Making of Indian States in 12 Images

Infographical Presentation of the Making of Indian States in Twelve Images

From the day India got its Independence in 1947, the making of the states on various reasons was / is ans ongoing process. Initially, states were divided on linguistic identity. Ironically, even today, demands for separate state based on linguistic identity keeps erupting. Perhaps, India would have been more united if straight column and rows, squares of equal area, marked different states. But it would have killed the beautiful diversity (linguistic, cultural, festivals, food, clothing etc) would have been killed. It is good to see India stands united preserving its diversity. Let it get divided into more states on the grounds of socio-cultural-linguistic diversity. The real beauty of India is in its diversity. Any attempt to impose 'oneness' of religion, language, culture or food will neither be accepted nor it will be good for the health of Nation - India.

I do not know who has prepared this. I got it from social media. But who ever has done this, has/have presented it quite beautifully. With the advent of new technologies and smart devices, the mode of communication is changing very rapidly. If today, anybody believed that one should master Language to master communication, he is advocating communication skills for the twentieth century. In the Twenty-First century, communication through visuals is replacing communication through language. If WhatsApp kind of applications are so popularly used for communication, it obviously raises questions. If there was Short Message Service (SMS - Text message), why WhatsApp becomes so popular? Simple reason is that it allows person to go beyond language and communicate through smiles, images and videos. Though it may sound too early to predict that the end of language as the means of communication has begin, yet, one can sense that we now-a-days, are communicating lesser & lesser with languages and, more & more with images. Infographic is the in thing. See, how beautifully these infographs convey the message. It is quite true a picture is worth thousand words! 

Power of Morning Rituals

Morning Rituals

If you've ever woken up feeling groggy, sluggish, and unmotivated, you're not alone. Many people struggle with starting their day on the right foot, and it can have a significant impact on their productivity, happiness, and overall well-being. But what if there was a way to kickstart your day with a burst of energy and positivity? That's where morning rituals come in.

Morning rituals are a set of actions that you perform every morning to set the tone for your day. They can be anything from exercise, meditation, journaling, or even reading a few pages of a book. The key is to make them consistent and meaningful to you.

The power of morning rituals lies in their ability to create a sense of control and structure in your day. By starting your day with purposeful actions, you take charge of your day's narrative, rather than letting outside influences dictate how you feel and act.

For me, my morning ritual starts on the tennis court. There's something about hitting a ball with all your might that helps release negative emotions and stress. It's a form of therapy that clears my mind and sets me up for a productive day ahead.

But you don't have to be a tennis player to benefit from morning rituals. The key is to find something that resonates with you and brings you joy. It could be a quick yoga routine, a brisk walk outside, or even a few minutes of deep breathing. The goal is to find an activity that helps you connect with yourself and set a positive tone for the day.

One of the biggest benefits of morning rituals is their ability to boost your overall well-being. Studies have shown that consistent morning routines can reduce stress levels, improve sleep quality, and increase feelings of happiness and productivity throughout the day.

So, how do you start a morning ritual? It's all about finding what works for you and committing to it. Start small and build up over time. Don't try to do too much at once, or you risk burning out and giving up on the routine altogether. Set realistic goals and make it a priority to stick to them, even when it's challenging.

The morning rituals are a powerful tool for boosting your overall well-being and setting the tone for a positive and productive day. Whether you're a tennis player, a yogi, or a bookworm, there's a morning ritual out there for everyone. So why not give it a try and see the difference it can make in your life

This albums (embedded from Facebook) displays photos related to physical fitness, sports and recreation activities which are carried out with the fervour of religious ritual.

Morning Rituals: This albums displays photos related to physical fitness, sports and recreation activities which are...
Posted by Dilip Barad on Monday, 20 April 2015

Thanks to Harbhadrasinh I. Sarvaiya for yet another very well shoot video.

Posted by Dilip Barad on Friday, 6 November 2015

Helicopter topspin ☺ #MSDHONI #Tennis #Cricket . Thanks to Pesi Noshir Sinor for the video.

Posted by Dilip Barad on Tuesday, 6 January 2015

Economics Simplified

The economies and the corporations of the world explained in the utmost simplifies way with the common example of two cows.

Forthrightedness of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

'Sam Bahadur' Manekshaw was well - known for his bravery for under his command, Indian Forces conducted victorious campaigns against Pakistan in the Indo - Pakistan War of 1971 that led to the liberation of Bangladesh in Dec 1971.
He is also known for his forthright approach. Here are some of the examples of his forthrightedness in dealing with the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Source: http://www.scrolldroll.com/sam-manekshaw-showed-he-was-the-most-badass-army-general-ever/

From CV to DP

From Curriculum Vitae to Digital Portfolio

• Though the words like C.V. (Curriculum Vitae), Resume and Bio-Data are used interchangeably as synonymous, yet there is a difference among them.
• Resume is the shortest in form among the three. Then comes C.V. followed by Bio-Date.
• One should be careful about what recruiter is asking for. One should not keep any one form ready and print the same whenever job opportunity knocks the door.
• If CV is asked, do not give Resume or Bio-Data.
• Resume remains much in demand as people do not have time to read so many pages. One should keep a page or two of Resume ready and handy to be produced as and when required.
• If you are curious to know the difference among them, the below given presentation will help you.
• Well, the presentation is prepared a few years back so it talks about Digital Portfolio but do not discuss examples.
• What is DP? DP is Digital Portfolio - is also know as an electronic portfolio (also known as an eportfolio, e-portfolio, digital portfolio, or online portfolio)is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web. Such electronic evidence may include inputted text, electronic files, images, multimedia, blog entries, and hyperlinks. E-portfolios are both demonstrations of the user's abilities and platforms for self-expression, and, if they are online, they can be maintained dynamically over time.
  An e-portfolio can be seen as a type of learning record that provides actual evidence of achievement. Learning records are closely related to the Learning Plan, an emerging tool that is being used to manage learning by individuals, teams, communities of interest, and organizations. To the extent that a Personal Learning Environment captures and displays a learning record, it also might be understood to be an electronic portfolio. (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_portfolio)
• Now-a-days, students should have Digital Portfolio of their academic, co-curricular and extra-extracurricular activities.
• If you want to have a look at Digital Portfolios of students, please click here and follow the links.

•  Click here to visit the blog post > click on the Batch 2013-15 or any other. You will see the names of the students. Click on the names to visit their Digital Portfolio.

Resume, C.V., BioData and ePortfolio from Dilip Barad

Digital Portfolio Workshop from Dilip Barad

My Presentations

1. The Presentation on 'The Renaissance Literature" : Title:
To Evaluate this presentation, click here

Samuel Coleridge- Biographia Literaria Ch 14 from Dilip Barad

2. Title of Presentation:

"To evaluate my Presentation, click here"

Universal Human Laws in The Waste Land (T.S. Eliot) from Dilip Barad

Rubric for Evaluation of Written Assignment

Online Rubric for Written Assignment

Such evaluation in abstraction (at the mercy of the will of teacher)  does not help students. It must be concretized in definable terms 

Time and again, friends and fellow teachers have inquired about the way to evaluate Written Assignment. Whether it is ongoing Assessment  or final Evaluation, both require criteria, measures and it should be evidence driven. Moreover, the abstract marking or grading of student's performance should be defined in concrete terms. Some definable criteria should be set which can be used as measures and which can be supported with evidence. Here is an example which can be of some help to all those who are concerned with assessment and evaluation of Written Assignment.

We have used Google Forms for online rubric. If you are interested and want to customize it  as per your requirements, I can make you owner of the Google Form and you can use it as per your convenience. You can contact me by putting your message on the contact form given on right hand side panel of this blog. Please give your Gmail email id to become owner of the Google Form.

This 'Online Rubric is used at Dept. of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar (Gujarat - India) for:

• Peer Evaluation (Student's Written Assignment evaluated by student)
• Teacher Evaluation (Teacher's evaluation of student's Written Assignment)
• Self-evaluation (Student evaluates her/himself)

(If the form do not open within a few seconds, click here to open online evaluation form)

If you are preparing rubric in Google Classroom, click here for help

This online rubric to evaluate Written Assignment is prepared with the help of evaluation criteria used by An American University of Rome (http://www.aur.edu/)

Rubric for Evaluation of Oral Presentation

Online Rubric for Oral Presentation

Students making Oral Presentations

Time and again, friends and fellow teachers have inquired about the way to evaluate Oral presentations. Whether it is ongoing Assessment  or final Evaluation, both require criteria, measures and it should be evidence driven. Moreover, the abstract marking or grading of student's performance should be defined in concrete terms. Some definable criteria should be set which can be used as measures and which can be supported with evidence. Here is an example which can be of some help to all those who are concerned with assessment and evaluation of Oral Presentations.

We have used Google Forms for online rubric. If you are interested and want to customize it  as per your requirements, i can make you owner of the Google Form and you can use it as per your convenience. You can contact me by putting your message on the contact form given on right hand side panel of this blog. Please give your Gmail email id to become owner of the Google Form.

This 'Online Rubric is used at Dept. of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar (Gujarat - India) for:

• Peer Evaluation (Student's oral presentation evaluated by student)
• Teacher Evaluation (Teacher's evaluation of student's oral presentation)
• Self-evaluation (Student evaluates her/himself)

For peer evaluation of sem 1 students, click here

For peer evaluation of sem 2 students, click here

For peer evaluation of sem 3 students, click here

For peer evaluation of sem 4 students, click here

This rubric for the evaluation of Oral Presentation is based on the one prepared by National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

We have taken help of ReadWriteThink, NCTE from this website to prepare this rubric. © ILA/NCTE
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/printouts/oral-presentation-rubric-30700.html