Training the "Trainers' Trainers"

Five years of efforts to train professional teachers in Kerala has given me a high value lesson. They have a lot to unlearn, which takes time. Technological and psychological evolution take place at the speed of email and snail mail respectively. Hence I train teachers using my ten year plus old students. These digital natives are quick on the intake.WOW!

In December 2011, Government Higher Secondary School in Pala connected with an Australian school. Thanks to GHSS students who collaborated with Mike McGrother's team.

Learn English Online project was inaugurated by Kerala Finance Minister. But the school has not taken any further steps as they are too busy doing their thing.

In February 2012, the Chief Minister of Kerala inaugurated Nanma Learning Centre, a full fledged ICT centre at Kozhiikode.

Nanma Learning Centre Inauguration

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Social cost of change seems to prevent Kerala teachers and learners from using the Read/Write Web. Teachers are too time pressured to experiment with their students.
Luckily, the Digital Natives are open to change. Anjana Reghuraj has taken the plunge. Hrishy in USA too has decided to join her. Together, they will make a presentation on Vedic Maths at a global education conference at Malaysia.

I am connecting learners from Spain to team up with Anjana & Hrishi.

http://ticjm.blogspot.com/
Eager Learners from Spain

Joshe's students in Vonsild School has agreed to collaborate. 

Anne Mirtschin's students are ready for action. 

Team Anjana will pave the way for a great change in education in this part of the world.

Inauguration of Nanma Learning Centre

Our Police Commissioner Sri Vijayan is a social revolutionary. He and his proactive team wanted a world leader in ICT to make the very first presentation at the inaugural ceremony of Nanma Learning Centre.
We invited Annie Mirtschin, global collaborator extraordinaire to make a presentation to the thousands that thronged at the function.

Nanma Learning Centre Inauguration

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Annie stole the hearts of the students there. They are eager to connect with Anne's students in Australia.

I asked Raghunath, a team leader and life skills trainer of Nanma for his feedback. He has already promised his team that he will connect them with Anne's learners.

He will connect his team with Michael Graffin first and Anne Mirtschin next; he likes to keep things in chronological order. He had connected with Mike first, he said.

Valentine’s Valentines

On Valentine’s Day, Seena was on cloud 9. A classroom full of little angels came on Skype to our home to wish me and my wife Seena, “A happy Valentine’s Day”.

Little Angels, Our Valentines from Jackson School, US

Lorraine Leo, Jackson School Teacher, arranged a Skype session on Vedic Mathematics with me.

Five is Fine Lesson

2x5=10. Two times 5 gives half of two, 1 and a 0
4x5=20. Four times 5 gives half of four, 2 and a 0
6x5=30. Six times 5 gives half of six, 3 and a 0

Hypothesis: Any even number times 5 give half the even number and a 0

22x5=110
222x5=1110
2222x5=11110

2468642x5=12343210

It has to be! After all, you can multiply by 5 or you can divide by 2 and then multiply by 10!
Our method simplifies the number first by halving it and then adds a zero to get the answer.

Vedic for children

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• Look for patterns in the simpler numbers, make it obvious! You use patterns to calculate faster than the calculator!!
• I invite all learners to comment on this blog and tell the world who you are!
• Quin, Sandra, Finn, Danny, Isabelle and others are invited to lead your friends to comment. (Please get the permission of your teacher and parents before you comment.)

I have a DREAM

• I want to bring these young charming sweet hearts to Kerala on a cultural exchange. 
• Comments and support by YOU will help lighten my load.

Siberian Blooms

Today is a lucky day for me. I met a handful of pearls, pearls of Siberia.
Lake Baikal. The pearl of Siberia. It is the deepest and one of the purest lakes in the World.


The simple purity of these young self-starters started me thinking.  How can I go beyond meet and greet?

Connected Learning

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As it is the first meet, everyone was apprehensive. But it took off very smoothly, thanks to Anna Bukhtoyarova, Marina, Alona, Natalie, Jima & everyone at the session who made it an exciting learning journey. I had just come back from the Sunday mass to my home.

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These pearls are "heart-attackers". They simply went for the heart of my family. They impressed everyone here with their brimming congeniality. Now, my wife and daughter, who missed the interaction is jealous of all of me and George who enjoyed the WOW get-together.

Our daschund "Shambhu" is seen gently murmuring at the neighbor's dog. Who knows? May be he was making the other dog green with envy.

My friends are excited about ensuing connections. My son George is excited about inviting these little pearls of Siberia as guests of Kerala! I just overheard him talking to his friends about his new friends!!

I am not sure how all these will evolve. I will be discussing this with my friends at Hello Little World Skypers and Global Classroom Project.

Nanma of Anne Mirtschin

My good friend Jacob came to invite me to the inauguration of Nanma Learning Centre at Calicut. Inauguration is scheduled on 11 Feb 2012 at 11:30 a.m. In the full fledged ICT centre, he also has to have a prominent ICT trainer teach from overseas.

I just played back the faces of my PLN network. Hello Little World Skypers and Global Classroom rose to the top.

Katherine Zablatnik has been quite helpful and has done her bit. She has already spent hours interacting with students in Kerala at the last Nanma Skype conference at Trichur. Besides, she has also spent quite some time helping my learners work with Skype on Sept 14, the Childrens Day in India.

Childrens' Day Festival 2011 MTHSS, Kaloor

Michael Graffin too has already made his contribution. He had co-inaugurated my Learn English Online Wiki project.


Inauguration of Learn English Online from Sebastian Panakal on Vimeo.

Michael Graffin on Skype with our Finance Minister Mr. K M Mani

The function is on a Saturday; we all know about Saturday night fever. Time conflict and Saturday being a holiday dissuaded me from offering an expert trainer from abroad.

Luckily, Anne Mirtschin, came online. I made a plea for help. A warm digital hug to her grandson, (superman William) and I clinched the deal. Thanks are due to Lincy and Dominic who made it a cordial family chat. I always knew I could count on Anne. She really is, to borrow Steve Hargadon, a global collaborator extraordinaire. Yes, I too had a lucky chance to teach her students.