Oct 10
26
Internet and Duplication of Content
The age we live in has made itself known as the Information Age, where information flow is more rapid and readily available on the click of a button and a blink of an eye. I think it is far more advance and superior to the Atomic power or even our adventures to the outer space. In fact the Information age brings the universe closer to us through gadgets like the Google Earth and many others.
Although we might be in the age where Education and Knowledge is freely available everywhere there is a jungle of unknown out there, and people can be misled or get lost in the junk of duplication and sometimes even blunders and Urban legends. We often see these useless junk mails forwarded to us in the form of making us aware, just to find out later that it was a prank and there is no reality attached to it.
Having lived in the virtual world for years, in the form of a passion and a profession, spending hours on the Internet daily, it is often felt that the flow of Information over the Internet needs to be controlled. But then if it is really controlled then we would forfeit the freedom and right to information as well as expression.
However, there is one thing that is often bothering when I surf the internet that people just for some odd and unknown reason to copy and paste material from one site to the other. The copy paste business or adventure just leads to the expansion in the number of pages the internet has rather then real information.
Recently I came across a community site, which is much bothered with its PR than the flow of information due to is commercial aspect, that, it has announced the launch of articles on historical events and dates according to the Hijri Calender. The website Zeninfosys, has installed Drupal to take care of its copy/paste business from another authentic website of the community mazaraat.com
Looking at the above scenario, one can see no reason for such work and nor does it have any importance other then adding more pages to the internet. It is not only the breach of intellectual rights which at times some authors or owners do not bother about but it does make a difference.
The reason for such acts of plagiarism can only be traced back to commercial benefits where a person might look-up for PR and visitor hits. Certainly the internet has grown to be a larger media version then the Television nowadays with people spending more time in front of their PCs rather then the TV screen.
On the other hand if anyone just wants to enter the internet world and be known the better and more sincere way would be to put forward original words. Content and Information can never be original unless one is a mass researcher but the words in which they are presented can be unique and the way its felt by the reader can be a standout form for each person has a different style of writing or conveying the information that might be useful in the internet jungle.
Apart from that “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person who you originally are”, is a nice quote to fit the topic.
Posted in Dawoodi Bohras Interesting Personal Views Technology The World by .
An important aspect dealt in contemporary era – is how interactive and positive is the relationship between a Teacher and a Student. Many cognitive theorists argue that learning is a social event, and that both teachers and students will pay the price if teachers neglect to form emotionally warm, supportive relationships with and among their students. (Foorming Positive Student-Teacher Relationships n.d.) According to the observations and surveys – a student spends his/her 5 to 7 hours in school/college around 9 to 10 months annually, and is affected by a group of teachers interacting with them daily. And more troubles outside of school that can easily distract mind of a student. As a result, they need more effective relationship with their teachers. These students feel that caring teachers “legitimize their personal concerns and also help them refocus energy on there goals (Speaking up: Student’s perspectives on school 1992).
This relationship when groomed – elevates the intellectual abilities of a student, and when neglected by a teacher – freezes the growth of capabilities and skills which resulting a waste of talent and carelessness of a teacher.
Where as a good and healthy relationship is defined through policies and principles of teaching and studying portrayed by Awlia-ullah Kiram S.A and Duat Kiram R.A in their ways of teaching and guidance. The Book Al-Alim wal-Gulam (The Master and The Disciple) is a master piece of projecting a way of learning, studying, educating and teaching with full application of the Ilm (knowledge) practically which needs to be full filled for conceiving the knowledge as a whole.
But there haven’t been any discussion about it done till now.
So this paper aims to take part in that discussion through a new aspect, that is in a Fatemi perspective in the light of kitab Al-Alim wal Gulam.
According to Pianta, positive student-teacher relationships are characterized by open communication, as well as emotional and academic support that exist between students and teachers (Pianta 1999). A positive relationship starts with a comforting reception from a teacher to a student from day one. The teacher needs to acknowledge the activities performed by students of any level and encourage them which then bond a positive relationship. The student needs to approach with full respect and honor for the teacher and consult in any queries occurring in academic activities and the communication between the student and the teacher serves as a connection between the two, which provides a better atmosphere for a classroom environment (www.csun.edu n.d.). The environment develops the growth of a student gradually in developing a personality, characteristics and manners. The student adapts the style of communication transmitted by the Teacher.
Ikhwan al Safa elaborates the pattern of the positive teacher-student relationship and communication that the teacher should use mercy, leniency, forgiveness, pity, compassion and kindness with the student, while student must also show respect for him (Iman Ahmed al Mastur n.d.).
Syedna Taher Saifuddin R.A and Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin T.U.S have strictly prohibited beating students on their mistakes, but to build a Father-Son like relationship that the student does not respond rebelliously. As we know that the knowledge cannot be forced upon, therefore the bondage between the teacher and student plays a vital role in educational development.
The emphasize has always been upon the communication and relationship between teacher and student socially, academically and personally.
The Book Al-Alim wal-Gulam (The Master and The Disciple) shows a practical aspect of the theoretical aspect of teacher-student communication in the perspective, that how teachers and student can follow these fatemi principles of educational communication. As the start with the question of how should an Alim be thanked that he must be obeyed.
The reflection of this can be seen in the book several times, especially when the Alim described the Gulam (Youthful) the way of spending money in sabil ul Allah, the Gulam immediately presented his total possession to the Alim, on the other hand Alim’s compassion can be easily understood by the addressing style of the Alim to Gulam. By ‘يابني’ which means my beloved child, and the limit of it can be assumed, that the Gulam called him ‘father’ (Alim wal Gulam n.d.).
To conclude, the code of success in educational development is not the “text book” rather the relationship and communication between the student and the teacher. Hudaat Kiram S.A have set such criteria which develop the holistic personality of a student not academically but socially, personally and religiously.
May Allah bless Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin with a healthy and prosperous life for many many long years to come. Ameen.
Bibliography
Alim wal Gulam.
Foorming Positive Student-Teacher Relationships. http//www.cedu.niu.edu/`shumow/itt/studentTchrrelationship.pdf.
Iman Ahmed al Mastur. Ikhwan al safa.
Phelan, Patrica, Ann Davidson, Hanh Locke, and Cao Thanh . “Speaking up:student’s perspectives on school.” Phi Delta Kappan 73.9, 1992: 695-704.
Pianta, Robert C. “Enhancing Relationships Between Children and Teachers.” American Psycological Assn, 1999.
“www.csun.edu.” http//www.csun.edu/~acc50786/education.html.
—
The Author is a Student of Al Jamea Tus Saifiyah, Karachi.
Oct 10
9
Banks are in Business as well
Nowadays marketing agents just climb on your back until they get their piece of incentive in the form of commission for whoever they work for. Bank salespersons are no exception to this rule. The huge benefits they show you in their sales pitch for any product can make you feel you might be a millionaire in a few years. Take a credit card sales pitch for instance, where the sales person would show you the heaven and beware that if you are not capable of handling the heavenly features of the credit card it can turn to hell in no time.
Some people think that banks are just crazy enough to offer huge cash backs, sometimes up to 5% or have that gorgeous loyalty points program that creates an urge within to spend more and even more. But does it ever come to our minds that banks are doing business as well, in their own shrewd way! At times its wise enough to buy in cash from a small street shop which is reputed for its quality and goodwill rather than a mall with a credit card where the same product might be 10 to 20 percent costlier. Well, you might be getting a cash back of maybe 1% but then look at the difference. The bank would surely be earning 2 to 3 percent on sales from the merchant to return a minor bit to us, that too in a very clever way. The merchant would add the charges to the cost of goods passed to us.
Recently I had an experience with RAKBank where they managed to bifurcate my international spends and local spends on the credit card and the return was not even the 1% that was the usual supposed payout thought the expected percentage was higher. Banks do know their way around when it comes to making profits and posting the same to their ledgers for shareholders. The truth is, that is what banks are for. The sales person would show the possible benefits that a person can derive but those are rather for the very rare cases and not on a general base.
Every wise and sane person would inquire both the pros and cons before falling prey to the hunt. I remember a sales person who looked at my statements and told me that “this is the way a person should really use a credit card and to tell you the truth a bank would not really gain anything from a person like you“. The bank’s job is to generate profit and more profit from interest sources which by all means I do not comply with and therefore people should always keep their accounts straight and balanced. To have a clear view of the banks’ policies, one should remember the ways of Shylock and his character in the wonderful work of Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”.
Posted in Interesting Marketing Personal Views by .
Oct 10
5
A Profession worth living
At a very young age of about 15 years or so we had to write an essay about the best of all professions and which we in ourselves thought was an ideal one which made a real difference. I chose the teacher as the person who made the biggest difference in our lives, in shaping the individual, the society, culture and many other aspects of human life. The argument presented by a teenager was that if it were not for the teachers we would not have any doctors to save lives or engineers to shape our way of living. Everything depended on the teacher. There was also a quotation in the essay that “If you want to plan for 10 years plan trees but if you want to plan for a century educate women….or maybe it was children”. It does not matter as long as it was knowldge that was imparted.
It has been many years since then and recently I had to visit one of the very nice Schools in Sharjah where getting an admission is as difficult as a dream and reality. However, the principal of the School who is the owner himself and admired by many people for his devotion towards education, happened to be in touch with me for some reason. A School teacher asked me to accompany him to visit the Principal for the admission of his daughter. I willingly agreed and introduced him to the principal as a teacher. The principal exclaimed I have seen the papers written by your child. When asked what she would do with a million Dirhams, she has written that she would help her parents first and then others who are under privileged. The principal then exclaimed that “the children on teachers are the children of God”.
The school admitted the girl with priority and she was in one of the best schools with a low fee that the teacher could afford.
Teachers are not looser, they beget winners and champions. They are roots of our society. Yet in every part of the world they are the most under paid work force looking at the scope and importance of work. A few years back someone told me about a few teachers that they were a bunch of losers. I kept thinking why was that so. The reason was the person like him. He did not care for the person who cared for his child and nurtured him with knowledge. The teacher was not a loser rather the parent was.
Just because the teacher was under paid and sought other means to meets his ends does not make him so. Rather the parent was a loser who did not teach his child to respect his second parent just for a petty reason of not making enough money.
We are the losers when we pay low wages to teachers. The reason of the underpay is us, not being able to afford the high standard of the person who shapes are society and dump them into low grade work force category. It is we who are bent down by the weight of their generosity.
I have read in history several times that our culture has the highest stature for Gurus and the Kings and Emperors would bow to them in respect. Have we forgotten our culture and heritage.
A teacher is not a teacher, he is an actor who entertains, a farmer who sows and reaps, an engineer who builds character, a doctor who cures doubts and questions, a consultant who shows profitable ways of living and growing, an artist who draws and shapes the mind and thought, a couch and guide.
As I write this article I applaud all the teachers today on the 5th of October, being ‘The World Teachers Day“. A profession which is worth living, even for a day. My stand as a teenager seems fair enough even today. For the love and respect to all teachers in the world a single sentence would suffice, “You are not in the wrong profession, never were and never will be and the perspective of other people does not matter”.
Teachers Appreciation week is from May 2nd – May 6th, with teacher’s appreciation day being on Tuesday May 3rd, show your affection to your teachers and teach your children to do the same.
Posted in Education Personal Views The World by .
-
Links
Amazon Links (3)
- Blogs (15)
- Dawoodi Bohras (12)
- Youtube (6)
Disclaimer
Not all posts on this blog are my own words. Nor are all articles written by me. The blog is intended serve as my journal and dairy of interesting reading I have enjoyed and want to share. Some write-ups do not have the name of its author, the reason behind it is that I do not know the original source nor the author. If someone knows it they can add it to the comment box.
