Dear Readers,
Greetings!
It gives us immense pleasure to bring to you yet another issue of Fortell.
This January issue of the journal is special for many reasons. First, the articles by scholars, both experienced and young, from different parts of the country, published in this issue bear testimony to the growing popularity of Fortell. We thank our readers for sending us articles for publication on varied language and literary themes and it was primarily our intention to accommodate as many different kinds of papers as possible that we decided to come out with a general issue this time. The thrust, of course, remains on bringing to the fore myriad voices on diverse issues of language and literature learning. In future too we would endeavour to do the same so keep writing to us!
The second reason which makes this issue special is that it marks yet another transition in the history of Fortell and the journal is now available in both print and online versions. We had been thinking of doing so for quite some time in the hope of expanding our reach within India and to other parts of the world in order to facilitate a more fruitful interaction between teachers of English across the globe. Meanwhile, please visit our recently revamped website www.fortell.org and our facebook page, we look forward to your posts and feedback.
In keeping with this proposed shift, the interview in this issue with Professor Richard Allen from the Open University, UK, highlights the importance of the rapidly expanding distance mode of education. In the Indian context, though the traditional modes of learning seem to be giving in to more innovative methods of teaching and learning; there still appears to be a mental block against off-campus learning. In times of technology, the lines between on-line and off-line learning are blurring and we should take advantage of this paradigmatic shift, both as teachers/facilitators in our educational institutes and as learners. As teacher-learner one can pursue online courses or MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for skills enhancement. Not only can these courses be used for knowledge advancement but also for in-service teacher training; they could indeed help in life-long learning. We strongly believe that the knowledge and exposure to new ideas will surely be carried forward to our students in the classroom.
So while we wish that you enjoy reading this issue we also request you to contact us in case you have not been receiving a copy of the journal. Please write back to us with your contact details if you or your Fortellian friends do not get the group mails posted on fortellgroup and we will take care of it.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Ruchi and Rachna, Guest Editors
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ruchikaushik01@gmail.com Ruchi Kaushik is Associate Professor of English at Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delh. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Materials Development in ESP. |
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rachnasethi7@yahoo.com Rachna Sethi is Assistant Professor of English at Rajdhani College, University of Delhi.She has been working in areas of women’s studies, urban studies and oral cultures. |
