Dr Rajiv Desai
An Educational Blog
Digital Learning (Digital Education)
Digital Learning (Digital Education): _ _____ Section-1 Prologue: “Lectures are only terrible if you are a terrible lecturer!”. Lectures that are dynamic, evoke emotion, and engage the audience are worthwhile learning experiences. But in this age without technology dynamicity, emotion evoking, audience engagement etc. are all impossible. For our new generation kids born in latest technological environments, everything seems boring when it is not connected with technology, and rather counterintuitively we expect that they would learn under the same old age classrooms systems. Today’s students are digital natives. This is a generation that has never known a world without Google, the internet or even smartphones. Technology is at the center of their lives, touching every aspect of their day-to-day experiences and influencing their decisions. It stands to reason, then, that technology should be a crucial part of their educational experience. In today’s world, digital technology has not yet been applied […]
The Enigma of COVID-19:
The Enigma of COVID-19: _____ Caveat: Medicine is an ever-changing science. As COVID-19 pandemic is continuing worldwide, new research and clinical experience broaden our knowledge and necessitates changes in prevention and treatment. I have quoted sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to provide information that is complete and generally in accord with the standards accepted at the time of publication of this article. However, in view of the possibility of human error or changes in medical sciences, readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources. ______ Prologue: An epidemic happens when a disease spreads between large numbers of people in a short period of time. When an epidemic goes global, it is called a pandemic. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the deadliest event in human history (50 million or more deaths, equivalent in proportion to 200 million in today’s global population). […]
CYBERCRIME
CYBERCRIME: ____ This educational website was hacked by cyber-criminals on 7 February, 2017 and their threat note was posted on website as shown below: ____ Prologue: Former Chief Justice of India R M Lodha received an email from his friend Justice B P Singh seeking immediate monetary help of Rs 100,000 for the treatment of his cousin. The email said Singh was unavailable over the phone and that was why he was emailing for help. This was not the first time they were emailing each other and an unsuspecting Justice Lodha immediately transferred the money in two transactions at the account number given in the email. Justice Lodha had the shock of his life when he later received a mail from Singh that his email was hacked and Justice Lodha was cheated of Rs 100,000 by a cybercriminal. The world of internet today has become a parallel form of life […]
FACIAL RECOGNITION (TECHNOLOGY)
Facial Recognition (Technology): _____ _____ Prologue: Faces are special. Days after birth, an infant can distinguish his/her mother’s face from those of other women. Babies are more reliably engaged by a sketch of a face than they are by other images. Though human faces are quite similar in their basic composition, most of us can differentiate effortlessly among them. A face is a codex of social information: it can often tell us at a glance, someone’s age, gender, racial background and mood. The human brain is often less reliable than digital algorithms, but it remains superior at facial recognition. At the airport, when a scanner compares your face with your passport photo, the lighting is perfect and the angle is perfect. By contrast, an average human can recognize a family member from behind. No computer will ever be able to do that. Though we may take for granted our brain’s […]
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual Harassment: _____ _____ Prologue: In October 2016, a month before the presidential election, a 2005 tape came to the public’s attention. In raw footage from behind the scenes on Access Hollywood, Republican candidate Donald Trump bragged boldly about kissing women without their consent, grabbing at their genitals, and simply having his way: “…when you’re a star, they let you do it.” In a subsequent debate, CNN’s Anderson Cooper called the actions that Trump described “sexual assault.” Trump called it “locker room talk.” Whatever the term, the behavior and the attitude ultimately proved inconsequential, not sufficiently meaningful or outrageous to derail Trump’s election victory. In January 2017, Trump took up the position as the most powerful man in the world. Yet, almost exactly one year later, scores of women are stepping up and speaking out. They tell heart-breaking, terrifying stories of sexual harassment, and sexual assault at the hands of […]
