Software-Training

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About SELF Workshops

The Spoken Tutorial project is about teaching and learning a particular FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) like Linux, Scilab, LaTeX, PHP & MySQL, Java, C/C++, LibreOffice etc. via an easy Video tool - Spoken Tutorials. Some of the salient features of SELF (Spoken Tutorial based Education and Learning through Free FOSS study) Workshops are -

  1. This method is highly conducive to self-learning.
  2. Once one gets started any student or faculty can master the FOSS.
  3. UG, PG or research scholar students and even teachers of Science, IT, Engineering, Commerce, Management disciplines can learn any of the FOSS.
  4. The training workshops are conducted remotely via a video conferencing tool (Skype).
  5. Typically, the first workshop at any college is of 2 hour duration.
  6. To start of, any college which is organising the workshop needs to get a computer lab ready with machines that support sound and have internet connectivity. There is no lower or upper limit on the number of participants. This just depends on the number of computers available. For additional participants, laptops if available can be used.
  7. The main organiser's computer should have a webcam via which the Spoken Tutorial team can monitor the workshop.
  8. On a convenient day, participants take an assessment test and on clearing it get certificates from Spoken Tutorial project, IIT Bombay.

As a first step, the organiser can identify a student coordinator to publicise and conduct the workshop. Students have a lot of energy and are very enthusiastic about such activities. Participants, of course, benefit. Student coordinators, too, get a special certificate, and a T-shirt! More importantly, they develop Event management and Project coordination skills.

All of the above mean a big deal to students for their career with recruiters and at PG interviews.

Today, SMEs and Govt. departments are moving to Open Sources like Linux OS. Students with this knowledge will have an edge in the job market. They can also become entrepreneurs and use Open Source Software in their businesses, saving money vs., if they were using commercial software.

Net - it is a win-win situation for all and the best part....all the workshops are conducted FREE of cost. We are having a very good experience with colleges across the length and breadth of India with this format. They start with one and move to cover more batches, more departments, different FOSS series....All working together to Bridge the Digital Divide in our nation.

Progress To Date

The training workshops started in July 2011. These have spread across several Institutions, Schools, NGOs, Govt. Offices and even some Corporates. By 3rd quarter 2012, around 100,000 students and teachers from all states of India, have enjoyed the training conducted in over 1500 colleges. Students from rural places have also benefited from this training. Students are using Linux, Python, PHP & MySQL and Scilab in their curriculum. Several colleges are going for Lab Migration, which is switching from Matlab (proprietary) to Scilab. Academia is using the de facto standard for technical writing, LaTeX. We have dedicated students who are working as workshop Promoters and colleges acting as RESOURCE centers in all states of India.

Method Of Training

Spoken Tutorial adopts a very unique and different method of training, which can be easily learned by school students, college students, faculty members and teachers. Key points highlighting the method of training are -

  1. Workshop duration is only 2 hours- Can cover maximum students in a short period
  2. Held at your college campus- Students need not to leave their campus
  3. Mode of training is through a very interesting and effective Audio-Video tool: 'Spoken Tutorial’
  4. Workshops will be arranged by Students/ Faculty from your college- Guided by Spoken Tutorial team, IIT Bombay
  5. Organizers need not be experts in that software
  6. Spoken Tutorial team, IIT Bombay will monitor the first workshop through Skype
  7. Spoken Tutorial team, IIT Bombay will conduct online exams and award certificates to participants and organisers

Software Offered

Currently Spoken Tutorial project offers software training on the below mentioned list of software, applications and programming languages.

Spoken Tutorial Software Series

No. Software Application
1 Basic IT Skills package Learn how to use
  • The Linux operating system
  • LibreOffice Suite - for basic Office applications and
  • Firefox web browser - to browse the internet safely

This package is useful to all who wish to learn basic IT skills. Absolute must for beginners.

2 Blender Open source equivalent to Maya and 3DMax. Useful to create 3D Animation for Architecture & Animation students. Can be used by Civil Engineering students, also.
3 C Powerful features, simple syntax, and portability make C a preferred language among programmers, for business and industrial applications. Widely used in the development of operating systems.
4 Firefox Free, open source and popular web browser. Allows you to view Internet web pages, navigate through web pages, and search for web pages using search engines such as Google, Yahoo Search or Bing.
5 GeoGebra Interactive Geometry, Algebra and Calculus application for school students (7th standard and above) as well as school teachers. Very useful to teach and learn abstract geometry concepts.
6 GIMP Graphics art and design software application for the editing and creation of original images, icons, graphical elements of web pages and art for user interface elements. Useful for all graphic related work.
7 Java Free and open source, high level, simple as well as object-oriented programming language. Included in the curriculum of schools and colleges offering Computer Science and IT subjects.
8 LaTeX Typesetting software for preparing reports, letters and presentations - specially useful for persons engaged in writing/ publishing documents from science/ arts/ commerce fields.
9 LibreOffice Suite Trains in basic computer usage skills like Word processing, Spreadsheet, Presentation using the LibreOffice components Writer, Calc and Impress components. One can also learn other useful components like Draw, Math and Base in this series.
10 Linux and Ubuntu Free operating system, almost neutral to virus attacks and no hassles for licensing issues.
11 OpenFOAM Open source/ free CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software available for solving and analyzing problems and to create a real world fluid flow movie. Open source equivalent to FLUENT. Widely used in Academics and is gaining popularity in Industry as well- Companies including AUDI, Tata Steel, Volkswagen, and Govt. agencies like BARC (Babha Atomic Research Center).
12 PHP & MySQL Package for developing interactive websites and establishing back-end connectivity with a database - Famous websites using PHP include Facebook, Google, and Wikipedia.
13 Python Numerical computational software for Science and Engineering Education - used in 3D animation and Gaming industry, Artificial Intelligence, YouTube, NASA, CERN, Yahoo and so on.
14 Scilab Mathematical and scientific calculation software, open source substitute for MATLAB, very useful for all science and engineering students, in academics particularly.
15 Thunderbird Mail Account Setup Wizard. All you need to provide is your name, email address, and password and the email account set up wizardry will check the database and find the email settings for you.
Typing Software
16 KTouch Typing tutor - teaches how to type using an online interactive keyboard. Learn typing at your own pace. Gradually increase your typing speed and along with it, your accuracy.
17 TuxTyping Typing application especially for children
Start typing, Practice lessons, Play a game, Set language for typing
Accessibility tool for totally blind and low vision computer users
18 ORCA Free and open source screen reader that works in GNU/Linux operating system. With the use of Orca, a totally blind person can work on the desktop with no sighted assistance. With the output in synthetic voice, all activities can be independently performed - including word processing, working with spreadsheets, surfing the internet, working with emails, chatting and also main-stream programming.

This talking software gives audio feedback through a speech synthesizer by following the focus and reading any textual information and informing the user about any widget in and around the focus.

Upcoming Spoken Tutorial series are C++, Netbeans, KTurtle, KiCad and gSchem, QCad, LibreOffice Draw.

Downloading Spoken Tutorials

One can easily download the above mentioned software, tutorials and instruction sheets from the following link -
http://www.spoken-tutorial.org/disc-source.
For installation and making copies on all the computers, please follow these easy steps -


Instructions for Downloading and Installing
  1. Click on the following link - http://www.spoken-tutorial.org/disc-source/
  2. You will see a list of zip files of all the FOSS.
  3. Click on the FOSS category you have selected for conducting the workshop or for self-learning.
  4. When you click on the FOSS category, a small dialog box will appear.
  5. It will prompt you to open/save the zip file.
  6. Please save the zip file.
  7. Extract the content from the zip file into a folder.
  8. Copy the extracted folder on each computer.
  9. Open the folder.
  10. Locate the read-me-first.txt file.
  11. Open it and read it carefully.
  12. Follow the instructions given inside to locate the Installation and Instruction sheets.
  13. Do exactly as directed in the Installation sheet to install the FOSS on all the computers before the workshop.
  14. If Firefox web browser is not installed, then follow the instructions for installing Firefox web browser on all the computers before the workshop.
  15. Take printouts of the Instruction sheets – one for each participant, a day before the workshop.


Instructions for workshop
  1. Hand out one Instruction sheet to each participant, before the workshop.
  2. To begin the workshop, the participants have to open index.html file, which is present in the extracted folder.
  3. To do so, right-click on index.html and choose Open with Firefox option.
  4. Now, follow the instructions given in the Instruction Sheet and begin learning.
  5. We recommend that participants should follow the sequence of topics given in the index.html file for better learning.


Instructions for installing LINUX OS

Click here for instructions on Installation of LINUX OS

Organising Workshops

Organising Spoken Tutorial workshops in your college is very easy… you can start with any of the Software that we offer-
Basic IT Skills, Blender, C, Firefox, GeoGebra, GIMP, Java, Latex, LibreOffice Suite, Linux and Ubuntu, OpenFOAM, ORCA, PHP & MySQL, Python, Scilab, Thunderbird.

Any Student or Teacher can act as Organiser..,Typically he/she will...,

  1. Arrange the computer lab and inform a group of students - there is no upper limit on the total number.
  2. Fix a date and timing, only 2-hour duration – Monday - Friday and inform us.
  3. Get a Skype ID and connect to us prior to the workshop to test Skype, clarify doubts and say hello ----Google Skype and install it in your system, create ID just like you would do for Gmail and let us know.
  4. Download the Spoken Tutorial content available on the link (http://www.spoken-tutorial.org/disc-source/). Note that in special cases, where Internet is not available, we can also provide the CDs containing the same learning material.
  5. The Organiser will check that the machines have Firefox web browser and support sound.
    Click here for the Machine Readiness document.
  6. Participants will use simple earphones (like the ones they have for their mobiles) and watch the tutorials individually. They will play-pause-practice and self-learn at their own pace.
  7. Arrange one machine - could be a laptop - to have a webcam, the workshop Organiser will use this to connect with us through Skype.
  8. After the workshop, learners can copy the content onto their Pen-drives or CDs.
  9. They will revise and come back any time after two weeks from the date of the work- shop, take an online test, and get Spoken Tutorial project, IIT BOMBAY Certificates.
  10. For training the entire college, the chief Organizer can put together a team of representatives from other departments who can train many more students.

Be a Part of the Spoken Tutorial Project

The Spoken Tutorial Project-IIT Bombay, welcomes one and all to be a part of an IT revolution and contribute to spread awareness amongst students, teachers and other individuals of society. You can contribute as a -

  1. SELF Workshop Organiser or College Ambassador
  2. SELF Workshop Manager
  3. SELF Workshop Promoter
  4. SELF Workshop RESOURCE Center


1. SELF Workshop Organiser/ College Ambassador:-

Any student/staff/faculty can act as Organiser. Organisers need not know the Software to be taught in the workshop. He/ She will act as the SELF Workshop Organiser. The Organiser will arrange the computer lab and coordinate with students, say 20-30, could be more, and fix a date and timing for the workshop. He/ She will be in touch with the Spoken Tutorial team, IIT Bombay, on a regular basis to ensure that all students in the college get a chance to take the training. The Organiser will take care of all the prerequisites as per the checklist, for successful conduction of the workshops. He/ She will also identify students or faculty member from other departments to become SELF Workshop Organisers for their departments.

Benefits

In addition to getting experience in Event management, a SELF Workshop Organiser will be awarded a special certificate. These certificates are of great value to students in their academics as well as during job interviews.

Future Scope

The Spoken Tutorial team, IIT Bombay will continuously assist and monitor the SELF Workshop Organiser, and depending on his/ her wish, he or she can become a SELF Workshop Manager in the college.


2. SELF Workshop Manager:-

Any student/staff/ faculty can become a SELF Workshop Manager. A SELF Workshop Manager will regularly arrange workshops for various departments on the different FOSS. He/ She will guide other workshop Organisers to conduct Spoken Tutorial SELF workshops in the entire college.

Benefits

A SELF Workshop Manager will be awarded with a special SELF Workshop Manager Certificate and an Appreciation Letter from Spoken Tutorial project, IIT Bombay, after 75% of the student strength in the Institute is covered. These certificates are of great value to students in their academics as well as during job interviews.

Future Scope

The Spoken Tutorial team, IIT Bombay will continuously assist and monitor a SELF Workshop Manager, and depending on his/ her wish, he or she can become a SELF Workshop Promoter and promote the project in other colleges in the district.


3. SELF Workshop Promoter:-

Any student who wishes to contribute towards the IT revolution and would like to make his/ her state an IT literate state can become a SELF Workshop Promoter. A SELF Workshop Promoter will identify Organisers, Managers and RESOURCE Centers in colleges in his/ her state. He/ She will be helped by the Spoken Tutorial SELF Workshop Manager at IIT Bombay responsible for that particular state.

Benefits

The Spoken Tutorial project provides monetary incentives to SELF Workshop Promoters, which are as follows -

  1. Rs. 7000/- per month for working as SELF Workshop Promoter
  2. Rs. 100/- per new college or lead generated and for identifying a SELF Workshop Organiser and Manager in that college
  3. Rs. 200/- per college for providing support and conducting the first workshop in a college.
  4. Telephone and travel expenses
  5. A special Certificate and Appreciation letter from Spoken Tutorial project, IIT Bombay.

Future Scope

The Spoken Tutorial team will regularly assist and monitor a SELF Workshop Promoter, depending on which he or she can become a Spoken Tutorial Project Officer-Outreach.


4. SELF Workshop RESOURCE Center

Any college/ university which wishes to contribute towards IT literacy and awareness can become a RESOURCE (Robust Extensions for Spoken Tutorial project on Open Source Software Usage for Recruitment, Community and Education) Center. A RESOURCE Center can conduct remote SELF workshops in its college, for other colleges and can also train other colleges and schools in conducting Spoken Tutorial SELF workshops. It can identify SELF Workshop Organisers and Managers in schools and colleges, in its respective state. A RESOURCE Center can create a team of students and faculty members from the respective colleges to provide support to other schools and colleges for conducting SELF workshops. In this way, the project can be spread and awareness created in the entire state.

Note

The RESOURCE Center should especially set up the capacity to host SELF Workshops in its premises for remote area colleges who may not have sufficient lab/ computer/ Internet facilities.

Benefits

A RESOURCE Center will be awarded an Appreciation Letter from Spoken Tutorial project, IIT Bombay. RESOURCE Centers can mention that they are authorised RESOURCE Centers of Spoken Tutorial project, IIT Bombay on their website and in their advertisements.

Certification

After completing the workshop in about two hours, students can revise the tutorials. One can go for the online Spoken Tutorial certification exam on the particular FOSS, any time after 2 weeks or more, in which one gets the following -

  1. If one has scored =>40 % he/ she can receive the Spoken Tutorial, IIT Bombay certificate.
  2. One can print it out or keep a soft copy for oneself.
  3. Please note that it has the hologram in grey colour that specifies that it is original so no signature is needed.

Please Note Online certification tests will not be available for the following software series -

  1. Basic IT Skills
  2. Blender
  3. Firefox
  4. GIMP
  5. LibreOffice Suite (all components)
  6. Thunderbird
  7. KTouch
  8. Tux Typing
  9. ORCA

Contacts For Workshops

In case of any doubts or queries you can always get in touch with our executive officers -

No. Name of States Contact Person Email Address Phone
1 West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram,
Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir 		Payel Mukherjee payel.banjee@gmail.com +919987087561
2 Goa, Karnataka, NGOs Trupti More truptismore@yahoo.com +919820096122
3 Gujarat, Maharashtra Madhukriti Srivastava madhukriti@gmail.com +917738378229
4 Tamil Nadu, Kerala Mohamed Kasim Khan mkasimkh@gmail.com +919843349009,
+919003707005
5 Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab Apoorv Chitray apoorv1126@gmail.com +919892874182
6 Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh Nagesh Fadnavis nageshfadnavis06@gamil.com +919820480326
7 Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (West), Uttarakhand Arjun Chadha arjunc@iitb.ac.in, arjunchadha11@gmail.com +919730862650
8 Himachal Pradesh, Bihar Sharda Sharma sharda30@gmail.com +919892721022
9 Uttar Pradesh (East) Kusumlata Verma kusum.energy@gmail.com +919769576123
10 Delhi, All India Schools Swapnil More moreswapnil66@gmail.com +919833901538
11 Punjab Kiran Khosla khosla.kiran@gmail.com +919833156800

Contributors and Content Editors

Chitradevi, Diana, Mohamed, Mousumi, Nancy varkey, Sanmugam, St-admin, Vineeta

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