Greetings for Navaratri and the Hindu New Year!

Wishing you all an auspicious start to a lifelong learning journey: 

We begin the Hindu New Year and the Chaitra navraatri today, and my suggestion to all is to make a resolution, not only for this New Year but for the rest of your life, and that resolution is to become a lifelong learner. Now that in the aftermath of the Coronavirus, the world is acknowledging the value of Namaste, our traditional Greetings, it is a good time to draw attention to the importance and  value of learning in our tradition. There are numerous exhortations on learning and knowledge, and here are a select few. 

  • Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions: आ नो भद्रा: क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वत: 
  • A learned person and a King can never be compared, A king is respected in his own land whereas a wise man is respected everywhere:  विद्वत्वं  नृपत्वं   एव तुल्ये कदाचन्।स्वदेशे पूज्यते राजा विद्वान् सर्वत्र पूज्यते॥
  • Education is a liberating force :  सा विद्या या विमुक्तये
  • How do we learn? One part from the teacher, one part from self-learning, one part from the peer group and one part over time. They may not be equal parts, but in different proportions : आचार्यात् पादमादत्ते पादं शिष्यः स्वमेधया सब्रह्मचारिभ्यः पादं पादं कालक्रमेण च ॥
  • Who is happy? One who is at his own home, and without debt: को मोदते …. अऋणी चाप्रवासी

It is in direct response to this advice in the YakshaPrasna in the Aranya-parva of the Mahabharata, that I created the course TALL04: Getting a world class education is now in your hands. A good number of Indian students find themselves in debt after having gone abroad or even another large city far away from their homes. This course provides information on becoming well educated with little more than a determination and pursuing a good strategy. It is listed at the end of the 42 course pool. 

When we reflect upon lifelong learning in modern times, the most inspiring story is that of Socrates. While they were preparing the hemlock, Socrates was to learning how to play a new tune on the flute. “What will be the use of that?” he was asked. “To know this tune before dying.” If I dare repeat this reply long since trivialized by the handbooks, it is because it seems to me the sole serious justification of any desire to know, whether exercised on the brink of death or at any other moment of existence. A janata curfew in response to the coronavirus, and this 3 week lockdown is also a good occasion to start the journey of lifelong learning.

I recently saw a TV program about Subhash Ghai, the well known filmmaker, in which there were excerpts of his thoughts…. and he too emphasised being a lifelong learner, and actively seeking feedback. He said that when his film would be released, he would be present somewhere in the theatre to observe the reaction of the audience on every scene or dialogue. Now we have software which does that using facial recognition. 

But being a lifelong learner and actively seeking feedback seem to be the two principles of learning beyond schools, colleges and universities.

Elon Musk actually seeks negative feedback to improve his ideas, while most in places of authority decry, ridicule or even penalise such inputs .

The following couplet from Kabir also makes this point : ‘Keep your critics close to you, let their hut be in your courtyard, that way you don’t need soap and water to cleanse your nature’

निंदक नियरे राखिए ऑंगन कुटी छवाय,  बिन पानी, साबुन बिना, निर्मल करे सुभाय।

And here is support for lifelong learning from a most unexpected person, Bill Clinton : https://youtu.be/L_nUOfaWEC4

Do watch the video and admire his desire to learn particle physics before he dies…. similar to Socrates….get inspired to learn a few things before you die….. of Coronavirus or something else.

As we enter the 2nd quarter of 2020, it is almost axiomatic that the mobile is the preferred device to access learning, at one’s chosen location and preferred time. On the basis of our accumulated experience over the last few years and in anticipation of the learning needs for future readiness over the next few years, I am offering learning opportunities in two formats. The first is a pool of 42 short courses of varying durations, delivered through the popular messaging platform WhatsApp, which learners can choose in a la carte mode. The other is a set of personal mentoring programs ranging in duration from 3 months to 5 years with one of 6 months and another of 1 years duration. These are for learners who are happy to and prefer making a longer term commitment. 

Why 42? 

It all started with Douglas Adams’ cult radio show turned novel turned movie, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you’re not familiar, the fictional series proclaims that 42 is ” the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything” 

This answer was determined by the supercomputer Deep Thought after a lazy 7.5 million years of calculations. The question, however, was forgotten by then. 

Ecole 42 began as a teacher-less coding school in Paris, and now has a presence in the Silicon Valley as well. 

The course pool of 42 short courses: 

List of WhatsApp live talks: (90 minutes duration) 

1: WhaT01: Learning First, AI next !

2: WhaT02:Learning Quantum Mechanics at School

3: WhaT03:Avoiding Natural Stupidity

4: WhaT04: Ideas: their creation and spread

5: WhaT05: Inspiring humans 

List of weekend courses:

1: WEL01: Complex Problem Solving

2: WEL02: Critical Thinking

3: WEL03: Creative Thinking

4: WEL04: People Management

5: WEL05: Co-ordinating with others

6: WEL06: Emotional Intelligence

7: WEL07: Effective Decision making

8: WEL08: Service Orientation

9: WEL09: Negotiation

10: WEL10: Cognitive Flexibility

11: WEL11: Didn’t  get into IIT? Rejoice!!!

12: WEL12: Questioneering

13: WEL13: Grit: Passion with Perseverance

14: WEL14: Design Thinking

15: WEL15: Building Learning Power

List of weeklong courses: 

1: WLL01:Learning with WhatsApp, other mobile Apps and MOOCs

2: WLL02:Financial Acumen

3: WLL03:Health Literacy

4: WLL04:Computational Thinking

5: WLL05:Evolution and Extinctions

6: WLL06:Developing Foresight

7: WLL07:Preparing for a 100 year life

8: WLL08:Humour: a must have skill

9: WLL09:The pursuit of Happiness

10: WLL10:WhatsApp for educators

11: WLL11: First Principles

12: WLL12: Mental Models

13: WLL13: Finding your element

14: WLL14: Finding Meaning Making Sense

15: WLL15: Death? Understanding it is critical to living well

The Quantum Track : one month long courses

QT01: Understanding the Quantum World

QT02: Quantum Biology

QT03: Quantum Computing

The Autonomous Lifelong Learner Track: one month long courses

TALL01: Parental guidance for pre-school learning

TALL02: LHTL for Screenagers

TALL03: LHTL for lifelong learners

TALL04: Getting a world class education is now in your hands

The longer duration personal mentoring programs are the following: 

  • Progressive Digital learning ( 3 months) 
  • The high road to future readiness /20 weeklong  courses ( 6 months) 
  • The AI-fluent SmartEducator : code AIFSE/ 12 one month long courses ( 1 year) 
  • Coming of age in the age of AI: code CoAiaAI / 52 one month long courses ( 5 years)

Further information about all these programs is given on other pages with appropriate headings of this site. To know more about any of these programs and the procedure for enrolment to any of the above programs you may contact Prof MM Pant through WhatsApp at +919810073724 or my sending an e-mail to mmpant@gmail.com

You will find a lot of useful educational information  at Twitter.com/MMPant 

You could start following him on Twitter to be regularly updated with his tweets. 

About mmpant

Prof. M.M.Pant has a Ph.D in Computational Physics, along with a Professional Law Degree, and has been a practitioner in the fields of Law, IT enabled education and IT implementation. Drawing upon his experience in world class international institutions and having taught in various modes of Face-to-Face, Distance Learning and Technology Enhanced Training, Prof. Pant is now exploring the nature of institutions which will be successors to the IITs, which represented the 1960s, IIMs, which represented the 1970 and Open Universities which were the rage of 1980s & 90s. He believes that the convergence between various media and technologies would fundamentally alter the way learning would be created, packaged, and delivered to learners. His current activities are all directed toward actual implementation of these new age educational initiatives that transform education in the post Internet post WTO era.. Prof. Pant, has been a Former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and has been on the faculty of IIT – Kanpur (the premier Engineering institution in India), MLNR Engineering College and Faculty & Visiting Professor - University of Western Ontario-Canada. He has been visiting scientist to research centers in Italy, England, Germany & Sweden and has delivered international lectures with about 80 papers published. During his association of almost 15 years with the IGNOU, Prof. Pant has served as the Director Computing and has been the Member of All Bodies (i.e. School boards, Academic council, Planning board, Finance committee and the Board of management). With his interest in Law, backed with practice of Law in a High Court, and his basic training in Science and IT, Prof. Pant has been particularly interested in the Cyber Law, Patent & trade mark issues, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues etc. and has been involved with many activities, conferences on “Law & IT” Prof. Pant is presently; • Advisor to Media Lab Asia - Chairman of working group on ICT for Education, chairman of PRSG handling projects on ICT for education. • Lead Consultant for an ADB funded project for ICT in Basic Education in Uzbekistan • Member of the drafting Group for India’s National Policy on ICT in education • Chairman of the group creating books for class 11 and 12 students on ‘Computers and Communication Technology’ appointed by the NCERT • Preparing a ‘Theme Paper” for the NCTE in the area of ICT and Teacher Training • Advisor and mentor to several leading Indian and Multi-national Companies in the area of education. Prof. Pant has in the recent past been ; • Member – Board of Management – I I T, Delhi for 6 years (two consecutive terms) • One-man committee to create the Project Report & Legislation for Delhi IT-enabled Open University • Advisor to the Delhi Government on Asian Network of Major Cities Project (ANMC-21) distance learning project in association with Tokyo Metropolitan Government. • Chairman Board of Studies, All India Management Association With his mission to create and implement new business opportunities in the area of e-learning & learning facilitation, Prof. Pant has promoted Planet EDU Pvt. Ltd., as its Founder & Chairman, along with a team of highly experienced and skilled professionals from Education & Training, Operations, IT and Finance.
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