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Oracle Academy (erstwhile "ThinkQuest") - A saga of success for KVS

1.While pursuing its policy of tapping educational potential in “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” divisions of major IT corporations, the KVS has gained rich dividends over the years in the form of empowered teachers and confident students. This has been made possible by unleashing IT potential existing in CSR divisions of these majors in KVS in collaborative model. The process in each case normally began with the signing of an MOU with the company concerned, setting out the joint vision and programme of action adopted therein. The MOU delineates “what, how and whom” the services offered by the company shall be delivered. Resultantly, substantial amount of learning material has been created for the benefit of worldwide learning community in general and KVS community in particular at no cost to KVS. Many training programmes have been conducted for teachers and students without expenditure from the KVS side.

2. KVS has immensely been benefitted and still being benefitted by such interventions from CSR divisions of IT companies like Oracle, Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation. Each of them collaboratively created effective learning structures in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across the country, besides continually empowering our teacher with emerging IT skills that are very essential for any successful venture in fast emerging knowledge economy where knowledge shall be recognized as the most vital component of production besides revenue and labour.

3. Efforts initiated by the Oracle Education Foundation in this direction need a very special mention. Its educational collaboration in KVS began in April 2005 and thereafter it has expanded services in following areas:

a) Giving free access to its web portal “Oracle Academy (erstwhile "ThinkQuest")” to all teachers, Principals, other KVS officials and all students from standard III onwards through a log-in Id and a password.

b) Continually empowering teachers and students by developing their IT skills by organizing a series of refresher and training courses at different venues. Such support was made available through face-to-face as well as online programmes.

c) Providing an effective tool in the form of “Oracle Academy (erstwhile "ThinkQuest")” platform for partial but effective curriculum transaction.

d) Encouraging and enabling KVs to participate in its various global competitions and recognizing the talents of KVS by conferring on several awards and other incentives including the opportunities of foreign visits.

e) The Foundation’s portal itself has undergone refinement over the years bringing in several new features and functionalities. Following features of “Oracle Academy (erstwhile "ThinkQuest")” make it a wonderful tool for curriculum transaction and with each passing day its potential is manifesting in ever-increasing tangible form:

i. On line work space where-in a user can create documents/ pictures/ multimedia content, save and edit them at own pace. Content created by him can be hidden as well as made public depending on choice of the user.

ii. Create own project or be part of any of the ongoing projects by becoming its member and contribute collaboratively for the success of the project.

iii. Post messages/ ideas on the contents created by other users and invite the same for his content to create synergy in different users.

iv. Its interactive features “Debate, Vote, Ask Me” support and complement an entire gamut of educational practices earlier confined within four walls of class room, now available across a close knit, nevertheless a global community of schools comprising around 1,53,000 students (active users) and 24,000 teachers connected on “Oracle Academy (erstwhile "ThinkQuest")” platform.

4. Recent Achievements of KVS:

S.N. Event/ Activity/ Competition Date Achievement
1 Future Space Scientist Programme August 2008 Four students of KV, CRPF Yalahanka, Bagalore received second prize
2 Leadership & Management Training Programme August 2008  
3 Annual Global ThinkQuest Website Competition for 2008-09 2008-09 Honourable Mention for the website entitled “Flying Jewels” which succeeded in bringing out deleterious consequence of environmental pollution- gradual extinction of butterflies- affecting the entire planet
4 Training of teachers on technical aspects of designing a good website 9-11th September, 2008  
5 Two Day workshop on ThinkQuest at KV Kanpur Cantt February 2009  
6 Training programme for teachers on project method of teaching entitled “GSWP”. The acronym stands for “Getting Started With Project”. Summer In-service training courses, 2009  
7 A one day workshop for the Assistant Commissioners and the Education Officers of different Regional Offices at KV Sector VIII R.K. Puram 11.07.2009  

8

ThinkQuest narrative competition, 2009   Second place at the international level in the category “15 & under”. The work entitled “Book Buddies” highlighting the importance of book reading won the recognition. These young achievers are from KV, Dimapur in Nagaland.

5. Guidelines Issued for KVs:

The following guidelines are prescribed for KVs in order to make the full use of the portal:

a. The Principal is expected to spearhead the project in the KV, be a role model and monitor it on a regular basis. One of the “Teacher Administrators” for the school should ideally be the Principal.

b. All students from class III onwards should be encouraged to register with the portal “Oracle Academy (erstwhile "ThinkQuest")” in his/her own interest. All teachers are advised to register with the portal.

c. Every student should be encouraged to contribute at least 02 pages to begin with where in he/she can display creative talent.

d. Every teacher should be advised to contribute at least 05 pages. Such content should be relevant to students as well as the learning community.

e. Every KV will have minimum two “Teacher Administrators” besides the Principal himself/herself.

f. The Class Teachers will coordinate between the students of their respective classes and Teacher Administrators for registration and contribution of students in the project.

g. The Class Teachers will be in-charges of their respective classes for participation in the project.

h. The Principal will register himself / herself as a teacher administrator and visit the pages of the students and teachers of his / her KV in order to encourage them and provide them with suitable guidance online.

i. The Assistant Commissioner will also register himself / herself as a teacher from a nearby KV and visit the pages of the students and teachers of his / her Region in order to encourage them and provide them with suitable guidance online.

Oracale Academy website
ThinkQuest Competition-2012

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