| Home > Media Centre > Press Releases |  Printer-friendly page |
|
|
 |
EDUN N25-02-004
05203
18 Oct 2003
EDTECH AWARDS CEREMONY 2003 RECOGNITION OF TEACHERS AND PUPILS WHO ENRICH TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY
1. The EdTech Awards 2003 showcases the achievements of pupils and teachers in advancing the innovative and creative use of IT in education. Organised by the Ministry of Education (MOE), it is also an occasion that recognizes and honours pupils and teachers who excelled in two competitions, the Learn@Arts and the Hewlett-Packard Innovation in Information Technology (or HP INIT) Award 2003 respectively. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Acting Minister for Education, will officiate at the event, held at the MOE Edutorium on 18 October 2003.
2. This event celebrates the first fruits of mp2, the second Masterplan for IT in Education, launched at iTopia 2002 last July. This is evident in the way teachers and pupils are using technology to make learning more engaging and relevant. Pupils have more opportunities for active learning through the use of IT. Their creativity is seen in their class work, as well as in the products they create for various IT-based competitions. Teachers too, have made use of technology to experiment, innovate and create new strategies and tools for teaching and learning. Studies of such innovations were included in the Second Information Technology in Education Study Module 2 (SITES M2), which noted that MOE's vision of IT in education was coherent and clearly articulated in the way our schools propose ICT solutions to address the problems they face. SITES M2 is an international study conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, IEA, of 28 countries on 174 cases. (refer to Annex A).
Learn@Arts
3. The Learn@Arts is a collaboration between MOE and the National Arts Council to promote an appreciation among pupils of the vibrancy and diversity of the performing and visual arts in Singapore. A total of 67 primary and 51 secondary schools participated in the event. Pupils watched live performances, interacted with artistes, participated in hands-on activities and also accessed information using MMS1 technology. The multi-sensory and multi-media experiences engaged them in active learning. They collaborated in teams to document their learning experiences by creating digital visual journals based on the theme "Experience, Discover, Reflect". These journals were submitted for the Learn@Arts competition and 22 of the entries will be awarded prizes. For details, refer to Annex B.
Hewlett-Packard Innovation in Information Technology (HP INIT) Award
4. The HP INIT Award, launched in 1999, recognises innovation, creativity and experimentation in the use of IT for teaching and learning among teachers. It also encourages collaboration and networking among teachers and other pedagogical experts in developing their innovative practices. The 43 entries received this year reflect a wider repertoire of IT tools, utilised at higher levels of proficiency and with better pedagogy. The entries represent the collaborative effort of more than 180 teachers engaged in inter-school collaborations and with experts. 9 winning teams were awarded the Gold and Merit Awards. For details, refer to Annex C.
Memorandum of Understanding
5. A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between MOE and Hewlett-Packard to launch the next phase of the HP INIT Award programmes. In addition to the HP INIT Award, a new HP INIT2 (Outreach) Award competition will be launched, to encourage sharing and outreach of innovative practices to the larger teaching fraternity. This Award promotes the sustainability and spread of innovative efforts to help bridge the digital divide in instructional practice among teachers. The first award will be given in 2004.
6. Local industries and organisations have shown strong commitment in partnering schools and MOE to support the use of IT in education. This partnership continues to play an important role in supporting the ministry's commitment and efforts in the use of IT in schools and reflects a multi-prong approach towards IT implementation in education.
Information on Second IT in Education Study: Module 2 (SITESM2)
1 SITES is an international study on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. The study is conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA http://www.iea.nl/ ). There are three modules2 in the original plan of this study. SITES Module 2 (M2) consists of a series of qualitative case studies that identified and described innovative pedagogical practices that used ICT in education.
2 The international researchers analysed 174 cases from 28 participating countries and economies, including US, UK, Finland, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In Singapore, six case studies of innovative ICT practices were conducted in years 2000 - 2001. The 6 schools included 2 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 junior college.
3 As SITES M2 was a series of qualitative studies on selected cases, there was no ranking of participating countries. The findings captured some important characteristics of innovative use of IT in education amongst the participating countries. An understanding of these characteristics and the issues surrounding the innovations could aid policy refinements and support the effort to propagate an innovative spirit across schools.
4 An abstract of the report findings is available at http://sitesm2.org/sitesm2_studyabstract.pdf
5 Citation from final report3 on coherence or consistency in policy:
"Consistency is perhaps easiest to achieve when educational systems are highly centralized, as in Singapore. In such countries, education ministries can achieve internal consistency by expressing a coherent vision in which the problems facing schools and society in general are clearly articulated, and by proposing ICT solutions that address these problems. They can achieve horizontal consistency by coordinating the efforts of various departments around problems and their solutions. In this regard, ministries can make sure that the various channels by which policies influence classroom practices are coordinated. They can construct curriculum, teacher developments, assessment and accountability policies, and instruments that have the same general goals and reinforce each other. Ministries can also create vertical consistency by ensuring that local policies and plans are synchronized with national policy and by ensuring that schools have the resources needed to carry out these policies. National plans that encourage initiative on the part of principals can achieve a top-down, bottom-up coordination around the goals for ICT use in schools."
Information on Learn@Arts
At Learn@Arts, pupils were encouraged to use their senses to explore and appreciate visual and performing arts based on the theme, "Experience, Discover, Reflect", which was revealed during the launch held on 31 May 2003. Teams created digital visual journals incorporating photographs, video footages, and even their own drawings, compositions and reflections. Their digital visual journals were submitted in July for adjudication, based on criteria such as those related to originality and quality of content, artistic expressions, interpretation of given themes and the use of IT and media.
2 A total of 22 entries won one of the following Learn@Arts awards:
 |
The Arts Ambassador Award |
|
The Arts Creator Award |
|
The Arts Detective Award * |
|
The Arts Educator Award |
|
The Arts Technologist Award |
|
The Arts Thinker Award |
|
Merit Award |
|
Honourable Mention |
The awards won by the respective schools will be announced during EdTech Awards 2003 to be held on 18 October 2003. All award-winning teams will be invited to the awards ceremony. The award-winning teams are from:
|
Primary Schools Category |
Secondary Schools Category |
|
Admiralty Primary School |
Crescent Girls' School |
3 For good effort, the teams from the following schools are awarded consolation prizes.
|
Primary Schools Category (Consolation) |
Secondary Schools Category (Consolation) |
|
Peiying Primary School |
Bedok South School |
* Based on the judges' final decision, no entry for the secondary school category was awarded the Arts Detective Award.
Hewlett-Packard Innovation in Information Technology (HP INIT) Award
The Award provides an avenue for outstanding innovations in the use of IT for teaching and learning to be encouraged and recognized. It also engenders collaboration and networking among schoolteachers and other related experts. The Award is open to all teachers of all levels. The entries are judged on the instructional design, creative use of IT, ease of use and nature of collaboration and networking among team members.
Results of HP INIT Award 2003
List4 of 4 Gold and 5 Merit Awards were awarded from a total of 43 entries.
|
Award |
Title of entry |
Winners |
School |
|
Gold |
Audio! Video! Disco! |
Mr Tan Puay Boon Gabriel Ms Jaiton bte Jasin Mdm Norliza bte Ali Ms Juriah Ms Lee Hwee Hwee |
Xinmin Sec Xinmin Sec Xinmin Sec NIE Qifa Pri |
|
Gold |
Bilingual Connection |
Mr Goh Zensen Ms Leong Siok Wai Mr Tan Kay Hong Mrs Seah Li Za Ms Chng Siew Hong |
Blangah Rise Pri Blangah Rise Pri Blangah Rise Pri Blangah Rise Pri St Michael’s Sch |
|
Gold |
Kids against Cancer |
Ms Eleanor Seah Mr Tan Bien Ching Gary Mr Lim Min Cho Mrs Yip Wai Pheng Mrs Goh Ai Lin Ms Angeline Ng Dr Toh Han Chong |
Crescent Girls’ Crescent Girls’ Crescent Girls’ Crescent Girls’ Crescent Girls’ Crescent Girls’ National Cancer Centre |
|
Gold |
TrailBlazer |
Mr Terry Tan Chee Liang Mr Edmund Lim Wee Kiat Mr Koh Cher Hern |
ACS Pri ACS Pri St. Hilda’s Pri |
|
Merit |
Electronic Design Centre |
Mr Steven Toh Boon Cheok Mr Yeo Yiak Beng Mr Hang Kim Yam Mr Dennis Tam |
Hong Kah Sec Hong Kah Sec Ngee Ann Polytechnic Ngee Ann Polytechnic |
|
Merit |
Junior SAT |
Mr Goh Zensen Ms Ann Tan Geok Lin Ms Chan Pei Chui Ms Lim Thiam Gaik Ms Ng Phiak Choon Patricia Mrs Goh Lee San |
Blangah Rise Pri Blangah Rise Pri Blangah Rise Pri Catholic High Pri Fairfield Methodist Pri Rivervale Pri |
|
Merit |
Integration of photographic technique into e-composition |
Mr Lim Kian Chye Mr Lye Mun Sum Mrs Yee Kok Foo |
Edgefield Pri Zhangde Pri Zhangde Pri |
|
Merit |
InnoPDAte@P2A |
Mr Nicholas Tan Ms Lim Pek Wee Mdm Nur Ashikin bte Naharuddin |
Nan Chiau Pri |
|
Merit |
Critically Thinking using Online Learning Tool - iPerspectives |
Mr Neo Chai Wee Mdm Hasniza bte Mohd Hassan Ms Yvonne Yoong |
Anderson Sec |
The Gold Award Winning Entries - Details
1 Audio! Video! Disco!
Audio! Video! Disco!, which in Latin means I listen! I observe! I learn!, is a collaborative project involving online learning materials created by English Language, Chinese Language and Malay Language teachers. It harnesses the interactivity of online audio, video and animation to create lessons around the constructivist idea of learning by hearing, seeing and doing. The judges commended that the use of the online tool was a novel way to motivate pupils with weak oral skills. The tool tapped the potential of IT to record pupils' reading and monitor their progress as well.
2 Bilingual Connection
Bilingual Connection is an instructional programme in which, pupils in their mother tongue classes, make use of an online translation engine to translate specific text into another language. The activity allows them to comment on the accuracies of the translations, as well as edit the translated text to make them more accurate in the target language. The judges applauded the creative and effective use of freely available translation software for instructional purposes. The tool encouraged thinking and learning on the part of pupils, and helped them appreciate the unique structure and form of each language. The judges also commended the collaborative effort of the team.
3 Trailblazer
Trailblazer involves pupils learning about Fort Canning in a fun and engaging manner. This inter-school collaboration enhances pupils' thinking skills and fosters cooperative learning through the use of IT. The activity explored the feasibility of using the SMS feature in handphones and infra-red technology of the computer for relaying questions and answers quickly to different groups, in their quest to complete the task. The judges highlighted the innovative use of IT and communication technologies in helping pupils learn in an informal setting. The activities built around the use of the technologies also encouraged and promoted collaboration among the pupils.
4 Kids against cancer
"Kids against Cancer"' is a collaborative project between Crescent Girls' School and the National Cancer Centre (NCC). The pupils joined the specialists at NCC in their efforts to champion cancer awareness among children and teenagers. This service learning experience exposed the pupils to the reality of life sciences, its application and significance in the medical world. The judges complimented the team for consolidating their learning and understanding of the subject in a very comprehensive website, targeted for primary school pupils. The use of the WebQuest activity (an inquiry-based learning activity where learners interact with resources that comes largely from the web) also greatly enhanced understanding by pupils.
1Multimedia Messaging Systems
2SITES Module 1 (M1) was a survey of principals and HODs/IT that examined the extent to which schools had integrated ICT into teaching and learning. The survey was administered in 1998 and the results were tabled at the (1999) 18th MCM. Plans for SITES Module 3 (M3) had been aborted as of Apr 2003 due to the lack of funding to support the study at the international level.
3Kozma R B (2003: 192), "Technology, Innovation, and Educational Change - a global perspective" ISTE
4in alphabetical order of entry title
|
Page Last Updated : 18-Jun-2004 This site is best viewed with IE ver 5.x and Netscape ver 7.x Copyright 2004 Ministry of Education. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement | Terms of Use |