Libraries: I mean a real library of Books
While I was in school in the 1970's, and subsequently studying in Engineering college and later a University in the United States, and this is how libraries looked like.
It was always a rich repository of knowledge, and provided the diversity of literature, history, educational material, Culture, Encyclopedias of all types, Dictionaries, Pictionaries, Journals, Magazines, textbooks, reference books, All Newspapers etc,.
It would always be a quiet place but positive and vibrant place. Apostle of learning. Being able to walk-in to the library, and go to the index cards to find the location and availability of a particular book. First find the right index rack, Title Index, subject index, Author index, to help you find the right book, its availability, and the location.
Once you find the book you will look for a quite corner or a vacant seat, to sit down and "Read". Reading is about learning. Even reading fiction has some key learning takeaways.
I run a Education Technology Business, engineering software products, and pedagogically interesting Digital Content for our Clients across the world.
We also have established a Contemporary School that focuses on experiential learning, Constructivism in learning. Exciting curiosity, creativity and Innovation are important and we bring this dimension into ways of doing education design, and Education delivery.
From the first impressions of the NEP2000, It seems like, our school by its design, has incorporated most of the pedagogical approaches, and Infrastructure including the Laboratories, our uniquely designed Innovation centre. Most equipments at our school are the best at that time, and all of them are networked. We are using the ability of devices in different labs to interoperate. We have implemented IOT in a sense. We have a weather station, and a fairly high end observatory. Even all Microscopes we have in all laboratories are connected. What is enables, for example, is you a stream what is being watched in realtime using the telescope, can be displayed at various location inside the campus, inside classrooms, and we can also pus it out on internet. We have embraced the use of digital content repositories, and we effectively use the highly available network at classrooms, laboratories etc. So, I do believe in Digital books, subscribing to them, and being able to read on a tablet or a Amazon Book reader.
In the digital world you can create interesting digital content objects, curate such objects and Apps to fit your needs, e-books et. into one common content repository.
Being able to digitise and curate already available digital content, doe not mean it is a substitute to reading books. Generally we, as Individuals build a strong emotional connect with the book. The experience of holding a book in hand and reading it at your own pace, being able flip a few pages backward and forward, Annotating them, highlighting sentences, Annotating, book marks are all part of the "Reading a Book" Habit
Unlike the earlier scenario where teachers selected books from libraries full of books, here it is about a teacher stitching together a lesson plan, select and associate resources from the Content repository to a lesson or a topic. This framework can be used by the teacher to deliver a class session. I personally think it should be a good blend of using digital content online and reading real books. This blended form will probably be the most effective way of Education Delivery
In today's world you can google everything you want, many other specialist search engines like 'Mathematica', and more. Exciting isn't it? with Youtube, Google etc., there is content for all age groups and for deeper levels too.
Having said this, my personal belief is that the "BOOK ARE NOT DEAD YET", and will not in the near foreseeable future. The best thing to do would be design an optimal blend.
Teachers are the mainstay of a school, and for that matter any Educational Institution.
Let us all remember, that the key aspects are about moving away from ROTE learning to learning in real world, concepts connected real lives, current affairs happening in the World, to integrating local skills, local heritage, local history etc.
I will conclude by saying BOOK ARE NOT DEAD YET!, and TEACHERS WILL BE FOREVER. We all need a mentor right though our lives.
Executive Secretary at Excelsoft Technologies
4 年Library is one of the tools for the students and all of us for enriching ourselves. The concept of library will cling to us at all times to come as it was in the past.
Retired Professor & Head of the Department
4 年I totally agree. We used to refer to more than 1 book and update ourselves very well. Good informative read. Thanks
Retired Professor & Head of the Department
4 年Good one
Dean - Student Affairs and Alumni Engagements, JSS Science and Technology University and JSS Alumni Engagements (USA)
4 年Good post, very refreshing to read, As it’s always said Library is a poor man’s University, Libraries facilitate self-directed life long learning. Ever changing world and newer learning systems may have a plethora of learning tools but Books and Libraries are irreplaceable and remains the sanctum Santorum of any education institute, it’s a place where you find wisdom of the ages. Also the post reminded me of my study years with terms like index card and author index which present students seldom hear. Thanks for posting.
Adjunct Professor at National University
4 年We need blended libraries!