1. Making of Computer Masti : Content creation for an innovative Textbook
IIT Bombay

2. Project chronology : Jan-Mar 07
Literature survey of existing Computer curriculum for schools both in India and abroad
CBSE
ICSE
State boards
NCERT framework
US public schools
Stanford university’s recommended curriculum
Australia
ACM curriculum

3. Jan-Mar 07………contd
Survey of textbooks available in India for teaching computers in schools
10 publishers survey[ Navneet, Frank bros, Oxford, Rachnasagar, Orient Longman, ILFS ….]
Comparative study of topics covered from one to ten standards

4. Jan-Mar 07………contd Framing of CS curriculum
Release of Computer Science Curriculum for Schools: March 2007
Team:
Co-ordinator
Syllabus author
Syllabus reviewer [ Teachers and IITB faculty]
Lesson material contributors
Lesson material reviewers

5. Snapshot of Lesson creation template

6. Snapshot of lesson review form

7. Summary of topics

8. Focus at different levels
Primary Section (1st to 4th) – Get the children to be familiar with the computer and
that it has many interesting uses. Introduce the capabilities of a standalone computer
without doing any programming. Emphasis on just providing exposure to basic skills.
Some elementary social aspects and the concept of logical, step-wise, thinking.
• Middle Section (5th to 7th) – Get the children to learn how to control the computer.
Skilled use of a standalone computer, including configuration-level programming
(change settings and customize applications). Introduce the power of Internet
applications ( and search). Emphasis on social aspects – keeping oneself safe
and ethical usage. Introduce an elementary programming language. Introduce
general concepts behind some of the skills learnt, such as algorithms etc.
• Secondary Section (8th to 10th) – Full fledged control of the standalone system and
skilled navigation of the networked world. Emphasis on learning concepts of broad
applicability. Other topics of the syllabus, including using a programming language,
as stipulated for the Board examination.
• Higher Secondary Section (11th to 12th) – Mostly follow the syllabus given for the
Board examination. Highlight the underlying concepts, without over-doing it.

9. Sample of What, Why, How 1ST STANDARD
What: At the end of 1st Std, a child should know:
• Concepts: Regard the computer as a machine with various parts and associated
functions (that can be controlled/directed).
• Usage Skills: Identify all the parts of a computer; use keyboard (arrow enter/return keys)
and mouse (single/double click) as input devices; open applications, such as Music,
Paint, or Games and their rudimentary use.
• Social Aspects: Maintaining cleanliness; dust-free area; not spilling food etc; orderliness
in handling peripherals and sharing resources.
Why: At the end of 1st Std, it is enough for a child to be able to relate to a computer as an
interesting entity with various parts and functions (Existence Awareness). More topics are
not required because the goal is to simply introduce the computer as a tool for doing other
tasks. Since it can be a highly distracting toy, the content is deliberately low-key. However,
fewer topics are not desirable because the child should not get left behind in terms of his/her
peers or get overwhelmed at a later age.
How: There should be one class per week, roughly as per the following schedule:

10. Snapshot of week wise curriculum

11. Project chronology : Mar 07-May07
Creation of handbooks and associated worksheets collaboratively
Team of ten people allotted lessons content, worksheets.
Content created ,uploaded on wiki

13. Project Chronology Jun07 – Jun08
Handbook format extended to textbooks
Textbook content contextualised
Introduction of characters for the lessons
Lesson in the form of dialog between characters and a tutor character

14. Jun07 – Jun08 ……….contd
Lesson aimed at both teachers and parents with many illustrations
Lesson starts with aim of lesson
Vocabulary restricted to age of child
Help provided to teacher as teacher’s corner
Worksheets integrated with lessons
Activities/group activities introduced for team building
Projects introduced as the last lesson covering all the lessons of a grade

15. Jun07 – Jun08 ……….contd
External resources provided for further learning
Explore tasks given which are not covered in the lesson
Concepts and skills formulated for each lesson
Lesson outcome summarised in the end

16. Sample lesson shots

17. June 2008 Computer Masti Book I released under creative commoms
Available for download on the website
Statistics : Worldwide downloads of: 430 across countries
Book used in Mumbai SSRVM school and field study conducted

18. Field insights
Elementary school students are avid learners and explore
the various computer applications with minimal assistance
• Computer-based activities interest the students and can be
used for developing skills in other subjects.
• Collaborative learning enabled students to proactively
explore various applications.
• No gender differences are observed in computer proficiency
and usage, likely reason - controlled exposure in the school
setting ensures equal opportunity to use the technology.
• Confidence of teacher with the technology has a positive
impact on confidence of students.

19. Nov 2008 Release of Computer Mast Book II Downloads: 196
Field study extended in the Mumbai school with Book II

20. June 2009 Release of Computer Masti III Downloads: 40
Implementation in schools outsourced to Vendor – Intux pvt Ltd.
Vendor has MOU with schools to conduct training, set up labs, teach CM

21. August 2009
Computer Masti IV : Completed, will be released shortly……….

22. End of Project Chronology slides

23. I - CM specific Model Motivation How was CM created?
Different roles of people involved
Child specific decisions while creating content
Why does the model work
Can it be replicated for other subjects?

24. One more textbook for teaching Computers in Schools?
Study of existing curriculum led to development of new curriculum to bridge the gap and move towards FOSS
Computer Masti [CM] textbook was a result of the content generated for the new curriculum

25. Some questions……
Is it necessary to teach computer science in schools ?
If so, at what age do we start?
What do we teach them?
How do we teach them?
Will it be fun?
How will it help them in the future , if they become artists, fashion designers, and musicians and not scientists?

26. Some more questions……
Can we also teach other subjects using computers?
Can we get the trained personnel for teaching?
Is it too distracting?
Is it safe?
Do you need specific skills to learn this subject?
Is teaching computers at school a very expensive proposition?

27. The above questions led to…..
Motivation for this project
Study of existing curriculum across boards/textbooks
Our philosophy of concept/skill based learning
Curriculum and Content development
Implementation on the field
Extensions in the future

28. Motivation Students already have access to PCs
Self-learning in trial and error mode
There is no structured training at primary school
They may end up using PCs only for entertainment
It is very critical that they learn the right way
Children can have fun while learning
We have fun in designing the curriculum

29. Study existing curriculum/textbooks
Varied curriculum across boards
Different entry levels [ KG, III]
No prescribed syllabus
Mostly tied to Microsoft proprietary software
Only skill based teaching
CS is not a board paper [ elective ]
Textbooks generally cover one application every year
Not enough illustrations
Design a curriculum to overcome the above constraints

30. Our Philosophy What, why ,when, how? OS platform Ubuntu
Generic concepts which are platform independent: start up , shut down…
CS concepts : Step wise thinking, reasoning…
Application Skills
Values interspersed with lessons
Child friendly language
Open source contents: Creative Commons

31. Curriculum/content development
Curriculum designed based on insights of study
Expert feedback from CS faculty / teachers
Improvisation of curriculum
Team of contributors from diverse backgrounds
Collaborative work across geographic locations
Guidance about the scope of the topic to be covered

32. Curriculum/content development…
Handbooks for teachers developed
Content adapted to textbook format
Textbook lesson components
Aim
Lesson content
Lesson outcome
Worksheets
Activities
Explore
Teacher’s corner
Further reading
Projects

33. Contributors for content
Underlying content created – Author
Contextual conversation added to the content – Creative writer
Worksheets and activities designed : Social sciences expert along with subject expert
Teachers corner [ Tips for how to teach students]: Social sciences expert
Illustrations added – Illustrator
Entire lesson design and layout – Graphic designer
Content final editing – Editor
Entire process coordination – Managing Editor

34. Content contributors’ academic background
The diverse academic background of the contributors has helped in creating and fine-tuning the content
Computer science Faculty
Engineers
Social scientists
Fine arts experts
Illustrators and animation experts
Language experts
Teachers
Graphic designers

35. Key challenges during content creation
For the Author
Decide the scope of the content for the particular age
Study existing content for the topic and have the clarity about what is the differentiator /value add for the content they are creating
Clearly come up with Concepts and skills that can be introduced in the content

36. For the creative writer
Most challenging role
Build contextual conversations around the topic to be covered
Conversation should not override the actual topic
Intersperse the lesson with real life examples which children can relate to
Enumerate the concepts and skills
Come up with content which comes to life with illustrations
Reiterate concepts learnt in earlier lessons
Be gender sensitive while creating content

37. Social science Expert
Create worksheets and activities which are age specific
Check that the concepts and skills in the lesson are covered in the worksheets
Ensure the language used is child friendly
List the questions that can be asked while teaching
Envisage the possible responses of students and guide the teacher
Create group activities to foster team building
Think of tasks for children to explore which are not covered in the lesson

38. For the Illustrator
The illustration should be self explanatory ,should be used even if text is translated
Illustrations to be gender sensitive
Child should be able to relate to characters used
Incorporate cheerful expressions of characters used so as to appeal to the child
Come up with suggestions as to what illustration for a particular activity/question will make it interesting for the child
Choose the appropriate colurs for the illustrations

39. For the Designer
Create design templates for all the lesson components [ lesson ,worksheet, activity….]
Design a layout that is attractive and motivates a child
Highlight technical words and keywords in subtle way
Use a mix of text and illustrations interspersed such that the content page is not cluttered.

40. For the Editor Check the flow of the entire lesson
Add/delete new concepts or skills
Change the scope of the content
If there are too many new concepts introduced , move them to the next level

41. For the Managing Editor
Ensure seamless integration of all activities [eg: lesson -> worksheets-> Activities->illustrations]
Collaborative project management
Ensure feedback and iteration after each activity
Set individual and group deadlines

42. Why did this model work for CM?
All the team members are passionate about education
Team belonging to all age groups bringing in varied insights [ 50 yrs to 20 yrs ]
Entire activity was primarily voluntary and self driven
Ownership , accountability without possessiveness
Active group discussion and decision making
Main motivation from IIT faculty member
Eventually benefit the next generation of kids [ after large scale dissemination ]

43. II- Generic ,collaborative content generation model for creation of textbooks
The three main phases are:
Pre-processing phase
Processing phase
Post-processing phase

44. 1. Pre-processing phase
Study the need for a textbook in the particular domain/subject
Decide the target audience [ students/ professionals]
Decide the age group of target audience
Literature survey of existing textbooks and curriculum followed for that subject
Comparative study and gap analysis

45. 1. Pre-processing phase ……..contd
Propose curriculum
Fine-grain level
Focus on concepts to be taught
List out skills to be taught
Enumerate what , why ,how a particular topic has to be taught

46. 2. Processing phase
Look for people to fit into essential roles [ single person may perform multiple roles]
Overall editor – Content signoff
Managing Editor – Tracking of processes and timelines
Content author – Scope of content to be covered
Contextual author- Create the context around the topic
Teaching author – pedagogical aspects, conduct studies
Designer – Layout of the book
Illustrator – Illustrations for the textbook

47. 2. Processing phase……contd
Apply iterative process for each step in content creation [ link to diagram ]
Closure , Final Editing
Print ready version created in pdf
Printed

48. 3. Post processing – Lab to school/outside world
Release in Creative commons- Increase visibility
Track analytics to check downloads
Set up a mechanism to get feedback from users
Find implementation partner
to actually take it to the target audience
Conduct training programs
Set up a collaboration and revenue sharing model arrangement
Translation and customization of content based on requirement
Open up other channels like e-book, content on mobile , content based comic strips, etc…

49. How can others take part?
All the tasks and activities are maintained in a collaborative work space
Individuals can sign up for any specific activity and contribute [ creation, review…]
This contribution is across geographic borders

50. Thank you