Wikipedia

Wikipedia (ⁱ/ˌwɪkᵻˈpiːdiə/ or ⁱ/ˌwɪkiˈpiːdiə/ wik-i-pee-dee-ə) is a free online encyclopedia that aims to allow anyone to edit articles.^[3] Wikipedia is the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet^[4][5][6] and is ranked among the ten most popular websites.^[7] Wikipedia is owned by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation.^[8][9][10]

Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.^[11] Sanger coined its name,^[12][13] aportmanteau of wiki^{[notes 4]} and encyclopedia. There was only the English language version initially, but it quickly developed similar versions in other languages, which differ in content and in editing practices. With 5,329,911 articles, the English Wikipedia is the largest of the more than 290 Wikipedia encyclopedias. Overall, Wikipedia consists of more than 40 million articles in more than 250 different languages^[15] and, as of February 2014, it had 18 billion page views and nearly 500 million unique visitors each month.^[16]

In 2005, Nature published a peer review comparing 42 science articles from Encyclopædia Britannica and Wikipedia, and found that Wikipedia's level of accuracy approached Encyclopædia Britannica's.^[17] Criticism of Wikipediaincludes claims that it exhibits systemic bias, presents a mixture of "truths, half truths, and some falsehoods",^[18] and that, in controversial topics, it is subject to manipulation and spin.

Higher-order thinking,

Higher-order thinking, known as higher order thinking skills (HOTS), is a concept of education reform based on learning taxonomies (such as Bloom's taxonomy). The idea is that some types of learning require more cognitive processing than others, but also have more generalized benefits. In Bloom's taxonomy, for example, skills involving analysis, evaluation and synthesis (creation of new knowledge) are thought to be of a higher order, requiring different learning and teaching methods than the learning of facts and concepts.

Higher-order thinking involves the learning of complex judgmental skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Higher-order thinking is more difficult to learn or teach but also more valuable because such skills are more likely to be usable in novel situations (i.e., situations other than those in which the skill was learned).

e Pathshala

ePathshala- Transforming Learning Through Technology

The revolutionary Right to Education Act (2009) marks a historic moment for the children of India. It is a major challenge to provide lakhs of Indian children free and compulsory education. The integrated education product, ePathshala from ePath is a milestone that aims to provide a ripe platform for children of all learning levels thereby making provision for those put to disadvantage because of social, cultural, economical, geographical, linguistic and gender anomalies. ePath is an all-inclusive education initiative by Arraycom (India) Limited. The group has over 20 years of experience in manufacturing of electronic materials, broadcasting systems and communication system integration. The group also has vast experience in the field of education with well-known initiatives like Ahmedabad International School (AIS) in Ahmedabad and Toddlers' Den Preschools in Ahmedabad and Vadodara. ePath is the result of educational and technological expertise of the group. ePath is equipped with idealTOOLS to take on the challenges faced by the education system. ePath provides opportunity to students to be constantly involved in the education process through experiential learning thereby giving them the potential to transform and grow into empowered individuals.

Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation

Continuous and comprehensive evaluation is a process of assessment, mandated by the Right to Education Act, of India. This approach to assessment has been introduced by state governments in India, as well as by theCentral Board of Secondary Education in India, for students of sixth to tenth grades and twelfth in some schools. TheKarnataka government has introduced CCE for grades 1 through 9 later it was also introduced for 12th grades students. The main aim of CCE is to evaluate every aspect of the child during their presence at the school. This is believed to help reduce the pressure on the child during/before examinations as the student will have to sit for multiple tests throughout the year, of which no test or the syllabus covered will be repeated at the end of the year, whatsoever. The CCE method is claimed to bring enormous changes from the traditional chalk and talk method of teaching, provided it is implemented accurately. Presently the CCE assessment is under the position of being cancelled due to the pressure created by it.^[1]

As a part of this new system, student's marks will be replaced by grades which will be evaluated through a series of curricular and extra-curricular evaluations along with academics. The aim is to decrease the workload on the student by means of continuous evaluation by taking number of small tests throughout the year in place of single test at the end of the academic program. Only Grades are awarded to students based on work experience skills, dexterity, innovation, steadiness, teamwork, public speaking, behavior, etc. to evaluate and present an overall measure of the student's ability. This helps the students who are not good in academics to show their talent in other fields such as arts, humanities, sports, music, athletics, and also helps to motivate the students who have a thirst of knowledge

E-learning theory

E-learning theory describes the cognitive science principles of effective multimedia learning using electronic educational technology.^[1][2][3] Cognitive research and theory suggest that selection of appropriate concurrent multimedia modalities may enhance learning, as may application of several other principles.

Beginning with cognitive load theory as their motivating scientific premise, researchers such as Richard E. Mayer, John Sweller, and Roxana Moreno established within the scientific literature a set of multimedia instructional design principles that promote effective learning.^[4][5][6] Many of these principles have been "field tested" in everyday learning settings and found to be effective there as well.^[7][8][9] The majority of this body of research has been performed using university students given relatively short lessons on technical concepts with which they held low prior knowledge.^[10] However, David Roberts has tested the method with students in nine social science disciplines including sociology, politics and business studies. His longitudinal research programme over 3 years established a clear improvement in levels of student engagement and in the development of active learning principles among students exposed to a combination of images and text, over students exposed only to text.^[11] A number of other studies have shown these principles to be effective with learners of other ages and with non-technical learning content.^[12][13] Research using learners who have greater prior knowledge in the lesson material sometimes finds results that contradict these design principles. This has led some researchers to put forward the "expertise effect" as an instructional design principle unto itself.^{[14][15][16][17]}

The underlying theoretical premise, cognitive load theory, describes the amount of mental effort that is related to performing a task as falling into one of three categories: germane, intrinsic, and extraneous.^[18] Germane cognitive load is the mental effort required to process the task's information, make sense of it, and access and/or store it in long-term memory (for example, seeing a math problem, identifying the values and operations involved, and understanding that your task is to solve the math problem). Intrinsic cognitive load is the mental effort required to perform the task itself (for example, actually solving the math problem). Extraneous cognitive load is the mental effort imposed by the way that the task is delivered, which may or may not be efficient (for example, finding the math problem you are supposed to solve on a page that also contains advertisements for books about math).

National Value

A country's national value is a representation of the paramount value upheld throughout the common cultural experience of the nation. The national value system is a carryover from Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun, and has been changed and reduced somewhat to accommodate Victoria 2's changed mechanics. Schools of thought have taken over the old role of national values

The Three National Values

There are three national values in Victoria 2: Liberty, Order, and Equality.

Liberty

The Liberty national value represents a common national interest in the propagation and defense of human liberty. A liberty-focused nation is often filled with intensely independent people who do not easily bow to their government's demands--or to foreign invaders. Liberty also produces a robust economy that will not buckle under the weight of war.

§  Liberty increases the likelihood that Pops will favor the following ideologies: Liberal (if the ruling party is not Anarcho-Liberal), Anarcho-Liberal (only if they are already in power)

§  Liberty increases the likelihood that Pops will have the following dominant issues: Full Citizenship (especially with high CON)

§  Liberty sets the country's base mobilization rate at 2% and the base mobilization impact at 75%. This makes liberty the weakest value early on, as most countries will not be able to mobilize any significant force at 2%. As the game progresses, techs allow an increased mobilization pool, and the player's economy becomes larger and more important.

Liberty is an excellent National Value for countries that desire expansion through immigration. Pops' increased tendencies towards Liberal government types increase the likelihood that their governments will pass many of the Political Reforms necessary for maximum immigrant attractiveness. The reduced economic impact of mobilization makes Liberty militarily the strongest value to have middle-to-late game, as techs make up for the low mobilization rate and the reduced impact of mobilization makes mobilizing less economically painful.

Order

The Order national value represents a common national interest in an orderly, law-abiding society. Order-based societies value tradition, law, and hierarchy above all else. A nation that values order is usually filled with people that will fulfill their duty if called upon, but are less diverse and economically competent.

§  Order increases the likelihood that Pops will favor the following ideologies: Conservative (if the ruling party is neither Reactionary nor Fascist), Reactionary (only if they are already in power), Fascist (only if they are already in power)

§  Order increases the likelihood that Pops will favor the following dominant issues: Residency (only if the pop is of a Primary culture)

§  This value sets the country's base mobilization rate at 4% and the base mobilization impact at 100%.

It is the most common national value and the middle of the road option so far as effects are concerned.

Equality

The Equality national value represents a common national interest in an equal society. The definition and extent of this equality may be different from place to place, but the idea that the nation is one of equals, each with common stake in its survival, is a powerful one. These populations can be readily shaped into large conscript armies, but their economic prowess and organization is dulled by their zealous focus on equality over efficiency.

§  Equality increases the likelihood that Pops will favor the following ideologies: Socialist (only if the Socialist ideology has been founded and Communists are not the ruling party), Communist (only if they are already in power)

§  Equality increases the likelihood that Pops will favor the following dominant issues: Limited Citizenship (only if the pop has <5 CON)

§  This value sets the country's base mobilization rate at 6% and the base mobilization impact at 125%.

Undoubtedly the most powerful value early game, when the armies of the world are small and easily overpowered by a large mobilization, and the economic impact is minimal. Late game it losses some of its luster, as technology and the growth of industry make the other values more attractive by comparison.

Role-play in English Language Teaching

What is role-play?
Role-play is any speaking activity when you either put yourself into somebody else's shoes, or when you stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation!

Imaginary people - The joy of role-play is that students can 'become' anyone they like for a short time! The President, the Queen, a millionaire, a pop star …….. the choice is endless! Students can also take on the opinions of someone else. 'For and Against' debates can be used and the class can be split into those who are expressing views in favour and those who are against the theme.

Imaginary situations - Functional language for a multitude of scenarios can be activated and practised through role-play. 'At the restaurant', 'Checking in at the airport', 'Looking for lost property' are all possible role-plays.

Why use role-play? 
It is widely agreed that learning takes place when activities are engaging and memorable. Jeremy Harmer advocates the use of role-play for the following reasons:

• It's fun and motivating

• Quieter students get the chance to express themselves in a more forthright way

• The world of the classroom is broadened to include the outside world - thus offering a much wider range of language opportunities

In addition to these reasons, students who will at some point travel to an English-speaking country are given a chance to rehearse their English in a safe environment. Real situations can be created and students can benefit from the practice. Mistakes can be made with no drastic consequences.

Tips on successful classroom role-play 
Prepare for success
Role-play is possible at elementary levels providing the students have been thoroughly prepared. Try to think through the language the students will need and make sure this language has been presented. Students may need the extra support of having the language on the board. I recently did a 'lost property office' role-play with elementary adults and we spent time beforehand drilling the structures the students would need to use. When the role-play began the students felt 'armed' with the appropriate language. At higher levels the students will not need so much support with the language but they will need time to 'get into' the role.