Dhenkanal: Remembering the contributions of Professor KM Shrivastava in the domain of mass media education, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) Dhenkanal organized a virtual memorial lecture on ‘Technology-Enabled Learning: Is this the new normal!’ on his fifth death anniversary on Friday.
“The 21st-century teaching-learning environment has become more interactive, collaborative and digitised. More importantly, technological advancements in the education sector have shown a way for student-centred learning. This will help improve the quality of education,” said Odisha State Open University (OSOU) Vice-Chancellor Professor Srikant Mohapatra.
Discarding the apprehension that teachers will be replaced by technology, Prof Mohapatra said, “Technology is just an interactive medium between the teacher and the learner but cannot replace the teachers. However, in order to facilitate a good learning environment, the 19th-century teachers are also migrating to digital technology for effective teaching to 21st-century digital native students.”
Professor and Regional Director of IIMC Dhenkanal Dr Mrinal Chatterjee, in his welcome address, reminded the role and efforts of former head of the institute Prof. Shrivastava in making the IIMC Dhenkanal a media knowledge centre. “The Eastern Regional campus of IIMC at Dhenkanal was facing a difficult time when Prof. Shrivastava joined here as the director. Overcoming hurdles, Prof. KM Shrivastava resolved all issues with laudable efforts,” he said.
Prof. Shrivastava passed away on August 28, 2015, at the age of 63 after collapsing at Nizamuddin railway station, Delhi. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre but was declared brought dead.
Besides teaching and training journalists, Prof Shrivastava also authored several books including ‘News Reporting and Editing’, ‘Broadcast Journalism in 21st Century’, ‘News Agencies: from Pigeon to Internet’ and ‘Radio and TV Journalism’.
The daily newsletter of the campus ‘The Daily Reporter’, published by the students, happens to be Prof. Shrivastava’s brainchild, informed Assistant Professor Sambit Pal.