Intel Awards - 2002
Date: 3rd April 2003
Time: 11:00 - 13:45
Venue: Durbar Hall, Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi
Highlights
  • Good attendance of around 305 invitees
  • An Audio Visual demonstration which provided an overview of the program which was thoroughly appreciated

  • An interactive session for the Principals and Teachers to meet and discuss the winning projects with the winning teachers

  • Interaction with 3 MT Clubs (Bangalore, Mumbai and Gurgaon) and their core committee members to appraise the audience of their activities and future plans

  • The Awards Presentation itself was appreciated and the winners were applauded for their efforts, which helped motivate schools and teachers to participate in the contest in 2003

  • A booklet showcasing the winning projects by Teachers was given away at the end of the event to the attendees

The Intel Award for the Most Innovative Use of Computer Technology to Enhance Student Learning aims to recognize and motivate those teachers who are making serious attempts at promoting enquiry-based and collaborative learning among students by effectively and innovatively integrating the use of computers into the existing curriculum. The ceremony for Intel Awards-2002 began aptly by offering prayers to the goddess of knowledge through "Saraswati Vandana".

    

 






 
 
This was followed by a welcome address by the then Manager-Education Programs, India – Intel® Innovation in Education, Ms Aruna Ramanathan. The audience was then enthralled with an Audio Visual presentation, which provided an overview of the program in the country. Schools, teachers, Government officials, principals, teachers, and students were featured in the AV and they shared their experiences of the Intel® Teach to the Future program and how it has changed the way students are being educated today. Valuable insights on the beginnings, goals and achievements of the program were given by Ms Anjali Nichani, K-12 Education Program Manager, Intel® Innovation in Education.

This was followed by a speech by Ms Debjani Ghosh, Regional Education Manager, Asia, Intel® Innovation in Education who spoke about the changes that have taken place in the way technology is used in schools to teach students. She highlighted the fact that true success does not lie in the numbers trained but in the change brought about in the way, that students learn. She spoke about the art of curiosity being instilled in the students; the shift in the responsibility from the teacher to the student, traits which will ensure the students have the desire to learn all their lives.
Mr Ketan Sampat, President, Intel - India spoke of his experience at a school in Bangalore, where he saw the enthusiasm the children showed in using technology. He stressed on the fact that providing technology and training would only be as effective as the results produced by it; the way teachers infect the students with the enthusiasm that they have. Thus in effect a small project has given way to a huge revolution. a revolution that encompasses not just the 9 teachers and 9 school winners, but the entire society. Chief Guest of the function Mr S Regunathan, Principal Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office, Principal Advisor of Administration to the Chief Minister & Information Technology gave away the prizes along with Mr. Ketan Sampat.

Mr Regunathan commended Intel on its approach towards bringing revolutionary change in the school curriculums of today. He laid down the fact that children have a higher level of intuition, and when you learn intuitively, you do not learn linearly but through layers, interlinking various thoughts and perceptions. He emphasized that most children, given an opportunity, are able to learn intuitively. He also suggested a forum where teachers could actually come together and contribute, which would help the cause of technology implementation in a much larger way.

After the ceremony, the guests were lead into the area where the contest-winning teachers were showcasing their work to all. Answering enthusiastically to all the questions put up by the guests, the winners spoke of how they had gone about selecting the topics, the various hurdles that came their way and 

     

the solutions they had to find to go ahead. Documenting each process and proving the benefits of technology-aided lessons over the traditional methodology hitherto opted for.

Going ahead the Intel® certified teachers have come together in 41 cities in India to form educator's forums and clubs to share their ideas on a platform carrying forward the light which has enlightened their lives to bring about a change in the nation.

Spokespersons from Clubs from the West, South North and East showcased the variety of work done by each one of them to achieve some common objectives. Implementation in schools, launch of websites and newsletters and events organized by the all the clubs was showcased.