Virtual Vidyalaya: An Integration of Pervasive Computing and E-Learning

Background

Eight billion embedded microprocessors are produced each year. This number is expected to rise dramatically over the next decade, making electronic devices ever more Pervasive. These devices will range from a few millimeters in size as in small sensors to several meters as in displays and surfaces. They may be interconnected via wired and wireless technologies into broader and efficient networks. Pervasive Computing Systems (PCS) and services may lead to a greater degree of user knowledge of, or control over, the surrounding environment, whether at home, or in an office or car. They may also show a form of ‘intelligence’. For instance, a ‘smart’ electrical appliance could detect its own impending failure and notify its owner as well as a maintenance company, to arrange for a repair.

‘Hole in the Wall’ as it is well known and named by Dr. Sugata Mitra (2006), Chief Scientist at NIIT is a revolutionary experiment going on which started with the slums in Kalkaji, New Delhi. On 26^th January, 1999, his team carved a ‘hole in the wall’ that separated the NIIT premises from the adjoining slum in Kalkaji, New Delhi. A freely accessible computer was put for use through this hole. The installation of this computer drew the attention amongst the children of slum dwellers. Without any prior experience and education these children learnt to use the computer on their own. Based on this experiment the following hypothesis was drawn by Dr. Sugata Mitra: