Please provide me information where i can get the technical writing course done near thootukudi (TN dist, INDIA)
you nead for computar training senter so u com at h.y.d and
join in karan instut in secundrabad
So you've determined that you are going take full control of your financial future. And you've studied the stock and commodities market and have some well founded opinions. You're up to speed on the latest economic indicators and the health of the dollar. You know what you'd like to do, and in which markets.
But you also know that the rich wise old men on Wall Street say "Decide what to trade based on fundamentals but make your entrance and exit decisions based on technical analysis."
You know that you need technical analysis training. But to learn technical analysis, you will need a good course. How should you go about finding a good one?
Here are some "street-smart" guidelines for picking a good technical analysis course.
Answer these questions and you'll be well on your way.
What are the author's credentials?
Look for someone who has been in the field for many years, and is not likely to be swept away by the latest fad. Wall Street has lots of fads but surprisingly few enduring ideas.
Is the author a trader or an academic?
If the material you want to learn is basic, well established, and does not move much past what is available in the public domain, then an academic business writer may be quite adequate. All the major business publishers will have a basic textbook on technical analysis.
But if you are seeking more powerful techniques and want to read about them in detail, look for an author who is a bone fide successful trader, as it is likely that he or she will focus on the most useful and productive strategies, and not get caught up in describing every possible variant of the moving average. You want to know what works, not what is possible.
Is the technical analysis training applicable to any tradable security?
If you are spending the time to learn technical analysis chart patterns, then you want them to be applicable to stocks, to Forex trading, to futures and to commodities. It would not be the best use of your time to learn technical analysis online if it applied only to the dow jones.
Are the techniques simple and straight forward or overly complex?
Some courses require heavy mathematical background, such as college-level calculus. But the best courses can be understood by any intelligent layman with a high school education. As it turns out some of the greatest traders have learned their stock or Forex technical analysis using nothing more than common arithmetic and some simple hand drawn charts. It could have been done by anyone with a sixth grade education. Be wary of claims of technical analysis training that has many advanced educational prerequisites.
How much does the course cost?
Cost is a factor for everyone but be careful about courses which are free or for very low cost. This is not to say they are without value, for a free course may contain a lot of useful basic information, particularly if that information is in the public domain and can be also accessed from a standard book. But in trading and the financial markets especially, you tend to get what you pay for and really useful information generated by successful traders most likely will not come for free. You should carefully investigate it and if possible talk to someone who has taken the course in the past to determine of there is true value to the technical analyses course, indicators or software you are considering.
Keep your eyes open and do your homework, and you'll find the right technical analysis training for you!
Peter Markham is a Forex and commodities Trader with more than 30 years practical experience in the markets. He received his education in Australia and California and has been a consultant to trading organizations worldwide and has written widely on Technical Analysis Training. Since there are many possible technical analysis training courses, Peter recommends that you take your time and search for an original and productive trading approach.
Is this field expected to grow?
What is the median/average salary for technical writers in Israel?
Can they expect to be fully employed or do most work on a consultative basis?
Is one required to have excellent command of both English and Hebrew?
Thanks so much to all who answer!
(Please no hate and/or criticism)
You may find some useful info here:
http://www.techshoret.com/
"Techshoret is an email discussion list dedicated to serving the needs of technical writers in Israel. It has existed for over a decade. It includes over 1850 members and is currently a Yahoo Group."
You should also contact this organization for help regarding aliyah:
http://www.nbn.org.il/index.php
Best of luck to you!:)
Microsoft Dynamics GP Corporate ERP formerly was known as Great Plains Dynamics, eEnteprise. And Great Plains was designed on the architectural platform, known as Great Plains Dexterity. ReportWriter is and was scaled down version of Dexterity, where you have access to all out-of-the-box Dynamics reports (in Dynamics.dic): SOP Blank and Long Invoice forms, RM and PM Historical Trial Balances, GL Trial Balance are probably one of the most known and popular. Typically in RW you modify existing report by printing it on the screen and then in menu selecting - modify this report. Report Writer saves report in its own reporting dictionary (Reports.dic) and you do whatever you need to modify the report (or more precisely what RW Dexterity origin allows you to do). We will review most popular modifications and what you can do on advanced level:
1. Placing Graphical Logon on SOP Invoice form. Typically for printing to PDF printer or direct printout on Color Laser Jet. General recommendation is to prepare logo file in JPEG, BMP in higher resolution and then, when placed Picture on the Report (Report Header and Page Header) - just resize it to something like 40 percent of the original size
2. Moving, Hiding fields or creating and placing new Calculated fields on the report layout. As such report as SOP Blank Invoice form has complex business logic, we do not recommend heavy modification. Just move fields horizontally, hide them, resize, or change fonts. Be sure that you understand the concept of report body, additional headers and footers
3. Advanced options. You can also add tables to the report (typically restricted by Dexterity - each table in Dex belongs to table cluster and based on the availability of Dexterity table indexes, you can add one or more tables from the cluster). Also based on Dexterity tables indexes - you can create new table relation with another table (if Dex indexes permit)
4. New reports. Assuming that Smartlist doesn't do everything that you need in Dynamics GP data exporting to Excel or CSV file, you can try to do it in Report Writer by creating new report, selecting main table and then if required add new tables. For example you can create new report for exporting Customers and their addresses (main table is Customer Master, and linked one would be Customer Address Master), then go to Layout and add fields from both tables. If you do it this way - you probably want to filter customers and/or their addresses by certain criteria - do it Report Restrictions
5. Some limitations and breaking through. There were known concerns and compliance from the customers of Great Plains about Report Writer printouts problems in working with Clipboard and even if you save RW print out to the file - it is difficult to open and reformat it in Excel. In Dynamics GP 10 SP4 and GP 2010 (formerly known as version 11) - you can export to XML, which is very helpful in following report data massage
6. Upgrading Report Writer reports to new Great Plains version. There is standard way to upgrade (outside of the scope of this publication), however some reports are known to be not possible to upgrade (on Dynamics GP Partner Source). In fact, if you invested in the past into RW modifications, you can still upgrade virtually all the reports - the upgrade problem typically resides in redesigned or newly created calculated fields (all you need to do is to port old calculated fields with their original names to the new version of the report)
7. Report Writer and Barcoding. Yes, you can associate RW report fields with Barcode compliant font and it will be printed (be sure that report is in Graphical mode). Also, popular routine is to print USPS barcode mailing labels directly on your envelopes. Due to Barcode fonts support in version 7.5 and more recent, Dynamics GP Report Writer could be incorporated into Warehouse Management System (WMS), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Logistics, Consignment, Distributions extensions to Dynamics GP - all these systems or Dynamics GP ISV Partner supported modules are typically Barcode scanning and Barcoding Label Printing based
8. RW troubleshooting. One of the most popular topics and error messages discussed is when Dynamics.Dic dictionary becomes corrupt (due to the attempts to modify reports by Dynamics GP consultant, while users are printing these reports at the same time). In these scenarios you see really weird errors (Microsoft Windows encountered unknown problem and has to close - or even more strange). Simple cure is to have all users logoff Dynamics GP, rename your active Reports.dic and reimport reports in RW from renamed Reports.dic. By doing so - you will recreate new and healthy dictionary
9. Report Writer internationalization. Officially Microsoft Business Solutions supports GP in English, Spanish (South and Central America, Mexico, Caribbean), French (Canadian), to some extent Arabic. However there are add-ons on the Dynamics GP ISV market, supporting RW reports printing in Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French (European), Dutch, Swedish (more languages are coming). We know successful RW customizations in Polish, Lithuanian and Russian
10. Beyond Report Writer. In our opinion excellent options are Crystal Reports, Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). If your goal is pure financial reporting, including consolidated, consider FRx Reporting. FRx should be able to combine Dynamics GP originated GL balances with non Microsoft ERP platforms exported to Excel: SAP Business One (Brazil, China, Japan, Korea, Russia), 1S Bukhgalteria (Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus)
11. Report Writer and Customer Dexterity Add-ons. It is required that Dexterity customization has RW exposed dictionary, where you modify Alternate Reports (if Dex customization imports reports from Dynamics.dic and has sum modification there on its behalf and then opens it for you for further modification)
12. How to get help? Please, call us 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com Our consultants speak English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Russian to address your Dynamics GP, Barcoding, WMS, SCM, SAP Business One needs in USA and Internationally
Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving GP customers USA and Canada Nationwide: California, Minnesota, New York, Quebec, Ontario, Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Virginia, Florida, new Mexico, Iowa, Indiana, Alaska, Hawaii. Local service is available in Houston/Dallas: Richmond, Rosenberg, Katy, Galveston, Sugar Land; in Chicago: Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield, Romeoville, Batavia, Downers Grove, Schaumburg, Rockford, Elgin, Crystal Lake, Joliet, Hinsdale, Lisle, Montgomery, Oswego
@Rahul,
I have done a detailed study on the technical writing institutes in Bangalore & I have visited most of them, there are few institutes which promises 100% placement like TWB but 80% of the students who undergoes training in these institutes are not given jobs by these institutes. By my experience, I suggest you should go with the quality of the trainer than the brand name of the institute. Look out for medium sized institutes like Black & White tech writing solutions- www.bwtechwriting.com , my colleague underwent training in this institute & has given an excellent feedback about the training, I am quite impressed & I am also planing to join the course shortly.
If you write articles to promote your business then perhaps you are in need of an article writing software. To accelerate your writing speed, an article writing software will help you achieve this goal. It will save you a lot of time in manually writing articles. It is undeniable that the use of this software is a trend to many online marketers nowadays.
Many online marketers consider it as a valuable tool in helping them come up with more productive articles for their marketing needs. You may opt to choose a powerful content creator to suit your required articles. This article writing software can also help you in researching for possible topics by entering suggested keywords.
Then, the software will gather data pertaining to the subject you intend to write about. This kind of software can even give you subtopics that you can also write about. So, just imagine that every time you research for a topic, this write-up software will give you more than just one topic to write about.
With the number of articles you can produce, you can submit them to as many web sites as possible. Having your articles published in many web sites will create more back links to your web site. Article writing software is actually a good tool to help you in link building for successful search engine rankings.
Other online marketers who do not have ample capital to invest in hiring content writers would rather settle for this content writing software. This set-up would somehow fit in their meager budget since there are a lot of article writing tools in the market. A perfectly high quality and unique article writing software may be the answer for your web site to have rich content pages.
People who are not too familiar with the topics they have to write about can be greatly assisted by this software. It is really a difficult job to write on topics that you have very little information about. Using this writing software will feed you with the information you need about the topics you are not familiar of.
Also, it is a fact that not all marketers online are proficient in the English grammar and in technical writing. For some people, these flaws discourage them from writing articles even if they want to. A software to automate the writing procedures will surely be a great leap in their career.
On the other hand, there are online marketers who still prefer to hire content writers instead of getting an article writing software to do the job. Some people are still skeptical in relying this article writing task to a machine. Furthermore, another reason for this is that, online marketers need not review the articles after.
Unlike with the articles written by a software, you might be obliged to proofread before publishing. Anyhow, content writing software simplifies the process of writing a good content for your web site. If you properly utilize an efficient article writing software, you can come up with fresh and good quality content.
If you get this kind of deal, then definitely you got your money's worth.
The author of this article, <a href="http://www.affiliatedistrict.com">Menno Spijkstra</a>, is an Internet Marketer who
successfully sells products online. Let Menno teach you <b>How to Create Your Own Web Page</b> with his video course <a href="http://www.quickwebbuilder.com">Quick Web Builder</a>
The best way to determine if a technical degree program is right for you is to consider what you want as far as careers go. If you want to be an electrician or a physical therapist then a technical degree program may be the best option for you. There are a lot of different points to consider when you are considering a technical degree program or technician courses so just make sure you think everything through before you taking a decision.
Do you want to learn other things or just your one specific trade? Although I am very interested in acting, writing and directing in film/theatre I do want to learn other things within the English, History, Psychology, Science, Language, Art categories. This is why I chose to attend a liberal arts college rather than a conservatory for film/theatre acting. It made more sense to me. Also because I wanted to be able to hold a degree in something else as well as Drama that way I would for sure have a way to earn an income. If you want to learn about more things than just your trade then you shouldn't attend a technical degree program. Remember, sometimes four year colleges and selective liberal arts colleges are just as much as state schools so don't cross any college off of your list until you've applied and gotten your application decision back with your financial aid decision. Always keep your options open.
Is your career one that is taught in a technical degree program only or is it taught in four year colleges as well? You may want to check out all of your options. If the career you want to do such as a beautician is only available in technical degree programs then you should definitely do those. However, if your degree could be found in a four year college then that's something you'll have to think about. Compare costs, living situations and learning environment. Make sure that wherever you go is where you'd be happiest. You can't learn if you are unhappy with your living conditions.
kolkata education
Lastly, you'll want to consider how much you'll make a year (on average) doing what you want to do compared to the different colleges you could attend and their cost. It might not be worth it to go anywhere but a technical degree program school. Just be sure that you thoroughly consider all of your option and that you keep an open mind with whatever it is you decide to do with your life.
Get complete information about india education that includes delhi education, colleges and universities along with mba colleges in pune and lots more in colleges and universities in different states of India.
I want to pursue the course in TWB in bangalore. please let me have your views. I am 62 and intend to become a technical writer in my second career.
It's useful in the sense that it helps train your mind to be focused and logical, but in and of itself it really won't bring a bunch of job opportunities your way.
Several major responsibilities go with being a technical writer. In addition, various skills are needed to be successful as a technical writer. These skills can be developed and enhanced over time.
Technical writers gather facts from specific subject areas (e.g., computer science, engineering, manufacturing, and other sciences) and use their writing expertise to market written merchandise for communication at several degrees of difficulty or for unique audiences. For instance, a technical writer might collect data on the best way to put together a complicated piece of equipment and then write the facts so that a person with limited technical or mechanical knowledge can assemble or fix the item. Many people have purchased an item that comes with a huge packet of directions with the wording "some assembly required." If you have, then you may know the difference between an excellent technical writer and a poor technical author.
A proficient technical writer can take an extremely specialized report about an important issue such as pollution control and toxicity ranges to produce an easily understood guide for publication that could be read by people who did not have complex scientific knowledge about these issues but who were concerned.
Successful technical writers are required to offer excellent writing, editing, and subject matter area expertise to ensure that he or she can communicate clearly about the topic using common vocabulary instead of specialized jargon that only people in a certain field would understand. To do this, technical writers must know how to break down complex, and sometimes overwhelming, material into simplified but accurate writing.
Excellent technical writers are those who can adjust their writing to meet the distinct requirements of various audiences. For example, educational writing in specialized subject areas calls for a sophisticated understanding of the subject area. This is because the audience who is likely to read the writing might be experts in the specific field or area. To gain and increase this expertise, technical writers can examine other peer-reviewed educational journals to gather the knowledge, or take subject area specific courses, collaborate with experts in the field, or teach themselves. Peer reviewed journals, for example, provide superb information in diverse fields and utilize different manual styles, which are also important for technical writers to understand.
Arguably, the most difficult task for the technical writer is taking this information and publishing it in a format, such as a manual, article, Web page or blog, which individuals devoid of this high level of knowledge can understand.
When you have produced technical writing, use a professional editor with knowledge in the specialized field to review and then offer their view on how to improve your product. FirstEditing.com can provide professional editing of technical writing along with unbiased critiques and suggestions for improvement. Because we have a variety of professional editors with diverse backgrounds, you may request an editor who is proficient in the field in which you are writing. We can help you perfect your technical writing!
Visit FirstEditing for Editing services http://www.FirstEditing.com
Full-time professional editor, published writer & marketing consultant, Heather Todd has a passion for helping others create a letter-perfect presentation in their writing. Ms. Todd provides advisory & consulting services worldwide to numerous corporations, a small sampling of such businesses include: http://www.FirstEditing.com
CHARTER SCHOOLS: PASSING OR FAILING?
Charter Schools: Passing or Failing
Patti Bonner
Strayer University, Summer 2008
Abstract
This study's objective was to Research of a “choice” school that operates under a performance contract which details specifics as the school's mission, program, goals, demographics of the students served, methods of assessment, and ways to assess success. Such educational arrangements are known as charter schools, which are publicly funded schools that have greater accountability for academic assessment and fiscal practices, while receiving more independence and experiencing fewer regulations than traditional public schools. Research shows that there is a fair amount of success with this type of contractual education, and that a fair amount of issues accompany the success, such as fluctuating changes in student performance that are immeasurable by test scores. Another issue with the contractual educational facilities that is heating up in recent months is the conflict that arises between this type of learning environment versus the traditional public school system. This paper examines differing authorities in an attempt to determine whether charter schools are achieving their intended missions, or falling short of their goals – the verdict of this author’s research is that the structure is conducive to innovative practices, although the overall end results demonstrated by charter schools does not measure up to their tangible and intangible costs.
Charter Schools: Passing or Failing
This study into the report card of charter schools in the United States will attempt to decide whether this mode of education is more or less successful in the quest of education. The unique research covered in this study represents the most recent journal articles that are related to these public schools that are operated independently of the local school board. Charter schools being unique in that they differ in various degrees from the curriculum and educational philosophy of other schools in the same system, they can also take the form of experimental public schools for mainly primary, but some secondary, education.
Charter schools do not charge tuition and frequently have lottery based admissions. They, therefore, provide an alternative to public schools, oftentimes offering a curriculum that specializes in a certain field-- e.g. arts, mathematics, etc. Others simply seek to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools.
Public school funding in the United States is not a product of intelligent design. Funding programs have grown willy-nilly based on political entrepreneurship, interest group pressure, and intergovernmental competition. Consequently, now that Americans feel the need to educate all children to high standards, no one knows for sure how money is used or how it might be used more effectively (Hill, 2008).
These institutions are also exclusive in that some are created and organized by teachers and or parents and or community leaders, in a totally autonomous school environment, while others are state-run charters that are unaffiliated with local school districts and founded by non-profits such as universities and government entities that may appear in clusters across a geographic area.
The term "charter" possibly originated in the 1970s when Ray Budde, a New England university professor, suggested that small groups of teachers be given contracts or "charters" by their local school boards to discover new approaches to education. Albert Shanker, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, then publicized the idea, suggesting that local boards could charter an entire school with union and teacher approval. One of the first charter schools was a well-known institution called the H-B Woodlawn Program, as a part of the educational movements that fueled such innovative education in the 1960s and 1970s, it was established to provide a more individualized and caring environment to students.
As they were originally envisioned, the ideal model of a charter school appeared as a legally and financially autonomous public school - void of tuition, religious affiliation, or discriminatory student admissions. Charter schools were also foreseen to operate much like a private business. In the business sense of being free from many state laws and district regulations, the charter-school beginnings grew on the premise that they were more accountable for student outcomes rather than for processes or inputs that were believed to be enhanced through stipulations such as Carnegie Units and teacher certification requirements.
The charter school movement has roots in a number of other reform ideas, including:
In the late 1980s Philadelphia started a number of schools-within-schools and called them "charters." Some of them were schools of choice. The idea was further refined in Minnesota where charter schools were developed according to three basic values: opportunity, choice, and responsibility for results.
In 1991 Minnesota passed the first charter school law, with California following suit in 1992. By 1995, 19 states had signed laws allowing for the creation of charter schools, and by 2003 that number increased to 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. From 1997 to 2006 the number of charters in the US grew from 693 to 3,977. Perhaps surprisingly, given this growth, previous work has found mixed evidence on the impacts of charter schools on student performance. However, these studies focus almost exclusively on test scores as the outcome of interest. Thus, one potential explanation for this discrepancy is that charter schools affect student performance in ways that cannot be measured by test scores.
The charter school data is gathered at least annually, collected by mostly independent groups, is largely captured by survey. The U.S. Charter Schools Organization is said to statistics that consist of information related to size, scope, demographics (Figure 1), operations, and management of public charter schools (Charter schools data, n. d.).
It is because of conflicting and diverse initial findings that this research is important to the author’s personal curiosity. On one hand, the appeal of fresh, new approaches to teaching and learning is the stimulus for continued education. On the other hand, a constant vigil over money and test scores to prove the worth of the methodology defeats the main purpose of acting as vehicle for education. The analysis of a sampling of literature is expected to illuminate the more constant and logical explanation of the evidence examined.
Opportunity
In this paper new, longitudinal data from an anonymous large urban school district is used to assess how charter schools affect student discipline, attendance, and retention; these are compared to test score impacts. Using individual fixed-effects analyses shows that schools which begin as charters generate improvements in student behavior and attendance but not test scores. Charters that convert from regular public schools have mixed effects on test scores. While there is evidence of selection into charter schools based on changes in outcomes, these results change little after applying intermittent panel strategies. Finally, there is little evidence that charter schools generate long-term benefits if students return to non-charter schools.
A report prepared by the Center for Education Reform in 2006 states the opportunity posed by charter schools well by saying, “when the charter school concept was born in the days prior to the advent of The No Child Left Behind Act, the bargain was freedom in exchange for accountability” (CER, 2006). As an educational watchdog for learning and teaching communities, the CER felt that charter schools were a chance to try to provide a tailored education to some students through a more micro-managed, yet opportunistic, educational environment and respond to needs expressed by parents, students, and communities (including the teaching community).
According to the National Education Association (NEA), for-profit charter schools rarely outperform traditional public schools, even when the charter receives higher funding. Although the U.S. Department of Education's findings agree with those of the NEA, their study points out the limitations of such studies and the inability to hold constant other important factors, and notes that "study design does not allow us to determine whether or not traditional public schools are more effective than charter schools" (NEA, 1998).
Counselor interviews, professional journals, litigation, and the most recent data and statistics on the subject of charter schools is evidence that is examined at the primary and secondary levels of education. Many of the inherent organizational challenges found therein, are to be analyzed for themes that are perpendicular and those that are parallel. Earlier reviews on the topic has used the words perverse and “spectacle of fear” to describe charter schools in their failing and miserable attempts to reform the contemporary schools under the guise of the 2002 No Child Left Behind ideal (Granger, 2008). In only a few of the sources consulted in this study has this harsh language been used to describe the effects of charter schooling. The majority of the literary sources have been supportive of the innovation that is placed in those type of schools.
It is the latter positive contributions consulted in this paper, which convinced the writer to theorize that charter schools are one of the fastest growing innovations in education policy because they have a tendency to invoke a positive learning outcome in their students. Broad bipartisan support from governors, state legislators, and past and present secretaries of education contribute to the solidarity of this concept and the general research opinion. In his 1997 State of the Union Address, former President Clinton called for the creation of 3,000 charter schools by the year 2002. In 2002, President Bush called for $200 million to support charter schools. His proposed budget called for another $100 million for a new Credit Enhancement for Charter Schools Facilities Program. Since 1994, the U.S. Department of Education has provided grants to support states' charter school efforts, starting with $6 million in fiscal year 1995.
Another point of kudos for the charter school system that was evident through this research was the issue of the choice processes that charter students have at their disposal that public schools make available only on a limited and or unobservable basis. Substantiation of these alternatives and support that are more-readily made available to charter school students was noted in a report on the charter school counseling by Stanton-Salazar & Dornbusch (1995) and mentioned in a professional high school journal article entitled, “College Counseling in Charter High Schools: Examining the Opportunities and Challenges”. (Farmer-Hinton & McCullough, 2008). The schools’ staff generally promotes college as a normal and viable postsecondary choice that is communicated through the charter schools counselors’ open relationship with their students.
Responsibility for Results
The mere premise of a charter school is to exhibit results in many major areas. Through the research of this paper, it is evidenced that the charter schools are displaying a great deal of positive results with respect to the subject areas listed in most of their legal charters. The original thesis was that the cost of these results versus the benefit of their results was questionable. During this research, only one professional article was readily available to discuss this particular subject, although there are many legal causes, some are mentioned in this writing, that indicate that this is a huge concern with the public, as well.
There is an important consideration when drafting or revising the legislation for a charter school, however, that addresses “whether to include an appeals process for organizers whose initial proposals are rejected” (The Charter School Roadmap, 1998). Many of these are shown in a report (Table 1) that tracks the variables of applicants within established guidelines.
Many states have seen the concept of charter schools in their state supreme courts on mostly monetary issues, but a unique case of the governing authority over a charter school application for its charter was heard in Beaufort County Board of Education v. Lighthouse Charter School Committee, et al. (1999). This case went a long way towards resolving many of the issues surrounding charter schools in the state of South Carolina. “The Court's decision made it clear that a local school board has the authority, under the S.C. Charter Schools Act of 1996, to require a charter school applicant to comply with the Act's provisions before a charter is approved and, once the local board makes a decision concerning a charter school applicant, the local board's decision must be upheld by the State Department of Education if that decision is supported by substantial evidence on the record” (Duff, White & Turner, LLC, 1999).
Presidential mandates are indicative of the popularity of charter-school types with the constituents and the general public at large. “In the end, school improvement is accomplished through the hard work of school staff, with administrative and parent support” (NEA, 1998) – stated exactly as a common knowledge and belief to the author of this research.
The results of the literature consulted and cited in this paper have been found to emphasize the original theory that the overall benefits produced by charter schools are almost equal to, if they don’t exceed, the cost that is incurred. The fact that this paradigm exists is not believed to be intentional, but rather more of an undefined direction for charter schools and an existing incompetence at truly managing a budget.
Previous research, although truly controversial, was not found to reveal a huge imbalance of the overall end results as opposed to the cost of such at present. Charter schools were found financially unaccountable, whereby their products outweigh the sum of their tangible and intangible costs, by only one professional review. The research of this independent review was even concluded with the following, “recent three initiatives - an R&D intermediary, using charters as the point of the lance, and creation of a level playing field for competition - could set off a wave of innovation and escalating school performance. This, in turn, could tell Americans what they need to spend for effective schools” (Hill, 2008).
This lack of professional review to the contrary is not believed to be a limitation, yet an indication that the concept of the charter schools is a sound one that is being refined into a more efficient and effective educational environment. Therefore, the conclusion of this research is found to be that the charter schools are passing on their score card – marginally, at present, but they are expected to become better stewards of their funds and expenses in the future, thus increasing their passing score.
References
Charter School Closures: An Opportunity for Accountability. (2006, February). Center for Education Reform.
Charter schools data. (n. d.). USCharterSchools.org. Retrieved July 21, 2008, from http://www.uscharterschools.org
The Charter School Roadmap. (1998, September). Department of Education. Retrieved August 30, 2008, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Roadmap/index.html .
Duff, White & Turner, LLC. (1999). S.C. Supreme Court Decision On Charter Schools. FindLaw. Retrieved August 29, 2008, from http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jul/1/126674.html .
Farmer-Hinton, R., & McCullough, R. (2008, April). College Counseling in Charter High Schools: Examining the Opportunities and Challenges. High School Journal, 91(4), 77-90. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.
Granger, D. (2008, May). No Child Left Behind and the Spectacle of Failing Schools: The Mythology of Contemporary School Reform. Educational Studies, 43(3), 206-228. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.
Hill, P. (2008, April). Spending Money When It Is Not Clear What Works. PJE. Peabody Journal of Education, 83(2), 238-258. Retrieved July 27, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database.
Imberman, S.A. (2007). Achievement and Behavior in Charter Schools: Drawing a More Complete Picture.
National Education Association (1998, July). "For-Profit Management of Public Schools". CorpWatch.
Table 1
State-by-State Analysis of Charter School Laws
Appeals and Approval
State
# of Schools/Students
Application
Appeals & Approval
School Limit
Student Limit
Eligible Operators
Sponsors
Appeals
Alaska
30 (limits are defined geographically)
None
Anyone; law does not specify
Local school board; subject to state school board approval
None
Arizona
25 SEA per year 25 charter board per year; no limit on local board-sponsored schools
None
Public body, private person or private organization
Local school board, state board of education or state charter school board
May apply to other sponsor
Arkansas
None
None
Existing public school
State board with approval of local board
None; SEA may request hearing but cannot overturn a decision
California
250 charter schools for the 1998-99 school year with an additional 100 charter schools per school year thereafter
None
Existing public schools; new start-ups; no private or home-based schools allowed
Local school board, county board of education, state board of education
May apply to other sponsor
Colorado
None
None
Anyone; no private or home schools
Local school board
None
Connecticut
24 schools (distinction between local and state and number in congressional district removed in 1997)
No state school can enroll more than 250 students or 25% of the district enrollment, whichever is less
Anyone; no private or home schools
Local or state school board
None
Delaware
No statewide limit, but limited five schools per year for the first three years
None; must serve at least 200 students (waiver for at-risk)
Any person, university, college or nonreligious, nonhome-based, nonsectarian entity
LEA or SEA (local board only for conversions)
None
District of Columbia
For FY97, 10 schools per board, for total of 20 schools per year
None
Anyone; no home schools
D.C Board or Education; Public Charter School Board
None
Florida
Limits defined according to district student enrollment; district may request cap waiver from State Board of Education
None
Anyone; no private or home schools; private schools may disband and reincorporate as charter school
LEA, state universities developmental research schools in consultation with local board
Appeal to SEA; District makes final decision
Georgia
None
None
Local school, private organization, or state or local public entity. No private or home schools.
SEA with LEA approval.
The state board may still grant a charter if the local school board does not approve of the application.
Hawaii
25
None
Existing public school
SEA
None
Idaho
Not more that 60 schools in the first five years; not more that 12 schools per year; not more than 2 schools within an educational classification region; not more that 1 school per district in a year. If fewer than 12 applications, the unused allotments shall be assigned to a statewide pool for other requesting districts with distribution to be determined by random drawing.
None
Any person. No private or home school; for profits cannot operate charter schools.
Local School Board
Appeal to a hearing officer selected by the start superintendent of public instruction. if the decision is not reversed, an appeal to the state board of education with sponsorship of the school under the state board of education.
Illinois
45 with distribution based on population
None
Teachers, administrators, local school councils, colleges or universities, public community colleges, corporations or other entities; no private or home schools
LEA with SEA review for compliance with law
Appeal to state board; recommendation is nonbinding
Kansas
15
None
Anyone; no private or home schools
LEA with SEA review for adherence to state laws, rules and regulations
None
Louisiana
42 (no more than 20 prior to February 1, 1998)
None
Three or more certified teachers alone or partnership with 10 or more citizens, public service organization, business or corporation, college or university, or faculty and staff of any city or parish or any LEA; no private of home schools
LEA or SEA depending on type of charter
None
Massachusetts
50 (13 of which must be Horace Mann conversion schools)
No more that 25% of the total number of students attending public schools in the state
A business, two or more teachers, 10 or more parents or others; no private or home schools
State secretary of education (Horace Mann schools also must be approved by local district and local collective bargaining agent)
None
Michigan
None; state university can sponsor 150 through 1999
None
Any person or entity
Local school board, intermediate school board, community college or state public university
None
Minnesota
None
None
One or more licensed teachers; no home schools
LEA, community colleges, state university, technical and private colleges; SEA must approve all schools
If local board denies application, and at least two members vote to sponsor, state may choose to sponsor
Mississippi
Six (one in each congressional district)
None
Existing public schools
SEA with approval by LEA in district where the charter is located
None
Nevada
21 (allocated based on county population); unlimited number serving at-risk students
None
At least three licensed teachers alone or in partnership with: 10 or more members of general public, organization devoted to serving the general public, private business or college or university; no private or home schools
LEA after receiving permission from SEA to solicit applications; charter also must be approved by SEA
None
New Hampshire
Five prior to 1/1/97; 10 per year through 1999; law defines geographical limitations
School districts may impose limits
Nonprofit organizations, two or more certified teachers, 10 or more parents; no nonpublic or home schools
LEA with state then granting or denying proposed contract
SEA which may then approve and grant charter
New Jersey
135 (12.95-12/97) Minimum of three schools allocated to each county
No more than 500 students or 25% of student body of school district, whichever is less
Teachers and/or parents of public school children; higher education institutions and/or private entities may join teachers and parents; no private or home schools
Commissioner and local board or state superintendent in state-operated school district; commissioner has final authority
SEA within 30 days or
New Mexico
Five
None
Existing public schools
SEA
None
North Carolina
100 (five per district per year)
Charter must enroll 65 students and have at least three teachers (can request waiver in application with compelling reason)
Anyone; no home schools
SEA, LEA or state university; final approval by SEA
SEA which may approve charter
Ohio
20 start-ups in Lucas County; unlimited conversions in all school districts statewide; unlimited in "Big Eight" school districts
Schools must have minimum of 25 students
Anyone; no home schools
City, local, exempted village or joint vocational board of education; statewide SEA for Big Eight districts only; Lucas County Education Service Center and the University of Toledo in Lucas County only
None
Pennsylvania
None
None
Individual; one or more teachers who will teach at proposed school; parents or guardians of students who will attend school; any nonsectarian university or museum; any nonprofit, corporation, association, partnership or combination thereof; no private or home schools
LEA, two or more local boards may grant regional charter beginning in 1999-2000 school year
State Charter School Appeal Board (with 2% or 1,000 district resident signatures whichever is less after 7/1/99)
Rhode Island
20 (no more than 2 per district or four in districts with over 20,000 students)
No more than 6% of state's school-age population
Existing public schools, groups of public school personnel or public school districts; no private or home schools
State board of regents with approval from commissioner of elementary and secondary education or LEA
None
South Carolina
None
None
Anyone; no home schools
LEA
SEA
Texas
120 SEA approved; unlimited local sponsored and at-risk
None
Public or private higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, government entities, groups of parents or teachers; no home schools
LEA; SEA for open-enrollment charters
None
Utah
8 for a three year pilot program
None
An individual or group of individuals, including teachers and parents or guardians of students who will attend the school, or a not-for-profit legal entity organized under the laws of the state. No private or home schools.
State board of education. The local board will review the application and may offer suggestions or recommendations to which the state board shall give due consideration.
None (final action subject to judicial review).
Virginia
The total number of schools shall not exceed ten percent of the school division's total number of school, or two charter schools, whichever is greater. Local school boards are authorized to limit the number of charter schools.
None
Any person, group or organization. No private or home schools.
Local school district.
None
Wisconsin
20 (10 districts may sponsor up to two schools each)
None
Anyone, but petition must be signed by 10% of teachers employed by district or 50% of teachers employed at one school; no private or home schools.
LEA applies to state superintendent for approval to sponsor; schools apply to local board; mayor can sponsor in Milwaukee
None (except in Milwaukee)
Wyoming
None
None
Anyone, but petition must be signed by 10% of the district's teachers or 50% of the teachers in a school, and by 10% of parents of pupils in districts or 50% of parents of students in school; no private or home schools.
LEA
None
Appendix Table C. The Charter School Roadmap, September 1998.
Figure Captions
Figure 1. Figure 1. Demographics of Profiled Charter Schools. Data from Charter schools data, (n. d.).
School and Location
Year First Chartered and Authorizer
Grades
Enrollment
Student Ethnicity
English Learners
Subsidized Meals
Special Needs
Per Pupil Spending
Distinctive Programs and Features
The Arts and Technology
Academy Public Charter School
Washington, D.C.
1998 Special charter school board
Pre-K-6
615
98% Afr. Am.
2% Other
0%
97%
7%
$8,650
BASIS School, Inc. Tucson, Ariz.
1998 State
5-12
246
74% White 12% Hispanic
4% Afr. Am.
10% Asian Am.
1%
Not applicable
1%
$5,339
Community of Peace Academy St. Paul, Minn.
1995 Local district
K-12
546
70% Hmong
20% Afr. Am.
10% Hispanic, Eritrian, White, Vietnamese, & Am. Indian
75%
80%
10%
$10,355
KIPP Academy Houston Houston, Texas
1994 State
5-8
346
77% Hispanic
21% Afr. Am.
2% Asian Am. & White
8%
86%
5%
$8,670
Oglethorpe Charter School Savannah, Ga.
1998 Local district
6-8
319
51% White
38% Afr. Am.
4% Asian Am.
3% Hispanic
4% Other
0%
20%
5%
$6,000
Ralph A. Gates Elementary School
Lake Forest, Calif. (Los Angeles Basin)
1999 Local district
K-6
850
72% Hispanic
22% White
2% Asian Am.
2% Filipino
1% Afr. Am.
1% Multi-racial
44%
63%
5%
$5,367
Roxbury Preparatory Charter School Boston, Mass.
1999 State
6-8
180
80% Afr. Am.
20% Hispanic
0%
56%
7%
$12,910
The School of Arts and Sciences Tallahassee, Fla.
1999 Local district
K-8
226
62% White
22% Afr. Am.
6% Hispanic
3% Asian Am.
7% Multi-racial
2%
19%
22%
$5,750
An administrative career of over 26 years in the civil service has coupled with a lifetime of learning in various forums. I wish to share my knowledge and wisdom through written expression, as I strongly believe that how to learn is the most important lesson gained from academic studies tempered with real-life experience.
Creativity, uniqueness, uniqueness are the tools of success these days. Every student wants to opt for something new, a course or profession which provides him the space to think and demands freshness in its approach. Today, students are very imaginative and they do not want to go with the old and traditional methods or jobs responsibilities. They want to do something new, unusual, which never been done before, and wants to create benchmark for others. Students, these days, are very fast- forward, they have their future plans ready with them, by the time they enter senior secondary school. Going for fields, which demands creativity and innovation, is what every student aims for.
There are many new fields coming up these days, which are highly creative like writing, acting, anchoring, radio jockeying, dancing, fashion designing, interior designing etc. Though all these professions are in great demand and popular among students, but interior designing is one, which allows the student to turn a whole piece of land turn into the product of his ideas and creativity. It's an impeccable job work, which translated your thinking power into a creative beauty. It's a very proud profession, as house or property being the life time asset, gets used and appreciated by an number of people in and around that product.
To fulfil the professional demands of the industry and train the students according to the working standards, many colleges have started courses in interior designing. For admission, an entrance test is conducted by the colleges to test the sketching, technical drawing, imaginative and analytical skills of the students. The applications to the interior designing colleges can made by the student after he passed with his 12th exams. The duration of the course is for around two to four years, depending upon the course chosen and the institute from which the student is planning to pursue his studies. Different colleges providing professional courses in interior designing are:
v Academy of Art and Design, Maharashtra
v Apeejay Institute of Design, New Delhi
v School of Interior Design, Ahemdabad
v J. J School of Arts, Mumbai
v Blitz Institute of Creative Arts, Varanasi
v Global Institute of Fashion Technology, Kolkata
v Indian Institute of Design, New Delhi
v Inter National Institute of Fashion Design, Mumbai, Pune, Ajmer
v India International Trade Centre, Mumbai
v Indian institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi
v Institute for Interior Design, Bangalore
v International Academy of Fashion and Design, Chennai
v Lovely Professional University, Phagwara
Architects for designing the houses, offices, hotels, restaurants, retail shops, theatres, conference halls, film studios, malls, adventure spots, etc are alw3ays in demand to decorate their interiors as well as exteriors. a student, after completing his degree in interior designing, in the beginning of their career, start as the intern or trainee in some designing house. This gives him the initial practical knowledge required to implement in his career. The qualities which an interior designing student must posses are:
v Very imaginative and creative, must be able to think new ideas for every new assignment.
v To be able to read the mind of the customer and implement the designs accordingly
v The designs created by the interior- designer must be more than the term satisfactory for the customer, to ensure his regularity with your organisation.
v Should keep himself updated with the latest developments and new designs and innovation in the world of designing
v Should be able to organise the design according to the budget plans of the customer
v Should have a good sense of colour combinations and work on improving his choice and class for interiors
The work for the interior- design is basically on project basis, and employees are paid quite attractive remunerations for their work assignments.
Gurleen Kaur writes on behalf of Shiksha.com. Shiksha is a portal that connects education seeker with education provider. Shiksha provides information about various professional courses and fashion designing courses
area. I know Dental Assisting is only 3-6 months here but I am not interested in that type of career. Please help!! I can not find a job so I feel the only thing to do is go to school but Im not interested in going for a long time for reasons that would take too long to write on here so please do not suggest longer schooling for anything.
THANKYOU!!!
1. Massage therapy, make sure you take a classes that really focuses on our own body and how to care for it when we give a massage (i am a Massage therapist of about 20 years)
2.Barber School, actually "barbers" that can legally rotate a red and white in front of their store are dwindling away to Men's salons and integrated into larger franchises Like Super Cuts but a simple Barber still attends to attract a good crowd if he is good. I don't think that there is an overload of Barbers either and it is kind of nostalgic. It is especially rare to find one who will actually "shave" a man and many of the older Gentleman still rely on, or desire this ( as well as young men who want to get a thrifty haircut without having to go to the Mall. It can end up a place for the men to meet and talk.
3.Dog grooming.
4.Certified nursing assistant if you cram.
6.Niall care. Manicure Pedicure in the salons.
That's all that I can think of right now.
It should at least point you to some carear Types that you may seek.
Good luck!
The art of the copywriting is one of the most intricate arts in the world. As in every profession there are some indispensable rules that every copywriter should stick to in order to impress his reader and produce appealing content What are these well-known yet so often forgotten rules that every copywriter should follow?! One should be as much precise and straightforward as possible in the writing of your text. Your text should have coherent and logical style. There should be some definite order in which all your message is written. Moreover, you should always visualise your audience in front of you and stress the most important points of your message.
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Make it easy to read. You message must have just one important point. It is not advisable to include several points in your message. Despite the fact that this is an advertisement and some exaggerations are possible and some specialists even encourage them, your message must not contain outward lies. If the reader suspects that you are lying he will not be inclined to take your words and might even doubt the credibility of the whole company you are working for. The message must be written in simple, easy to read and understandable style. Do not patronise and try to have honest and equal dialogue with your customer. Do not be very technical in the writing of your message. However, it might be advisable to include some technical terms in your advertisement, otherwise write it in more general terms, as your message might be read by the person who is not familiar with technical details.
Check your text on grammar and spelling mistakes before you are placing your message on the web site or submit it to the advertisement. Do not use too many words; try to be as succinct as possible. Your message should be memorable. Talk directly to the reader of your advertisement. Try to use such words as "you", "your" as much as possible, as the advertisement that communicates directly with your customer is more appealing.
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I'm currently writing my dissertation, in which there is quite a few mentions of an analog / analogue converter, and suchlike.
The issue is that one of the products is called an 'Analog Front End', which has to stay in that format, but when describing it (and other component's) functions, should I refer to them as 'analogue' or 'analog'?
Thanks
In British English you'd be correct always to use "analogue" except in a name, quotation or reference in which case you should repeat the spelling used in the referred text.
Notwithstanding the above, the UK's technical world is very familiar with new world spelling so the issue is not too critical except perhaps with a pedantic few!!
I've been researching six month certificate programs, but it doesn't seem like they cover much material. Do these certificates really give you a leg up in the job hunt?
A certificate (or degree) in tech writing might get your resume looked at over one without - it won't be the deal maker though. The better programs give you hands-on writing challenges with qualified critique to help develop your skill. The deal maker though is whether you can write or not.
Most HR people have come to learn that a BA in English is really a degree in literature and not in writing. While we expect that an English grad will write better than will a sociology grad, we don't accept it as an automatic qualification for a writer any longer. Writing samples (preferably 'real world') are what sets the writing applicant apart from the pack. If you want a job as a writer then you need to be able to show some real-world work samples.
Technical writing is specialized according to what you write about. We tend to expect a tech writer to have serious coursework/experience in the specialty area as well as in writing. This is the single biggest hurdle for prospective tech writers - it's great that you write well but if we want you to explain the natural environment of Cyclemys dentata and expect you'll be able to do it in terms even an HR guy can understand then you'd need some science background for that one. [this is the number one reason prospective writers can't find work - they only really know writing and we don't usually need anyone to 'write about writing'.]
A lot of tech writing is being contracted out these days. "Jobs" are really hard to come by except in IT (writing manuals) and in Engineering. Many tech writers are making their living as contract writers and have to go hunting for clients like anyone else that owns a business.
Those things in mind, the certificate helps in that it should make you a better tech writer and provide you with some samples to share. If you're doing contract work then it helps as an extra credential that might give you an edge over the next guy bidding the same job.
The real decision though is almost always based on your writing samples. You either have the skill and talent or you don't. If you do then you'll work - if not, no degree or credential is going to get you (or keep you) employed.
There are a lot of scholarships for college students 2010 that you can apply for to help with your educational expenses. We've looked for some of them and here's a few scholarships for college students 2010 you can apply for today. Find more scholarships that fit your needs by also doing your own research.
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The Society for Technical Communication is a professional organization for people developing technical information through such occupations as technical writing, editing, graphical design, interface design, and Web design. The goal of the society is to improve the transfer of information about science and technology from its developer (e.g., scientist, engineer, inventor) to its user. STC scholarships benefit students working toward this goal.
Remember to apply early to as many scholarship programs as you can but only for those you qualify for so you will not be wasting your time. Also, another good idea when applying for scholarships is to start doing it early on during the semester so as to have more time to complete more applications.
Today we are living in the age of information, and communication where the information societies are rapidly transforming themselves from information society to knowledge society. Information society or rather its Japanese term "Johoka Shokai", was perceived by the Japanese writer, Yoneji Masuda, "as a society, which would eventually move to a point at which the production of information values became the formative force for the development of the society."
In India the significance of communication in equipping people with new information and skills; and mobilizing them for their willful participation in various development programmes and activities has been well recognized and emphasized in the country's blueprint policy i.e the five year plans. Communication is fun, Communication is power, Communication is money and Communication is intelligence today. So a country's growth, cultural moorings, its inner strength and competitive edge all depend greatly on communication power. In the recent years the country is on the threshold of a new communication revolution of which satellite, TV, Video are major manifestations. In this information age from high frequency wireless communication to digital compression technology, to microwave communication to silicon chips, satellite communication, optic fibers, telematics, computer graphics, Internet, world wide web, Internet protocol TV(IPTV),interactive TV(ITV),digital audio broadcasting(DAB),multimedia and so on, there is no stopping and no looking back. Communication wise the whole world is technically knit together and with the constraints of time and distance disappearing, it has been possible for humanity at large to be integrated at intellectual, economic, cultural and emotional levels, by sharing a global commonwealth of human resources, transforming the whole world virtually into a 'global village'.
NEW COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES-Different Perspectives And Significance
The concept of global village by Marshall McLuhan is becoming increasingly interconnected by communication technologies that is gradually defining the way we look at the world. The Gutenberg era is over. A new digital communications technology has emerged. An electronic superhighway is beginning to girdle the globe as voice, video and data converge bringing in the wake a new basket of digital multimedia and interactive communications technologies. New technologies such as Global Satellite of Mobile communications(GSM),General Packet Radio service(GPRS), Teletext, Videotex, Virtual Private Network(VPN), Wi-Fi, Coded Division Multiple Access(CDMA) etc are gaining wide acceptance due to several advantages like--
Marriage of mediums or rather, Convergence is today a reality and India is fast waking up to the digital era, re-shaping the way the individuals and organisations produce, process, market, collaborate and share information. The launch of paid Internet radio services on Yahoo! And Rediff.com, Edge, Third Generation(3G) and Bluetooth, Internet on TV, are some of the new technologies that have been used for the benefit of mankind. At the same time ,there is an increasing demand from consumers for data delivery, telephony services, global roaming, e-mail, video and Internet access on one single device. These needs have resulted in global standards that are more open, making available the vast knowledge base and providing substantial increase in productivity, a better quality of life, enhancements in education and recreation and cross cultural understanding.
COMMUNICATIONS SCENARIO: Then And Now
Coming to the access of these new technologies, no wonder it can be safely said that the Indian middle class have moved at a much faster pace than expected. If you still deny than consider the communications scenario.
Within a decade the average citizen owns a private telephone, television and personal computer. In addition to these ,telephone and Internet access is increasingly provided by phone booths and cyber cafes situated in public places. In 1947 it, when India gained independence, it had only 84000 telephone lines, to reach out to a population of 300 million. By 1999,India had an installed network of over 25 million telephone line, spread over 300 cities, 4869 towns and 310897 villages, making India's telecommunication network the 9th largest in the world. Another most successful achievement was the introduction of mobile telephone services in 1995, along with pager services. By 1998,India had one million cell phone users in its four metropolitan cities, with 45% in Delhi followed by Mumbai 35%,Calcutta 12% and Chennai 8%.Another 500000 or so existed in towns and cities. Previously the use of cell phone was restricted only among the urban elites, corporate leaders and business professionals, but currently the omni presence of rural phone in rural setting is also very much conspicuous. These services satisfies the strong cultural need of the pan Indian to keep constantly in touch with the family members. For a vegetable seller in a remote village of Karnataka, uses his mobile phone ,to supply and take orders for his customers, who lives in far off villages. He has no pucca house, nor he has any pucca shop. What he has is a small make shift shop, a two wheeler moped and a Nokia 1100 mobile phone. Again Yashwant Singh a villager in Hoshiarpur of Punjab, owner of several trucks, has purchased cell phone for his truck drivers, to keep with them in constant touch. Many well to do farmers in India often own mobile phones keeping in touch with block and district level officials, checking market information, scheduling transportation, pick ups and so forth. Many mobile users access mobiles for listening to FM radio or MP3 DVD player,capturing images and videos and simultaneously transfer them via infrared or Bluetooth to other mobile users,use multimedia through 3G(Third Generation),send SMS and MMS playgames and various other purposes.
The traditional sectors like radio and television have also undergone functional displacement, owing to the changing times and needs. DTH (Direct to Home) technology which takes cross border satellite programmes direct to viewers homes without the intervention of cable operators, is the future of TV.DTH TV is digital and interactive and offers up to a hundred subscription channels. Also development of radio has taken giant strides in the past few years. Satellite radio was a major innovation ,followed by Podcasting , which is currently riding high on the success of Apple computers ipod. Technically speaking Ipod are basically digital basic (MP3)players with local storage and Internet connectivity-the latter is required for downloading audio and other files from web servers via RSS or XML protocol. Podcasters are like web loggers ,amateurs who create radio like programs of commentary, music and humour, save them in MP3 audio format and post them as websites which are ipod enabled. Then there is Digital Audio Broadcasting which consists in combining a series of services into a frequency band called a base group, enabling a multiplex bit stream to be created in which services of all shapes and sizes can be transmitted, thus providing perfect sound quality, free of interference, capable of serving a mobile audience.
In the case of personal computers, one important factor promoting the diffusion of personal computers, in India, in the late 1990s was the rise of various financing schemes. More and more middle class could purchase computers. Till 2000 a typical Pentium II desktop computer cost about 50000,which was quite a heavy burden upon the middle class. But the things changed with the alternative model of an assembled piece where the consumer brought the computer home, by choosing the specific configaration of a computer-like the speed and amount of ram, modem speed, speakers and monitors etc. and surprisingly all this within a very affordable range. Now the situation has changed to such an extent that even branded laptops are available for rs 30000.the enthusiasm for the computers was immediately visible through the internet. Cyber cafes were quick to catch the pulse of the market and in 1995 after Internet connectivity was made available to the individuals and the organisations, on a commercial basis, cyber cafes sprang up to add zeal..These cafes unleashed opportunities before an individual. It enabled an individual to log on to the net, surf it, play games, watch video, e-mail, chat,e-shop for Rs10/-15/per hour. Initially urban centric now it has spread its wings to rural areas too, by upgrading themselves into ICC(Internet Community Centres ), providing net surfing, net telephony, telephone, multimedia, video conferencing and photocopying services all in one.
Further the Internet gave rise to an era of e-business-both e-marketing and e-commerce. E-marketing requires the use of the Internet to market ones products and services, and e-commerce is commercial transactions between two parties on the Internet. In India though these concepts are relatively new, yet many individuals and organisations are entering into these business as they are time saving, cost effective and most important of all ensures 100% transparency and improves efficiency. The age old concept of middle class, underhand activities and unethical practices and unjustified harassments are gradually being overcome by these e-business. Some of these e-business companies who have establised themselves as a reputed brand name in the international arena are Metal Junction Services limited, e-bay, Amazon.com, Aditya Birla, IFB, Dell, etc. Today the Internet is accessed via cable TV, telephone, mobile phones, palm tops, and DTH apart from the conventional computers.
(DIAGRAM IN THE LAST PAGE)
CASE STUDY 1
Andhra Pradesh has already implemented four e-governance initiatives, adopting the old and new technologies like -
? CARD-Computer Aided Administration of Registration Department
This enables a person regarding registration of land ,purchasing of land,ascertaining marketing value,transfer duty,etc. that which took earlier days and hours,now took only 15 mins.
? APSCAN-Andhra Pradesh State Secretariat Administrative Network.
? APSWAN-Andhra Pradesh State Wide Network
Both of these networks help in interaction among the villagers ,government officials, block development officers, chief minister, state secretariats, and the extension agents through video conferencing.
? TWINS-Twin Cities Network Services
This services is provided to the two cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Here the citizens are provided all kinds of services like-electricity bill, phone bill, driving license, holding tax,insurance claim-all under one roof.
CASE STUDY 2
In a rural country like India, health remains a perennial problem. But Maharashtra has achieved astounding success in routing information to the villagers not only health conscious but also avail them of all those benefits of doctors and medicines, that their urban counterparts are habituated to enjoy. Its a dose of e-medicine for rural folks across the state. The doctors and experts together treats patients in the remote interiors of Maharashtra via satellite. Civic authorities ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) and state officials have joined hands to make success their project. Here the patients in the rural areas get easy access to the modern facilities without having to travel long distance and spending big bucks. Thus the patients and the physicians in distant areas remain in constant touch via telecom network.
CASE STUDY 3
Recent government records show that more than 25% ( 59 million school-aged children ) are still not enrolled in a school. Despite these poor figures in education , India has highly competent human resources as also a strong base in ICT, which if utilized to its maximum capacity in future , India will be among the topmost Asian countries. the Bridges to the Future Initiative –India ( BFI) seeks to improve the basic skills, literacy and entry in vocational skills of out-of-school youth and young adults in poor communities in several Indian states. to achieve these goals , the BFI employs innovative and cost-effective ICT tools and methodologies to improve the quality of teaching, learning in basic and vocational education and to assist community members in obtaining information resources that can improve their daily lives. At the official level , the BFI is situated under the patronage of MHRD and state education agencies ( initially Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, where formal MOU's are signed in May 2001.).
INDIA'S INFORMATISATION PROCESS
India's informatisation process started in 1990,which accompanied by the liberalisation , globalisation and privatisation policy, opened up borders for several MNC's like McDonalds, Reebok,Pepsi,Coke etc. And also encouraged individuals to come forward to set up their own private organisation. The NEP (New Economic Policy) by Manmohan Singh reflected Indias enthusiasm to pursue an informatisation route. Prior to this Rajiv Gandhi government instituted favourable policies in electronics, software and telecommunications and pushed for the application of information technology in computerising the Indian railways reservation system,banks and land records. During his tenure, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), The Centre for the Development of Advancement Computing(C-DAC)) and the NIC(National Informatics Centre) were established. Also he invited Texas instruments,GE, and Hewlett Packard triggering the rise of Bangalore Technopolis. Further the establisment of a National Task Force in 1998 in the Atal Behari Vajpayee,regime under the co-chairmanship of AP's the then chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu was a watershed event in India's road to informatisation. Its action plan made 108 recommendations on ways of utilising technologies for socio-economic development,it recommended the privatisation of internal services,the waiver of license fees for private Internet, service providers allowing ever cable operators and ISD/STD booth operators to use their infrastructure to enhance Internet access and zero duty on all it products by 2002 ad .It further recommended that software and IT be treated as a priority sector by banks for five years and that students, teachers and schools be offered computers at reduced prices. The task force wanted every ISD/STD booth in the country to be turned into an information kiosk providing access to the Internet and related services like e-mail. More over in 1999,it introduced an IT bill in parliament for facilitating e- commerce and e-business activities and created a 25 million venture capital fund to fuel computer start ups.
Not surprisingly some of the famous and richest IT Indians are Aziz Premzi (Wipro), N R Narayanmurthy (Infosys), Vinod Khosla (co-founder of Sun Microsystems) , Sabeer Bhatia(co-founder of hot mail) and Sam Pitroda,who had spearheaded the country's communication revolution to a large extent.
From the above situation one can summarise the India's informatisation effort-
? India has vast potential to compete with world's best -Japan,Germany,U.S,and U.K .The rich resources,huge talent and billion population should be tapped by the Indian government and thus facilitate innovation, enterpreneurship and creativity, rather than stiffling it or creating barriers like red tapism, bureaucratic hassles in approval and licenses. India's enthusiasm and zeal should motivate young enterpreneurs to come forward and be an active member in the participatory process for socio-economic development in the country. Theinformatisation strategy through which an information society emerges centres on new communication technologies, on research universities where technicalbrainpower is trained andresearch anddevelopment is conducted,and on favourable government policies. With this India is poisedto become an it world power.
? The infrastucture,the economic policy and various other policy and strategies should be directed towards facilitating of India's communication revolution .For eg the PCO's, ICC's, cyber cafes that have come up has not only provided employment to the young people but also has enabled the individuals to empower themselves and others with knowledge and information.
? Indian personalities should also play a role model for the coming generation. The role of conventional media like radio and TV should be imitated and most importantly folk media should be merged with it to create a far wider acceptance. The DD should be more innovative and the government should ensure the cable TV /DTH participation towards a more socially responsible approach rather than only spinning off money.
With the development of technologies in the past few decades , the role of information and communication technologies(ICT), in improving economic efficiencies and enabling social development . Governments , the private sector and civil society alike note that , " vast no's of people are excluded from the benefits of these technologies , in particular people who lack the infrastructure, skills , literacy and knowledge of the dominant internet language-English. They also recognize the opportunities for ICT to bring about change not only to address existing obstacles to the social and economic development of these groups , but also to transform the very systems that create these inequalities in the first place . ICT must be deployed to build an information society where everyone specially disadvantaged women, poor and rural people – can fully participate as citizens and reap the benefits of the information revolution.
According to Robert Schware , lead informatics specialist, the global ICT dep't, of the World Bank, said-that India did take up over 200 pilot projects in the area of e-governance ; out of which only 100 are worth taking up full scale and can be replicated in other parts of the country. In his answers , to the global scenario in e-governance , he said- "that it is estimated that approximately 85% of e-governance projects in developing countries are total failures, approximately 50% are partial failures, only some 15% can be fully seen as success." Though he commented that the primary factors for the failures include inability to deliver government services that provide benefit to citizens or business, lack of clarity on business perspective , projects are done in dept-al isolation rather than via a single co-ordination body and lack of political will and leadership and lack of skills in project management among some.
There are many countries that have achieved a reasonable amount of success in their e-government initiatives. For e.g. according to Cap Gemini Ernst & Young consultants , during 2003, Denmark had achieved 72% of government services on line with an 87% score on degree of sophistication. Other countries that have high rate for particular e-government services includes the U.K, Spain, Greece, Finland, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania and Mexico. According to Sudhir Narang, Vice President, government and service provider business , Cisco systems , India & SAARC, " almost every state has an it policy in place with the aim of evolving itself from being an it aware to an it enabled govt. state govt's are fast recognizing the benefits of an it-enabled working environment". Shivaji Chatterjee , senior director , sales and marketing, Hughes Escorts Communication, says " IT has a vital role to play in all transaction that the govt undertakes. It helps the govt cuts red tapism, avoid corruption, and reach citizens directly." Adds Rajiv Kaul, MD Microsoft, India –" a strong technology infrastructure can help central and state govts deliver a comprehensive set of services to citizens." The Karnataka's govts ‘ Bhoomi' project has led to the computerization of the countries old system of hand written rural land records. Through it , the revenue Dep't. has done away with the corruption ridden system that involved bribing at every step. ITC's E-Choupal unique web based initiative offers farmers the information, products and services they need to enhance productivity , improve farm-gate price realization and cut transaction costs. Farmers can access the latest local and global inform on weather , scientific farming practices, as well as market prices at the village itself through this web portal all in Hindi. The national e-governance plan ( 2003-2007), reflects the strategic intent of the central govt. in the right perspective. In the future State Wide Area Networks (SWAN), & Community Information Centers ( CIC), projects have to be rolled out , backed by a strong Public-Private Participation model( PPP), to achieve long term sustainability. Already the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and national institute of smart government ( NISG) has hosted India's first S. Asia public sector ICT summit. The theme of the summit was ‘ new models for e-govt. in S. Asia and the world' & was targeted at senior govt & policy makers from the countries in S-Asia including India.
Again if the example of Mizoram , then it can be seen that ever since its inception in 1989, the continuous and tireless efforts of NIC Mizoram have resulted in spreading of ICT culture in the state. NIC along with the government of Mizoram has taken up many initiatives in facilitating and promoting e-governance in various sectors such as transport, land record, public health engineering, accounts and treasuries etc. –
For eg in transport communication ‘ Sarathi' and ‘Vahan' provide provide a complete solution for district transport office ( DTO) computerization including registration , licensing, permit and enforcement, tax and fee collection etc. a vehicle statistics information systems has been developed that helps in collection of various reports required annually by state transport authority of Mizoram.
26 CIC ( Community Information Centre) have been established since 2000 which are equipped with computers , VSAT, TV, web cameras, printers, ups etc . Two qualified operators manage these CIC's , which provide the following services to the people in the far flung and remote areas of the state. E-mailing , web browsing and document priority; imparting IT training to the villagers, students, etc, providing G2C ( government to consumer) services such as support for BPL survey, village council elections, publications of tenders, notifications etc.
PROBLEMS ENROUTE TO INFORMATISATION
Though from the above discussion it might seem that India has successfully become an information society and can be considered for future knowledge society, yet wait before coming to any conclusion .consider these:
? Although India ranks 18th in the world in terms of usage of TV, radio, and Internet and with an entertainment industry having as size of Rs 14,400 crore in 2000, which is expected to rise to Rs 80,000 crore in 2009,yet amidst the expected fast rate of media development, rural India is marginally affected. Without effective communication no society can be apt enough to adopt dynamic models of development communication. Rural India faces a lot of problem. They are:-
1. Wide communication gap
2. Traditional values and attitudes
3. Large and diverse population
4. Low socio-economic status
5. High cost of mass media
6. Illiteracy
7. Stereotypes and prejudices
8. Low motivation
9. Defective opinion leadership
10. Persuasion difficult
11. Feedback difficult
12. Acute social deformity
In a society where till recently the mother has scarcely spoken ,the wife has spent her life without virtually seeing her husband, loveable children are produced without seeming parental interaction, it is very difficult to consider the meaning of communication and hence such a society demands mutual interaction, literacy dissemination, physical interaction, institutional transmission, political participation and cultural togetherness.
? Indian media is largely urban centric. All the development that have taken place in the recent years gave rise to a rural urban divide. The important challenge is to reach the unreached and to include the excluded in its efforts to create an information society for all. . Starting by consulting at the grassroots level is essential. Top-down projects generally don't work. These end up by providing information that people do really need or use at an incomprehensible level of technical detail and terminology.
? The effective utilization of ICT is still unknown to many. The lack of policy support and political will is also due to lack of awareness of economic, political, and social benefits ICT, can bring. The level of awareness among professionals and decision makers in the region about the role of ICT in development is generally low.
? Connectivity and access at an affordable cost in the region in particular, in rural and remote areas is still a problem. Computer literacy is low and the common model based on individual computer access in most cases is unfeasible due tohigh computer costs and lack of energy resources. Low cost devices such as handhelds can contribute to mitigating this problem, but they are not available or they do not have any utilityvalue in many rural or marginalized societies. The same applies to other useful communication technologies such as low cost FM radio stations, but here the challenge is often the lack of political will to open the broadcasting sector for communities to own and manage community radio/TV. Even the radio/TV sets provided by the government remain unutilized due to reasons like intermittent electricity supply, want of repair, or inadequate infrastructure.
? Internet has been largely popular with the people who are well conversant in English. Lack of appropriate local content and diversity in the Internet like local language, local problems and local needs has posed the greatest challenge. Development of local content in many language has been insufficient due to lack of language processing capacity. Tools to capture analogue content into digital form for many Indian languages are yet not available and this has slowed down the digitalization of existing analogue content in text mode and the development of pages enclosing indigenous knowledge. Incapacity to develop local content is equally a challenge for many electronic media and in particular for cultural and educational programmes suitable to local audiences.
? Lack of software, lack of local trainers capable of imparting various skills related to ICT, content development and media operations a challenge which makes it difficult to extend the information society beyond affluent citizens in the region. Moreover most software's are prepared by persons who have no knowledge about rural people, they are born and brought up and fed on the contents of Zee, Sony , Star Plus etc. difficulties abound . in one e.g. , the officer involved in computerizing land records in one Indian state recently said more than half of them are either legally contested , or in the names of the dead people , or illegible etc. yet the computerizing of land records is on the agenda of almost every Indian state.
? The most of the traditional systems have not been exploited fully. Lack of innovativeness and creativity is a major factor. Generally all the programmes are made with the bureaucratic mentality, such that if the programmes are educative , they are boring as they cannot sustain the interest of the viewers for long and if they are entertaining they are not educative. Consequently they lack the personal touch and hence lack credibility. More so with the failure of public service broadcasting, the meaning has lost somewhere in the bureaucratic tangles. The information people initially say they need , may not always be what they end up using . in the M.S. Swaminathan Pondicherry project , for e.g. , male farmers originally said they needed information about agriculture. In fact , their largest single usage of village info. Kiosks was to get information about government programs.
? India underwent a high degree of change in terms of commercialization and media information. Proper utilization and meaning of information has been distorted to give rise to western media imperialism and consequently the digital divide. The information gap is real and and runs between north-south, rich-poor, young-old, literate- illiterate, rural-urban, and men-women.
? IT should not be simply identified with computers and internet. Some of the inventive uses of the IT involve radio, television and embedded chips, potentially useful satellite inventories etc. The classic e.g. is the use of automated butterfat assessment equipment in Gujarat , which has radically simplified the process of automating milk and paying diary farmers.
? Lack of business process modification- in many well meaning projects & duplication of the manual process in the it environment was seen as major reasons for the end users / citizens not associating any value addition with the projects & looked upon e-governance as an unwelcome addition to the hurdles to be crossed before getting the work done. For e.g. in depts. Which maintain land records specially in rural areas the details regarding land ownership ,cropping patterns etc were computerized , but no legal sanctity was given to the output generated by such systems in absence of a commensurate change in the status.
? More talk than action- lot has been talked about. Seminars , conferences and workshops at national, international, local level has taken place a lot. Various five year plans have been planned. But few actions have taken place in reality so far.
? Financial sustainability- the goal of financial sustainability is rarely achieved . granting that initial start up costs have to be borne by someone, very few projects even plan for long term sustainability and even fewer achieve it.
? A successful commercial ict sector does not necessarily trickle down to ordinary Indians. Proposals by state governments to develop it for the masses often place primary emphasis on developing software technology parks , improving education at higher levels of information technology etc. though these goals are praiseworthy , yet there is very little evidence as to the increased growth rate of software industry in relation to improved living conditions, more schools and colleges, better healthcare, eradication of poverty,, more jobs, or any other benefits.
? Apparently technical decisions concerning it regulation, bandwidth allocation, pricing mechanism, transmission standards etc, can have profound effects on whether or not information technologies benefit ordinary Indians. One case is the requirement that internet service providers guarantee to cover an entire state. This effectively precluded local entrepreneurs from providing internet connectivity in small & medium towns , unlike local initiatives that have helped spread satellite television rapidly in rural India. Analysis of the impact of technological decisions on it for the common man is largely absent.
? Wiring India- until the cost of last mile of basic devices & of local language software are brought down , the goal of wiring India will remain unachieved . Though low cost technological solution alone cannot solve the problem, but they are requisites for it India.
? Credibility- one cannot believe in what they are told. A no of projects that are publicized turn out , on a site visit , to have closed, or not yet to be in operation,or to have detoriated from their stated original goals.
PROMISES OF ICT-
At IBM's India research laboratory , the researchers are trying to develop a mobile software platform, called the ‘ spoken web', for delivering the above kinds of services to communities in emerging countries . the spoken web is a network of voice sites , which exists and operates on the telephony network rather than the internet. Accessing the spoken web does not require an expensive computer , an internet connection or the ability to read and write . people can browse voicesites by talking to them and traverse from one voicesites from another via voilinks, and even conduct transactions simply by talking. What's more a phone number can act like a URL in the traditional web , and one does not need a high end mobile device to access the spoken web, a plain old rotary phone can do the job. Interaction with customers and dissemination of government information everything can be possible in the mobile web.
INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY
Even though there are huge disparities en-route to informatisation, India's focus on growth of the ICT sector has paid rich dividends in terms of export earnings, employment generation and its image of an emerging economy. Large corporations are becoming competitive by deploying enterprise wide solutions to interpret data and make panning and decision making data based. Many have started to feel that the next century will be the century of knowledge. A nation's ability to convert knowledge into wealth and social good through the process of innovations going to determine its future. The economics of knowledge will dominate the coming century.
To meet the twin objective of growth with equity ,knowledge cannot be the prerogative of a few, everyone in the society must have access to knowledge and become knowledge workers. Nations which do not create knowledge societies will vanish into the oblivion. But those that do create knowledge societies will have the potential to lead the world. Now before embarking into a knowledge society , one must first know what is a knowledge society? Creation of a knowledge society should revolve around creating, sharing and using knowledge and information to create wealth and improve the quality of life. Knowledge can be defined as familiarity gained by research and experience, and includes
If the Indian society has to become a knowledge society, then it is important that every Indian becomes a knowledge worker. We need to recognize the concept of a knowledge worker in the broadest possible sense .It is not scientists and technologists alone, who will be knowledge workers .Even a farmer can be a knowledge worker, provided he understands the soil that he is sowing his seeds in and how he lives in an information village, where he has the benefit of short and medium range weather forecasting to plan his farming activity and so on.
PRIORITY OF A KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY
A knowledge society is characterised by new structures of knowledge, methods of dissemination and a technology that permits and sustains unrestricted access to knowledge control over it. Since all human activity uses and creates knowledge, the existing societies are also, in this sense, knowledge societies. Human activity uses and creates knowledge and each society should be characterised and identified by its knowledge base (Lokavidya).
The societal transformation has to be through large-scale development in education, health-care, agriculture and governance. These will turn to employment generation, high productivity and rural prosperity. Such models should aim to provide opportunity for rural economic development and prosperity. Youth in the locality could be easily trained to cater to the requirement of IT enabled services. This will also make available place and manpower at very cheaper rates when compared to urban localities. This will also aid in stopping movement of families towards urban localities .More so the model should try to improve the quality of life in rural places. Knowledge powered rural development is a essential need for transforming India into a knowledge power and high bandwidth rural connectivity is the minimum requirement to take education, health care, and economic dynamism to the rural areas. Knowledge society leading to knowledge superpower can prosper and survive only in the environment of economic security and internal security. Nation has to work for transformation into developed India. For eg if people find that they can book railway tickets through the web in a reliable and secure manner , then nobody will take the pains to travel by scooter or the bike.
CASE STUDY 4
The knowledge system for sustainable food security in the villages of Pondicherry has the empowerment of rural women, men and children with information relating to ecological agriculture,economic access and utilisation as its goal. Such a knowledge system is being managed by the local youth at the village knowledge centre from where the computer aided information system is operated. Farmers who are becoming the knowledge workers are also being trained to maintain a "soil health card "to monitor the impact of farming systems on the physical,chemical and microbiological components of soil fertility.
Enlightened citizens empowered with knowledge will be able to see the crucial link between the 5 E's namely environment,ecology, economics,equity and ethics. They will then not be guided by misinformation fed by vested interest groups. But they will use their knowledge to decide on their own as to what is wrong and what is right. They will not stop projects that lead to economic development but they will stop those that lead to destruction .
CASE STUDY 5
ICT policy of Malaysia
Malaysia being a middle income economy is able to shift from agrarian society in a single generation(during 60's to 80's).ICT has played a dual role in the development of Malaysia, one in product sector and another one as a strategic enabler. Malasia took two major initiatives to address both the issues of economic competitiveness and social equality, such as Multimedia Super Corridor(MSC) targeting economic development and National Information Technology Agenda(NITA) targeting social development. In 1996 National Information Technology Council (NITC was formed in 1994) came out with national IT agenda , with a people centred approach to development. Ita was operationalised with five e-trusts model. They are e-economy,e-public services, e-community, e-learning,and e- sovereignity.
Access to knowledge can impact effectiveness when individuals feel enriched (with new ideas, solutions to problems) and are able to seek information at the time and place where it is needed. Thus knowledge management initiatives should supplement traditional networking through face to face contact. The rural populace lacks the life skills required to filter through the vast information available on the Internet and identify information most relevant to them. The role of intermediaries in interpreting the information needs of rural communities ,collecting the information from public domain sources and dissemination of the information in local text and idiom is very important, as has been demonstrated in pilots in Kothamale and in Pondicherry.
STEPS NEEDED FOR FULL PROOF KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY
? Creation of IT mind set in India-
Information and technology are moving so fast that it has been impossible for general public to keep a tab on the events. There is a need for awareness of it among the people and its utilisation. For e.g. many people though know what is Internet, they dabble with only its minimal applications whereas it has far reaching and in-depth utilisation and impact.
? Promoting development of an enabling policy environment-
To be a knowledge society India needs to develop holistic national policy promoting an enabling environment for a knowledge society for all .In the policy development process special efforts should be taken to address to equitable access, human resources, and application development. Also the linkages between the knowledge society and media and in particular public service broadcasting as a conduit for educational and cultural content should be addressed as an integral part of the policy formulation process and media law revisions .In formulating policy India should encourage transparent dialogue with all the members including the civil society ,communities and private and public sector agencies.
? Promoting equitable access-
India should promote shared access through community multimedia centres and conduct assessment of current access models. India should support innovations in low cost community access targeted specially at marginalised groups. With the possibility to use ICT, librarians and archivists offer great potential as knowledge workers. Many libraries and archives in the region do not provide online access to their readers .Libraries if properly equipped with ICT ,can become for many people an effective gateway to the information society.
? Enhancing knowledge management capacity-
The process of knowledge management for both content and availability is an essential part of modernisation. Human resource development in information management for knowledge workers should take a central place in India's communication and information programme. To support capacity building, particularly in the area of human resource development,India should provide training of local trainers in the fields of ICT at various levels. Also India should promote specialised training programmes for disadvantaged groups to reap the benefits of ICT particularly in ICT enabled learning and enterpreneurial opportunities.
? Developing appropiate content
India to promote appropiate content development ,should rely on creating proactive partnerships with extension services (education,agriculture,health),government agencies,non-governmental agencies,media organisations,and professional organistions. It should be geared towards the ethos and relevance of the local people,and their problems and needs. The universal access cannot be achieved without promoting multilingualism in cyberspace. India should also motivate and support the efforts of public institutes and universities to identify and promote technologies and tools capable of digitizing local contents.
? Developing Public Service Broadcasting
India should continue to harness the potential educational and cultural role of Public Service Broadcasting and need for public service broadcasting to reposition itself to fulfill this function. The challenge to transform public service broadcasting as a democratic platform and an enabling tool for masses to migrate into an eventual knowledge society remains relevant. This is more so with the potential to use broadcasting as a disseminating technology for distance learning in remote rural areas with the possibility of simultaneous data casting of distance learning modules. Repositioning Public Service Broadcasting to act as an interface to bring benefits of ICT to the greatest number of people is a real challenge. India in collaboration with the partners should strive to introduce sharing of high quality educational content through the public service broadcasting systems .There is also a need to ensure a greater gender balance and to supporting media training for women.
? Promoting community radio
The central public interest principle in broadcasting is that of universal access. This principle of access should allow people to participate meaningfully in their community and society. It also includes greater access to the means of production and participating in broadcasting. Community owned and operated radio networks can make radio a truly participatory communication tool. Community radio
Community radio also has the potential to act as an interface between communities and internet. Converting community radio into multimedia centres with access to information networks should be main thrust of India's approach to promote community radio.
? Regional flagship programmes
India should establish regional flagship programmes.
CASE STUDY 6
E-SEVA project of Andhra Pradesh-
From a mere 4,800 transactions a month in august 2001 to a whooping 7.5 lakh transactions a month in February 03, e-seva , Andhra Pradesh , G2C ( Government to citizen) utilities service project has come of age , offering nearly 43 services ranging from payment of utility bills to issuing of certificates, permits to licenses, reservation of buses to B2C services.
CASE STUDY 7
The project SAUKARYAM
Saukaryam in Vishakapatnam is among the few projects using the net effectively to connect citizens to civic administration in real time. People can settle their bills online , check the status of building and water supply plans , receive information on births and deaths, track garbage clearance , even scan tender notices. The idea behind the project is to track every service that is offered by the corporation online; from taxation to public works to city sanitation. Also it offers a discussion forum for people.
CONCLUSION
Though India can boast of an informatisation process which is going down well, yet it would be blunderous on its part to get smugged off easily with its partially achieved success. The problems which are seemingly appearing minuscule, are only the tip of an iceberg, which urgently requires timely intervention, before it assumes gigantic proportion. Instead of resting on its laurels , the government should take note of the loopholes in the machinery itself, which affect seriously the vision of this project.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1."Within a decade....family members", India's communication revolution-from bullock carts to cyber marts—Everett M Rogers and Arvind Singhal—Sage Publications.
2. "In the case of personal computers....affordable range". India's communication revolution-from bullock carts to cyber marts—Everett M Rogers and Arvind Singhal—Sage Publications.
1.. Case Study 1,----India's communication revolution-from bullock carts to cyber marts—Everett M Rogers and Arvind Singhal—Sage Publications.
2. Communication revolution—Kewal J Kumar.
A First class Third Post Graduate in Mass Communication from The University of Burdwan, currently working as a Sr Lecturer in the Department of Media Science , teaching Marketing Communications in DSMS (Durgapur Society Of Management Sciences).Also worked as Lecturer in Department of Media Science in NSHM Institute of Media Communications, teaching Advertising, Branding and Marketing . A NET qualified MARCOM Specialist, I started my career as a Guest Faculty in The University of Burdwan and Michael Madhusudan Memorial College, Durgapur. With six years of teaching experience I have wide exposures in presenting papers in conferences and seminars, and writing in various research journals and books related to branding, Advertising, PR and Marketing.My domain knowledge spans from Advertising, Marketing and Corporate communications, in short Marcomm. I have attended and presented papers in seminars and conferences of national and international repute on Branding and Marketing. I have published papers on branding in the research journal of the University of Burdwan and ICFAI Journal of Brand Management. One of my research article is published in the executive MBA Book, of ICFAI, in September 2008.
