Remote education - Overview

Remote education - Overview

Friday, August 7, 2020 / No Comments

 

The Problem With Remote Education

Faced with an unanticipated lockdown, the only tool many schools could use readily was something like Zoom, which turned out to be woefully unsecure even though it was impressively easy to use. Another issue with Zoom is that it was never designed to be an education solution -- it merely allows one person to talk remotely with many others.

That undoubtedly is part of the problem. To keep kids focused and interested in remote lessons, it's critical to have tools that go beyond ordinary communications to help teachers ensure better student attention and performance.

The problems with remote schooling are similar to those associated with working from home, with a few exceptions. Students usually aren't as mature, and most lack the attention span of an adult. They don't have their careers to or income to worry about, so they tend to be less focused, in general, on accomplishing their tasks.

With a solution like Zoom, which is just a communications tool, it's likely that the lessons won't work, because the students aren't engaged. The level of acting out in the classroom will make it virtually impossible to hold class, let alone instill any knowledge.

Tech companies sell to schools, but they typically don't create focused educational tools. Generally, they sell PCs that are priced lower for the market but are specified by the school itself, and there isn't much engagement beyond that.

Lack of engagement makes it difficult for those companies to offer effective help when a school has to pivot to remote operations, because their answers typically will be to buy new Windows PCs, Chromebooks or iPads. While these tools are critical to remote learning, they fall well short of what a solution should be.

Lack of engagement speaks to why so many schools, after trying to operate remotely, gave up. Their programs weren't working.

Lack of engagement likely impacted sales to the education market as well. Lenovo came up with the idea of buying a company -- LanSchool, created by teachers for teachers -- and selling its product to schools to increase engagement. Lenovo realized that while technology was becoming more prevalent in schools, the OEMs weren't advancing as quickly in understanding the changes affecting education and weren't positioning effectively.

Approaches to education have changed a great deal in recent years. Teachers' responsibilities have shifted from teaching core STEM to helping students develop life skills like critical thinking, collaboration and digital literacy. (Schools also are teaching kids to use technology -- which means that older folks typically will rely more on younger ones to help them get their tech to work.)

Lenovo also knows from market data that schools were moving to the cloud to reduce costs and improve security. They already knew that schools were using Chromebooks heavily in K-12 (16 percent penetration) but that purchasing was problematic. When many schools recently tried to buy PCs at once, they found they were unable to.

Barnyard millet: Rich source of protein with Nutritional and health benefits

Barnyard millet: Rich source of protein with Nutritional and health benefits

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 The Barnyard millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses , widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for both human food and fodder . The millets include species in several genera, mostly in the subfamily Panicoideae , of the grass family Poaceae .

 Millets are not only adapted to poor, droughty, and infertile soils, but they are also more reliable under these conditions than most other grain crops.

 Millets are major food sources in arid and semiarid regions of the world, and feature in the traditional cuisine of many others.

 Barnyard millet is another food crop domesticated in India and grown for both grain and fodder purposes.

 Small millets are highly nutritious and even superior to rice and wheat in certain constituents.

 Finger millet is the richest source of calcium (300-350 mg/100 gm grain) and other small millets are good source of phosphorous and iron too. The protein content range from 7-12% and fat content from 1.12 to 5.0 %.

 The millet protein has well balanced amino acid profile and good source of methionine, cystine and lycine. These essential amino acids are of special benefit to those who depend on plant food for their protein nourishment.

The millet grain contains about 65% carbohydrate, a high proportion of which is in the form of non starchy polysaccharides and dietary fibre which help in prevention of constipation, lowering of blood cholesterol and slow release of glucose to the blood stream during digestion.

Millet grains are also rich in important vitamins viz., Thiamine, riboflavin, folin and niacin. It is of interest to note that lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases, duodenal ulcer and hyperglycemia (diabetes) are reported among regular millet consumers.

History

Barnyard millet is the fastest growing millet and its origin is probably in eastern India.

Climate

Barnyard millet is an all season crop and is grown mainly in the tropics.

It is grown at an altitude between 1000 -2000 m.

It requires a well distributed rainfall (i.e. annual rainfall 600-800m) during growing season with an absence of prolonged droughts.

Crop grows well, where the average maximum temperature exceeds 27°C and the average minimum temperature does not fall below 180 centigrade.

Regions of high humidity are not suitable for its cultivation.

 It is a short day plant, a 12-hour photo period being optimum. Both temperature as well as photoperiod influence maturity.

 

Soil

The crop is grown on a variety of soils, but reasonably fertile and free draining sandy loam soils are preferred. Barnyard millet cannot tolerate water logging. It thrives best on red lateritic loams.

Varieties

Selection of high yielding, short duration, disease resistant, drought tolerant and agro- climatic varieties of Barnyard millet is the important consideration for higher production.

In recent years a number of Barnyard millet varieties have been released.

Varieties cultivated in India

State                      :     Barnyard millet variety

Andhra Pradesh          :       VL 29, Co 1

Bihar                           :       RAU 2, RAU 3, RAU 9, VL 29, VL 181

Jarkhand                      :      RAU 2, RAU 3, RAU 9, VL 29

Gujarat                         :      VL 172

Karnataka                    :       VL 181, VL 172

Maharashtra                :       VL 29

Madhya Pradesh         :       VL 29, VL 172, VL 181

Chattisgarh                 :        VL 29, VL 172

Tamil Nadu                 :        Co 1, K 2, VL 181

Uttar Pradesh              :        Anurag, Chandan, VL 172

Uttaranchal                 :        VL 21, VL 29, VL 172

Package of practices of Barnyard millet

 Selection of seed

Barnyard millet is a short duration crop and can be grown all the year around. Therefore,the selection of a suitable variety/seed depends upon the season of sowing.

Time of sowing

The rainfed early crop is sown in April or early May. Kharif season main crop is sown during Mayor June. The rainfed crop should be sown by the end of August, if the rains are not received in time. It helps to avoid moisture stress at critical stage of flowering. In areas, where irrigation facilities are inadequate, the sowing should be done after the onset of monsoon. In higher hills of North India, the optimum time of sowing for the first fortnight of June.

Seed rate and seed treatment

The quality of seed required for sowing a hectare of Barnyard millet field depends upon the method of sowing ie by transplanting, by broadcasting or by seed drill or kera. About 4-5kg seed is sufficient for raising nursery, whereas 8-10 kg seed will be required for broadcasting one hectare of land. Seed should be treated with Agrosan G.N. or Thiram 2-3g/kg of seed as protection against seed born disease.

Nursery Raising

Barnyard millet is grown by raising nurseries and transplanting the seedlings in the main field. About 400 square meters of land is sufficient to raise nursery for one hectare of main field. Nursery should be raised on a high level piece of land with proper drainage.

Transplanting

For transplanting, 20-25 days old seedlings are ideal for getting optimum yields. A spacing of 20 x 10 cm and 15 x 10 cm are recommended for kharif and rabi crops, respectively. Transplanting provides not only uniform plant stand but also increases height, tiller number and fingers/ear, which are directly related to higher production. Shallow planting in 5 cm depth encourages quicker and better tillering. Transplanted crop does not lodge during rains.

Irrigation

Barnyard millet crop is generally grown under rainfed conditions, since it does not do well on waterlogged soils. About 50 per cent available soil moisture is found to be optimum for maximum yield. The number of irrigations varies depending upon the rainfall during the season. Rains of about 450 mm have to be supplemented by irrigation of 130 min water to raise a good crop. Depending upon the nature of soil, irrigations are given whenever necessary. Adequate moisture is necessary at tillering, flowering and grain filling stage.

Weed Control

Great importance is given to thinning and weeding operations when the Barnyard millet is 2.5-5cm high. Weeds are particularly serious in broadcast crops. Single line sowing 25 cm apart facilitates weeding. Transplanting method of sowing is also the best method to control the weeds. Sometimes the wild Barnyard millet is a serious weed. Since it cannot be distinguished from the cultivated varieties in the vegetative stage, it usually matures and sheds its seeds before the Barnyard millet is harvested. A suitable crop rotation can be effectively used to control such weeds. The other weeds can be removed with hand hoe after 25 days of sowing. Two to three hoeing are sufficient to control the weeds in problem areas.

Insect Pests

The only serious pest in India is said to be the hairy caterpillars (Amsacta albistriga). The other insects causing sporadic damages are jassids beetles and grass hoppers. Caterpillars, beetles and jassids can effectively be controlled by spraying Endosulphan (0.07%) or Monocrotophos 0.05%. Grasshoppers can be con- trolled by spraying / dusting BHC 10% in early stages of infection.

 Harvesting

The time of harvesting varies depending on the location in plains. The crop matures faster in plains than in hills. Cultivated varieties vary in there susceptibility to shattering. Therefore, 3-4 pickings are usually required to collect the ear heads from the field. When a mixture of varieties is grown, natural ripening is expected to be uneven and hence more pickings are required. Hand harvesting of ear-head usually requires more labour. Mostly the crop is harvested with sickles and straw is cut close to the ground.

Threshing

The harvested crop is stacked for about 2-3 months to dry completely, before threshing, which is done by beating with sticks or by treading with bullocks or by means of stone rollers or hammer mill.

Unfavorable Climatic Conditions

If a dry spell occurs after germination the young plants may be killed and resowing is necessary. Continuous spells of rain during growth period, accompanied by a temperature range of 25°C to 32°C causes infection of plant diseases. Heavy rain at flowering has adverse effect on grain-setting since open florets are more susceptible.

Flowering and Fruiting

Inflorescence has 4-6 dense sessile spikes, having 60-80 spikelets per spike, densely crowded, arranged alternatively on rachis in two overlapping rows along outer sides of spike and 6-12 hermaphrodite florets per spikelets. Flowering takes place over a period of 8-10 days, with the maximum number of florets opening on the spike and proceeds downwards. Flowers are normally self pollinated, sometimes cross pollination by wind up to 1 % has also been observed.  The caryopsis (fruit) of Barnyard millet is small rounded with 2mm diameter and usually dull red in colour with a black helium. It keeps well for several years provided that it is kept dry. About 400-500 seeds weigh one gram. The pericarp can be removed from the seed easily.

Storage

The grain is notably free from any serious pest damage in store and it keeps well for several years provided it is kept dry without deterioration or weevil damage. Consequently, it is an important famine food. Dry straw can also be stored for a sufficient long time and used as fodder.

Build brand awareness with these clever tips & tricks

Build brand awareness with these clever tips & tricks

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What is brand awareness?

If people don’t know who you are, they can’t purchase your product or service. Brand awareness happens the second someone remembers your brand from previously seeing something like your logo or company name. When you build brand awareness you are building your reputation. This can help you to acquire new customers, retain old customers and stand out from your competition.

Let’s take brand awareness a step further with brand recognition. After your customer learns your business name the next goal you have is for them to have an in-depth knowledge of your products, services and overall feeling of your business.

For example you can probably recognize the Starbucks logo from a mile away when you are driving down the highway. You know that the company is currently trying to find alternatives to their classic green straws. They have a point system that allows you to collect stars until you get a free drink. And you definitely have your go-to order memorized.

Before your customers can reach this state of brand recognition you will have to build brand awareness. This will allow you to target customers, generate leads, and close sales.

How can you build brand awareness for your business?

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is brand awareness. People are not going to automatically know your brand after seeing your logo/name once or twice. You have to work for it by building a strategy, earning customers’ trust and making your presence known on multiple channels. This strategy should be unique and creative so that you can beat out your competitors.

On the surface level you will need to build a strong brand awareness strategy targeting highly specific audiences and focusing on brand recall and customer engagement.

If you are just starting out you will need to define your target market and develop buyer personas because you can’t target everyone. The more focused your audience is, the better. You want people who will actually engage with your brand. Quality over quantity.

Focusing on brand recall is the core of building brand awareness. The key to brand recall is being consistent on all platforms. There are so many ways you can engage your customers online – from advertising on social media to blogging. Make sure you know which marketing tactics you should use and which to avoid.

How to prevent ransomware ?

How to prevent ransomware ?

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What is ransomware and how do you prevent it?

Ransomware attacks are on the rise, but what is it? And what can you put in place to prevent your company from being a victim of this growing malware?

Over the last few years, ransomware has been increasing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, the rise of technology comes hand in hand with an increase in cybercrime. But how much do you know about the ever-evolving ransomware threat? And do you know what steps to take to prevent an attack?

An increasing risk

Cybersecurity needs to be a top priority for businesses of any size to protect itself again from the ever-evolving threat network. According to ISACA, CMMI, and Infosecurity Group's "State of Enterprise Risk Management 2020" study, 53% of respondents stated that they had seen increased risk to their organization over the last 12 months. Additionally, 29% of respondents found that cybersecurity is the most critical risk category facing enterprises today, and 33% believe that information/cybersecurity risk will be the most crucial category of risk facing their organization in the next 18-24 months.

Source - ISACA, CMMI and Infosecurity Group's "State of Enterprise Risk Management 2020

Ransomware definition 

Ransomware is a form of malicious software designed to either block access to a computer system or publishes a victim's data online. The attacker demands a ransom from the victim, promising – not always truthfully – to restore access to the data upon payment.

Around since the 1980s, the last decade has seen various ransomware Trojans crop up, but the real opportunity for attackers has ramped up since the introduction of Bitcoin. This cryptocurrency allows attackers to easily collect money from their victims without going through traditional channels.

Who is behind ransomware?

Those behind ransomware attacks are usually highly knowledgeable scammers with expertise in computer programming. Typically, ransomware will infect your computer via an email attachment, network, or infected browser.

How does ransomware work?

Phishing

The most common delivery system for ransomware is via phishing spam – attachments that arrive in a victim's email, masquerading as a file that they can trust. According to research from a security software firm, Trend Micro, 91% of cyber attacks and the resulting data breach begin with a spear-phishing email.

Once you download and open the attachment, the malware will take over the computer, encrypting some or all of the files. When this happens, the only way to decrypt the data is through a mathematical key only known to by the attacker.

There have also been cases where malware will display a message claiming that the user's 'Windows' is locked. The user is then encouraged to call a "Microsoft" phone number and enter a six-digit code to reactivate the system. The message alleges that the phone call is free, but this isn't true. While on the phone calling the fake 'Microsoft', the user racks up long-distance call charges.

Doxware

Another malware is called leakware or doxware; this is where the attacker will threaten to release sensitive data about the victim unless they pay a ransom. Often targeting emails and word documents, there have also been cases of mobile variants where private messages, pictures, and contact lists from users' phones have been released.

Doxware is known to be more effective than ransomware – in terms of getting the money from the victim. With ransomware, you can maintain separate backups of data that is no longer accessible. Still, with doxware, once an attacker has information that the victim doesn't want to be made public, there is little to be done apart from paying up.

What damage can ransomware do?

You would think that paying a ransom to gain access to your data was bad enough, but that can pale into comparison to the actual damage costs involved with an attack. Ransomware attacks can cause:

The damage and destruction (or loss) of data

Lost productivity

Post-attack disruption to the normal course of business

A forensic investigation

The restoration and deletion of hostage data and systems

Reputational harm

The need for employee training in direct response to the attacks

When you take the above into account, it is no wonder that ransomware attacks cost organizations an average of $36k!

Should I pay the ransom? 

When you speak to cybercrime experts, most urge you not to pay the ransoms as funding ransomware attackers will only help create more ransomware.

Although, many organizations go against this advice weighing up the cost of the encrypted data against the ransom. 2018 saw 45% of US companies hit with ransomware pay their attackers. But why?!

The general advice is not to pay ransomware attackers. However, refusing to pay may not be the best case of an action for many businesses, especially when there is a chance the company may permanently lose access to vital data, incur fines from regulators or go out of business altogether. For many companies, the choice between paying a relatively modest ransom or staying in business is a no brainer.

In some ransomware cases, the attacker will set the ransom demand at a point that it's worth their while but will ensure that it is low enough that it is often cheaper for the victim to pay rather than to reconstruct their lost data. Attackers will sometimes offer discounts if their victim pays within a specific timeframe, e.g., three days.

With that in mind, some companies are building up reserves of Bitcoin specifically for ransom payments.; this is mainly being seen in the UK, where organizations seem more likely to pay ransoms. According to Gotham Sharma, managing director at Exeltek Consulting Group, "About a third of mid-sized British companies report having Bitcoin on hand to respond to ransomware emergencies when other options can't be immediately exhausted."

How to stop ransomware 

If you find yourself infected by ransomware, first, you need to find out what kind of ransomware it is. For example, if you can't get past a ransomware note on your screen, then you probably have been infected by screen-locking ransomware. If you can browse through your apps but can't open your files, movies, etc. it's likely encrypting ransomware has affected your system – the worse of the two. If you can navigate your network and read all your files, then it's probably a fake that is just trying to scare you into paying.

How to prevent ransomware

-Ensure you have a good backup of all your files.; this way, if anything does happen, restoration of your files from a backup is the fastest way to regain access to your data.

-When answering emails, unsolicited phone calls, text messages, or instant messages do not provide any personal information. Phishers can try and trick employees into installing malware or gain intelligence by claiming they are someone from your IT department.

-Ensure you have reputable antivirus software and a firewall. There is a lot of fake software on the market, so your antivirus and firewall must be good enough to ensure you're safe from malware threats.

– Make sure you have content scanning and filtering on your mail servers. Scan every inbound email for known threats and block any attachment types that could pose a threat.

-If you are traveling for work, ensure that you inform your IT department beforehand, especially if you think you may be using public wireless internet points. Make sure you have a trustworthy Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing any public Wi-Fi spots.

– Make sure all your computer software is up to date; this includes the operating system, browser, and any toolbar plug-ins you use.

What to check when buying a used laptop ?

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What to Check When Buying a Used Laptop ?

 

While purchasing a pre-owned laptop, you must know what to check when buying a used laptop. It’s the computer age and nowadays lifetime is considered by computer usage and development which effects on all aspects of our life. The laptop is very common in use by everybody. Everybody cannot afford the brand new expensive laptops so they prefer to buy used laptops as the only left option. One needs to be vigilant while purchasing a second-hand laptop.

Below are some helpful tips:

• Before buying any used laptop, you should ask yourself what you are planning to do with it. You should know what exactly you need. Look for the required applications, battery life, portability, RAM, CPU Etc.
• It is very important to inspect the laptop body carefully. It is advisable to check the used laptop’s working condition, preferably buy a second-hand laptop that is within three years old. Must check if there are any cracks, missing screws or any other loopholes.
• Must check the battery of laptop as it should support the longevity away from a power source or doesn’t drain too fast. In another case, you may directly ask for the cost of battery replacement or a spare AC adapter.
• Must examine the important peripherals of the laptop. Most used parts are only the keyboard and trackpad. Look over the broken or non-working keys, mouse keys should be present and smooth. Make sure if the CD drives are working properly. Check all other available inputs such as USB port, headphone jack, SD card slot etc. Test the webcam and speakers too.
• The speed of the laptop is determined by the amount of RAM, so must check for the RAM memory spaces. Avoid purchasing a used laptop with memory less than 128 MB, as it cannot run many of the programs and applications that are available in standard computers of today.
• Must examine the software licenses as the preloaded operating system is genuine and make sure any product keys are made offered to you. Ask for the genuine software CDs, recovery CD, drivers and backup media.
• Last but not the least, portability matters a lot. So must think of size and weight before buying, it should be small enough to transport it comfortably.

In nutshell, we can say that always examine the important factors like the laptop brand, size, weight, battery life, connectivity, storage, memory, and processing power. Get the best deal which gives you the value for your money spent.