I had been trying out various social media platforms from time to time. From the now forgotten Friendster, Orkut and MySpace…… to the present day Instagram and Clubhouse. In July 2012, when I turned 65, I opted out of all except Twitter and WhatsApp, in a sort of “ digital vanaprastha”.
I created and ran several Whstsapp courses on a variety of topics. But in the last two years, I was pushed again into the cyber-world as moving around in the corona affected world was not advised for persons of advanced age and co-morbidities. As I now turn 75, I am once again re-visiting my personal social media policy. In the past I used to post occasionally on a few social media platforms.
From January 2022, I will keep a schedule of regular posting on social media:
1: Tweeting every day: from Monday to Friday, at around 8am. My Twitter handle is @mmpant
2: Blog on every Sunday at around 8am at mmpant.com
3: Post the text of the same blog on Facebook and LinkedIn
4: No Instagram, or any other social media platform.
During the transition months from October to December …in preparation for this, I will Tweet every week on Friday, at around 8am. And blog every month : On the second Sunday of every month, around the same time.
My blogs and tweets will be on matters educational, in the broad sense of enhanced cognitive development with the purpose of re-programming your mind. The problem with traditional education is a focus on lower level cognitive activities, with the result that we are creating millions of people, who have a biological brain, but don’t have the ability to use it; somewhat like birds who have wings, but can’t fly….like the ostrich.
A list of topics that I plan to be blogging on is :
What is worth learning? In an age of Artificial Intelligence
The usefulness of useless knowledge
The unreasonable effectiveness of Mathematics
Field theory of learning
Cassandra’s curse
Kafkaesque
Reductio ad absurdum
Faustian Bargain
The Fermi method of estimating answers
Drake’s equation
The use of metaphors
Carl Sagan’s Baloney detection kit
The 100 year Life
Laplace’s demon
Chaos
Fractals
Complexity
Emergence
Conformal Cyclic Cosmology : CCC ( Roger Penrose)
Time Crystals ( Frank Wilczek)
This is a tentative illustrative list of topics to give an idea of what to expect. The length of a typical blog will be 750 to 1000 words. With links to further resources. Assuming a reading speed of 200-250 words per minute, the time to read these blogs should be about 3 to 5 minutes.
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.
