Computer Masti

 

 

FrequentlyAskedQuestions?

Top Questions:

 

    1. Where do I begin? How should I get started? Computer Masti website has a dedicated section on Computer Masti content. We would recommend you to read the features section too. The content can be ‘freely’ seen here. This FAQ page should be able to answer other queries as well.

 

    1. What is Computer Masti in 3 sentences? Computer Masti (‘Masti’ means fun in Hindi) is a content-service solution to teach computers. It consists of an extensively research based curriculum and instruction materials. This is bundled with services to ensure implementation in variety of contexts as per client requirements. CM is not just about learning computer skills, since there is an equal emphasis on acquiring the right thinking skill set and positive attitudes.

 

    1. Is this solution only for children or adults as well? It can be used by anyone who wants to learn computers may be a child or an adult. It enables novice learners to overcome the fear of technology.

 

    1. I teach computers to marginalized groups? Can I use Computer Masti? Yes, you can use Computer Masti very well.  Computer Masti is available in vernacular Indian languages. In addition, we provide customised solutions for implementing computer education program in resource constrained groups under the CSR activities.

 

    1. I am a Parent / Teacher. How will Computer Masti help my kid? Computer Masti content is written in narrative style. This allows for playful learning, where transfer of knowledge occurs via dialogue between two child characters and a facilitator character. Your kid may get the enjoyment of reading a story while learning a lot of nitty gritties about computer skills, thinking process skills as well as healthy practices. In addition, the worksheets push higher order thinking skills and require application of knowledge from real life situations and other subjects such as Science, Geography and Maths.

 

    1. What is the role of IIT Bombay? CM author team is based at IIT Bombay. Computer Masti was created at CSE Department IIT Bombay. InOpen Technologies is incubated in SINE, IIT Bombay. SINE is Society for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Prof Sridhar Iyer who is a co-founder of the company is a professor in computer science department of IIT Bombay. Also the authors of the books are professors in IIT Bombay.


Sections :


  1. About Computer Masti

 

    1. What is Computer Masti ? What are the key features of CM?

    2. How did Computer Masti get started? Who wrote the Books ? What is the research that has gone into creation of CM?

    3. Who are these three characters of the book?

    4. What methodology does Computer Masti adopt? How is the Computer Masti model of learning different?

    5. Why are you emphasizing on thinking process skills for subject like Computers ?

    6. All CM lessons are written in narrative style. How do you expect teachers to teach such lessons?

    7. Your worksheets expect students to apply variety of subject knowledge and not just computers. Why?

    8. Why do you have lessons on healthy practices in computer textbook?

    9. What materials are offered on the Computer Masti site? Is is it a self learning or a reference material ?

 

  1. Computer Masti in my Classroom

 

    1. How is CM implemented in Schools. What’s the flow ?

    2. Does Computer Masti follow CBSE/ICSE or SSC? Does it follow IB/IGCSE or any other international curriculum?

    3. My School follows ABC curriculum, Can I change it to Computer Masti ? How will Computer Masti support in migration?

    4. Is Computer Masti only available in English? Does it support other languages too?

    5. Is the curriculum very theoretic ?

    6. Do Computer Masti need some special configuration ?

    7. What is the cost involved in using computer masti?

    8. Who all are your clients ?

 

  1. About InOpen

 

    1. What is InOpen Technologies? What is vision of InOpen Technologies?

    2. What are the current offerings of InOpen?

    3. How did the idea of open source content started and how did it develop into InOpen technologies?

    4. Do you also have e-learning materials ?   


About Computer Masti :

What is Computer Masti?

Computer Masti ( CM) is a cutting edge computer education solution. This includes an extensively research curriculum, instruction material to teach it as well as services to ensure smooth implementation. The curriculum meets national and international standards of technical education.

It consists of five themes -

  1. Familiarity with computers (basic usage skills),

  2. Office applications and Internet,

  3. Thinking process skills,

  4. Social/ethics/safety (healthy computer practices, SMART rules of Internet use, AWARE rules for use of Internet resources)

  5. Programming (visual and syntax based).

The curriculum is spiral, in that, there is iterative revisit of topics in each book. In addition, thinking process skills are not taught in isolation, but connected to application skills. For example, having taught step wise thinking and logical reasoning, students are expected to apply it while programing. Similarly, having taught stepwise gathering of information students are expected to apply it while surfing Internet and creating presentations.


The lesson content is presented in a story format through a dialogue between two child characters- Tejas and Jyoti and a facilitator character- Moz. CM adopts guided inquiry, which encourages the characters to keep asking questions and explore on their own.


Important concepts, skills, guidelines and information pertaining to the topic addressed in each lesson are distinguished well for easy reference. Learning outcomes are included for check by teachers and students. To assess the knowledge gained in each topic, worksheets that push higher order thinking skills are included. In addition, activities --- computer, non-computer based, group activities and projects are included. In order to provide challenging activities for students with higher abilities, explore activities are included. For the benefit of the teacher, guidance is provided on how to teach the lesson.

Please download this fact sheet for quick overview. Also We would request you to please the features page


Tell us about the three characters of the book?

CM has two child characters --- Tejas ands Jyoti who are student characters to whom students can relate to and a facilitator character - Moz who is kind of teaching them about computer science. A boy and girl are selected in order to provide learner role models for students of either sex. In the first couple of books, the student characters ask questions and the facilitator keeps answering these, thus performing the role of an information giver. As books progress to higher levels, the facilitator asks questions and the child characters are encouraged to explore and discover features on their own. The facilitator’s role then is mostly to summarise the newly constructed knowledge.

How did Computer Masti get started?

Computer Masti started as a project in 2005 to write Computer science curriculum for a group of school. It later on expanded to write teacher’s handbook. One the team members, undertook action research to study student reactions to the content. This revealed a lot of field insights. On the basis of this, the curriculum was revised and it was decided that a textbook would be a better solution than teacher’s handbook. For example, it was observed that teachers were actually reading out the teacher’s handbook. So if at all they are reading content in the class they might as well read content which is child friendly.

When we are looking at the kind of literature that students were looking at, we realized if we have a loose story tied around a technical topic, it will be more engaging for the students. That is why we have these two child characters - Tejas and Jyoti who are child characters to whom students can relate to and a facilitator character Moz who is kind of teaching them about computer science. Thus, the first Computer Masti book was written and released in 2008.

Who wrote the Books ? The books have been written a team that shares between them expertise in Computer science, psychology, engineering, pedagogy and project management. To know about the authors of Computer Masti, please visit http://computermasti.com/about-us/our-team.html

What methodology does Computer Masti offer?

The underlying philosophy of Computer Masti is the Patanajai yoga sutra - pratyaksha Anumana Agama Pramana.

Pramana' or right knowledge can be attained by 'Pratyaksha' (direct experience), Anumana (reasoning). ‘Agama' (information from authentic source). Learning happens best when the learner is directly involved in the learning process, through 'Pratyaksha'. Wherever 'Pratyaksha' is not possible, learning must be promoted through reasoning or 'Anumana'. Where both these options are not possible, the learner can be given the information directly(Agama). A teacher must try and facilitate learning in the above sequence such that children get maximum chance for 'Pratyaksha'.

The lesson content is woven around a narrative that encourages guided inquiry form of learning. Thus, the facilitator character keeps asking questions, encouraging students to explore on their own. The topics are arranged spirally, such that there is iterative revisit of topics across grades. We attain thematic integration, by reinforcing what is learnt in other subjects as well as real life skills while doing activities for each topic. Emphasis is laid on equipping the learners with the 21st century skills --- critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity. Besides, Computer Masti addresses the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning needs and Multiple Intelligences of a child.

 

What materials are offered on the Computer Masti site?

 

  1. CM books

  2. CM tool kit

  3. Posters - healthy computer practices, Asanas, SMART rules for Internet safety, AWARE rules for responsible use of Internet resources.

  4. Sample Lesson Plans

  5. Sample Question bank

  6. CM fact sheet

  7. Sample teaching videos for selected topics

How is the Computer Masti model of learning different?

 

  1. Computer Education for Schools in India mostly happens through:

  1. Book Publishers (Navneet, Oxford ,and other publishers)

  2. Hardware Vendors (who supply Hardware for Schools and also council them for books and curriculum to be followed

  3. Small Vendors to whom Schools outsource their Computer education (in addition to hardware, also provide services such as a computer teacher and assessment)

  4. Large Players in ICT who also teacher Computers (Educomp, NIIT, etc)

Computer Masti is strong research based curriculum in comparison to the regular book publishers. We are more credible than small/local vendors, that focus mainly on hardware rather than content and have little to assure on quality parameters. The CM author team, based in IIT Bombay ensures that computer education programme focuses on holistic development, rather than only technical skills.

We are definitely not competing with large players the e-learning space, but trying to be a strategic partner with them. The differentiating factor is primarily our content that keeps the learner central to the teaching - learning experience.

Our biggest advantage is our ability to customize the curriculum for each and every school which signs up with us. We strongly believe that no two schools are same and one size does not fit all in Education Sector. Some of the factors we consider while customising are prior knowledge of students, infrastructure available in the school, leadership support, we suggest varied topics for each grade.

The other strong point is affordability.  The applications included in Computer Masti are OS independent. Thus, the user has a choice of platform. Since these application are free, it is scalable, thus allowing the school to keep their operation costs low.

Is Computer Masti not-for-profit? Why did Computer Masti decide to use Creative Commons License?

Computer Masti is a collaborative product from InOpen Technologies and IIT Bombay. InOpen is a for profit organization. We decided to use the Creative Commons license to share our research and Computer Masti content. We are big fan of Open source technology. The content is available online free of cost for viewing. However it should be not be used for any kind of  commercial purposes

To know more about the license please refer to the link below: http://computermasti.com/index.php?option=com_content&;;view=article&id=13

What is the research that has gone into creation of CM?

CM books follows a highly iterative collaborative writing process that involves brainstorming for idea generation, research on existing national/international standards, what is taught in other subjects and a study of the general exposure of students – what kind of books they generally read, what programs they watch on television, how do they spend free time, etc.

Each author writes different sections of a lesson and each author review the others’ section. Illustrations are discussed between the authors, editor and the illustrator. Each portion of the lesson undergoes several rounds of review before it is finally signed off. Having done this, feedback is sought from teachers and students before finally including it in the book.

One of the authors pilot tested the first draft of the books in a school as part of post doctoral research. We gained valuable insights in this exercise and this has fed back into improvising the books.

Why are you teaching thinking process skills?

All international standards for ICT include a component on research and information gathering and/or focus on critical thinking skills. Similarly, the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of NCERT, mentions about using the ICT education as a platform for teaching life skills. The CM research team felt the need for including explicit chapters on thinking process due to following reasons:

 

  • These are real life skills, seldom taught, often caught. Research indicates that unless these are explicitly taught, students may not be able to pick up these skills.

  • These skills lay foundation for smart use of technology. For instance, having taught stepwise gathering of information is connected back while teaching Internet surfing and presentation skills.

  • Thinking process skills provide a solid base for learning programming skills. For instance, having learnt stepwise thinking, students are able to comprehend how computer processes information and program are executed.

  • These topics equip students with critical thinking skills, that form an important skill for the 21st century student.

 

 

All lessons are written in narrative. How do you expect teachers to teach such lessons?

We adopted the guided inquiry method of teaching. Hence, the lesson content is tied with a loose story such that the interaction between the two student characters and a facilitator character brings out how the new knowledge is constructed.

This style of teaching comes close to learning in Gurukul,wherein the Guru (teacher) asks questions, but allows the sishya (learner) to explore and learn on their own.

While we gave the teachers’ handbook to the teachers, we found that they were reading out the lessons to the students. Hence, we decided to give lesson content in a form that even if the teacher reads out the lesson/asks the students to read it, it is in a form that facilitates self-learning. Important concepts, skills, information and guidelines are highlighted in separate boxes. While teaching the topic, the teacher can use puppetry, mono act, conduct a role play or ask students to read the lessons on their own. Each lesson has a teacher's corner that gives tips to the teacher on how a particular lesson has to be taught.

Your worksheets expect students to apply variety of subject knowledge and not just computers. Why?

Research in academia indicates that an integrated curriculum holds higher values and provides enriched knowledge to students. Similarly, research in the field of Cognitive science, that our brain integrates knowledge from various disciplines and creates integrated schemas. In view of this, instruction material that provides opportunity for integration is more suitable rather than the one that presents compartmentalised information. Most of the developed countries achieve this thematic integration, with the use of ICT. Here, technology standards are defined and it is assumed that while other subjects are being taught, specific technical skills would also be learnt and applied. In developing countries, where technical infrastructure is still an issue, we cannot assume sustained access to technology for all students. Hence, we adopted a reverse thematic integration approach. Here, we reinforce what is taught in other subjects while practicing particular computer skills. For instance, while testing the knowledge of graphic organisers, students are expected to recall and apply the knowledge of galaxy.

Why do you have lessons on asanas in computer textbook?

Yoga asanas are included to address healthy computer practices. Present generation of students are likely to use technology for extended hours and this makes them susceptible to computer related healthy injuries.

Hence, we include exercises for various body parts such as eyes, neck, arms, back, legs. Since, we provide a contextualised learning experience, we include yoga asanas. Indian students are likely to relate to it, since ancient Indian philosophy of Patanjali descibes the postures and associated health benefits. For Islamic schools, we replace this with postures of Namaz and their associated health benefits. The underlying rationale is that students need to take breaks while using computers and do some exercise. If they are able to relate to the exercises, they are more likely to continue practicing it. We begin in Book 1 itself, since it is important to proactively teach them healthy habits rather than wait for them to pick up incorrect habits in matters of times spent on computer and posture.  

Is Computer Masti about teaching computers or life skill education?

Both. The curriculum focuses on five themes - familiarity with computers, application skills - office and Internet, thinking process skills, programming and healthy computer practices. The themes are intertwined, together and more than one theme may be addressed in one lesson. We include analogy and real life situations to achieve thematic integration. Hence, you would observe that students are expected to apply knowledge from a variety of domains. This is done with a purpose, after all we are addressing the learning needs of the 21st century student

Why do you keep coming again and again to the same topic?

One of the learning principle we adopt in Computer Masti is that of spiral curriculum. There is an iterative revisiting of topics across different level books, so that they are graded according to difficulty level, from simple to complex. Thus, each successive exposure to topic is more deeper. This provides students an opportunity to revise what they already know, as well as takes on board students who were lagging behind during previous exposure. It is like preferring to eat smaller but frequent chunks of meals rather than have one meal for the day. Small portion are easy to digest/comprehend. Hence, we keep coming again and again to the same topic.

 

Computer Masti in the Classroom:

What is the vision of Computer Masti in the classroom? (vague question)

Primary vision of CM is to nurture independent thinking skills of a child. Computer Masti( CM) has a vision of changing the way computer education is conducted.CM emphasizes not just technical skills, but concepts and life skills and establish clarity of thought enabling people to become not just users but also creators of technology.

How do I get information about using Computer Masti in my class/school? How can I add my school for Computer Masti? [Anu to answer this - website/email/phone.

For any clarification you can contact us directly at 022 25725596. Or you can mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

To add your school for using CM you can get in touch with the sales team at InOpen Technologies at 9619609509. http://computermasti.com/contact-us.html

Does Computer Masti follow CBSE/ICSE or SSC? Does it follow IB/IGCSE or any other international curriculum?

Computer Masti books is written as per the Computer Masti curriculum. This is compatible to both CBSE and ICSE standards as well as several state education boards. The objective is to provide all students enough exposure to computers that they are able to apply it in their field of choice. The company, InOpen Technologies, provides customised solution for meeting requirements of various clients, across various locations.

My School follows ABC curriculum, Can I change it to Computer Masti ? How will Computer Masti support in migration?

Typically, when a school expresses interest to adopt Computer Masti, an education officer visits the school. Here, the curriculum, instruction material already use, infrastructure available, students’ previous knowledge of computers, teacher qualifications and skills, institutional leadership are studied. On the basis of this, we suggest a road map to implement Computer Masti across different grades. We provide supplementary learning material or customised books as per client requirements.

Is Computer Masti only available in English? Does it support other languages too?

Comptuer Masti is available in English as well as 8 Indian languages - Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Guajarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali. Besides, we also have Arabic and French translations of the book.

What types of computers/devices should I be using in the classroom?

With Computer Masti, YOU have a choice -- a choice to select your platform, hardware and configuration. All the CM applications are OS independent; this implies that irrespective of whether you are on Windows, Linux or Mac, you can start using CM applications. In order to keep the cost low, given the resource constraints that schools from a developing country as India face, it is worth to set up Linux labs. However, the choice lies with you. Any system with 512 MB RAM supports the CM application tool kit.

What is the cost involved in using computer masti?

The cost per student depends upon various factors. We offer a range of services like creating from customizing content for that school, to appointing a resource person, training the school teacher, handholding visits, assesment and so on. So giving a cost estimate is difficult.

About InOpen

What is InOpen Technologies? What is vision of InOpen Technologies?

InOpen is a IIT Bombay based educational startup with focus on developing high quality academic content through intense research. InOpen offers products and services to government and private schools. We are currently serving more than 2.5 lakh students directly through our products.  Vision of InOpen Technologies is to be one of the best content generation company and to emphasize not only on computer skills but also life skills.

What are the current offerings of InOpen?

InOpen is serving K-12 market with their flagship product ‘Computer Masti’ and newly introduced Science curriculum called ‘Small Science’. InOpen also work with Govt. and Corporate Organisations with our IT literacy solutions.

Which is the target group that you cater to, through your Educational content and solutions developed by InOpen Technologies to? Is it only the schools?

On the School side we target k-12. Various government projects are also undertaken which target people of different ages and who have different requirements for IT Literacy.

We have:

  1. IT Nipun which is an eLearning content for teaching basic computer skills.

  2. Advanced technical content on topics such as hardware and networking for BPL youth, dropouts.

  3. We lay a lot of emphasis on understanding the education needs of audience and contextualize the content according to their background.


Do you have any model for NGOs?


How did the idea of open source content started and how did it develop into InOpen technologies?

IIT Bombay has always been supporting use of FOSS in education. So, when Prof. Sridhar Iyer began working on computer education for schools, FOSS was the natural choice. Having written the books, the CM author team felt the need for a company to take the content to wider audience. Hence InOpen came into being. The InOpen team brings on board it expertise in FOSS as well as marketing and sales skills to expand the user base of Computer Masti.



 

 

 

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