The Ministry of Education (MOE), the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Microsoft Singapore have announced the launch of BackPackLIVE!, an expansion of the previous five-year IDA-Microsoft BackPack.NET initiative.
BackPack.NET was the first education initiative where Microsoft, IDA and MOE collaborated to create a fundamental shift in the way a student experiences learning through the use of innovative Tablet PC-based learning applications. About S$20 million was invested in the programme, which aimed to facilitate the research, development, testing and showcasing of innovative infocomm technologies for use in education.
BackPackLIVE! will focus on inspiring, exploring and scaling innovative ICT practices among teachers. |
Another S$5.5 million is now being invested under the new collaboration, which will focus on inspiring, exploring and scaling innovative ICT practices among teachers.
Speaking at the launch of BackPackLIVE!, Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Permanent Secretary, MOE, said, “We aim to leverage on the use of ICT to enrich the learning environment for our students and to equip them with essential skills to succeed in the knowledge economy. In collaborating with IDA and Microsoft, BackPackLive! will complement our efforts to help us bring about these outcomes.”
RADM(NS) Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of IDA said, “Infocomm has the potential to transform our education sector, allowing our students to develop self-directed and collaborative learning capabilities. IDA is pleased to partner Microsoft and the Ministry of Education in this BackPackLive! initiative to bring innovative technology into our schools, which will enable our students to be confident and discerning in using infocomm to learn anytime, anywhere effectively.”
BackPackLIVE! comprises four pillars - Professional Learning Communities; Developers Community; Cyber Wellness; and Recognition and Promotion. It aims to transform the learning environment for students in Singapore by facilitating greater engagement with students, and promote learning through innovative use of infocomm.
Under the first pillar, Professional Learning Communities, Microsoft will bring in recognised international advisers as consultants for teachers. The second will see software companies here receiving greater support to develop educational products and advance their inventions overseas. The third pillar, Cyber Wellness, will involve the promotion of cyber-security and knowledge of intellectual property rights.
The fourth pillar – Recognition and Promotion – will see teachers recognised for their innovative teaching methods through platforms such as the Microsoft Professional Development Award (MMPDA).
A past winner of the MMPDA was Ms Fong Yin Kuan from Beacon Primary School, who uses Digital Story Telling to teach her Primary One students the English language. The students write and illustrate stories using a Tablet PC and Microsoft Office PowerPoint, creating a storyboard which they narrate and record, and then share their work with classmates.
“My young students enjoyed creating stories about their alien characters using Microsoft Paint and Microsoft PowerPoint. As most of them do not have keyboard skills, I got them to work together on Tablet PCs to create their aliens. The process builds confidence, and enables them to be more independent learners. The best thing is that they enjoy their learning and I enjoyed teaching it,” said Ms Fong.