Prof.MM Pant’s Digital Gurukul

Discover the Quantum World :
Richard Feynman put it in memorable words: “Nature isn’t classical, dammit, and if you want to make a simulation of nature, you’d better make it quantum mechanical, and by golly it’s a wonderful problem, because it doesn’t look so easy.” But much progress has been made since 1981, when Feynman delivered his seminal lecture ‘Simulating Physics with Computers’. And today there is a global race towards Quantum dominance, Quantum Supremacy having been demonstrated by Google, a few years ago.
India’s past contribution to Quantum is well known and acknowledged. Half the quantum particles are called Bosons, named after Satyen Bose. And CV Raman was awarded the Physics Nobel Prize in 1930 for his discovery of the Quantum phenomenon named the Raman Effect. Link to documentary on the Quantum Indians YouTube : https://lnkd.in/dC_fwt7h

And here is a video about the recent National Quantum Mission: https://lnkd.in/djWammfU

Initiate your journey to the Quantum World, through the very popular messaging app Whatsapp. The journey begins with a weekend program on ‘ Why learn Quantum ?’ though you would have been curious about “ Quantum” even to notice the existence of such a program. If this weekend experience increases your curiosity and you want to know more, then a weeklong course on ‘ Demystifying Quantum’ is your next step. Once you have done this weeklong course, you will not be able to keep yourself from wanting to do the monthlong course “ Quantum for young learners”. The reason it is so named is that it is capable of being appreciated and enjoyed by learners who are at the Secondary stage (classes 9 to 12) of their School years, as formulated in the NEP 2020 ( https://lnkd.in/dF_ramWQ ) and NCF 2023 ( https://lnkd.in/dJswYq56).
Here are the links to know more about the above 3 programs:

• The weekend program on ‘ Why learn Quantum ?’ : https://lnkd.in/dH_wjPDD
• The weeklong program on ‘ Demystifying Quantum’ : https://lnkd.in/d_2kVz4B
• The month long program on ‘Quantum for Young Learners ‘ : https://lnkd.in/dGzjpNJU
  The weekend program on Why learn Quantum is offered during the first weekend of every month, and the weeklong program on Demystifying Quantum is offered during the 3rd week of every month. But for the really enthusiastic, the weekend course can be made available on any weekend, the weeklong course can be pursued in any week from Monday to Friday. The monthlong courses are offered beginning on the first Monday of every month.
  Once you would have done all the three courses above, you are on your way become a member of the community of aspiring Quantum Professionals.
  Further information will be provided to those who express interest by sending a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810073724

Learning Prescriptions:
As Artificial Intelligence effectively replaces the traditional role of the teacher as ‘the sage on the stage’, the role of the educator will evolve towards that of a personal mentor, coach and facilitator on the learner’s journey from ignorance to mastery. An innovative way to do so is by the use of “ Learning Prescriptions”.
Distance Learning has pioneered the use of self-instructional learning materials designed by specialised Instructional designers for its remote learners. This was done by the UK Open University, the Indira Gandhi National Open University and other similar Institutions. But that course material was the same for all the learners pursuing a particular course. Learning prescriptions are designed to suit the needs of an individual learner, and rather than creating content, it would be about curating existing content to fulfil the learner’s need. The curated content comprise books, articles, blogs, videos, audios, slide decks etc. Sometimes the facilitator may add his or her own created content also.
It builds upon the concepts of “ Bibliotherapy” and “ CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy” to create a product for self-directed learners.
The first two days of this weeklong course cover the concept and features of a learning prescription. The remaining three days share examples of three basic learning prescriptions that may be useful to all. Day 3 shares a prescription for reading effectively, a critical skill that is usually not taught explicitly. The prescription for ‘ Building Learning Power’ is to equip people to be able to deal with problems that they have not been explicitly taught how to solve. And the third prescription on ‘ Anticipating the future’ is the most important because we will all be spending the rest of our lives in the future. And the future will soon become the present whether we are prepared for it or not.

The next edition of this weeklong course is from Monday 4th September to Friday 8th September 2023. Thereafter it will be on offer during the first week of every month.

Flow:
Day 1: The Concept of a Learning Prescription
Day 2: Features of a ‘ learning prescription’
Day 3 : Learning Prescription for Reading effectively
Day 4 : Learning Prescription for Building Learning Power
Day 5 : Learning Prescription for Anticipating the future

Enrolment and fee payment: 
As the course is delivered through WhatsApp, the enrolment process is simply that of sending a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810073724. 
The fee for the above course is Rs 2500/- and can be easily remitted through PayTM to MM Pant ( mobile number : +919810073724).

• For those who would rather pay into a Bank account,the relevant information is :  Madan Mohan Pant
• HDFC Bank, Unitech Cyber Park, Sector 39, Gurgaon 
•     A/c 26451000000301
        HDFC0002645
• (The account number is 26451 followed by six zeroes followed by 301)

To know more, please send a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810074724

The Quantum Divide:
India has recently become the 7th nation to have a National Quantum mission : https://lnkd.in/dMKNB6wW
Here is an informative video on the National Quantum mission : https://lnkd.in/dcaUHmAP
Towards this, the government aims to establish four thematic hubs in quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing & metrology, and quantum materials & devices at  top academic and national R&D institutes. A Quantum mission vision document is expected during August 2023: https://lnkd.in/dQAw_ZXx
It is expected that IT companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tech Mahindra, Infosys and other software companies might also get involved as industry partners in the quantum initiative.
It is important to note that at the beginning of this year, on January 18th, 2023, the WEF drew attention to the fact that the world is heading for a ‘quantum divide’: https://lnkd.in/dcFJaSkD
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned that many countries risk being left behind in the quantum technology race and has called for quantum leaders to close the divide.
As we enter the quantum era, we must learn from the past experiences with the ‘digital divide’ to avoid repeating the same patterns.
Merging computer science and quantum mechanics, quantum computing is a complex field. And while it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to become a quantum physicist, fostering a baseline understanding of quantum concepts can empower individuals and communities to engage with quantum technologies and shape their use.
The success of the Open Universities and the Swayam experience should help us develop online learning platforms that offer quantum computing specializations, especially for self-learners. The ministry of education, the AIU, the UGC, EduTech companies and NGOs could all work ‘in phase’ to reduce inequities due to Quantum.
It is also crucial to make these resources available in multiple languages and accessible formats to truly democratize quantum learning.
Another aspect of bridging the quantum divide is making quantum computing technology accessible to researchers, developers and businesses, irrespective of their size or resources. Quantum cloud services, such as those offered by IBM and Amazon, are a tangible move in this direction. While quantum cloud services may lower the barrier to entry, they do not eliminate it entirely. Furthermore, internet connectivity, which is a prerequisite for accessing cloud-based quantum services, is still not a reality for everyone.
The quantum divide is a real risk as we move towards a quantum future. But, by focusing on education, accessibility and cooperation, we can ensure that quantum computing is a force for equity and inclusion rather than a source of further division.

Life-long Learning :

Backdrop:
For the past several years, I have explored the use of Whatsapp as learning platform for a range of topics that maybe described under the umbrella term ‘life-long learning’. To encourage more people to explore this method, my courses are short, that can be done over a weekend or a week. Somewhat longer courses are for a month ( 4 weeks), but nothing longer than that.

Pursuing these courses will help you move from your current comfort zone, through fear zone and learning zone to growth zone.

You can do all the listed courses over six months at a comfortable pace or three months in a more intense mode or pursue a more personalised path to suit one’s special interests and specific circumstances.

Weekend courses (4) :
Information about all the 4 weekend courses is consolidated on one page.
FAST: First principles and ScientificTemper: https://lnkd.in/d2KuTVXk
THYL: The Hundred years life: https://lnkd.in/d2KuTVXk
Critical Thinking: https://lnkd.in/d2KuTVXk
TLCM: the language called Mathematics : https://lnkd.in/d2KuTVXk

Weeklong courses (4):
ChatGPT for better learning: https://lnkd.in/drSirT3y
Philosophy for living well: https://lnkd.in/dSPNQfcA
Quantum Readiness: https://lnkd.in/d_2kVz4B
What is worth learning ? : https://lnkd.in/drHNT8Mf

Monthlong courses (4):
A personal mentoring program : https://lnkd.in/dT9Y-2xN
Learning How to learn ?: https://lnkd.in/exV3fyR
Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence : https://lnkd.in/d_Y9U8qV
The fascinating Quantum World : https://lnkd.in/dGzjpNJU
The WhatsApp group learning methodology : https://lnkd.in/dEyFBy5W

Schedule of offering :

The 4 weekend courses are on offer during the 4 weekends of August2023, and with a similar schedule every month thereafter.

The weeklong course on ChatGPT for better learning is on offer during the first week of August 2023 and thereafter during the first week of every month.

The weeklong course on Philosophy for living well is on offer during the second week of August 2023 and thereafter during the second week of every month.

The weeklong course on What is worth learning ? is on offer during the third week of August 2023 and thereafter during the third week of every month.

The weeklong course on Quantum Readiness is on offer during the fourth week of August 2023 and thereafter during the fourth week of every month.

All the four monthlong courses are on offer from Monday 2nd October 2023, and from the first Monday of every month thereafter. All the 4 weekend and weeklong courses will also be offered every month from October 2023 onwards.

To know more, please send a Whatsapp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810073724

Quantum Biology: 

In an interview on India’s Quantum Mission : https://lnkd.in/djWammfU with Mona Basu of the Print, Dr. Akhilesh Gupta, Senior Advider in the Department of Science & Rechnology highlighted at about 10 minutes that ‘health is going to be the biggest beneficiary of this mission’.  This post is to draw attention to the significance of that statement, and to the new emerging field of ‘ Quantum Biology’. 

The Physics of living systems is far more exciting than that of dead systems as in particle Physics or Condensed matter Physics, which occupy the centre stage in Physics, perhaps in all of Science. 

Actually Schrödinger had written a book in 1944 with the title “ What is life: the physical aspect of the living cell” and that book had inspired James Watson in his pursuit of the structure of DNA. 

More recently Jim Al Khalili, a nuclear Physicist is spreading awareness about Quantum Biology. His book “ Life on the edge” is a fascinating eye opener for many of us. Here is a brief review of the book: 

Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how did it come to be? Even in an age of cloning and artificial biology, the remarkable truth remains: nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we still missing a vital ingredient in its creation? Using first-hand experience at the cutting edge of science, Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe Macfadden reveal that missing ingredient to be quantum mechanics. Drawing on recent ground-breaking experiments around the world, each chapter in Life on the Edge illustrates one of life’s puzzles: How do migrating birds know where to go? How do we really smell the scent of a rose? How do our genes copy themselves with such precision? Life on the Edge accessibly reveals how quantum mechanics can answer these probing questions of the universe.

Guiding the reader through the rapidly unfolding discoveries of the last few years, Al-Khalili and McFadden describe the explosive new field of quantum biology and its potentially revolutionary applications, while offering insights into the biggest puzzle of all: what is life? As they brilliantly demonstrate in these groundbreaking pages, life exists on the quantum edge. Here is a YouTube video on Quantum Biology : https://lnkd.in/dZQbGZTn

Another very informative video of a talk at the Royal Institution : https://lnkd.in/dXX5eJyc

The main message is that just like a few years ago transistors, chips, computers, mobiles and AI changed our world in the past, the future is about Quantum Technologies transforming both Agriculture and Healthcare. 

As Louis Pasteur had said long ago “ luck favours the prepared”.

Be prepared.

Learning How to Learn?

Background :

Within two months of the chatGPT launch by OpenAI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  said that self-learning through technology is an opportunity for today’s generation: https://lnkd.in/d9FJN9Jh

Press release from PMO dated: 20 JAN 2023 11:59AM by PIB Delhi

One thing most successful people have in common is the desire and skill to self-learn. It’s the modern way of learning, and it has proven to be very effective and convenient. Although self-learning hasn’t replaced the traditional ways of learning – yet, with the advancement of technology, it has become possible for most individuals. Nowadays, you can learn how to do anything with a mere YouTube tutorial, or learn an entirely new language with a single app.  And the recently introduced Generative AI Chatbots like chatGPT and Bard serve to accelerate this self-learning.

The NEP 2020 at para 4.6 states that its thrust will be to move the education system towards real understanding and ‘learning how to learn’ – and away from the culture of rote learning. 

Its goal will be to create holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key 21st-century skills. Self-Learning is perhaps the most important 21st Century Skill. 

Once a person has ‘learnt how to learn’ the person is on the way to become a self-learner. 

Robert Frost, the famous poet and Professor said “ I am not a teacher, I am an awakener”. 

And Richard Feynman in his famous “ Lectures on Physics” quoted Edward Gibbons “and the power of instruction is of little efficacy except in those fortunate dispositions, where it is almost superfluous”. 

The futurist Thomas Frey says “If we continue to insert a teacher between us and everything we need to learn, we cannot possibly learn fast enough to meet the demands of the future”.

Structure of the daily themes of a one month ( 4 weeks, each week from Monday to Friday) WhatsApp course on “ Learning how to learn”.

Week 1: Learning to learn: the most important 21st Century skill?

Monday: LHTL01: Drivers of self-learning: Examples of well known self-learners

Tuesday: LHTL02: What is worth learning ?

Wednesday: LHTL03: Mindsets and other barriers to self-learning

Thursday: LHTL04: Self-learning as a vaccine against ‘uselessness’ 

Friday: LHTL05: Range : Why generalists succeed ? David Epstein

Week 2: Attributes of a successful Learner

Monday: LHTL06: Motivation and Grit

Tuesday: LHTL07: Overcoming procrastination and efficient Time Management 

Wednesday: LHTL08: Learning Agility, Grit, Focus, Perseverance and Persistence

Thursday: LHTL09: Mind maps to enhance understanding

Friday: LHTL10: Questioneering: the skill of asking incisive questions

Week 3: Techniques to become a better Learner

Monday: LHTL11: Step by step learning techniques

Tuesday: LHTL12: Ultralearning

Wednesday: LHTL13: Social learning and individual learning

Thursday: LHTL14: Learning Power

Friday: LHTL15: Learning while you sleep

Week 4: The 21st Century Learner’s Toolkit

Monday: LHTL16: Learning with MOOCs

Tuesday: LHTL17: Duolingo and other AI powered apps

Wednesday: LHTL18: AI powered tools that facilitate learning

Thursday: LHTL19: ChatGPT for better learning 

Friday: LHTL20: Personalising your learning Toolkit

To know more, please send a WhatsApp message to Prof MM Pant at +919810073724

Becoming a better learner with AI and ChatGPT: 

The famous educationist Benjamin Bloom published a research paper in 1984 titled the 2 sigma problem …..(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom’s_2_sigma_problem?wprov=sfti1) 

and drew attention to the need to “find methods of group instruction as effective as one-to-one tutoring”. Now almost 40 years later, the problem has been solved. And the solution is both with a teacher who uses AI and chatGPT to adopts the approach of ‘ Mastery Learning’ and ‘ personalisation’ or even the self-directed learner who adopts the same principles.

This WhatsApp delivered set of 4 weekend modules is designed to provide guidance for every learner to become a better learner by moving through the stages of awareness, familiarity, proficient to fluency.

This will be offered for the first time in June 2023 and then every month thereafter. 

Course outlines: 

Module 1: Saturday June 3rd and Sunday June 4th:

Becoming a better learner with AI and ChatGPT: Awareness

Day 1: About ChatGPT 

1.1: The rapid rise and influence of ChatGPT 

1.2: From Eliza to chatGPT

1.3: ChatGPT as a personal tutor

1.4: ChatGPT walkthrough.

1.5: The red flags

Day 2: Learning Techniques

2.1: Barbara Oakley on Learning how to learn? 

2.2: Martey Lobell on Studying Smart

2.3: Feynman Technique

2.4: Mindmaps

2.5: Ultralearning

———————————-

Module 2: Saturday June 10th and Sunday June 11th:

Becoming a better learner with AI and ChatGPT: Familiar

Day 1: Capabilities of ChatGPT 

1.1: Explaining content at a different level

1.2: Writing an essay, blog, article or a book

1.3: Syllabus and course

1.4: Translating from one language to another

1.5: Your personal assistant with limitless memory

Day 2: Learning Dispositions

2.1: Habits of successful learners 

2.2: Habits of unsuccessful learners

2.3: Procrastination and better time Management 

2.4: Grit and perseverance 

2.5: Mindsets: open versus closed

————————————

Module 3: Saturday June 17th and Sunday June 18th:

Becoming a better learner with AI and ChatGPT: Proficient

Day 1: Prompt Engineering

1.1: What are prompts ? 

1.2: Attributes of a good prompt

1.3: Using follow up prompts to further define responses

1.4: Prompting for ‘active learning’

1.5: Prompt Engineering as an academic skill 

Day 2: The AI Learning Toolkit

2.1: VoicePen AI

2.2: Dall-E 2

2.3: Century

2.4. A list of AI tools for education

2.5: AI assistants 

—————————-

Module 4: Saturday June 24th and Sunday June 25th:

Becoming a better learner with AI and ChatGPT: Fluent

Day 1: Becoming Productive with chatGPT

1.1: ChatGPT can do much more than Google. 

1.2: Create study plans and agendas.

1.3: Generate conversations and replies

1.4: Rewrite texts at different levels of explanatory depth.

1.5: Research

Day 2: Personalising your AI powered Learning Toolkit

2.1: Language Learning 

2.2: Learning Mathematics

2.3: Enhancing Motivation

2.4: Supporting Mental Health

2.5: Practical advice : financial and health 

—————————-

If Technology is the answer, then what is the Question? 

Modern progressive societies are all striving towards a paradigm shift ( Thomas Kuhn) from ‘education for a few’ to ‘education for all’ and from education for a few years 8,12,16 or 20 to life-long learning. They are responding to Alvin Toffler’s prediction that the illiterates of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and re-learn. These are all reflected in policy directives such as the UN SDG Goal 4, NEP 2020 and G-20 education working group.   Even more so for the world’s most populated country with great neurodiversity and increasing lifespans. 

This situation is reminiscent of the US Census story of 1880.  The U.S. Constitution requires that a population count be conducted at the beginning of every decade. The first Census in 1790, also made nonconstitutionally mandated distinctions by age and sex. In subsequent decades, many other personal attributes were probed as well: occupational status, marital status, educational status, place of birth and so on. As the country grew, each census required greater effort than the last, not merely to collect the data but also to compile it into usable form. The processing of the 1880 Census data was not completed until 1888. Responding to the challenge led to the use of punched cards for data processing and the birth of the computing company IBM. 

Teachers as unarmed soldiers in the battle against ignorance, which is now taking the form of an epidemic. Teachers have to be armed with both Technology and pedagogy or andragogy or heutagogy or whatever your favourite term is for the science of learning. AI can improve  the present teaching learning method by promoting active learning as espoused by the Physics Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman ( https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-019-00339-6). 

If like many other educators, you are wondering about how AI will shape the future of learning, and how educators should take the lead, a good starting point is the book by Anthony Seldon “The 4th education revolution” (2018). Clayton Christensen’s “Disrupting Class”( 2008) will make you appreciate that the goal is not the mere use of technology, but the ‘personalisation’ of the learning experience.  And effective personalisation requires not only the ability to process massive amounts of data but also a  ‘Science of learning’ to make sense of the data. The Science of Learning may be the youngest Science, and not medicine which Thomas Lewis in 1983 hastily labelled as “ The Youngest Science”. Educators may also be surprised when they read Audrey Watters “Teaching Machines” (2021) to find out that the earliest attempts at automating teaching were attempted by Pressey in the 1920s and Skinner in the 1950s who were both convinced that their teaching machines would be “game-changers” for the education system. 

When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
When the student is truly ready… the teacher will disappear.
These well known statements don’t seem to have a verifiable source.
The “teacher” in the first statement does not need to have to be a human.
It can be a situation,nature or an inner guide.
It can be experienced as a moment of epiphany.
We also have a story of the 24 Gurus of Dattatreya(https://lnkd.in/duUriTXg 24 Gurus are: Earth, Water, Fire,Wind, space, moon, sun, flock of pigeons, Python, ocean, moth, bumblebee, honeybee, elephant, deer, fish, prostitute, bird with worm in beak, crying baby, silence, snake, arrow-maker,spider, and a worm.
Let’s turn to the 2nd statement now. On the first reading, it’s difficult to appreciate how the teacher disappears when the learner is ready.
On further reflection, what it implies is that the learner has now developed ‘learning power’, a concept articulated by Guy Claxton ( https://lnkd.in/fQQqrwF).
Building Learning Power (BLP) is an approach to learning created by Professor Guy Claxton. It is based on the idea that we are all capable of becoming better learners through a variety of strategies and techniques. It depends on a learning culture that encourages children and teachers to become better learners without fear of failure, develops confidence and develop an understanding of learning processes.
Soon after chatGPT was launched,Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that self-learning through technology is an opportunity for today’s generation: https://lnkd.in/d9FJN9Jh
Press release from PMO dated: 20 JAN 2023 11:59AM by PIB Delhi
Nowadays, you can learn many things with a YouTube tutorial, or learn an entirely new language with a single app.  And the recently introduced Generative AI Chatbots like chatGPT and Bard serve to accelerate this self-learning.
The NEP 2020 at para 4.6 states that its thrust will be to move the education system towards real understanding and ‘learning how to learn’ – and away from the culture of rote learning. Self-Learning is perhaps the most important 21st Century Skill. Once a person has ‘learnt how to learn’ the person is on the way to become a self-learner. Robert Frost, the famous poet and Professor said “ I am not a teacher, I am an awakener”. And Richard Feynman in his famous “ Lectures on Physics” quoted Edward Gibbons ‘ and the power of instruction is of little efficacy except in those fortunate dispositions, where it is almost superfluous’. In other words the teacher has disappeared. 
The futurist Thomas Frey says “If we continue to insert a teacher between us and everything we need to learn, we cannot possibly learn fast enough to meet the demands of the future”.

I am working on a book “ When Teachers were human”, which should be available in the 3rd week of July 2023. The book will cover dispositions, strategies and AI powered tools for self-learning for the Eklavya and the Dattatreya of today.

If like many other educators, you are wondering about how AI will shape the future of learning, it may be a good idea to develop your own ideas. And a good place is to start with reading a few books. Here is a list of 10 books to begin with. Reading these will give you links and references to many others.
You may then supplement these with blogs, TEDTalks, TEDx talks, articles on Medium, inputs from Google alerts, and reports of various think tanks.
And of course by giving these as examples to chatGPT and asking for more. And sooner than you realise, you will be a well informed person on the subject.
1: Anthony Seldon “The 4th education revolution” (2018)
2: Anthony Seldon “ The 4th education revolution reconsidered” (2020)
3: Melanie Mitchell “ Artificial Intelligence: A guide for thinking humans” ( 2019)
4: Audrey Watters “Teaching Machines” (2021)
5: David Alan Grier “When Computers were human” (2005)
6: Thomas Lewis “The Youngest Science” (1983)
7: Clayton Christensen “Disrupting Class” (2008)
8: Caleb Scharf “The ascent of Information” (2021)
9: Kai Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan “AI 2041: Ten visions for our future” (2021)
10: Douglas S Robertson “ Phase Change the Computer Revolution in Science and Mathematics” ( 2003)