11 July 1998

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The Ministry of Education will launch eduMALL and Singapore ONE@ Schools, two latest developments in the Masterplan for Information Technology in Education, on 11 Jul 98. The Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, RAdm (NS) Teo Chee Hean will officiate at the launch to be held at The Chinese High School.

2 The eduMALL is a one-stop web-based solution which provides a focal point for ready access to online information services and educational resources. The eduMALL contains three features - eduLibrary, eduPlex and Teachers’ Network, which provide a platform to teachers to conduct professional dialogue, learning and collaboration. Its fourth feature, Shops is a service area for educators, as well as members of the public, to source for educational software and to communicate their feedback on the various products via discussion fora (http://www.moe.gov.sg/edumall/index.htm). The eduMALL is an IT initiative and a collaborative effort of the Ministry, National Computer Board (NCB) and Kent Ridge Digital Labs.

3 Schools will be connected to Singapore ONE, the world’s first nationwide broadband network via the Singapore ONE@Schools. Schools will be connected to Singapore ONE in phases and by August 1998, all schools will have at least two access points. The project will provide high-speed information access and facilitates the delivery of multimedia-intensive and content-rich educational materials to teachers and students. They will have faster access to government services, news-on-demand, distance learning, video conferencing capability and fast Internet. The Singapore ONE@Schools is a collaborative project between the Ministry and NCB.

4 With the eduMALL and Singapore ONE@Schools, a communication channel for IT will be established among schools, the Ministry and software industry. Both the eduMALL and Singapore ONE@Schools provide schools with better support for the use of IT in teaching and learning, as well as improve connectivities between the schools and the world around.

5 More information on the eduMALL and Singapore ONE@Schools project is provided in Annexes A and B.

Mr Kwek Hiok Chuang
Deputy Director (Media & Infrastructure Support Branch)
Tel: 6460 5404

1. The Masterplan for IT in Education has, as one of its objectives, the establishment of a communication channel for IT between schools, MOE(HQ) and the industry. eduMALL, an IT initiative and collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education, National Computer Board, Kent Ridge Digital Lab and the industry, helps achieve this objective.

2. eduMALL aims to provide a one-stop web-based access to educational resources and online information services for teaching and learning. Its technology-based services and facilities (search engines, agents bulletin board) will help users gather information efficiently and save costs.

3. eduMALL facilitates communication and information flow between schools and MOE(HQ), as well as publishers and parents, in support of the implementation of the Masterplan for IT in Education.

For the pilot implementation this year, eduMALL will comprise four integrated service areas:

eduLibrary is a repository of teaching and learning resources, and reference materials in different formats: CD-ROMs, Internet sites, videos and even lesson plans created by teachers for teachers. One can also go on a virtual tour of the Educational Technology Resource Centre (ETRC), reserve educational resources online and register for IT workshops and dissemination talks.

eduPlex is a place where teachers can attend training seminars and workshops, participate in discussion forums and keep abreast of latest developments in education, entirely online. The technology-based facilities also encourage teachers to collaborate in building lesson plans and decide how best to assimilate digital content into their lessons.

Teachers’ Network provides a platform for teachers to help teachers on both professional and personal levels. It is a place for teachers to collaborate with other teachers who have similar interests and concerns through action research, professional dialogue and reflective learning. Teachers’ Network provides a conducive environment for teachers to communicate and share.

This is a service area with ready information on educational software, including snippets of educational software from participating publishers for educators and the public. Purchase of a product is possible at a click of the mouse. Feedback given via a discussion forum in the Shops will enable publishers to better understand and meet the needs of the market.

The Government is committed to make Singapore ONE accessible and available to the large majority of the population. Singaporeans who do not own computers at home will find Singapore ONE readily available in many public areas. Besides public libraries, community centres/clubs and public kiosks, schools form a very important component in the strategy to bring Singapore ONE to everyone in Singapore. Schools are the ideal place to introduce the young generation to the new world of interactive, multimedia experience promised by Singapore ONE. Singapore ONE@Schools brings Singapore ONE’s applications and services to all schools, reaching all teachers and students.

Aim
To enable students, teachers and staff members in schools to access Singapore ONE services and applications. With this infrastructure in place, schools will be able to enjoy convenient access to a host of multimedia content, especially educational material and resources at a very high speed.

Roll-out plan
The Singapore ONE@Schools roll-out plan was announced by RAdm (NS) Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, at the launch of the Open House by IT Demo Schools held at Radin Mas Primary School on 4 April 98.

With the commitment and keen support of the various partners involved in this project, the deployment target has now been exceeded. Singapore ONE will be introduced to all 365 schools in Singapore by end August 98.

Implementation
All schools will be equipped with at least two access points for Singapore ONE, one in the library and the other in the staff room.

The Singapore ONE@Schools project will make use of different technologies and access methods such as wireless Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) links, cable modems, Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) modems and ATM connections.

Benefits
With the access to the Singapore ONE broadband network to schools in place, schools will be able to capitalise on the high-speed infrastructure to access faster and more interesting content. Students and teachers will be able to enjoy multimedia-rich content, compared to the current narrow-band internet-based content. High quality video-on-demand, live-video-streaming, music-on-line, distance learning, exciting and interesting applications, and virtual interactions are some of the possible features and services available over Singapore ONE.

For instance, students will be able to use the many educational applications and services on Singapore ONE (eg. CD-ROM titles, courseware) that are currently not accessible by normal dial-up or low-speed connection. Students will also be able to conduct virtual projects over Singapore ONE, communicate and collaborate with other students, both from their own schools as well as from other schools. They will be able to enjoy doing projects using a wide range of resources, incorporating text, voice, audio, video, digital images or clips from a huge range of digital library resources or other content providers.

Teachers could also perform research on materials, transform them to teaching materials or as discussion topics to interest students. For instance, using the TCS news-on-demand service or Government Video On Line videos, teachers could inject more realtime examples and cultivate an awareness of current affairs or national education among the pupils. This could enhance the traditional newspaper cutting approach.

Help/training
Besides providing schools with the infrastructure, the Singapore ONE@Schools project will also equip teachers and students with useful skills and training in the use of Singapore ONE. These programmes include:

Singapore ONE CyberGuide Training
About 1,200 teachers from all schools will be trained this year. The teachers will in turn be able to guide and present to students/other teachers.

Singapore ONE Technical Training
Training for technical assistants of schools to equip them with the technical know-how and expertise so that they can troubleshoot problems and support Singapore ONE-enabled PCs in schools.

Singapore ONE Introduction
Talks in schools to create Singapore ONE awareness among all students and teachers.

Investment value
The Government will invest S$8.2 million over two years in the Singapore ONE@Schools project.

Future plan
Through the pervasive deployment of the Singapore ONE infrastructure in all Singapore schools, it is envisaged that more educational applications and services will come on board to support the Masterplan for IT in Education.

What is Singapore ONE?
Singapore ONE is the world’s first nationwide broadband network that delivers a new level of interactive, multimedia applications and services to everyone in Singapore. It is a key component of the IT2000 vision to transform Singapore into an Intelligent Island to enhance the quality of life of Singaporeans at home, work and play.

Singapore ONE’s high-speed and high-capacity enables users in every home, school and office in Singapore to experience richer, more exciting and interactive content. This content will also be delivered faster and more reliably than is currently available through the Internet or other delivery platform. Users will have access to entertainment and news-on-demand, distance learning, on-line shopping and other electronic commerce services, video conferencing capability, government services, as well as fast Internet.

What makes up Singapore ONE?
Singapore ONE consists of a core Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) backbone and high-speed local access networks that enable the delivery of interactive, multimedia applications and services.

What does Singapore ONE have to offer in terms of applications and services?
Singapore ONE’s broadband capabilities will support interactive multimedia including video, audio and 3-D graphics.

There are currently more than 120 different applications and services on Singapore ONE
(http://s-one.net.sg), as well as fast Internet. These are grouped into eight categories:

	Member Services, including special interest groups, membership facilities, users’ homepages and a video mail system.
	Government, including information, video clips, services and transactions.
	Information, including news-on-demand, guides, magazines, and library services.
	Learning, including on-line learning and resources, and virtual college.
	Entertainment, including multi-user interactive games, chat, movie previews, on-line music and virtual tours.
	Shopping, including malls, e-sales, ticketing, and travel information.
	Finance, including on-line banking with secure payment transactions.
	Business, including information services, product catalogues, and electronic commerce services.
	Fast Internet