.
This helped the teachers
assess what percentage of
the class had understood or
not understood a concept
taught.
The concept was then taught again with
greater clarity and emphasis so as to
ensure that everyone had grasped the
concept.
Recapitulation of the concept was done
again.
In the higher classes the children were
encouraged to bring their assignments
in soft copy form so that they could be
shared with others in the class or
collated to arrive at a clear picture.
Assignments were almost always
submitted on time.
Children were taught to give credit to the
source they picked up any image or
information from on the Internet.
Class assignments and quiz were
conducted with ease.
Work was completed earlier than
normal.
Teachers found it extremely useful and
they could work on their laptops and
transfer material easily and at any time
they wanted.
Was effectively used during substitution periods, as the work was already
available for transfer to the students. This meant not losing out on working days
and completion of work keeping par with the other sections.
The holiday homework was assigned for classes with CMPC’s related to the use
of the computer and work to be done on it. Children sent in their holiday
homework through email to the respective teachers.
Many students prepared presentations on the topics given to them by searching
the Internet and various websites to download pertinent material for their
homework. This we believe was getting them ready for the world of tomorrow
they would step into.
Children were encouraged to prepare worksheets and set objective type question
papers. This was done deliberately because it helped the child to know the
lesson better when he had to prepare a worksheet or a question paper on the
given topic or lesson.
Further their ability to come up to the front of the class and make their own
presentations inculcated in them self confidence to face the class and a crowd.
Ideas Implemented Effectively
Very useful tool to be used as a communication center for parents who make it a
point to check out on the uploads. This would be particularly so with an
interactive school website. This is something The PSBB Millennium also has to
its credit.
Effective as used for immediate assessment and evaluation. This helps reduce
the consumption of paper to a very large extent.
Anecdotes of Experiences:
The first day of the laptops being distributed was a sight to be witnessed!
Children couldn’t believe they had a
laptop of their own with their names
written on it!
Children sat at every nook and corner
using their laptops, looking very
professional!
Children traveling by bus took out their
laptops to make notes, complete
assignments, or just to look important!
The children of The PSBB Millennium
School having and working on laptops
were the talk of the town at every
gathering. It was the centerpiece of
attraction at every home. Parents were
even more proud than the children of the
prowess of their children.
A child on holiday in the USA made it a
point to take his laptop with him to the
USA, made his presentations and sent them back to his class teacher through
email.
During the project the laptops were used extensively in many classrooms to
conduct quiz and showcase their presentations.
The Teacher laptops were used for the conduction of the Student election.
Children found ways to communicate with the subject teacher in another
section by logging in simultaneously to 2 teachers! We didn’t think this was
possible but it did happen!
The senior students of class 8 felt left out as they were the senior most and
they felt they hadn’t been given the opportunity.
An improvement in spellings was seen with the use of the laptop as the word
document highlighted the wrong spellings in red and allowed the child to
correct it.
Elder students knew there was a structural error in the sentence the minute it
was underlined in green. Using the given option they were able to correct
their sentences.
This holds good for the teachers as well.
The Language Teachers handling Tamil and Hindi felt very left out that they
were not included. Not to be outdone, they borrowed laptops and had the
required font loaded. This they then used to make their presentations and
study material for the classes.
Observations
It is a very powerful tool that can be used to its full potential.
Proper planning is a must for handling CMPC in the classroom.
Classes can continue integrating smartclass program also into the system
even during power failure. This will not be possible with the regular smartclass
session.
Teachers became creative and took pride in working on their presentations.
The teachers did more research. This lead to professional development in
knowledge content.
The spirit of camaraderie among the Subject teachers was on a high as they
shared content with each other leading to better performance.
This particularly helped those teachers who were yet uncomfortable with
technology and not used to handling a laptop.
Feedback
PRINCIPAL SPEAK – When technology comes knocking at your door you need
to throw both the doors open wide! And that is exactly what we did in our
Institution. The pilot had its highs and lows, but the highs outdid the lows.
PARENTS SPEAK – Congratulations!!! on successfully completing the pilot program
of One-on-One Computing (O3). The O3 program according to me was very
successful and did wonders to students both academically and individually. Kids
have become very comfortable and have found innovative ways to use computers
effectively. They were also exposed to the LAN & WAN usage of computers. In
today's world of IT, this definitely was a great exposure. I was amazed at how kids
could prepare Power Point Presentations on every topic and subject they came
across in no time. The kids did find it difficult to carry their laptops in their heavy bags
to school everyday, as it made their bags heavier. The O3 program no doubt was a
great achievement for the school and we are proud to be a part of this program. I
also hope that this program to become an indispensable part of the school's
curriculum in the future. -- Lakshmy Narendra, Mother of Varun Narendra, PSBB
Millennium, Chennai
My son is a student in your school going to standard 7 this year.He has learnt a lot
through this O3 method.Within a few days he learned how to make Powerpoint
presentations and throughout the year he was given projects to be done in
powerpoint and he enjoyed doing it and learned a lot through this.Eventhough they
can be taught how to use the computers at computer lab once a week by giving them
projects and assignments to be done in computers they learn how to apply what they
have learnt in computerscience classes.I feel this is a good method of learning.Hope
this continues in the years to come. Thanks. ---- Anuradha Ranganathan.
Many parents found that their children had shown tremendous improvement in the
spellings. It had also added to the self –confidence of the children. Children also
eagerly completed their assignments without being asked to sit to do their home
work.
TEACHERS SPEAK – On the 27th of May 09 when I had to return my laptop to
the concerned authorities, I was upset realizing that there wouldn’t be any CMPC
in our classrooms in the next academic year ie 2009-10. My experience of using
the CMPC in the class was a great one. CMPC had forged a link between the
traditional teaching methods and technology aided teaching and learning. The
use of the CMPC in the classrooms made the children capture cadences of
language with ease and interest as they were more than keen in completing their
assignments on time. The poetry composition, letter writing and paragraph writing
was done in a trice as it catered to all type of learners.
It increased the
student engagement
thus making the
teaching atmosphere
more conducive for
effective teaching and
learning. The
interaction amongst
the students had
improved due to the
group work facilitated
through the CMPC.
The children could
share their ideas,
views and draw
collective inferences without moving out of their place. Teacher had the option to
monitor the individual as well as the group work and individually instruct the
learners. The effective and balanced use of CMPC can become the bedrock on
which the entire edifice of teaching learning would rest. – Mrs. Praveen Roy English Teacher
CHILDREN SPEAK –The CMPC is a very interactive way of learning. It is fun and
very useful. The teacher can watch us anytime. We make presentations instead
of writing in the notebooks. It is very quick. I never wanted to stay at home
because of the CMPC. – Shreya – Std 3
The CMPC was very useful to me as a learning tool as it provided an audio-visual
method of learning through modern technology. It was indeed a very interesting
and knowledgeable tool in the hands of students. The CMPC had made learning
an extremely fun filled process. It not only refined my presentation skills but also
honed my computer skills. I enjoyed every moment of using the CMPC and the
erudition I gained from the amazing learning experience is truly inexpressible.
Sneha – Std 7