Online Education

One of the most oft-used terms after the pandemic is the term “new normal.” The new normal in education is the increased use of online learning tools and platforms. Online education is electronically supported learning that relies on the internet for teacher-student interaction and the distribution of class materials. It has quickly become the forte and future of education at all levels.

The situations arisen during COVID-19 times, has been proven that had online education systems not been in place, education worldwide would have been negatively impacted. Online education has indeed helped further educational processes than being left stand still. Live or recorded interaction with faculties, convenience of studying siting at home at any time of the day, access to live videos and recorded sessions and presentations has been made possible through online mode of imparting education. Education in the field of management at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels along with it’s due recognition by regulatory authorities has made online education emerging as the most viable method of education in the current scenario and way forward in this space.

As with most teaching methods, online learning also has its own set of positives and negatives. Decoding and understanding these positives and negatives will help in creating strategies for more efficiently deliverance and ensuring an uninterrupted learning journey for students.

Online learning brings with it --

a) Efficiency: Videos, Podcasts, PDFs

b) Accessibility in terms of time and place: Geographical Independence, Recording, Archiving

c) Affordability: reduced financial costs, learning material in soft format

d) Improved Student Attendance

e) Cutting across the bandwidth of students with different learning journey and style

But the repercussions it brings to the table -

a) Extensive focus on screen: thus reduced focus and concentration

b) Technology Issues: Internet penetration and connectivity

c) Isolation: Limited access to peers, and faculty

d) Faculty Training: up-skilling with technology

e) Health Hazards: Increased Screen Time leads to bad posture and other physical concerns

Impostor Syndrome

Think of your greatest achievements. Do you feel proud of what you've accomplished? Or do you feel like a fraud?

Does each raise, promotion or accolade bring joy? Or is it accompanied by the dread that, one day, your cover will be blown, and everyone will find out that you just got lucky?

Impostor Syndrome (also known as Impostorism, Impostor Phenomenon and Fraud Syndrome) is the overwhelming feeling that you've only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications and you don't deserve your success. You become convinced that you're not as intelligent, creative or talented as you may seem. And you suspect that your achievements are down to luck, good timing, or just being "in the right place at the right time.". It is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud".

People of high ability often have a low awareness of that ability. However, that doesn't mean that they all have Impostor Syndrome, which uniquely involves a dread of "discovery." The general patterns in individuals experiencing this can be classified either self proclaimed or on behavioral basis as Perfectionists, Experts, Soloists, Natural Genius, Prodigy and Super-men/women.

Values in Education or Value Education

Education without Vision is Waste,
Education without Mission is a Burden
Education without Values is a Crime

Physical wealth is considered the hallmark of success across societies and cultures, but a person’s real success should be measured instead by the values that he or she possesses such as empathy, care, love, enthusiasm, and humaneness. Today, there is a gradual moral decline in society’s and humankind’s values. Today, there is a need to re-introduce the subject of moral values in the curriculum of Indian students, since society seems to have lost much of its faith in the ethical values of humanity.

What has been viewed for so long as a family responsibility, value education should become an important part of the curriculum of any educating body. Education imparts knowledge which in turn fosters character. 

Individual values vary from society to society, religion to religion. However, there some values like Satya (Truth), Dharma (Being true to oneself), Shanti (Peace), Prem (Love) and Ahinsa (Non-Violence) that are free from controversy and should be acceptable to all the people of the country. On the essence of religions, the Upanishads say: “Just as the milk of the cows of different colours has a single essential colour i.e. white, similarly, truth, though proclaimed by different proclaimers, is always the same”.

Think Positive

I was watching a local basketball match in our residential complex sports club. As I sat down, I asked one of the boys what the score was. With a smile, he replied, "they are leading us 53-10." I said, "REALLY!! I have to say you guys don't look discouraged or down."

"Discouraged!!?" the boy exclaimed with a puzzled look. "Why should we be discouraged when the referee has not blown the final whistle. I have confidence in the team, and we shall definitely overcome." 

Truly, the match ended 72-64 in favour of the boy's team. He waved at me gently, with a beautiful smile as he left. 

I was amazed, mouth wide open. Such confidence, such beautiful faith. As I got back home that night, his question kept coming back to me - Why should I be discouraged when the referee has not blown the final whistle.

Life is like this game, throwing challenges, pushing you down, thrusting you up, giving a few freebies.... Why be discouraged, when there is still LIFE. Why be discouraged when your final whistle has not been blown yet.

The truth is that many people blow the final whistle themselves, but as long as there is life, nothing is impossible and it is never too late. There may be breaks, time-outs, intervals, recesses but it is not yet over until it is over. Don't blow the whistle yourself.

Life is Challenge; Challenge the Negative Thoughts, Take the Optimism in your Stead. 

THINK POSITIVE 😇😇

Time Management

Be on TIME. 
Better to be an hour too soon, than a minute too late.

Time management is one of those issues that we all face, but (ironically) we do not have the "time" to address it. Time in itself is also a very precarious element, in the sense, when you feel you are in need of those moments, it just flies away, while when you are in rush, it seems to crawl slower than a snail.

Time management is possibly that numero uno skill that will take you ahead both personally and professionally. It is just a matter of "time" that if not managed properly, we will just enter into a state of hubbub.

Having said all these, what does it entail. Is it rocket science or just a simple change in attitude? In my perspective, it is just about - 

• Staying Organized: Space | Energy | Capacity

• Efficient Goal Setting: Immediate | Short Term | Long Term

• Prioritizing Goals and Objectives: Urgent | Important

• Meticulous Planning: Thought Through | Spontaneous

• Eloquent Task Delegation: Self | Peers | Seniors | Others

• Effective Communications: Verbal | Non-Verbal | Written | Visual

• Better Stress Management: Attitude | Techniques

Perspective

Conflicts in our lives are part of the interactions with have with the spaces around us. When conflicts arise, acknowledging how others view an issue can be helpful, by being inclusive and interactive.

The key to successful relationships lies greatly on our people skills and solely in our ability to take the perspective of others. Perspective, in sense, refers to the mindfulness of compassion and empathy to our relationships, which brings in mutual respect and moving ahead in a discussion or viewpoint is guaranteed.

Ideally, it's never the situation that's at fault, but the way we choose to view it. Just like our perception of the physical world, perspective matters in our subjective experience of the social world. The same facts can have different meanings when seen from different perspectives. The perspective each person adopts influences what is considered central or peripheral, obvious or obscure, and even present or absent.

The key to shifting our perspective is to remember what we are aiming for. While the practice of perspective taking brings compassion to the emotional climate and has the greatest potential with a positive impact by relating well to others, this does not mean we constantly seek to please and appease others. Our responses, perspectives and views at times can cause disappointment or frustration, which simply means we seek to empathize with others as best as we can. Success in any and every sphere in our personal or professional life zeroes down to effective interactions, humility, self-awareness and the all-important skill of perspective-taking.

Corona Lockdown

There comes every morning the Sun
We still can frolic in the Fun
The air is still abound with Love
Up above the world so happy is the Dove

We are happy and we still hum the Melody
Our loved ones are our worry's Remedy
Relive the lost moments with that Song
Shut the despair by that Bung

As we still have not lost the Hope
Jump like a kid and off you Lope
For nothing stops our Creativity
And a lot is left of our Sanity

Locked down are not our Imaginations
Locked down are not our Aspirations
Not all is still Locked Down
So look up and don't you dare Frown