I have really had THE experience of my life at EWB 2005 - now the world's largest conference, for the students, by the students. A short write-up on this experience follows. Read on..... ***********************************************************************************************************
My experience at e-ducation Without Borders 2005 : The world's largest student conference

"E-ducation Without Borders" is a conference organized by students, for the students of the world and is held every 2 years in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This conference has been designed to be a platform for discussions and focus groups that initiate dialogue concentrating on the theories, development and applications of e-learning. The opportunity to attend the conference as a student delegate is open to the global community – irrespective of one's branch of study; the student delegates were selected based upon their demonstrated interest in the topics of the conference (http://apps.hct.ac.ae/ewb2005/2005/index.asp)

The theme of EWB 2005 (held 19-21 February) was "E-learning through the eyes of the world: responsible development and desired role". I chose to write a Critical Analysis paper on the first sub-theme "Effectiveness of e-Learning in the Educational Process" and named it "Does the Prefix Really Make a Difference?". My focus was on highlighting the importance of the learner's attitude – rather than on the teaching and learning methodology itself. When the results were announced and I got an email saying that I was one the 60 students who had won a travel scholarship, well, I was humbled. Being among the top 60 in the world, where I was competing with undergraduates and PhD candidates, was special. Moreover, when I learnt that I was the only person from the eastern part of India to attend, it made it even more special.

Reaching there, it was quite an exhilarating experience for me – there were more than 700 delegates from 89 countries attending the conference (among the 1100+ applicants). I was taken in a Limousine from the Abu Dhabi International Airport to the Armed Forces Officers' Club – where we all stayed for the duration for the conference. The conference took place in the world's second 7-star hotel – the Emirates Palace Hotel ( http://www.emiratespalace.com), also being opened to the public for the first time.

The most exciting part of this multi-cultural extravaganza was neither the sights of one of the richest cities in the world, nor the fact that that I got an opportunity to listen to the ideas of the famous people (decision-makers of Abu Dhabi, Nobel Laureates, Professors, and CEOs of the biggest corporations were among the speakers), but the fact that I got to listen to the great visionary Shri Nara Chandra Babu Naidu, one political leader who I feel, really used his power.

Being called "Excellent" in the debate session by the judge from the Oxford Union was also a good feeling. I would say that being a part of "E-ducation Without Borders 2005" has been a great learning experience and the feedback that I have received from all over the world, from both students and professionals, indicates I did make a positive impression in people's minds with my attitude and opinions.
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Could have written much more.. but I prefer short and sweet.

I would appreciate your feedback on this blog.

Love and Peace..
Shoubhik

Dear Friends

I would like to introduce myself as a 21-year old boy from India who
has got a genuine desire to DO something, for my family, my
neighbourhood, my college, my state, my nation and the world. I have
been volunteering with many people to enhance my skills in all aspects
of life and career --- from Teamwork and Leadership, to Public
speaking and Writing articles; Organising technical seminars and
Industrial tours for my colleagues, to collecting and disseminating
information as far as achieving the 8 UN Millennium Development Goals
are concerned; helping others whenever they need anything and sharing
knowledge on ANY topic in ANY situation. All the time keeping in mind
one thing - NOT TO COMPROMISE ON MY VALUES - I don't do anything that
I can't tell my mother. Period.

Personality Development - and Building and Maintaining a Positive
ATTITUDE - in myself and people around me has always been my first
priority.

Friends, let me quote from a study attributed to Harvard University :
"When a person gets a job, 85% of the time it is because their
ATTITUDE, and only
15% of the time because of how smart they are or how many
facts and figures they
know."
Surprisingly, almost 100% of education dollars go to teach facts and
figures which account for only 15% of success in work!

William James of Harvard University said, "The greatest discovery of
my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering
their ATTITUDES of mind."

My purpose of saying all this is very simple really : We, in India,
have thousands of NGOs and non-profit organisations giving information
on a wide variety of topics and working for the betterment of Society
in all(?) kinds of areas, for example - Science and Technology, Food
and Agriculture, HIV/AIDS, Gender Biases and Women's Empowerment,
Literature and Poetry, Culture, Arts and Aesthetics, Politics, Media,
Religious Practices, Health Care, Law, World View, Industry and
Business, Education, and even Entrepreneurship Development Programmes!

(This is just the "tip of the iceberg"...)

Besides, from schools and colleges also we get loads of information -
which is also very important.

A query : Do you REALLY think we get educated in schools and colleges?
Most people, to whom I have asked this question say that most of them
DON'T. Friends, don't get me wrong! I do believe academics is
important, AND I would also ask you to look at the 85-15 proportion
and ASK yourself - What exactly is "Education"?

Does ANYONE think of incorporating "ATTITUDE DEVELOPMENT" in the
curricula of schools and colleges around the world?
In Indian culture, the ancient seers had defined education as
"Character Building", yet on an average, just 2 hours a year are spent
on Values Education nowadays. I'm sure the situation is the same(or
similar) in all other parts of the world as well.
A simple question : Do we need more academic education or more VALUES
EDUCATION? Even as I write this letter, somewhere in this world a
woman is being raped, a robbery taking place and somebody being
murdered. Doesn't REALITY anger you? For me it does, yet I am typing
and doing nothing for the world, which I'm a part of.

Going back to the point where this discussion began, let us DO
something. We have all seen how many times on this list people look
for information on a Master's degree and nobody questions the
integrity of the US in being stingy with their Tsunami Relief efforts.
We look for hospitality when we go to another country, yet how many of
us entertain people from foreign countries in our own homes? How many
times have we started fora/forums for discussing a particularly "hot"
topic and then DONE nothing about it?

I sincerely believe in what Mike Litman - author of best-selling
"Conversations with Millionaires" - says :
" 99.7% of the time Great Ideas are WORTHLESS."

Reason? We are ALL visionaries and philosophers to some extent, yet
very few among us ACT upon their IDEAS. It requires "education", as in
character, courage, conviction, honesty and integrity, commitment,
persistence and knowing how to deal with people.
In a nutshell, to be a winner, one needs to THINK and ACT in a certain
way - have the right "ATTITUDE"!

What do *I* plan to do after saying all this? I dream of an
organisation that imparts education on the most important word in the
English Dictionary - ATTITUDE and need YOUR help - can't do it alone.
Right?!!

I would ask all of you to consider my views, the FACTS and give me
your FEEDBACK.
ANY comments, suggestions and criticisms are always WELCOME.

Friends, lets just DO it! The Beatles wrote - "Life is too short."
True. Very true.

I WISH THE YOUTH OF THIS WORLD A GREAT YEAR AHEAD!
MAKE 2005 THE MOST PROFITABLE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE!!!

Yours
Shoubhik

Hello to everybody

I would ask all of you to contribute with whatever you can for the suffering people of Sri Lanka at : www.theacademic.org.

Even US$5 from EACH one of us could go a long way in providing rehabilitation for the thousands who are now homeless - a report says that the death toll could rise beyond 60,000 across entire Asia.

The tsunami, caused by a 9.0 Richter earthquake off the Sumatra coast(Indonesia) has killed more than 18,000 people in Sri Lanka alone -- as my friend Udara Soysa of Sri Lanka(http://profiles.takingitglobal.org/udara2004) says, "The whole country is destroyed!".

For helping out the people in the devastated parts of Southern India, please donate generously to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund :-

Here are a few links to make donations:

Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (http://pmindia.nic.in/relief.htm),
by bank transfer (http://pmindia.nic.in/relieffund.htm),
or by credit card (http://pmindia.nic.in/formpmnrfbak.htm).

If you prefer a non-government agency:
Red Cross accepts donations online
(http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_3870,00.html)

An excellent NGO involved in the disaster relief is Association for India's Development. AID is a US-based voluntary non-profit development organization with over 40 chapters across the US, made up of student and professionals as volunteers. You could help the survivors from INDIA by sending your contributions to AID as well
(http://www.aidindia.org/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=63).

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO POST LINKS ONLINE, ESPECIALLY FOR INITIATIVES BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

Thank you very much.

Yours sincerely
Shoubhik Purkayastha