• Philosophy
• What needs to be done ?
• Web Based Education Approach
• MISNOS Technology Founder� Team

Philosophy

������� MISNOS Technology believes in association of Masses in the development process. Thus, in contrast to the traditional approaches of hardware development by scientists and engineers from R&D laboratories and industries, there is concrete change in the methodology. Thus, students at large should be associated for this evolving technology.� MISNOS Technology development is a multi-institutional activity revolving around masses. Even here, the success of earlier experiments on similar practices has been encouraging. In this context, the experimentation in bringing up the Netscape organization is a live example. Similarly, the Junior Summit Philosophy adopted at MIT in associating the students in the age group of 12-15 in the decision process of technology development is worth mentioning.� We have also seen the success level possible with the +2 students of Indian schools participating in software development. In the SIIIS project, the 23 students participated with varying background at undergraduate level, have benefited the project in introducing many new ways of cooperative computing methodologies for large projects. Thus, there is a need to get away from the myth that only qualified and well experienced engineering, scientific and technical graduates can only participate in technology development.

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���� Tools which can permit students with moderate level of IQ in School final are not available for technology development. Similarly, there are no tools for associating� senior citizens in technology development. MISNOS technology's hardware development can benefit from RECIPE� and other techniques adopted in the SIIIS experiments of the initial phases of MISNOS development. Lack of tools and institutional educational opportunities can be remedied by Web Based Education so that avenues for participation of a massive workforce is possible for MISNOS technology development projects.

��� Since the present approach of introducing students (irrespective of age i.e. students ranging from school going children to senior citizens) to Information Technology adopts� a "passive methodology" in that it treats introductory IT Education on similar lines like teaching social sciences (history, geography. civics etc.). Thus, the laboratory stress in the current IT education� is through the 'desktop-chair'session. In school education, the physical activity part of 'do-it-yourself ' is a must for pure sciences (physics, chemistry, biology). So the mathematics education and informatio technology education has become analogus. A look to the computer science laboratory of any school is no different than a stock market� where instead of people/brokers, students/instructors are seen sitting 'sticking to the chair'; the only exception is the absence of noise-pollution of share/stock market. It is� a must to have physical activity and action oriented approach in introducing the IT education in school going children. But just putting one or two scanners and some audio/video recording MIDI equipments as an adjunct to computer room is not the solution. In fact, if school/college students are to be involved with the IT movement, a more detailed approach for methodology has to be evolved. Thus, we have to evolve methodology which is clear in its role towards introducing� IT education as a separate stream than Mathematics (of for that matter humanities, history,civics etc.) education.

Similarly, for senior citizens, IT education has to be viewed as more of a shaper and facilitator for creating resources based on knowledge, experience & expertise.This will help senior citizens to contribute to IT movement. Citizen-IT Interface should not only view senior citizens as 'consumers' but also as 'resource contributors' . The impact is significant when the 'Vernacular computing' is considered as an empowering mechanism. The Web Based Education for school/college students has equal challenges on par with Senior Citizen IT Interface education. While the former join the developer work force, the later work as resource for the former.

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Web Based Education Approach

������� The first courseware to be introduced for school students is for Digital VLSI Technology for designing� digital system blocks using VHDL programming. The experience of MISNOS team members clearly brings out that the HDL synthesis based approach of VLSI design is highly productive for new comers and frustrating for old-timer schematic entry VLSI design practitioners. Thus, the feedback obtained through the educational activities in VHDL training at R&D establishments, educational organizations etc. are to be incorporated in Web based education for Product development. The stress should be on do-it-yourself in realising 'products' (with embedded units)� rather than only 'solutions' in the software development sense. Thus, IT proliferation should have education modules with� the physical activity as an in built feature. The school projects should emphasize on the 'physical' part. Otherwise, there is a strong feeling of identical approaches for a mathematics project on 'differential calculus' (with maxima and minima dy/dx) and a computer program for simulating the chemistry laboratory experiments. The distinction of IT should be visible than mathematics project amongst school level children.

���������� Although a multimedia based web education is preferred, many of the internet users are still not equipped with it. Therefore both text graphics based and multi-media based modules should be there on the web.

������� Needless to say that the above web based education has to cater for Vernacular Computing Support. Thus, there is a strong need to deploy the existing low level multilingual multimedia facilities to boost the speed of web based educational material development phase of the MISNOS technology project.
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�Department of Electronics, Government of India,
�New Delhi,� India

��� 1.R. Bandopadhyaya
��� 2. A. B. Patki
��� 3. G.V. Raghunathan
��� 4. S.Sivasubramanian
��� 5.W.R.Deshpande
��� 6. Dr. S.P. Nawathe

� Students Participation

�������� Delhi college of Engineering, New Delhi, India
�

�������� 1. Ms. (1993)
�������� 2. Ms. (1993)
�������� 3. Anand Chandra (1994)

�� Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi, India

��������� 1. Sandeep Deshpande (1994-96)
������ 2. Azar Khurshid (1996-97)
������� 3. Tufail Ahmad
�������� 4. Soumik Ghosh (1996-97)

�������� University of Pune, (1995)

�������� Manipur University

���������� 1. Babita Thangjam,

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