The Delhi office of the Calgary (Canada)-based Smart Technologies, the well-known provider of new technologies-driven education, business and government solutions, announced a no-charge upgrade enabling four-touch interactivity on its education line of the SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboard and the SMART Board 8070i interactive display, on January 16. For use with SMART Notebook collaborative learning software, four-touch interactivity will be available on all shipping 800 series interactive whiteboards and 8070i interactive displays. Additionally, customers with existing interactive whiteboards and displays can upgrade to this feature at no cost and with no additional hardware.According to company sources, the four-touch functionality will increase opportunities for collaboration by giving students more hands-on time at interactive whiteboards and displays. The no-charge upgrade — expected in spring 2012 — will enable simultaneous freestyle interaction and object awareness for up to four users.

Adding four-touch interactivity to our education line of SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboards and the SMART Board 8070i interactive display enhances the collaborative capabilities of our products, Now, more students will be able to interact with lesson material on interactive whiteboards and displays, leading to increased student engagement and improved learning outcomes, says Linda Thomas, vice-president (products) at Smart Technologies.

English teacher educators conference.

The British Council, English and Foreign Languages University, English Language Teachers Association of India (ELTAI) and the International Association for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) will jointly host the Second International Conference for English Language Teacher Educators in Hyderabad on March 3-5.
The conference organisers expect 1,000 private and public sector English language pre and in-service teacher educators and managers to participate in the three-day conference which will be webcast globally. There is widespread recognition in India that opportunities for high quality continuous professional development for teachers are limited, but rarely do teacher educators and trainers, or managers of teacher education programmes meet together to focus on how they can share their knowledge or improve and develop their skills. The role of the teacher educator is no less central than teachers and yet it has been greatly neglected, says Alison Barrett, head, English Language Partnerships, British Council India.

For registration visit www.britishcouncil.org.in.

Kidville University invites applications
The Mumbai-based Kwakids Learning Pvt. Ltd, master franchisee in India of Kidville USA which operates over 20 preschool facilities around the world, launched Kidville University, its signature preschool programme, in Mumbai at the Kidville Centre, Atria Mall, Worli on January 24. Registrations are currently open for the academic year starting June. The Kidville University (KVU) programme is designed for children aged 15 months to 3.5 years and introduces toddlers to social skills within a playful setting as they transition to school.

Kidville University has been promoted to provide experiential learning which is critical for children in their early formative years. The KVU programme offers curriculums that stimulate the natural curiosity of young children as they explore new ideas. Play centres such as blocks, dramatic play, a book corner, sensory and art, and small and big muscle play encourage the young ones to touch, try and think creatively, says Rosenyn Kapur, managing director of Kwakids Learning.

ECAs inaugural national conference
Registered on April 7, 2011 to empower parents, teachers and others to explore and develop holistic programmes and environment for children, the Mumbai-based Early Childhood Association (ECA), which has a membership of 250 early childhood educators, is set to stage its first annual national conference on February 25-26.

ECA has been promoted with the vision that all preschools, balwadis, NGOs, childrens activity classes, parents, student teachers, media houses, companies that deal with childrens products, in short everyone connected to young children can meet together to advocate, discuss, learn and share, connect and bring about a change in the quality of care, development and learning in early childhood in India, says Swati Popat Vats, president of ECA.

The first ECA Annual National Conference 2012 whose theme is ‘ECE — 21st Century Transformations and Challenges — What we know, what we show and how we grow, will be held at the Sea Princess Hotel, Mumbai on February 25-26. For registration and enquiries visit www.eca-india.org or call 09819855124.

Oakridge Internationals Bangalore debut
People Combine Educational Initiatives Ltd (estb. 2009) — a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Visakhapatnam-based Vikas Group of Educational Institutions, which has promoted two colleges and successfully launched the Oakridge International School, Hyderabad (OIS, estb. 2001) — recently announced the expansion of its national footprint with the launch of Oakridge International School, Bangalore.

Promoted with an initial investment of Rs.100 crore, OIS, Bangalore will be sited on a 10-acre campus in Sarjapur and will have an enrolment of 2,500 students with a teacher-pupil ratio of 1:10.

According to Shomie Das, former headmaster of Lawrence Sanawar, Mayo College, Ajmer, and the Doon School and currently chairman, People Combine Educational Initiatives, OIS Bangalore will offer world-class facilities and infrastructure — a multi-purpose hall, volleyball, basketball, squash courts, swimming pools, skating rink, fashion technology lab, hi-tech air-conditioned buses etc to students.

Oakridge firmly believes every child is unique and our motto is releasing the treasure within. All our schools are child-centric and our teachers ensure that learning is engaging, relevant, challenging and significant to meet the diverse needs of the student — physical, social, intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural, says Das.

Ascend International gets going
Strategically located in the heart of Mumbai in the Bandra Kurla Complex, the new-age Ascend International School (AIS) invites admission applications for preschool, kindergarten to class IV children. However while preschool to class III academic sessions will begin in June, admission into class IV will begin next year (2013), class V in 2014 and middle and high school in 2015.

AIS is promoted by the Kasegaon Education Society (KES), a leading educational group of Maharashtra established in 1945 by Shri Rajarambapu Patil. KES was founded by a dedicated group of individuals deeply concerned about lack of education opportunities for the youth of Maharashtra. Since then, the society has promoted 46 institutes, colleges and vocational training centres in rural Maharashtra. Currently, KES provides education to more than 26,000 students supported by 1,100 faculty and staff.

Ascend International School is modeled after and inspired by the US-based University Child Development School (UCDS) promoted in 1911. UCDS is globally renowned for its leadership, cutting edge curriculums, research-based teaching and exceptional faculty. Since early 2008, UCDS has been working in partnership with AIS to design our campus and curriculums based on UCDS philosophy. This partnership provides a platform for learning new ideas, systems and cultures that will be infused into the classroom communities of AIS, says Aditya Patil, chief executive of KES.

Genesis Global plays gracious host
The Genesis Global School, noida hosted a meet with Brian Dawson, executive director of Round Square International and headmasters of nine leading British boarding schools on January 25. The headmasters who participated in a round table discussion on ‘Emerging global education culture and practices represented Abbots Bromley School, Ellesmere College, Headington School, Loughborough Grammar School, Merchiston Castle School, Moreton Hall School, Oundle School, and Royal Wolverhampton and Tettenhall College. The interactive session began with a welcome address followed by a tour of the schools world class facilities.

It is a matter of great pride and honour to have amidst us such distinguished educationists and we are glad they have chosen our institution to conduct a healthy interactive session of such magnitude. The high appreciation that the visitors had for our staff and students is encouraging. These are great motivating factors, said Pramod Sharma, director-cum-principal of Genesis Global School, Noida, speaking on the occasion.

Round Square has its foundation in the theories of experiential educational philosopher Kurt Hahn who believed that schools should have a greater purpose beyond preparing young people for college and university. Round Square currently has more than 80 member schools and 20 regional member schools worldwide who actively subscribe to Hahns philosophy.