NEWS: 10 schools in e-learning programme

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Intel Corp and the IT support arm of the Education Ministry, Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan (BTP), are working together to improve e-learning in schools nationwide.

This partnership, which comes under the chipmaker's World Ahead Initiative, will involve the implementation of the 1:1 (oneto- one) e-learning model where students are each given a specially-designed RM1,050 notebook computer called Classmate.

The programme, said Intel, will kick-off in July with 10 schools in peninsular Malaysia participating in the pilot.

E-LEARNING PROJECT: Ghosh (centre) showing off the Classmate notebook. With her are (left) Datuk Yusoff Harun Director of Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan and Dr Siek Kah Hee, Intel Malaysia education programme manager. Ten schools in Peninsular Malaysia will receive the Classmate notebooks in a pilot project to improve e-learning in schools nationwide.

The schools are a mixture of rural and urban, as well as primary and secondary.

They are SMK Padang Midin, Terengganu, SMK Clifford, Pahang, SMK Datuk Hj Ahmad Badawi, Penang, SMK Bandar T6, Johor, SMKA Sheikh Hj Mohd Said, Negeri Sembilan, SMK Seri Permaisuri, Kuala Lumpur, SMKA Falahiah, Kelantan, SK Ayer Keroh, Melaka, SK Jitra, Kedah and SK King Edward VII, Perak.

Other schools will be added in the latter part of the programme.

Under the programme, a selected class from each school will be provided with Classmates, but it need not necessarily be the top class in the school.

"We want to concentrate on average students because from our experience, we find that they benefit more from IT than the brighter students," said Debjani Ghosh, Intel Malaysia country manager.

The programme will be monitored by officials from BTP every three to six months to see whether the computers in the classroom benefit the students.

It will run for three years, in which time BTP and Intel will look at the impact of providing students with computers in classes.

Making learning fun

Debjani said the programme is set to change the way students learn subjects.

"It is unlike the mundane lecturing method used in schools today," she said.

She said technology, when used efficiently to teach subjects in school, can help students develop 21st century skills that are needed in a globalised world.

These include problem solving, delegation and communication skills.

"With computers, teachers and students can look for the answer on the Internet together and this can sharpen their problem-solving skills," Debjani said.

She said it can also help teachers make lessons more interesting rather than just blurting out facts, but they need to be trained to do this.

"Teachers can be computer literate but their skills need to go beyond wordprocessing and toward promoting inquiry-based learning," Debjani said, citing the example of a teacher using the Internet to explain the 2004 Asian tsunami tragedy.

Debjani also said that besides explaining why tsunamis occur, the teacher then linked the local students with e-mail penpals in Thailand, one of the countries badly affected by the disaster.

"The students learnt how the tsunamis affected people and learnt human values, aside from also learning how to communicate," she said.

Malaysia is the third country to implement the 1:1 e-learning model.

Nigeria and Brazil started the same model late last year, she added.