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
Back to Top