Tech Me to School

What the tech revolution means to parents

You know your IM from iN2015. You have a family blog, and you play Warcraft like a pro (almost). So you think you're tech-savvy? Your kids are light years ahead, riding on a technological supernova in schools.

All around the island, educational institutions are harnessing the power of IT for everyday tasks like homework, as well as ground-breaking projects.

Take, for instance, Fuhua Primary, which has used Pocket PCs (PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants) and Flashloggers (integrated data logging systems) to promote an inquiry-based approach in the learning of science.

It started with the Primary 5 and 6 cohorts in 2004 and extended it to the Primary 3 and 4 cohorts last year. The pay-off: it gave pupils more time to plan and design experiments, as well as analyse data.

Meanwhile, pupils at Hong Kah Primary School publish their learning journals online at a blog site (www.multiply.com). "Blogging adds value to the learning process as pupils are captivated by the new form of writing and communication," says Leslie Lai, the school’s IT head, in an article published on the Ministry of Education’s website.

"Pupils also make use of the online discussion tools that are available on the website to discuss topics posed by the teachers."

Students in River Valley High, Monks Hill Secondary, Crescent Girls' and Catholic High have access to tablet PCs so they can study in a digital classroom environment and download information from the Internet wherever they may be. They are part of the BackPack.NET Pilots and Trials initiative (a strategic collaboration between IDA and Microsoft).

And early this year, Anglican High bought 5 SMART Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) — a tool that combines a projector, computer and whiteboard, and which operates much like a touch-screen device.

Jimmy Tan, the school's science teacher and IWB coordinator, says this means students are no longer passive learners. "Students are able to learn better and faster. It changes the dynamics of the entire class," he says.


The future of school
Expect even more changes in the next nine years. In June, the government unveiled Intelligent Nation 2015, or iN2015 — a 10-year, multi-billion dollar infocomm masterplan to transform Singapore into an Intelligent Nation and Global City by 2015.

Its plans for homes and schools include:

At least 90 per cent of homes will have broadband access (up from 54 per cent now)
Every household with school-going children, no matter how poor, should have a computer with Internet access.Students will have anytime, anywhere connectivity and access to digital resources
15 to 20 per cent of schools will be designated as Experimental Schools, which will try out innovations applications in teaching.
Another five per cent will be Schools of the Future, leading the technology charge.

The Ministry Of Education’s Evaluation of Implementation of Masterplan for IT in Education Report 2001 showed that more than two-thirds of the pupils surveyed agreed that “the use of IT increases their knowledge".

Those who will succeed in the 21st century are those who can "learn, unlearn, and relearn", said futurist Alvin Toffler. To this end, teachers and parents still have an important role to play in developing the 'heartware' of the 21st century child – the EQ and CQ factors that determine true winners in life.

Article from Family.sg/ Education