Why blend?

Blended learning is about efficiently and effectively using available technological innovations and methods into course creations and delivery to enhance
the teaching and learning experiences for students, parents and teachers by encouraging them to interact and engage in ways that would not normally be available or effective in their conventional environment. 

In several instances the attempts of “blending” achieves better student experiences and results, and better teaching and course curation. 

It can involve a balanced used of different delivery modes, teaching techniques and learning methods.
Technology innovations provide new avenues for teachers to deliver and/or design their courses.
This supports and enhances the teachers’ role, the students’ individual learning experiences, as well as the social ecosystem; three key elements in successful learning and teaching. 

Blended learning technologies can:
1) Broaden the domain and opportunities available for learning;
2) Enhance course management activities (e.g., communication, assessment submission, marking and feedback);
3) Effectively provisions information and resources to students;
4) Engage and motivate students through interactivity and collaboration.

Click here: to know how ePrabodh.in can help you achieve these

Therefore it is not just about using technology because it is available but blended learning is about exploring better ways of supporting students in reaching the learning objectives and giving them the best learning and demonstrating experiences, and furthermore supporting instructors in their part (numbering the organization and association of courses). 

Clearly, the mix of blended learning in courses will really change according to such components as: educate, year level, understudy traits and requirements, 
course or program learning objectives, and the educational's approach to manage teaching, and assurance and association in using development.

To Parents

In this time of Digital India, where access to smart phone and internet has been drilled down to grass root level. A survey revealed that smart phones and interent is enaging almost 40% of free time of youngsters in India which is almost 3 hours a day. So it becomes imperative that students should be offered with such educational aids which will be accessible to them on their favorite device. This is what exactly ePrabodh does, it enables their educators with technology and resources to be able to make their teachings and learning available on all the internet enabled devices students so widely use and are habitual to.

This availablity of their day-today learnings on their smart phones will help students form habit of healthy usage of the internet. 

Major Benefits of using a Learning assistance system like ePrabodh are as follows:

Online Tests

Teachers who are making great use of ePrabodh, they say Online Tests are one of the most popular ways to assess knowledge. They are very simple to create. They  can choose from various types of question to ask, such as multiple choice, free-text, choose from a list and more. It’s a really easy way to test your students’ knowledge on a topic. 

Engage parents with ePrabodh's Learning Assistance 

Parental engagement is a hot topic at the moment, with parents wanting to know what their children are up to at school/coaching classes/institutes and how they’re progressing. With MIS integration into your ePrabodh's Learning Assistance, you can push all relevant information out to parents, teachers or students from within the ePrabodh's Learning Assistance.

Receive written assessments

It’s not just quantitative data you can assess on – our software is capable of receiving written assessments as well. Rather than worrying about broken printers or lost papers, you can have your students hand in their work digitally. You can then track this and mark it, with the results being written back into your MIS, if you have integration with that. A little bit of time spent setting up the assignments can save you a huge deal of paperwork down the line, a common theme with ePrabodh's Learning Assistance s in general!

The Homeworx Block

An extension of the assessments module, the Homeworx Block has been custom-designed to manage students’ homework assignments. It can really help with engaging parents too, as it lets them log in and see grades. Teachers can set homework ahead of time – get an entire term’s worth of work out of the way early, then mark them online.

Flip your classroom

The trick to any provide holistic solution for Digital Learning is both creating a reason for people to go there, then making it the most comfortable option. A great way to do this is to flip the classroom, a technique that’s becoming increasingly popular. Essentially rather than having students study in lessons they do the theory work at home, so when they come in the lessons become discussion and debate. It’s a highly effective method, and more closely resembles the university model that many students will have to adapt to. ePrabodh Learning Assistance is designed to make Flip Classroom more effective and befenicial for students.

Document storage

This is something ePrabodh is actually very good at. You can provide documents, links and all sorts of rich media, all restricted based on access permissions. It can be very handy for uploading notes and powerpoints, especially in the event that a student is unable to make a lesson due to adverse weather or other scenarios.

Live Classroom

Arguably the best feature of ePrabodh is its ability to offere seamless Live Classroom broadcast to the students and also to offer recording. For some reason, if student is not able to attend the class phyically he can login to live classroom and attend the class remotely or if even that is not possible student can review recorded classroom as and when he can. So with ePrabodh, missed lectures is thing of past.

Blended Learning: A perfect balance of Learning Online & Offline

While it is proven fact that there is no alternative to a good teacher in learning environment, lot of people are still try to approach the problems in education sector with to digitize entire learning process.


There are apprehensions among instructors to adapt digitization mainly because of these reasons:
1. Brings about an absence of enthusiasm for learning:
Since everything is presently open on the web, students poor studying habits and a lazy attitude towards education. Some of them may even think they can play smart since they can discover answers and lessons on the web. Who needs educators when you have web and Google, isn't that so?
This can similarly prompt to students overlooking the fundamentals of education. They would rather depend on PCs and the web, rather than their books and the contribution from their educators. The greater part of them will incorrectly spell words since they frequently utilize spell checkers. As opposed to understand numerical conditions the customary way, they would look for help from PCs or search for the appropriate responses specifically through web indexes. When the time has come to take the tests in the classroom and with no type of innovation, students are probably going to come up short.
2. Makes students defenseless against potential pitfalls
While PCs turn out to be a priceless instructive apparatus, it can likewise be a wellspring of issues. This is particularly valid for students who do not have the right stuff expected to expand a gadget's functionalities. Specialized issues and PC glitches can bring about loss of assignments and different materials, bringing about large amounts of stress that students would rather not understanding. Distinction in web speeds and a gadget's capacities can likewise prompt to specific troubles that will de-spur understudies. Add to this different things that they will find on the web, which are totally random to class and instruction, and they will be occupied forever.
3. Negative perspectives on innovation
Consumerism has shown us that innovations, from PCs to cell phones, are broadly seen as apparatuses to engage instead of teach. Course readings, then again, are viewed as instruments for learning. In this way, between a tablet and a course book, students are probably going to float towards realizing when perusing a book, while they are probably going to utilize a tablet to play diversions or invest energy in online networking.
4. Raise instructional difficulties
For educators and instructors to remain side by side with innovation, they may should be retrained. The individuals who have been showing every one of their lives utilizing conventional strategies may not be extremely vulnerable to the progressions being connected. They may even consider it to be a danger to their employer stability and avoid innovation inside and out. Truth be told, a lion's share of instructors trust that consistent utilization of computerized innovation is influencing an understudy's capacity to focus and his capacity to drive forward when a testing undertaking is tossed his direction. Albeit such conviction is subjective, researchers, specialists and instructors all concur that innovation has changed the way students learn.
5. Can lessen value of in-person instruction
In spite of the fact that exploration on web based learning did not build up an immediate connection to how individual association influences an understudy's execution, information assembled showed that the individuals who selected in online courses have higher odds of fizzling, dropping out of classes, and are more averse to profit by them. This may have something to do with the way that lessons conveyed on the web or through advanced assets do not have the eye to eye connection amongst educator and understudy that gives a more individual affair.

Solution to all such issues is Blended Learning
Blended Learning is a term used to depict the way eLearning is being consolidated with customary classroom strategies and free review.
A Blended learning approach guarantees that the learner is locked in and driving his/her individual learning background. Also, since distinction students have one of a kind learning styles, a Blended approach will probably take into account those necessities. We've rattled off a couple of advantages and disadvantages for you.
Benefits
Community oriented learning encounters. Joint effort between the students and teacher can increment generously by means of a web based preparing stage. With numerous cooperative devices (online examinations, web journals, texts, and so on.) the students can associate with each other in or out of the classroom.
Expanded availability. Enhances access and also understudy states of mind towards learning. The students are given the instruments to get to the course materials at whatever time, anyplace.
Better correspondence. Correspondence is enhanced amongst speakers and low maintenance/full-time understudies. A web based preparing stage can give numerous specialized instruments, for example, news declarations, email, texting, online dialogs, internet reviewing apparatus, dropboxes, and that's just the beginning.
Fruitful assessments. Better understudy assessments through the utilization of web based testing and evaluations with announcing highlights. Regularly, the students can assess themselves better too with quick reviewing or criticism.

Importance of Sharing

Sharing permits a message to spread past a man's own system – it expands their "compass" and permits them to feel you welcome their substance i.e. when they see 'the offer' in notices they will feel satisfied you enjoyed it enough to share. It could be Google+ related, a photo of a feline with inscription, a nerd post, news, science and so forth – whatever the individual with whom you need to interface is 'into'! 

It doesn't make a difference on the off chance that it is unique substance of curated, individuals will in any case tend to feel acknowledged when something is shared. 

Likewise, individuals who then get the chance to see those posts will likewise be grateful that "you" were the person who shared it – this is the reason such a large number of individuals hat tip to recognize who empowered them to encounter the post, and thus share forward. 

Your system is not the same as any other person's system – diverse individuals will see content at various times of day too. Sharing is imperative. It makes a procedure personality a primary concern where two individuals are starting to wind up snared significantly more. 

I see sharing data as fundamental to commoogling. It is about exchange over a system of message from an underlying source; it is about sharing substance that matters to you; commoogling, to me, is about all of us cooperating towards accomplishing our own one of a kind potential – regardless of what that might be! 

As I have portrayed, each individual who shares will basically be shaping connections back to the individual from whom they shared onwards. This procedure may see somewhat extract however I trust that as the Google biological system truly begins to show itself, it will end up being a focal component. Indeed, even now, somebody can compose/offer a post, then you share it and you could well show up with your Google+ profile picture close by the substance in the web crawlers. This would be what individuals in your system (and not mine) would see – you are an influencer in their future choices. 

This will be one hell of a fun ride as things begin considerably all the more rapidly. 

I am as yet working it out and trust you are having a good time as much as I!

A Few Good Habits for Learners

Just having a great Learning Management System cannot leverage all the benefits a virtual learning environment has to offer. In order to fully exploit a virtual learning environment both Teacher and Learner has to build a habit of imparting and gaining knowledge through digital channel. Teacher and Learner both has to understand and detect digitally shareable content and enrich the learning environment and the experience.

Here we will try to discuss a few good habits for Learners.

Get Organized. 

In the event that you generally arrive late, overwhelm, twofold book, or never have enough time, then it is high time you you sort out your time. Begin by ensuring you have another journal or timetable that is breakthrough with every one of your arrangements. Get a framework set up that works for you, so you're not twofold reserving yourself and you know where you are intended to be venturing out in front of time (not only five minutes prior). 

At that point, consider your state of mind to time. 
Do you esteem your time? 
Do you esteem other individuals' chance? 
What takes a greater amount of your time than it ought to? 
Where do you squander your time?

Start to accurately assess how much time each task takes you. Start to decide what you want to spend more of your time on, and what you want to spend less on.

Do multitask. 

Saves time - Multitasking spares you time when there are errands you can finish all the while. For instance, you have to do some exploration for a venture at work. You likewise plan to run several miles today. To spare time, you can hear some out instructive recordings while running. Instead of two hours to finish the two undertakings, you spared a hour by multitasking. 

Saves Money - Multitasking spares a ton of cash in the work environment. Instead of contracting more individuals to tackle undertakings, you can enlist individuals who are great at multitasking. Do you require one individual to record, one to answer telephones, and another to welcome individuals at the front work area? No. Procure somebody who does the recording amid downtime and who additionally has the client administration abilities to handle the telephone and welcome individuals at the same time. 

Builds efficiency - Multitasking can expand profitability in both the working environment and at home. As noted before, representatives who multitask accomplish more work by doing both recording and welcome clients and customers. At home, you could multitask to complete your tasks around the house speedier. For instance, you could empty and load the dishwasher while you are making supper. 

Avoids delaying - Multitasking propels individuals to accomplish more. For instance, have you ever constructed a schedule for the day? It commonly propels individuals to check things off the rundown. They feel they accomplished something every time a thing is checked off. By multitasking, you can check off more things and proceed onward to the following one. This inspiration empowers individuals to accomplish their objectives instead of to dawdle.

Set a schedule. 

As far as I can tell, a superior approach to approach your objectives is to set a timetable, set a schedule to work by as opposed to a due date to perform by. 

Rather than giving yourself a due date to perform a specific objective by (and after that feeling like a disappointment on the off chance that you don't accomplish it), you ought to pick an objective that is imperative to you and after that set a calendar to work towards it reliably. 

That won't not seem like a major shift, but rather it is.

Ask questions. 

You're in school to learn, so don't be afraid to do just that! Asking for help - from a teacher, a tutor or your friends - is a surefire way to make sure you truly understand the material. 

Share knowledge.

In digital world we are benefited by the knowledge pool of every human connected to it and sure-shot way to return to this pool is by sharing what we know. 
But there are some Do's and Don'ts of what should we share in the digital environment and what should we avoid sharing.

Do create positive content. A big part of what both Brand-Yourself and Syracuse talk about is making a good impression online. That doesn't just mean smiling in your Facebook profile picture; it means showing that you're interested in your prospective field. Post links to interesting stories. Jump into debates and conversations when it's appropriate.
Don't post questionable photos  anywhere on the Internet. The images make a great impact on the impression of viewer, so always be cautious the kind of photos or images you share.
Do Google yourself. That's right—search for yourself. You might get made fun of, but knowing what's on the Internet when people look for you is very important. In other words, find out what terms and keywords you can use to make positive pieces of content about you show up. If you have a personal website or a blog, give it some bells and whistles and make it easily accessible.
Don't post negative status updates or tweets. Sometimes, it's hard to be positive. The economy is struggling. School is challenging. And the news hasn't exactly been buzzing with beaming faces and rainbows. But don't let that come out in your status updates. Never rip a classmate, coworker, or person in a leadership role like a professor or boss.
Don't make your online presence all about you. Don't post what you're eating for lunch. Don't put up status updates asking for jobs. You can make your presence known by being interactive. Share relevant articles and videos. Make thoughtful comments when you can. Retweet interesting posts from people you follow. 

Next time we will discuss some good habits a teacher can build on to make Virtual Learning Experience great.

I would love to know your view on this topic. Please share your views in comment section.

Cyberspace Literacy: Youth’s Negotiation of New Online Possibilities

Cyber Generation:

Generation before Internet had their own different medias—books, comics, film, radio, and TV—regardless of the possibility that parents weren't acquainted with the specific content their kids were engaged with, in any event they could get to and comprehend the medium so that, in the event that they wanted to understand what their kids were doing or impart the movement to them, they could.

With the appearance of computerized media, things have changed. The requests of the PC interface are huge, rendering many parents "dinosaurs" in the data age possessed by their youngsters. Be that as it may, more essentially, regard for these requests blinds us to the genuine test of utilizing advanced media, to be specific the potential for engagement with data and online content, and for interest in online exercises, systems, and groups. Without a doubt, the very trouble of getting to and utilizing the web boggles numerous grown-ups into trusting that if just they could ace "clicking" on connections with the mouse, then they—like their youngsters—would be web "specialists." This is not a conviction that we hold for the pen, else we'd quit instructing students English once they had figured out how to peruse and compose, yet the kid who "pros" around the screen appears to be skilled to the point that, we close serenely, they know everything they need to know as of now.

Such a conclusion appears to be affirmed by the exceptional news features of youthful programmers, young hackers and crackers breaking national security codes or adolescent business people making a fortune on E-Bay, Flipkart or Facebook not to mention the energetic inceptions of such late triumphs as Google and YouTube. Youngsters  themselves, aware of being the original to grow up with the web, agree with  people in general festival of their status as "computerized locals."

Internet Literacy

First, literacy is a type of information with clear coherence crosswise over open structures (print, audio, video, interpersonal, advanced). As respects the Internet, this learning represents a staged arrangement of difficulties, from starting equipment challenges of access through to more perplexing interpretative and evaluative capabilities with respect to content furthermore, benefits that are particularly managed by (or socially engraved into) the innovation on the other hand content.

Second, proficiency is an arranged type of realizing that provides platform to singular expertise and social hones that is empowered (or blocked) by (unequally dispersed) monetary, social, and

social assets (or capital). Critically, this rises up out of the cooperation between person action, innovation or interface outline, and institutional forming, and can't be caught on

exclusively as "a nonpartisan specialized skill."

Thirdly, proficiency includes an arrangement of socially controlled capabilities including both that which is normatively esteemed and that which is disliked or misbehavior. "Internet Literacy" specifically might be recognized from different types of proficiency to the degree that the particular abilities, encounters, writings, organizations, also, social qualities connected with the web contrast from those connected with print, varying media, or different types of correspondence.

However, now that the internet converges multiple technologies, forms, and spaces of mediation and information—blurring hitherto distinctive social practices of information and entertainment, work and leisure, public and private, even childhood and adulthood, national and global—a convergence of media (or audiovisual) and information literacy is needed to map out a constructive route to understanding what (young) people know, and need to know, regarding that deceptively simple notion of “using the internet.”

Possibilities in New Age Learning:

No wonder that what excites young people about the internet is primarily the peer-to-peer opportunities it affords, in which they provide for each other the responsiveness, criticism, humor, feedback, openness, and networking that so often is absent from content designed for children by adults. Yet since information and communication technologies increasingly represent a key route to education, health, civic engagement, employment skills, participation in government, therapeutic advice, extended family relations, and so forth, it is here that we must ensure literacy is sufficient. Celebrating young people’s enterprise and enthusiasm, while failing to support, respond, or engage with their online activities, risks failing to bring to fruition the ambitious hopes we hold not only for the internet but, more significantly, for young people.

Future Priorities and Needs for eLearning for cultural diversity

We have to define the future priorities and needs for eLearning for cultural diversity.

To make the philosophy of eLearning for cultural diversity worthwhile, higher education should cover the organizational features of Learning Management Systems that affect the process and outcomes of planned change cultural activities among digital citizens (Boyd and Meyer, 2001; Conle and et. al., 2007; May, 1999; Neo, 2005; Stevens-Long and Crowell, 2002). 

The required skills and experiences to construct and support a free environment, therefore, can focus on working collaboratively with colleagues and global partners in global online culture through eLearning. This important process engages learners and instructor in multicultural projects designed to be realistic, intriguing and relevant to real life experiences. On the other hand, promoting excellence through continuous process improvement and the creative pursuit of new ideas and systems in global online culture should be a model for how theory can translate into practice on complex decision-making processes to encourage digital citizens’ independence in thinking critically in the global eLearning context. 

Curriculum Plans and Social Actions 

The major categories were those that helped to define the important and urgent areas of curriculum plans and social actions for eLearning for cultural diversity. eLearning experts emphasized that the following must become important categories for eLearning for cultural diversity in higher education: 

1) providing successful activities and agreements for a knowledge society, and 

2) recognizing the multicultural ethical, legal, and social implications of new developments. 

Not only are curriculum plans and social actions the familiarities and awareness of facts, truths, and information gained through experience, learning, and self-contemplation, but also these critical plans and actions mean the confident understanding of a subject, potentially with the ability to utilize it for a specific purpose. eLearning for cultural diversity, therefore, should generate new forms and tools of gathering data, manipulating and storing knowledge, transforming information, and working together over distance and time to build a knowledge society efficiently, and transfer global knowledge effectively to the new contexts of social justice. Building a knowledge society should be the most crucial goals of building the global culture in higher education. 

Even when the creation of syllabus plans requires more than collecting, acquiring and transmitting large amounts of information, data, and experience, multicultural knowledge should emerge from the diverse interactions of body, mind and soul by emerging from understanding the global word. Besides, as critically pointed out by Beaudoin (2003), social actions are very crucial for higher education to tie the individual self to collective responsibilities due to remarkable advances in eLearning for cultural diversity. In this context, the cutting-edge technologies can build a powerful multicultural network to share and exchange knowledge worldwide for the prosperity and well-being of its members by using an electronic network to send and receive information across diverse locations, devices, and services.