Melaka gets RM50 million to develop ICT
MELAKA: The state government received an allocation of RM50 million from the federal government to develop information, communication and technology (ICT) for a period of four years, from 2007 until March this year.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said through the allocation, four projects were implemented, namely broadband infrastructure in all the districts, an integrated network pilot project, a project to narrow the digital divide and fiber optic broadband infrastructure.
"The state government also allocated RM2.7 million for the projects to ensure ICT keeps advancing every year," he said in reply to Ab Rahaman Ab Karim (BN-Pantai Kundor) during the state assembly here today.
He said the progress of ICT in the state was measured in the aspects of skills, infrastructure and content in the form of basic computer training encompassing computer usage, internet surfing and social media usage.
Mohd Ali said as at Sept 2011, 94 training programmes had been organised, involving 3,165 participants.
He said 715 locations were proposed in 2011 for the installation of WiFi at hotspots dan hotzones for residents.
According to data issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), as at the second quarter of this year, 706 hotspots had been installed in the state.
He said the state government had also appointed Melaka ICT Holdings (MITCH) as a one-stop centre in the installation of the integrated telecommunication tower in the state.
Mohd Ali said there are 733 TM WiFi coverage areas throughout the state, most of which are located in Bandar Hilir with 294, and Ayer Keroh, with 166.
"The main criteria for the installation is supermarkets, business complexes, higher education institutions, tourist spots and transport centres," he said in reply to Chua Keng Hwa (BN-Bemban).
Mohd Ali said the consumer targets are professionals, officers, managers, business people, higher education students and domestic and foreign tourists. --BERNAMA
"The state government also allocated RM2.7 million for the projects to ensure ICT keeps advancing every year," he said in reply to Ab Rahaman Ab Karim (BN-Pantai Kundor) during the state assembly here today.
He said the progress of ICT in the state was measured in the aspects of skills, infrastructure and content in the form of basic computer training encompassing computer usage, internet surfing and social media usage.
Mohd Ali said as at Sept 2011, 94 training programmes had been organised, involving 3,165 participants.
He said 715 locations were proposed in 2011 for the installation of WiFi at hotspots dan hotzones for residents.
According to data issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), as at the second quarter of this year, 706 hotspots had been installed in the state.
He said the state government had also appointed Melaka ICT Holdings (MITCH) as a one-stop centre in the installation of the integrated telecommunication tower in the state.
Mohd Ali said there are 733 TM WiFi coverage areas throughout the state, most of which are located in Bandar Hilir with 294, and Ayer Keroh, with 166.
"The main criteria for the installation is supermarkets, business complexes, higher education institutions, tourist spots and transport centres," he said in reply to Chua Keng Hwa (BN-Bemban).
Mohd Ali said the consumer targets are professionals, officers, managers, business people, higher education students and domestic and foreign tourists. --BERNAMA
Plans for a boutique university for ICT
SHAH ALAM: The Higher Education Ministry hopes to set up a boutique university for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in line with efforts to produce qualified experts in the field.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the ministry had received a number of proposals from the private sector and industries that
are interested in working with the government.
He said the setting of an ICT university would expose students to practical aspects of ICT related industries, especially in engineering, science, technology and arts.
"The main focus of the university will be to provide students with practical knowledge and expertise," he told reporters after presenting prizes to winners in the AutoDesk Malaysia Design Competition (AMDC) 2011 here today.
Mohamed Khaled said starting next year, participation for the AMDC competition would be opened to private higher learning institutions as well.
He said the annual competition held since 2009 was aimed at producing AutoDesk design experts under the theme 'We Care' and highlight issues related to education in the respective fields.
Meanwhile, a team from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia emerged victorious in the AMDC 2011 with their AutoDesk Wheelchair Car, and walked away with the top prize of RM4,500 and a lap top computer. - Bernama
Malaysian ICT firms net RM61.2m sales
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian ICT companies recorded RM61.2 million potential sales at the Specialised Marketing Mission on ICT Related Services to Jakarta last week.
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) said Malaysian participants received encouraging response during the mission.
"The RM61.2 million generated clearly showed Malaysian software and ICT- related services are of good quality and compatible for international requirements.
"One of the participants had signed a memorandum of understanding with two Indonesian companies for commercialisation and distribution of Math Quest games applications and components, including comic strips, mini-games installation, animation and bedtime stories in the South East Asia region.
"The collaboration is expected to generate over RM1.5 million revenue a year," the trade and investment promotion agency said in a statement.
Thirty-five senior officials from 18 companies and organisations were in the five-day mission from April 23. -- BERNAMA
5 ways to develop critical thinking in ICT
How do you encourage pupils and students to think critically in the context of educational technology? Although we can devote a lot of time and energy to setting up the "right environment", I can't help thinking that really it all comes down to some pretty simple questions, and very straightforward approaches.
Suspect everyone and everything! Image (c) olarte.ollie, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ollieolarte/First, as a general rule, the teacher needs to encourage a critical approach by walking the talk. That means being open to an other-than-expected answer from students. All too often, a teacher will ask a question, and go round the class until they get the "right" answer.
To take a really simple example, if you ask a class what sort of software you would use to write a letter, how do you respond to a child who answers "a spreadsheet"? It would be good to know why they think that. It could be a lack of knowledge, or it could be a completely mistaken set of assumptions. On the other hand, it could be a logical idea.
I, for example, do not write letters using a spreadsheet. I do, however, create my invoices in a spreadsheet and then, if I wish to include a covering note or some additional information, put that in the invoice spreadsheet rather than in a word-processed letter. It saves time and is, for the recipient, much more efficient than having two different documents to look at.
So the second thing to do is to always ask "Why?". And not just once. When the answer comes, ask “Why?” again. Imagine this sort of exchange:
Teacher: How can you prevent other people opening your documents?
Student: Use a password.
T: Why would that make it secure?
S: Because people wouldn’t know what the password was.
T: Why not?
S: Because you would use personal information.
T: Why would that make the password secure?
You could take this sort of conversation in several directions, eliciting issues such as not using information that others can easily guess, or not leaving yourself logged in so that someone doesn’t even need to know your password. The point is that by asking “Why?"/Why not?” you’re making it clear that the answer given isn’t good enough because it still leaves room for doubt.
A big objection to this sort of approach will be that there is no time, that if you did that for every topic you’d never get through the syllabus. I don’t believe this to be the case because that assumes that the students don’t change. They do. Once they realise that you won’t let them get away with any old un-thought-though answer, they will start to think more carefully before answering. They will start to ask themselves the “Why?” question and the “How do you know?” question (see below).
In any case, if the whole point of having a syllabus, and lessons, is that the students learn stuff, what’s the point of getting through it in such a way that they don’t learn? The “we don’t have time” argument implicitly assumes that learning the content of the course is more important than learning how to think about the content. The students need both. (In this regard, see Steve Wheeler’s article, A dangerous game.)
Third, ask “How do you know?” Apply this in the same way as the “why?” question, especially to information sources or people, and the (implied) challenge, “Prove it!”. I always took the view that if I could get my students to not even believe me unless I had given them good reason to, I had done a good job.
Fourth, find some good resources and, fifth, develop good activities to go with them. A good starting point is a newly-opened website called Digital Disruption. It comprises several categories of “propaganda”, with lots of embedded YouTube videos, lesson plans and notes to accompany some of the videos. I’ve had a few quick looks and I think it warrants further exploration, although it is a bit of a mixed bag. The cartoony videos make their point but with a cacophonous soundtrack, while some lesson plans appear to be absent. At least, clicking on them doesn’t take you a lesson plan. Also, one of the Answers given to questions on one of the videos states that the video has been proven to be a hoax, without giving any references for that assertion, which seems to me to be a strange approach in a resource such as this. Still, have a look at it, and you may find your Media Studies colleagues appreciate it too – assuming that YouTube is not blocked in your school of course. If it is, this website provides a good case for getting it unblocked.
Bottom line: adopt the view espoused by George Bernard Shaw, Ambrose Bierce and others, that in any situation a cynical view is likely to prove justified!
By Terry Freedman, Educational ICT Consultant | Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 8:28PM
Do ICT business with us, Koreans told
SEOUL: South Korean companies are encouraged to explore the information and communications technology sector in Malaysia, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said the companies should take advantage of Malaysia’s curent promotion of ICT products and new technologies particularly wireless technology.
“Another significant prospect for growth lies in renewable energy. This is a new and emerging industry that requires modern infrastructure and support facilities, which are available in Malaysia.
“Global manufacturers in this industry have already established production facilities in Malaysia, and are producing components such as solar cells.
“We would like to invite Korean companies to explore the potential in this new area,” he told captains of industry here yesterday.
Muhyiddin said Malaysia was also giving attention to capital intensive and value-added industries, which also provide opportunities for Korean companies to invest.
To date, 300 South Korean companies have invested in Malaysia with cumulative investment totalling US$1.6bil (RM5.09bil).
Earlier, Muhyiddin called on South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik in his office at the Jongrohu Government Complex here. —Bernama
Rais: Uniform laws needed for ICT
SINGAPORE: Malaysia has proposed that security systems and prevention methods for information and communication technology offences be made uniform to ensure effective implementation of laws related to ICT.
Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim made the proposal at a two-day Ministerial Forum on ICT here.
Rais said that at the moment, an important issue for Malaysia was ICT security and how prevention methods in the respective countries could be made uniform to ensure authenticity and the countries' sovereignty.
“I mention authenticity because many parties are unsure of this. They assume that the Internet, computers and online telecommunications technology are not governed by law or linked to the security of the respective countries.
All smiles: Rais (right) presenting a souvenir to Singapore’s Information, Communications and the Arts Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim after opening the Malaysia Pavilion at the CommunicAsia 2012 in Singapore. — Bernama Rais said developed countries had already put several prime measures in place to deal with the issue to ensure the future of the industry.
Rais added that the telecommunications sector in Malaysia generated over RM40bil in revenue yearly and the figure was rising.
Yesterday, Rais said a learning method suitable for all ages and levels of society needed to be created to further encourage the use of ICT among the public in Malaysia.
“The relevant parties, like the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), should draw up an easily understood learning module for ICT to benefit the people, especially those in the rural areas.
“The important thing is to get the rural folk to change their attitude about learning, even in old age, about computers, the Internet and broadband, and the benefits of these facilities,” he added.
He said the Government was aiming to establish 3,100 wireless villages by the end of the year. There are 1,400 such locations now.
Rais said broadband penetration had increased to 63.4% from only 11% in 2006 while cellular subscription jumped 127% from 19.5 million to 37 million during the same period.
He later opened the Malaysia Pavilion at the CommunicAsia 2012 at the Marina Bay Sands here. - Bernama
ICT a must for SMEs
By DALJIT DHESIALTHOUGH information and communication technology (ICT) has been a buzzword for many businesses for quite a while, this does not exactly hold true for most small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
In a “borderless” world where communications such as voice, data and video play an important role on individual and companies, lacking proper ICT usage can be a big loss.
Fitri Abdullah ... ‘With ICT tools, you can move around and do more in a landscape without boundaries.’ Maxis Bhd vice-president and head of enterprise and carrier business Fitri Abdullah says ICT is an integral requirement for all companies – including SMEs – to improve efficiency and productivity. It is now used more as a business enabler or differentiator.
“We live in a connected world where communications – voice, data or video – ‘collapses’ distance and time. Communication has always been a part of efficient business. It underpins all commercial transactions as it enables not only information exchange, but also facilitatestransactions such as long-distance money transfers, flight bookings and check-ins.
“With ICT tools, you can move around and do more in a landscape without boundaries, and with accurate and real-time data,” he tells StarBizweek.
With the launch of Maxis Unity Solutions – Malaysia’s first mobile unified communications – in January this year, SMEs now have the option to enjoy seamless communications across systems and devices through a unified interface, designed for maximum mobility and flexibility.
The company recently says it aims to have 30,000 users by year-end for Unity Solutions as part of a strategy to expand its SME business segment. He adds that the company will be launchign four or five products from this service later this year.
Unity Solutions offered packages like Unity Conferencing, Unity Hotline, Unity One Number and Unity Reception.
Unity Solutions require no costly infrastructure set-up and businesses have the option to scale upwards when it suits their need, Fitri adds.
Unity Hotline enables one to route up to 10 calls to 10 lines sequentially or simultaneously with a single business number. Unity Reception, on the other hand, can forward calls to up to 50 lines without a receptionist. It is, therefore, expected to be helpful to small businesses looking to increase efficiency and accessibility.
Fitri says Maxis, as an integrated communications provider, is working with top solutions partners to provide ICT solutions which can be applied easily and affordably to increase competitive productivity and creativity.
Matthew Willsher says Maxis is committed to introducing advanced mobile devices, affordable data packages and social networking applications. There is so much potential for industry players, especially SMEs, to raise their game and be globally competitive, he says. SMEs account for 99.2 % of all business establishments in Malaysia,
Fitri says SMEs are now in a better position to penetrate global markets with the abundance of business and opportunities being created as more suppliers and consumers become connected on voice and data networks.
With this, he adds, ideas and collaborations can be facilitated with easier conversation and information exchange which should allow one to reach target audience as well as new audiences effectively and affordably through digital message distribution.
International calling and roaming is also simpler and more affordable than ever for this segment (SMEs). In this regard, for example Maxis IDD offers Synergy Rates with partners in India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka which are among the lowest in the market.
It also offers data roaming packages for business travel at RM38 for unlimited daily use in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Apart from the above services, the celco provide easier billing within budget under the 1Country, 1 Rate programme. It offers one rate for calling home and GPRS services regardless of the network one is roaming with.
Late last year, Maxis presented M-IFW’09 (Malaysian International Fashion Week), in recognition of the role of communications technology in growing the fashion industry, and in increasing local designers’ representation on a global platform.
The media, including digital ones, has been gaining momentum of late in promoting a company’s products and services effectively. Maxis Bhd chief marketing officer Matthew Willsher says the company is committed to introducing advanced mobile devices, affordable data packages and social networking applications which enable communication through the most functional new media channels.
For example, Maxis’ BlackBerry service packages allow users to enjoy a full range of services from high-security email to social messaging functions.
“Late last year, Maxis was also the first communications service provider in Malaysia to provide a full range of mobile services to the top three Social Networking Services (SNS) in Malaysia, namely Facebook, Twitter and Friendster.
“The new service, ‘fb2mobile’, connects Maxis subscribers to Facebook and Twitter via SMS and MMS. Maxis had previously launched the Friendster Alert service in May 2009, allowing subscribers to receive updates on their Friendster account via SMS,’’ he notes.
Internet and digital growth
The popularity of the Internet and digital growth can be seen from the latest survey by research company IDC.
According to IDC’s December 2009, Worldwide Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast, more than 1.6 billion people – a little over a quarter of the world’s population – used the Internet in 2009. By 2013, over 2.2 billion people – more than one third of the world’s population – are expected to be using the Internet.
More than 1.6 billion devices worldwide were used to access the Internet in 2009, including PCs, mobile phones, and online videogame consoles. By 2013, the total number of devices accessing the internet will increase to more than 2.7 billion, with mobile internet ramping faster than desktop internet adoption.
Community-based sites are the internet’s leaders. Mobile web visitors to Facebook grew more than 600% in 2009, according to web traffic figures from browser firm Opera, which also said that Twitter was the other big winner in terms of growth in 2009, with the number of unique users jumping more than 2800%.
According to Matthew, innovation is a key driver behind Maxis’ commitment to delivering products and services which add value to life.
Innovation has been part of the value chain for Maxis and is crucial for consistent and differentiating performance on a global platform, as well as in fulfilling brand promise to immediate customers, he adds.
For example, Maxis invested RM3bil in its network expansion between 2006 and 2009. It was also the first in the country to deploy High-Speed Packet Access technology, incorporating next-generation data transmission capability to make 3G browsing enjoyable and seamless, he says.
Along with next generation network capability, he says Maxis introduced a new mobile content shot in contemporary Malaysian setting but weaved in well-remembered folklore – Dimensions, the country’s ‘first made-for-mobile sci-fi series’.
Fitri says Maxis will improve its products to enable users to interact with customers without investing in costly infrastructure or large working teams.
Another example of the importance of the SME population to Maxis took place in October 2009. Maxis launched an alliance with the SME Credit Bureau to speed up SMEs’ applications for its communications services, by referring to the credit and ratings facility with customers’ consent.
Another example of an ICT solution easily built into a business at low upfront cost and with low maintenance is Maxis Mail, a hosted email solution based on Microsoft Exchange, which gives customers an enterprise-grade email service without them making an expensive system purchase.
Also designed for SME customers is Enterprise SMS, which has as one of its features, ease of communication with partners in Chinese-speaking countries, he adds.
Sometimes you need to convince colleagues to think about using educational technology in their lessons, or to identify where in their scheme of work they could incorporate it.
This list is a starting point: you may find one or two points that would "resonate" with your co-worker, and grab his or her attention.
Image (c) by Pal Gallo http://www.flickr.com/photos/no3rdw/It is a situation much to be regretted that pupils who have an acute awareness – some would say an exaggeratedawareness – of their “rights” often seem strangely ignorant of their intellectual property rights. We are keen to imbue young people with the principles and practices of keeping safe online, yet in my opinion one of the least addressed aspects of e-safety is keeping oneself economically safe. To put it in the vernacular, we should be making sure kids know enough not to be ripped off.
In a “borderless” world where communications such as voice, data and video play an important role on individual and companies, lacking proper ICT usage can be a big loss.
Fitri Abdullah ... ‘With ICT tools, you can move around and do more in a landscape without boundaries.’ “We live in a connected world where communications – voice, data or video – ‘collapses’ distance and time. Communication has always been a part of efficient business. It underpins all commercial transactions as it enables not only information exchange, but also facilitatestransactions such as long-distance money transfers, flight bookings and check-ins.
“With ICT tools, you can move around and do more in a landscape without boundaries, and with accurate and real-time data,” he tells StarBizweek.
With the launch of Maxis Unity Solutions – Malaysia’s first mobile unified communications – in January this year, SMEs now have the option to enjoy seamless communications across systems and devices through a unified interface, designed for maximum mobility and flexibility.
The company recently says it aims to have 30,000 users by year-end for Unity Solutions as part of a strategy to expand its SME business segment. He adds that the company will be launchign four or five products from this service later this year.
Unity Solutions offered packages like Unity Conferencing, Unity Hotline, Unity One Number and Unity Reception.
Unity Solutions require no costly infrastructure set-up and businesses have the option to scale upwards when it suits their need, Fitri adds.
Unity Hotline enables one to route up to 10 calls to 10 lines sequentially or simultaneously with a single business number. Unity Reception, on the other hand, can forward calls to up to 50 lines without a receptionist. It is, therefore, expected to be helpful to small businesses looking to increase efficiency and accessibility.
Fitri says Maxis, as an integrated communications provider, is working with top solutions partners to provide ICT solutions which can be applied easily and affordably to increase competitive productivity and creativity.
Matthew Willsher says Maxis is committed to introducing advanced mobile devices, affordable data packages and social networking applications. Fitri says SMEs are now in a better position to penetrate global markets with the abundance of business and opportunities being created as more suppliers and consumers become connected on voice and data networks.
With this, he adds, ideas and collaborations can be facilitated with easier conversation and information exchange which should allow one to reach target audience as well as new audiences effectively and affordably through digital message distribution.
International calling and roaming is also simpler and more affordable than ever for this segment (SMEs). In this regard, for example Maxis IDD offers Synergy Rates with partners in India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka which are among the lowest in the market.
It also offers data roaming packages for business travel at RM38 for unlimited daily use in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Apart from the above services, the celco provide easier billing within budget under the 1Country, 1 Rate programme. It offers one rate for calling home and GPRS services regardless of the network one is roaming with.
Late last year, Maxis presented M-IFW’09 (Malaysian International Fashion Week), in recognition of the role of communications technology in growing the fashion industry, and in increasing local designers’ representation on a global platform.
The media, including digital ones, has been gaining momentum of late in promoting a company’s products and services effectively. Maxis Bhd chief marketing officer Matthew Willsher says the company is committed to introducing advanced mobile devices, affordable data packages and social networking applications which enable communication through the most functional new media channels.
For example, Maxis’ BlackBerry service packages allow users to enjoy a full range of services from high-security email to social messaging functions.
“Late last year, Maxis was also the first communications service provider in Malaysia to provide a full range of mobile services to the top three Social Networking Services (SNS) in Malaysia, namely Facebook, Twitter and Friendster.
“The new service, ‘fb2mobile’, connects Maxis subscribers to Facebook and Twitter via SMS and MMS. Maxis had previously launched the Friendster Alert service in May 2009, allowing subscribers to receive updates on their Friendster account via SMS,’’ he notes.
Internet and digital growth
The popularity of the Internet and digital growth can be seen from the latest survey by research company IDC.
According to IDC’s December 2009, Worldwide Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast, more than 1.6 billion people – a little over a quarter of the world’s population – used the Internet in 2009. By 2013, over 2.2 billion people – more than one third of the world’s population – are expected to be using the Internet.
More than 1.6 billion devices worldwide were used to access the Internet in 2009, including PCs, mobile phones, and online videogame consoles. By 2013, the total number of devices accessing the internet will increase to more than 2.7 billion, with mobile internet ramping faster than desktop internet adoption.
Community-based sites are the internet’s leaders. Mobile web visitors to Facebook grew more than 600% in 2009, according to web traffic figures from browser firm Opera, which also said that Twitter was the other big winner in terms of growth in 2009, with the number of unique users jumping more than 2800%.
According to Matthew, innovation is a key driver behind Maxis’ commitment to delivering products and services which add value to life.
Innovation has been part of the value chain for Maxis and is crucial for consistent and differentiating performance on a global platform, as well as in fulfilling brand promise to immediate customers, he adds.
For example, Maxis invested RM3bil in its network expansion between 2006 and 2009. It was also the first in the country to deploy High-Speed Packet Access technology, incorporating next-generation data transmission capability to make 3G browsing enjoyable and seamless, he says.
Along with next generation network capability, he says Maxis introduced a new mobile content shot in contemporary Malaysian setting but weaved in well-remembered folklore – Dimensions, the country’s ‘first made-for-mobile sci-fi series’.
Fitri says Maxis will improve its products to enable users to interact with customers without investing in costly infrastructure or large working teams.
Another example of the importance of the SME population to Maxis took place in October 2009. Maxis launched an alliance with the SME Credit Bureau to speed up SMEs’ applications for its communications services, by referring to the credit and ratings facility with customers’ consent.
Another example of an ICT solution easily built into a business at low upfront cost and with low maintenance is Maxis Mail, a hosted email solution based on Microsoft Exchange, which gives customers an enterprise-grade email service without them making an expensive system purchase.
Also designed for SME customers is Enterprise SMS, which has as one of its features, ease of communication with partners in Chinese-speaking countries, he adds.
What Does A Good ICT School Look Like?
BY TERRY FREEDMAN, EDUCATIONAL ICT CONSULTANT | TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012 AT 12:42PM | PERMALINK
I was asked yesterday what a good ICT school looks like. The question threw me momentarily, and the fact that it threw me threw me as well: a sort of meta-throwing. Then I realised why: I don't think you can tell whether a school is good at ICT just by looking. All that looking does is help you make some working assumptions which you can then, one hopes, test out.
It's true that many people, even now, think that a school is doing good ICT if there are lots of computers on. But you have to dig much deeper than that.
First, can everyone in the school answer the question "why?". Why is there all this technology in the school, what's it supposed to achieve, what, in short, is the point? Do the headteacher and the senior leadership know what they hope to achieve with it?
Second, is the ICT making a difference in terms of students' learning and achievement -- not just in terms of ICT itself but across the board?
Third, is it making a difference in terms of teachers' workload? This is, of course, intricately bound up with the previous question.
In short, before you can answer the question posed, you have to answer several other questions first.
13 Reasons To Use Educational Technology In Lessons
Sometimes you need to convince colleagues to think about using educational technology in their lessons, or to identify where in their scheme of work they could incorporate it.This list is a starting point: you may find one or two points that would "resonate" with your co-worker, and grab his or her attention.
- Where information and communications technology (ICT) is taught well, it has been shown to enhance pupils’ levels of understanding and attainment in other subjects. That’s because “real” ICT is more about thinking skills than about mastering particular software applications.
- ICT can provide both the resources and the pedagogical framework for enabling pupils to become effective independent learners. For example, computer programs are available that adjust themselves to the pupils’ level and then set appropriate tasks and give feedback on performance. Used wisely, these can help pupils to move on.
Also, newer technologies such as Web 2.0 applications enables pupils and others to collaborate in ways that reflect a broadly constructivist approach to education.
- ICT places all learners on an equal footing. Given the right hardware, software and curriculum activities, even severely physically disadvantaged pupils can achieve the same degree of success as anyone else.
- ICT has been shown to have benefits in terms of motivating pupils. That comes about partly through factors like being able to produce nice-looking work with no teacher’s red marks all over it, and partly because the computer is seen as being impartial and non-judgemental in its feedback to the pupil.
- ICT enables pupils to gather data that would otherwise be difficult or even impossible to obtain. For example, data from inaccessible places (eg outer space), inaccessible times (eg overnight), from both overseas and nationally on demand (without having to physically go anywhere) or data at very precise time intervals.
- ICT enables pupils to gather data that would otherwise be time-consuming or costly or both. For example, pupils can use the internet to get up-to-the-minute information on prices. They can use a DVD or the internet to watch movies of old dictators speaking, or the moon landings, or to listen to a piece of music by Mozart.
- ICT enables pupils to experiment with changing aspects of a model, which may be difficult or even impossible for them to do otherwise. For example, pupils of Business Studies and Economics can see what might happen to the economy if interest rates were raised or lowered. Pupils can use webcams to capture the development of an egg or a plant.
- ICT enables pupils to draft or redraft their work until they are satisfied with it.
- Another reason to use ICT in lessons is because it can help to implement personalised learning.
- Pupils usually enjoy using computers and other types of technology, so lessons which make use of it start off with an advantage (which is all too often squandered).
- Educational technology puts the pupil in control (if it is well-designed), enabling her to personalise the interface, select and create resources, and even choose what to learn.
- Just about every aspect of modern life involves educational technology; therefore, to not make use of it in the curriculum is anachronistic.
- Because educational technology pervades all aspects of modern society, schools have a duty of care to ensure that pupils understand issues such as keeping safe online, protecting their identity, recognising good and misleading information sources on the internet, the effects of educational technology on communications and the economy, to name but a few issues.
E-Safety: Knowing Your Digital Rights
The place: A classroom
The time: Now
Teacher: So, class, that’s your homework for today.
Boy at the back: You can’t do that, Sir. I know my rights.
T: Er, sorry, I can’t do what exactly?
BATB: Set us that homework, Sir.
T: Why not?
BATB: ‘Cos it will take about half an hour, Sir, and you’re only allowed to give us 20 minutes. I know my rights.
T: OK, do 20 minutes this evening, and 10 minutes tomorrow evening.
BATB: You can’t tell me that, Sir.
T: OK, and why not?
BATB: Cos I have a right to a private life under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, Sir. I know my rights.
Lights dim as the characters continue arguing. Exeunt.
Image (c) by Pal Gallo http://www.flickr.com/photos/no3rdw/It is a situation much to be regretted that pupils who have an acute awareness – some would say an exaggeratedawareness – of their “rights” often seem strangely ignorant of their intellectual property rights. We are keen to imbue young people with the principles and practices of keeping safe online, yet in my opinion one of the least addressed aspects of e-safety is keeping oneself economically safe. To put it in the vernacular, we should be making sure kids know enough not to be ripped off.I don’t wish to get into the minefield of who owns the copyright in a drawing done by a pupil in school time on school premises and so on ad nauseum. I’m thinking more of the predilection of well-meaning teachers and parents to encourage youngsters to enter competitions without realising how much it’s potentially going to cost them – even if entry is free. It pays to read the small print.
Take, for example, the photography competitions occasionally run by newspapers and TV companies, though these are not necessarily specifically for children. Entry is free, and your photo may end up on the cover of a book, or in a calendar, or on a greetings card. Wow! How great is that?! But get out your magnifying glass to scrutinise the Terms and Conditions, and what will you find? Quite often a list of dictats that includes:
- you agree that we can use your picture anywhere we like, in any form, forever (translation: we ain’t gonna pay you. Ever)
- you agree that we can use your picture without acknowledgement (translation: nobody who sees the picture will even know that you took it)
- you agree to indemnify us in the event of a prosecution (translation: if someone objects to the picture for some reason, and then sues the newspaper, you get to pay all the paper’s legal bills plus, if they lose, the fine slapped on them)
And what was that prize again? Does it compensate?
How about those competitions aimed at young fans, where you submit a music track? The prize, let’s say, is that it appears on the band’s next album. Great. But if similar conditions apply, the winning track could help to make the band pots of money, with no tangible benefit to the prizewinner. Yes, they may get a warm glow every time they hear it, but that will soon wear off once they discover that most supermarkets don’t accept warm glows in exchange for food. And who wants to end up bitter and twisted later in life when, hearing a catchy tune accompanying a TV advertisement, they realise that they are the one who composed it, and are receiving not a penny in royalties? And, moreover, never will.
Now, I realise that I probably have an oversensitive regard to such things, which comes from reading too many publishing contracts. Most likely many competitions aimed at kids are totally OK.
But that’s not the point.
If young people are going to not only survive but thrive as adults, they need to learn, once they reach an age which furnishes them with the appropriate level of maturity, that the slogan “I know my rights” applies as much to what they create as to what they do.
