CONTRARY to what many might think, Malaysian students are actually quite an innovative lot.
Witness the increasing number of entries for the annual Malaysian Young Inventors Competition (MYIC) organised by the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS).
From around 40 schools participating in the early years of the competition, this year’s MYIC saw just under 250 entries being submitted for consideration.
And the winners of the competition for both primary and secondary schools are no mere jaguh kampung (village champions) either.
Some of these winning inventions have gone on to receive prizes at the international level, competing with their peers from around the world.
Khoo Teng Sin, MINDS education sub committee head, says: “One of the indicators for the success of this programme is that we are able to send the champions overseas for international competitions, for example, the International Exhibition for Young Inventors (IEYI) organised by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation.”
Muhamad Faizli Chai Mohd Faizzall Chai from SMK Seri Kenangan, Segamat, explaining his team’s invention Mostq-Trap to visitors at the exhibition. The team won the merit award.
He adds that so far, our Malaysian students have “really shined” at the IEYI, coming back with rewarding prizes like gold medals.
In fact, one invention — the Anti-Bacteria Food Cover — was picked up for overseas commercialisation by a Multimedia Super Corridor-status company after it came out top for the secondary school category at the competition in 2005. The food cover, which uses ultra-violet rays to kill germs on cooked food, was the brain child of SMK Sultan Ismail II, Kemaman, Terengganu, student Tiyor Chen Ling.
Tiyor, who developed the idea with her best friend Lim Mei Kee, was inspired after her father kept experiencing food poisoning.
Khoo, who was in charge of organising the 2009 MYIC, says: “You will find that children are very sensitive to the environment at home and at school, and they would like to find ways to solve the problems they see.
“And they usually come up with simple and effective ideas that make you go ‘Ah ha!’ when you look at it.”
He cited the examples of the Wakie-Wakie Pillow, designed to wake up deaf children in case of a fire, and a butter knife, which can heat itself up to make it easier to spread butter, to illustrate his point. Both inventions were entries in previous MYICs by primary school pupils.
Such inventions also fit in well with the theme of the MYIC — Inventing for A Better Tomorrow.
“We want to promote the spirit of creativity and inventiveness among school children, and hope that along the way, we can also instil a sense of social responsibility in them,” says Khoo, adding that the usefulness of the inventions to society is among the criteria used for judging the entries.
He says that the judges are actually more fascinated and encouraged by the entries from school students, than those from the adult Invention and Design Competition.
“As the inventions come from a more ‘naive’ point of view, there are always surprises,” he explains.
Prof Ong (left) and Khoo firmly believe that all Malaysian students need to unleash their creativity
MINDS president Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Augustine S.H. Ong adds: “Actually, creativity is inborn in everyone. It’s only a matter of whether they are given a chance or not (to express it).
“We try to provide the opportunity and motivation for them through events like the MYIC and the Inventors’ Club in schools.”
While the top prizes include cash awards, Prof Ong says that it is the recognition that stimulates the students.
“We do have ideas. we just have to unlock them. Most Malaysians are very low-profile, we think that it is impossible for us to come up with a new invention,” he says, adding that this is why MINDS organises the MYIC, as well as the International Invention, Innovation and Technology Exhibition (Itex) every year.
Aside from allowing local inventors to showcase their creations, the exhibition also allows manufacturers and potential investors to check out what Malaysian inventors have to offer.
The Gold Prize winners of this year’s competition are SJKC Chung Hua, Miri, Sarawak and SM Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabudin, Bukit Mertajam, Penang. for their inventions Brekom and MoBanT-Fibres.
Emilly Chin Kaisean, Isabel Chang Ying Tong and Foo Rui Xing were the creators of Brekom while Mas Adil Mas Rosemal Hakim and Nurein Ardini Samsuri came up with MoBanT-Fibres, which helps remove spilt oil from the surface of water using modified banana trunk fibres (MoBanT-Fibres).
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
IBM survey: Mid-size firms to maintain IT investments
KUALA LUMPUR: The majority of chief executive officers of mid-market companies will maintain their investment priorities in information technology (IT), despite the challenging economic times, according to a survey.
The global CEO survey 2008 was conducted by IBM Corp. It covered 1,030 companies, including 80 from Malaysia.
Mid-market companies refer to those with less than 1,000 staff.
IBM Asean vice-president (general business) Tim Wong said in Malaysia the mid-market companies would also maintain the same practice.
He said over half of the local companies that partcipated in the survey expected to benefit from the government’s stimulus packages.
International Trade and Industry deputy minister Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir officially launching the IBM Business Reality Summit 2009, flanked by IBM ASEAN vice-president (general business) Tim Wong (far left) and - IBM Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing director Ou Shian Waei (far right)
“Of the 80 companies, 42% expect to use the funds for IT projects,” he told reporters on Tuesday at the IBM Business Reality Summit themed “Building Strategies for a Smarter Business”.
Wong said the summit offered a strategic focus for small and medium businesses (SMB) to look at ways to turn adversities into opportunities during this economic turmoil by the adoption and deployment of advanced technology, services and solutions.
Asked what was required to make Malaysia more competitive, IBM Malaysia managing director Ou Shian Waei said local companies should not only undertake projects for the sake of stimulating the economy, they also needed to be transformed into effective organisations capable of being flexible to the changing business environment and meet the high standards of their customer needs.
“Companies must take a conscious effort to plan ahead long- and short-term strategies to embrace and excel in this changing business landscape,” he said.
Industries must be shaped to become more resilient and competitive via better processes, increase talent and capital, while enhancing customer satisfaction through personalisation, he said.
He added: “We must infuse not just our processes, but also our decision-making and management systems with intelligence.”
The global CEO survey 2008 was conducted by IBM Corp. It covered 1,030 companies, including 80 from Malaysia.
Mid-market companies refer to those with less than 1,000 staff.
IBM Asean vice-president (general business) Tim Wong said in Malaysia the mid-market companies would also maintain the same practice.
He said over half of the local companies that partcipated in the survey expected to benefit from the government’s stimulus packages.
International Trade and Industry deputy minister Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir officially launching the IBM Business Reality Summit 2009, flanked by IBM ASEAN vice-president (general business) Tim Wong (far left) and - IBM Malaysia Sdn Bhd managing director Ou Shian Waei (far right)
“Of the 80 companies, 42% expect to use the funds for IT projects,” he told reporters on Tuesday at the IBM Business Reality Summit themed “Building Strategies for a Smarter Business”.
Wong said the summit offered a strategic focus for small and medium businesses (SMB) to look at ways to turn adversities into opportunities during this economic turmoil by the adoption and deployment of advanced technology, services and solutions.
Asked what was required to make Malaysia more competitive, IBM Malaysia managing director Ou Shian Waei said local companies should not only undertake projects for the sake of stimulating the economy, they also needed to be transformed into effective organisations capable of being flexible to the changing business environment and meet the high standards of their customer needs.
“Companies must take a conscious effort to plan ahead long- and short-term strategies to embrace and excel in this changing business landscape,” he said.
Industries must be shaped to become more resilient and competitive via better processes, increase talent and capital, while enhancing customer satisfaction through personalisation, he said.
He added: “We must infuse not just our processes, but also our decision-making and management systems with intelligence.”
NEWS: Star to grow revenue from online media
Plans for more projects after getting MSC status
PETALING JAYA: Star Publications (M) Bhd is working towards increasing revenue from online media to replace revenue that may be reduced in its print media due to the economic downturn.
The group had put in place a number of mechanisms so that whatever revenue was reduced in the print media, it would try to offset with other streams of revenue, executive deputy chairman Datuk Clement Hii told reporters after the company AGM yesterday.
There were online portals, for instance, in the group and although their revenue was insignificant relative to that in the print media, it would grow over the next few years, he added.
The group has applied for the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status for its online media subsidiaries.
From left: Star Publications (M) Bhd’s chairman Datuk Leong Tang Chong, executive deputy chairman Datuk Clement Hii and group MD and CEO Datin Linda Ngiam at the AGM on Tuesday.
When approval for that is received, the plans for the online operations would be implemented more aggressively.
There were several interesting projects in the pipeline, he added.
The Star Online website receives 54 million pageviews a month. The revenue for the website does not correspond with the number of viewers it has.
Hii said he hoped that would change. Meanwhile, Star Publications announced to Bursa Malaysia yesterday it posted a lower net profit of RM18.3mil in its first quarter ended March 31 compared to RM42.5mil in the corresponding quarter last year.
The company said this was due to lower revenue and higher cost of direct materials. The revenue in the first quarter was RM181mil, a decline from RM204mil in the previous corresponding quarter.
In explaining the lower revenue in the first quarter, Hii said the advertising revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was particularly high due to the general election and other major events then.
“The record revenue for that period was a one-off occurrence. Our income for subsequent quarters would be a more accurate comparison,” he added.
PETALING JAYA: Star Publications (M) Bhd is working towards increasing revenue from online media to replace revenue that may be reduced in its print media due to the economic downturn.
The group had put in place a number of mechanisms so that whatever revenue was reduced in the print media, it would try to offset with other streams of revenue, executive deputy chairman Datuk Clement Hii told reporters after the company AGM yesterday.
There were online portals, for instance, in the group and although their revenue was insignificant relative to that in the print media, it would grow over the next few years, he added.
The group has applied for the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status for its online media subsidiaries.
From left: Star Publications (M) Bhd’s chairman Datuk Leong Tang Chong, executive deputy chairman Datuk Clement Hii and group MD and CEO Datin Linda Ngiam at the AGM on Tuesday.
When approval for that is received, the plans for the online operations would be implemented more aggressively.
There were several interesting projects in the pipeline, he added.
The Star Online website receives 54 million pageviews a month. The revenue for the website does not correspond with the number of viewers it has.
Hii said he hoped that would change. Meanwhile, Star Publications announced to Bursa Malaysia yesterday it posted a lower net profit of RM18.3mil in its first quarter ended March 31 compared to RM42.5mil in the corresponding quarter last year.
The company said this was due to lower revenue and higher cost of direct materials. The revenue in the first quarter was RM181mil, a decline from RM204mil in the previous corresponding quarter.
In explaining the lower revenue in the first quarter, Hii said the advertising revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was particularly high due to the general election and other major events then.
“The record revenue for that period was a one-off occurrence. Our income for subsequent quarters would be a more accurate comparison,” he added.
NEWS: First person to tweet from space
GREENBELT Maryland: On Twitter, messages of 140 characters may seem confining. Mike Massimino is finding a different type of space even more limiting —outer space.
The astronaut is sending messages to the social networking site from 563km above Earth on the space shuttle Atlantis — and what’s cramping his “tweets” is time, not the character limit.
On Earth, Massimino tweeted about having dinner, eating lunch, working out in the gym and watching a movie. In space, he just doesn’t have the time to tweet the routine, if you consider anything on orbit routine.
He averaged about four tweets a day before launch. Now that he’s in orbit, it’s down to one a day.
Still, Astro_Mike, which is Massimino’s Twitter name, did make history.
He’s the first person to tweet from space: “From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!”
Massimino’s messages, promoted by Nasa, are part of the space agency’s full-throttle embrace of new social media. There are 36 Nasa Twitter accounts, including Massimino’s. Nasa also has 24 Facebook accounts, 13 YouTube channels, eight Flickr photo accounts, and five MySpace sites.
Astronauts’ most memorable lines have always been pithy and tweetworthy. Neil Armstrong’s “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” was 57 characters — if you leave out the “a” that Armstrong later said he included before “man.” And Apollo 13 astronaut James A. Lovell’s “Houston we’ve had a problem” is only 27.
The Astro_Mike tweets come to Earth indirectly. He sends them in e-mail messages to Johnson Space Centre in Houston and officials there post them. More than 270,000 people have signed up to follow his tweets.
On May 10 from Earth, Astro_Mike tweeted that he wouldn’t be able to do much twittering from orbit because his real job is to fix the Hubble Space Telescope with his fellow astronauts in a series of five daring spacewalks. And he was right.
“The work he needs to do as a member of the Atlantis crew and a spacewalker supersedes Twitter,” Nasa spokesman Bill Jeffs said last week.
So in three days, Astro_Mike has tweeted just three times. That’s as much as he tweeted in just 20 minutes on May 7 where he reported on watching a movie, being in quarantine and learning how to use his camera.
In addition to the one praising launch, Massimino tweeted from orbit about chasing down Hubble on Wednesday: “From orbit: Getting more accustomed to living in space today and getting ready for our big rendezvous with Hubble.”
And on Thursday, about grabbing Hubble the previous day: “From orbit: Rendezvous and grapple were great, getting ready for our first spacewalk.”
If his tweets leave you wanting more, Nasa’s official Twitter account gives almost a blow-by-blow account of spacewalks.
The commander of the next shuttle flight, Mark Polansky, is going to try to out-tweet Massimino. Not only will he use Twitter, but he is now using YouTube to solicit questions to answer from space next month.
This fits in with the social media plans of Nasa, an agency that tweets more often than it launches rockets. The Mars rovers programme has a Twitter account and so does the Cassini probe around Saturn. Ares, Nasa’s next rocket to take astronauts to the moon, has a Twitter account even though it has not been built yet.
Nasa has far more Twitter accounts than any other federal agency, said acting public affairs chief Bob Jacobs. He said one reason Nasa has been so big on social media is the collapse of the mainstream space and science media that used to cover the space agency.
And of course, there’s the new cool tool factor that appeals to Nasa’s inner geek. “As these emerging tools and technologies come online and start to be adopted, we have a responsibility to see how we can apply them,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs pointed out that the official Nasa Twitter last Thursday ranked 12th on the “re-tweet” list showing people spreading the initial tweets, something that’s important to getting a message across.
But that’s nothing. Astro_Mike ranks fifth.
++++
www.twitter.com/Astro_mike
www.twitter.com/astro_127
www.twitter.com/Nasa
The astronaut is sending messages to the social networking site from 563km above Earth on the space shuttle Atlantis — and what’s cramping his “tweets” is time, not the character limit.
On Earth, Massimino tweeted about having dinner, eating lunch, working out in the gym and watching a movie. In space, he just doesn’t have the time to tweet the routine, if you consider anything on orbit routine.
He averaged about four tweets a day before launch. Now that he’s in orbit, it’s down to one a day.
Still, Astro_Mike, which is Massimino’s Twitter name, did make history.
He’s the first person to tweet from space: “From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!”
Massimino’s messages, promoted by Nasa, are part of the space agency’s full-throttle embrace of new social media. There are 36 Nasa Twitter accounts, including Massimino’s. Nasa also has 24 Facebook accounts, 13 YouTube channels, eight Flickr photo accounts, and five MySpace sites.
Astronauts’ most memorable lines have always been pithy and tweetworthy. Neil Armstrong’s “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” was 57 characters — if you leave out the “a” that Armstrong later said he included before “man.” And Apollo 13 astronaut James A. Lovell’s “Houston we’ve had a problem” is only 27.
The Astro_Mike tweets come to Earth indirectly. He sends them in e-mail messages to Johnson Space Centre in Houston and officials there post them. More than 270,000 people have signed up to follow his tweets.
On May 10 from Earth, Astro_Mike tweeted that he wouldn’t be able to do much twittering from orbit because his real job is to fix the Hubble Space Telescope with his fellow astronauts in a series of five daring spacewalks. And he was right.
“The work he needs to do as a member of the Atlantis crew and a spacewalker supersedes Twitter,” Nasa spokesman Bill Jeffs said last week.
So in three days, Astro_Mike has tweeted just three times. That’s as much as he tweeted in just 20 minutes on May 7 where he reported on watching a movie, being in quarantine and learning how to use his camera.
In addition to the one praising launch, Massimino tweeted from orbit about chasing down Hubble on Wednesday: “From orbit: Getting more accustomed to living in space today and getting ready for our big rendezvous with Hubble.”
And on Thursday, about grabbing Hubble the previous day: “From orbit: Rendezvous and grapple were great, getting ready for our first spacewalk.”
If his tweets leave you wanting more, Nasa’s official Twitter account gives almost a blow-by-blow account of spacewalks.
The commander of the next shuttle flight, Mark Polansky, is going to try to out-tweet Massimino. Not only will he use Twitter, but he is now using YouTube to solicit questions to answer from space next month.
This fits in with the social media plans of Nasa, an agency that tweets more often than it launches rockets. The Mars rovers programme has a Twitter account and so does the Cassini probe around Saturn. Ares, Nasa’s next rocket to take astronauts to the moon, has a Twitter account even though it has not been built yet.
Nasa has far more Twitter accounts than any other federal agency, said acting public affairs chief Bob Jacobs. He said one reason Nasa has been so big on social media is the collapse of the mainstream space and science media that used to cover the space agency.
And of course, there’s the new cool tool factor that appeals to Nasa’s inner geek. “As these emerging tools and technologies come online and start to be adopted, we have a responsibility to see how we can apply them,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs pointed out that the official Nasa Twitter last Thursday ranked 12th on the “re-tweet” list showing people spreading the initial tweets, something that’s important to getting a message across.
But that’s nothing. Astro_Mike ranks fifth.
++++
www.twitter.com/Astro_mike
www.twitter.com/astro_127
www.twitter.com/Nasa
NEWS: Vatican gets on Facebook, iPhone
VATICAN CITY: Websurfers can now send virtual postcards of Pope Benedict XVI to their Facebook friends or follow the pontiff’s travel on their iPhones.
Under a papacy that has suffered communication woes, the Vatican is taking new, technologically savvy steps to bring its message to social networking sites and smartphones.
In its first day of operation on Thursday, the Pope2You portal gathered some 45,000 contacts and 500,000 page views.
Also, a Facebook application that sends postcards with photos of Pope Benedict and excerpts from his messages was used around 10,000 times, the head of the project said.
Available on the portal is an application for iPhone and iPod Touch that gives surfers video and audio news on the pope’s trips and speeches, as well as on Catholic events worldwide.
The new Web site is the latest update in the Vatican’s efforts to broaden the pope’s audience and reach out to young people. In January, Benedict got his own YouTube channel, which is now linked to the portal. — AP
++++
http://pope2you.net
www.vatican.va
Under a papacy that has suffered communication woes, the Vatican is taking new, technologically savvy steps to bring its message to social networking sites and smartphones.
In its first day of operation on Thursday, the Pope2You portal gathered some 45,000 contacts and 500,000 page views.
Also, a Facebook application that sends postcards with photos of Pope Benedict and excerpts from his messages was used around 10,000 times, the head of the project said.
Available on the portal is an application for iPhone and iPod Touch that gives surfers video and audio news on the pope’s trips and speeches, as well as on Catholic events worldwide.
The new Web site is the latest update in the Vatican’s efforts to broaden the pope’s audience and reach out to young people. In January, Benedict got his own YouTube channel, which is now linked to the portal. — AP
++++
http://pope2you.net
www.vatican.va
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
NEWS: Card privileges for all NS trainees
SEREMBAN: National service trainees who complete their stints will get to enjoy discounts for certain services and products.
Cards, detailing service number and camp attended, will be issued to all 417,000 trainees who had attended the training since its inception in 2005.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the move would enhance the spirit of camaraderie among trainees.
Parade inspection: Ahmad Zahid inspecting a guard-of-honour mounted by trainees at the Seri Perkasa national service training camp in Mantin near Seremban Monday.
“This will be a privilege. They will be able to use the card to get discounts when travelling as well,” he said.
“We want this programme to be a success. We want to strengthen unity among the multi-racial trainees. We also want them to set up their respective alumnis so that they will remain in contact.”
Ahmad Zahid said the Malaysian national service programme was gaining popularity and other countries were contemplating to start their own programme.
Citing an example, he said the Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia met him yesterday to inquire more about the programme.
“They plan to have a similar programme. We must be proud because they like our method where the trainees are selected at random and given ample time to complete the training,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the National Service Department would work together with the Civil Defence Department, Rela and Territorial Army to allow former trainees to volunteer at these agencies.
So far, the Government had spent RM3.2bil on national service training.
Cards, detailing service number and camp attended, will be issued to all 417,000 trainees who had attended the training since its inception in 2005.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the move would enhance the spirit of camaraderie among trainees.
Parade inspection: Ahmad Zahid inspecting a guard-of-honour mounted by trainees at the Seri Perkasa national service training camp in Mantin near Seremban Monday.
“This will be a privilege. They will be able to use the card to get discounts when travelling as well,” he said.
“We want this programme to be a success. We want to strengthen unity among the multi-racial trainees. We also want them to set up their respective alumnis so that they will remain in contact.”
Ahmad Zahid said the Malaysian national service programme was gaining popularity and other countries were contemplating to start their own programme.
Citing an example, he said the Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia met him yesterday to inquire more about the programme.
“They plan to have a similar programme. We must be proud because they like our method where the trainees are selected at random and given ample time to complete the training,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the National Service Department would work together with the Civil Defence Department, Rela and Territorial Army to allow former trainees to volunteer at these agencies.
So far, the Government had spent RM3.2bil on national service training.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
NEWS: Carlsberg’s 22-year devotion to education
WHEN one has been dedicated to the same cause for over 20 years, others are bound to take notice.
So it is with Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd (Carlsberg Malaysia) whose efforts to promote education have found a place in the Malaysia Book of Records.
Look up “Longest Running Chinese Charity Show in Malaysia” in the Malaysia Book of Records and you will find the “Top Ten Charity Campaign”, a collaborative effort that started in 1987 between Carlsberg Malaysia and local Chinese daily newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau and later, China Press.
The campaign has been part of an effort to raise funds for the advancement of Chinese education and the development of Chinese institutions through concert-style charity road shows at Chinese primary schools across the country.
Soren Jensen
Over the past two decades, over RM320mil in donations has been collected for over 500 schools to help them implement their development plans and improve their facilities to promote education for the children, says Carlsberg Malaysia managing director Soren Holm Jensen.
“We’re very proud we have been doing this for 22 years and we have set ourselves a target to reach RM500mil by 2015,” he tells StarBizWeek.
Last year, the campaign managed to raise over RM17mil, Jensen says.
“It’s a big show featuring some of Malaysia’s up and coming (Chinese) talents. There are no strings attached in that people who attend can choose to donate money for the betterment of the schools. If they don’t donate, they get treated to a great show anyway.”
Jensen says the event helps highlight Carlsberg Malaysia as a caring corporate citizen rather than as a beer company.
“Because the event is held at schools, we are careful to promote the event as Carlsberg Malaysia the company rather than Carlsberg the beer brand. It is a charity programme, not a beer campaign and no beer is served,” he says.
Besides raising funds for the respective schools, the campaign also serves as an avenue for young and talented Malaysian Chinese artistes to gain exposure and showcase their talents, Jensen adds.
“Many of these singers are ‘uncut diamonds’ in that they are extremely talented but have never got the chance to be exposed. Sometimes we release a CD compilation of the songs and the event has been known to attract talent scouts.
“Some of our previous performers have gone on to become stars at the regional level,” he says. This year, the campaign is tentatively set to commence next month.
Despite the current economic downturn, Jensen says he is optimistic about the amount of donations expected.
“It will be interesting to see if donations would be equally handsome in tough times. But we feel that helping promote education is important, regardless of the economic climate,” he says, adding that Carlsberg Malaysia would not be cutting back on its corporate responsibility-related activities this year. An extension of Carlsberg Malaysia’s efforts to promote education is its Carlsberg Hua Zong Education Fund, an interest-free study loan sponsored by the company in collaboration with the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia.
“The fund was set up with a RM5mil revolving study loan to provide financial assistance to students who wish to pursue their tertiary education,” says Jensen.
Going forward, Carlsberg Malaysia is pushing for more sustainable initiatives that benefit the Indian community.
“We have had several one-off programmes specifically for the Indian community but nothing long-term. We are looking at something more sustainable like our Top Ten Campaign that is done annually,” Jensen says.
He adds that the company is hoping to attract corporate partners to help realise its vision of assisting the Indian community.
“We are a beer company, not organisers. We need a partner to help us organise these things. We have not been as fortunate in finding something with sustainability or continuity so that’s one of our tasks this year,” he says.
So it is with Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Bhd (Carlsberg Malaysia) whose efforts to promote education have found a place in the Malaysia Book of Records.
Look up “Longest Running Chinese Charity Show in Malaysia” in the Malaysia Book of Records and you will find the “Top Ten Charity Campaign”, a collaborative effort that started in 1987 between Carlsberg Malaysia and local Chinese daily newspaper Nanyang Siang Pau and later, China Press.
The campaign has been part of an effort to raise funds for the advancement of Chinese education and the development of Chinese institutions through concert-style charity road shows at Chinese primary schools across the country.
Soren Jensen
Over the past two decades, over RM320mil in donations has been collected for over 500 schools to help them implement their development plans and improve their facilities to promote education for the children, says Carlsberg Malaysia managing director Soren Holm Jensen.
“We’re very proud we have been doing this for 22 years and we have set ourselves a target to reach RM500mil by 2015,” he tells StarBizWeek.
Last year, the campaign managed to raise over RM17mil, Jensen says.
“It’s a big show featuring some of Malaysia’s up and coming (Chinese) talents. There are no strings attached in that people who attend can choose to donate money for the betterment of the schools. If they don’t donate, they get treated to a great show anyway.”
Jensen says the event helps highlight Carlsberg Malaysia as a caring corporate citizen rather than as a beer company.
“Because the event is held at schools, we are careful to promote the event as Carlsberg Malaysia the company rather than Carlsberg the beer brand. It is a charity programme, not a beer campaign and no beer is served,” he says.
Besides raising funds for the respective schools, the campaign also serves as an avenue for young and talented Malaysian Chinese artistes to gain exposure and showcase their talents, Jensen adds.
“Many of these singers are ‘uncut diamonds’ in that they are extremely talented but have never got the chance to be exposed. Sometimes we release a CD compilation of the songs and the event has been known to attract talent scouts.
“Some of our previous performers have gone on to become stars at the regional level,” he says. This year, the campaign is tentatively set to commence next month.
Despite the current economic downturn, Jensen says he is optimistic about the amount of donations expected.
“It will be interesting to see if donations would be equally handsome in tough times. But we feel that helping promote education is important, regardless of the economic climate,” he says, adding that Carlsberg Malaysia would not be cutting back on its corporate responsibility-related activities this year. An extension of Carlsberg Malaysia’s efforts to promote education is its Carlsberg Hua Zong Education Fund, an interest-free study loan sponsored by the company in collaboration with the Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia.
“The fund was set up with a RM5mil revolving study loan to provide financial assistance to students who wish to pursue their tertiary education,” says Jensen.
Going forward, Carlsberg Malaysia is pushing for more sustainable initiatives that benefit the Indian community.
“We have had several one-off programmes specifically for the Indian community but nothing long-term. We are looking at something more sustainable like our Top Ten Campaign that is done annually,” Jensen says.
He adds that the company is hoping to attract corporate partners to help realise its vision of assisting the Indian community.
“We are a beer company, not organisers. We need a partner to help us organise these things. We have not been as fortunate in finding something with sustainability or continuity so that’s one of our tasks this year,” he says.
NEWS: Making grads marketable
UNDERGRADUATES pursuing courses that are deemed to be “not so popular” at public universities will soon be able to undergo training to enhance their marketability.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said the Human Resources Ministry was in the midst of formulating modules to train these graduates to ensure they were able to secure employment.
“We understand that there are students who pursue courses that are not in high demand such as History, Geography and Islamic studies. It is a fact that those who pursue these courses find it more difficult to get jobs.
“Since we still want graduates in these fields, we have requested the Human Resources Ministry to come up with programmes which will increase their chances of getting jobs,” he said.
Khaled says the Human Resources Ministry is in the midst of formulating modules to train the graduates
However, Khaled did not elaborate the types of modules that were being prepared or where the students would be able to undergo training.
He was earlier asked if universities and employer groups had been working together to produce marketable graduates to help reduce the number of unemployed graduates in not-so-sought-after disciplines.
“Since we have democratised education, we cannot tell the universities to stop offering these courses. In fact, we need the universities to continue offering such programmes as we need historians and specialists in these fields,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universitas Riau Indonesia on joint research and student-lecturer exchange programme.
Also present was UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin.
On a separate matter, Khaled said Asean universities should form a partnership similar to that created by European institutions of higher learning through the “Bologna Process” which has paved the way for the formation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
“There is so much that universities in Asean can learn from one another. For a start, they can collaborate to save the language of the natives in this part of the world and work together to develop the Malay language for research and development purposes,” he said.
(The Bologna Process aims to create a EHEA by 2010, in which students can choose from a wide and transparent range of high quality courses and benefit from smooth recognition procedures. The three priorities of the Bologna process are the introduction of the three-cycle system (bachelor/master/doctorate), quality assurance and recognition of qualifications and periods of study).
Khaled also urged universities to publicise their research work for common benefit.
“This would also enhance your own reputation and status. It is also my hope that department heads in universities will encourage their lecturers to do more research,” he added.
Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin said the Human Resources Ministry was in the midst of formulating modules to train these graduates to ensure they were able to secure employment.
“We understand that there are students who pursue courses that are not in high demand such as History, Geography and Islamic studies. It is a fact that those who pursue these courses find it more difficult to get jobs.
“Since we still want graduates in these fields, we have requested the Human Resources Ministry to come up with programmes which will increase their chances of getting jobs,” he said.
Khaled says the Human Resources Ministry is in the midst of formulating modules to train the graduates
However, Khaled did not elaborate the types of modules that were being prepared or where the students would be able to undergo training.
He was earlier asked if universities and employer groups had been working together to produce marketable graduates to help reduce the number of unemployed graduates in not-so-sought-after disciplines.
“Since we have democratised education, we cannot tell the universities to stop offering these courses. In fact, we need the universities to continue offering such programmes as we need historians and specialists in these fields,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universitas Riau Indonesia on joint research and student-lecturer exchange programme.
Also present was UKM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Sharifah Hapsah Syed Hasan Shahabudin.
On a separate matter, Khaled said Asean universities should form a partnership similar to that created by European institutions of higher learning through the “Bologna Process” which has paved the way for the formation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
“There is so much that universities in Asean can learn from one another. For a start, they can collaborate to save the language of the natives in this part of the world and work together to develop the Malay language for research and development purposes,” he said.
(The Bologna Process aims to create a EHEA by 2010, in which students can choose from a wide and transparent range of high quality courses and benefit from smooth recognition procedures. The three priorities of the Bologna process are the introduction of the three-cycle system (bachelor/master/doctorate), quality assurance and recognition of qualifications and periods of study).
Khaled also urged universities to publicise their research work for common benefit.
“This would also enhance your own reputation and status. It is also my hope that department heads in universities will encourage their lecturers to do more research,” he added.
NEWS: Physics made easy, just a click away
IF you are sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) this year
and have found yourself in a bit of a spot where physics is concerned,
you may want to get some help from SPM Physics (http://www. Physics4spm.com).
insidepix1
Ahmad Rifaei says his blog is his contribution towards nation building.
Ahmad Rifaei says his blog is his contribution towards nation building.
Established by Ahmad Rifaei Abdul Rahim in February, this blog-cumeducation Web portal helps students to understand the subject better using multimedia-aided tools. It offers students an online discussion area, note sharing, question-andanswer sessions and more.
“Students can have real-time two-way communication with me through the chatbox, e-mail or other messenger tools. My blog also contains animation video about physics stuff. Some physics terms are easier to explain using video and animation,” said Ahmad Rifaei, a physics tutor based in Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur.
“Students can share and download e-notes and past trial papers. I will provide links to resources on physics and other subjects soon. I also plan Philips on track to meet green targets Biodata Since his appointment as Philips Sustainability Board’s chairman last year, Rudy Provoost, who is also Philips Lighting’s chief executive, has been busy making sure that his company meets its target in the sustainability and “green” initiative areas.
Izwan Ismail met up with him in New York recently.
to set up a forum page as it would be easier to have group discussions that way.” The 32-year-old tutor is actually a trained quality engineer.
“My interest in teaching started when I taught part-time about 13 years ago. I did my further studies in electronics engineering in the UK. After graduation, I worked in the electronics manufacturing sector as a quality engineer.
“Although I had a stable, permanent job then, I still taught part-time at night. Teaching gives me satisfaction which money cannot buy,” he said.
Due to the economic uncertainties in the electronics industry, Ahmad Rifaei was offered voluntary separation scheme twice from two employers – the first time in 2000, then in 2004.
“I realised that working for others would not guarantee my financial future, and since teaching had been my passion, I decided to concentrate on being a professional freelance tutor. That decision managed to provide me with a regular income,” he said.
“And here I am now, doing something different as a full-time blogger, and expanding my teaching method through blogs and other tools on the Internet.” To date, SPM Physics has drawn over 4,000 visitors monthly.
“I am quite surprised with the response since the blog is relatively new. I log in every two days to answer questions through e-mail or the chatroom,” Ahmad Rifaei said.
“Most of the visitors found my blog through search engines. This shows Malaysian students are Internet savvy. I’ll be busy attending to questions over the next few months.” He added that some of his visitors had been teachers.
“With the teaching of science and mathematics in English, many students are having problems with physics. In school, they are too shy to ask. Instead, they use my blog to ask in detail certain topics. Some of them e-mailed me to ask about physics terms.
“You can say this blog is my contribution towards nation building. Physics is the backbone of engineering. Perhaps my blog can ignite some interest in students to take up engineering courses after completing school.” Since he started the blog, Ahmad Rifaei not only has interacted with Malaysian students, but also students from around the world.
“Maybe one day I can set up a one-stop virtual physics class for SPM and A-levels,” he said.
and have found yourself in a bit of a spot where physics is concerned,
you may want to get some help from SPM Physics (http://www. Physics4spm.com).
insidepix1
Ahmad Rifaei says his blog is his contribution towards nation building.
Ahmad Rifaei says his blog is his contribution towards nation building.
Established by Ahmad Rifaei Abdul Rahim in February, this blog-cumeducation Web portal helps students to understand the subject better using multimedia-aided tools. It offers students an online discussion area, note sharing, question-andanswer sessions and more.
“Students can have real-time two-way communication with me through the chatbox, e-mail or other messenger tools. My blog also contains animation video about physics stuff. Some physics terms are easier to explain using video and animation,” said Ahmad Rifaei, a physics tutor based in Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur.
“Students can share and download e-notes and past trial papers. I will provide links to resources on physics and other subjects soon. I also plan Philips on track to meet green targets Biodata Since his appointment as Philips Sustainability Board’s chairman last year, Rudy Provoost, who is also Philips Lighting’s chief executive, has been busy making sure that his company meets its target in the sustainability and “green” initiative areas.
Izwan Ismail met up with him in New York recently.
to set up a forum page as it would be easier to have group discussions that way.” The 32-year-old tutor is actually a trained quality engineer.
“My interest in teaching started when I taught part-time about 13 years ago. I did my further studies in electronics engineering in the UK. After graduation, I worked in the electronics manufacturing sector as a quality engineer.
“Although I had a stable, permanent job then, I still taught part-time at night. Teaching gives me satisfaction which money cannot buy,” he said.
Due to the economic uncertainties in the electronics industry, Ahmad Rifaei was offered voluntary separation scheme twice from two employers – the first time in 2000, then in 2004.
“I realised that working for others would not guarantee my financial future, and since teaching had been my passion, I decided to concentrate on being a professional freelance tutor. That decision managed to provide me with a regular income,” he said.
“And here I am now, doing something different as a full-time blogger, and expanding my teaching method through blogs and other tools on the Internet.” To date, SPM Physics has drawn over 4,000 visitors monthly.
“I am quite surprised with the response since the blog is relatively new. I log in every two days to answer questions through e-mail or the chatroom,” Ahmad Rifaei said.
“Most of the visitors found my blog through search engines. This shows Malaysian students are Internet savvy. I’ll be busy attending to questions over the next few months.” He added that some of his visitors had been teachers.
“With the teaching of science and mathematics in English, many students are having problems with physics. In school, they are too shy to ask. Instead, they use my blog to ask in detail certain topics. Some of them e-mailed me to ask about physics terms.
“You can say this blog is my contribution towards nation building. Physics is the backbone of engineering. Perhaps my blog can ignite some interest in students to take up engineering courses after completing school.” Since he started the blog, Ahmad Rifaei not only has interacted with Malaysian students, but also students from around the world.
“Maybe one day I can set up a one-stop virtual physics class for SPM and A-levels,” he said.
NEWS: US varsity looks to iJournalism
COLUMBIA (Missouri): Gadgets such as the Apple iPhone and the iPod Touch are mainstays on US college campuses — largely for the devices’ ability to help students escape the pressures of the classroom.
Now the oldest US journalism school is asking students to buy those or similar devices to download classroom lectures or confirm facts on the Web while reporting from the scene of a plane crash or town council meeting.
The new rule for incoming freshmen at the University of Missouri School of Journalism appears to mark the first time an American university is requiring specific portable electronic devices.
The policy has spurred a debate about the limits and possibilities of technology as well as corporate influence in academia.
Sceptics say the school is getting too cozy with Apple Inc, though administrators point out that they earn no financial benefit from the new policy.
The university gets a 10% discount on Apple computers it buys, but other vendors such as Dell Inc and Hewlett-Packard Co offer the same deal.
“It’s like asking an engineer to buy a calculator,” said Brian Brooks, associate dean for undergraduate studies. “We are doing this requirement solely to benefit our students’ learning.”
A description about the programme on the school’s website notes that “at least 50 colleges and universities nationwide make use of iPods in their programmes.” But it’s not clear that any of those schools make it mandatory — and at student expense. Private colleges such as Duke and Abilene Christian have given the devices out for free.
Brooks points out that an estimated 85% to 90% of the university’s 30,200 undergraduates already own portable music players, with 85% of those devices being iPods.
Is it right?
Even so, graduating senior Maureen Scarpelli - an admitted Apple disciple - questions the school’s endorsement of a particular product.
After similar complaints, the school clarified that it is requiring any Web-enabled, audio-video player like the iPhone or the iPod Touch, which is like an iPhone without the phone. So portable devices such as a Microsoft Zune or smartphones such as BlackBerrys can be acceptable. Just not preferred.
“There are alternatives to the iPod Touch, but none that we consider equally capable,” the online programme description concludes.
Among the uses envisioned by Brooks and other professors: Students listening to lectures while at the gym or walking to class; using wireless Internet access to verify information while reporting stories; and watching instructional videos that otherwise would take up valuable classroom time.
Clyde Bentley was one of nine journalism professors who voted against the new policy (with 40 in support) at a recent faculty meeting. His primary concern was saddling students with an additional expense.
He also questioned whether students who rely on portable devices to listen to music or watch TV shows will embrace the journalism school’s intended uses.
“I had a student say that he used his iPod to get away from me,” Bentley said, recalling previous attempts to offer podcasts of his lectures.
Brooks pointed out that by requiring portable electronic devices, the university can include those costs in financial aid packages. And the US$229 (RM(824) student price of an iPod Touch is comparable to two or three textbooks, he said.
Change is good
Jeffrey Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, calls the new Missouri requirement “not only reasonable but admirable.”
He likened the debate to discussions several years ago over whether colleges should ask incoming students to buy PCs or laptop computers — by now a largely moot point.
“Schools are usually far behind their students in embracing new technology. And faculty are usually behind the schools,” Cole said.
“It really shows how both journalism and education are changing in transformational ways,” he added. “The biggest effect the Internet will have is not how we play or communicate, but how we learn.” — AP
Now the oldest US journalism school is asking students to buy those or similar devices to download classroom lectures or confirm facts on the Web while reporting from the scene of a plane crash or town council meeting.
The new rule for incoming freshmen at the University of Missouri School of Journalism appears to mark the first time an American university is requiring specific portable electronic devices.
The policy has spurred a debate about the limits and possibilities of technology as well as corporate influence in academia.
Sceptics say the school is getting too cozy with Apple Inc, though administrators point out that they earn no financial benefit from the new policy.
The university gets a 10% discount on Apple computers it buys, but other vendors such as Dell Inc and Hewlett-Packard Co offer the same deal.
“It’s like asking an engineer to buy a calculator,” said Brian Brooks, associate dean for undergraduate studies. “We are doing this requirement solely to benefit our students’ learning.”
A description about the programme on the school’s website notes that “at least 50 colleges and universities nationwide make use of iPods in their programmes.” But it’s not clear that any of those schools make it mandatory — and at student expense. Private colleges such as Duke and Abilene Christian have given the devices out for free.
Brooks points out that an estimated 85% to 90% of the university’s 30,200 undergraduates already own portable music players, with 85% of those devices being iPods.
Is it right?
Even so, graduating senior Maureen Scarpelli - an admitted Apple disciple - questions the school’s endorsement of a particular product.
After similar complaints, the school clarified that it is requiring any Web-enabled, audio-video player like the iPhone or the iPod Touch, which is like an iPhone without the phone. So portable devices such as a Microsoft Zune or smartphones such as BlackBerrys can be acceptable. Just not preferred.
“There are alternatives to the iPod Touch, but none that we consider equally capable,” the online programme description concludes.
Among the uses envisioned by Brooks and other professors: Students listening to lectures while at the gym or walking to class; using wireless Internet access to verify information while reporting stories; and watching instructional videos that otherwise would take up valuable classroom time.
Clyde Bentley was one of nine journalism professors who voted against the new policy (with 40 in support) at a recent faculty meeting. His primary concern was saddling students with an additional expense.
He also questioned whether students who rely on portable devices to listen to music or watch TV shows will embrace the journalism school’s intended uses.
“I had a student say that he used his iPod to get away from me,” Bentley said, recalling previous attempts to offer podcasts of his lectures.
Brooks pointed out that by requiring portable electronic devices, the university can include those costs in financial aid packages. And the US$229 (RM(824) student price of an iPod Touch is comparable to two or three textbooks, he said.
Change is good
Jeffrey Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, calls the new Missouri requirement “not only reasonable but admirable.”
He likened the debate to discussions several years ago over whether colleges should ask incoming students to buy PCs or laptop computers — by now a largely moot point.
“Schools are usually far behind their students in embracing new technology. And faculty are usually behind the schools,” Cole said.
“It really shows how both journalism and education are changing in transformational ways,” he added. “The biggest effect the Internet will have is not how we play or communicate, but how we learn.” — AP
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
NEWS: Free WiFi on Rapid Penang buses
GEORGE TOWN: Rapid Penang Sdn Bhd will be providing free WiFi access to its passengers, the first bus company in the country to do so, beginning with a three-month trial on two buses.
Its chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad said the company was installing the facility in two buses: The first plies the route between Balik Pulau and the Bayan Lepas International Airport, and the second on the Teluk Bahang-Batu Feringgi-Weld Key route.
He said use of the WiFi facility would be free and that the buses would have special stickers for easy identification by passengers.
“After three months, if response from passengers is good, we’ll have the facility installed in stages in all of our 180 buses, and also the additional 200 buses which will be delivered to us by the end of the year,” he told a press conference here Wednesday.
Azhar said the facility was provided to enable passengers to surf the Internet in the bus before arriving at their destinations. -- Bernama
Its chief executive officer Azhar Ahmad said the company was installing the facility in two buses: The first plies the route between Balik Pulau and the Bayan Lepas International Airport, and the second on the Teluk Bahang-Batu Feringgi-Weld Key route.
He said use of the WiFi facility would be free and that the buses would have special stickers for easy identification by passengers.
“After three months, if response from passengers is good, we’ll have the facility installed in stages in all of our 180 buses, and also the additional 200 buses which will be delivered to us by the end of the year,” he told a press conference here Wednesday.
Azhar said the facility was provided to enable passengers to surf the Internet in the bus before arriving at their destinations. -- Bernama
NEWS: Turn creative ideas into money
KUALA LUMPUR: Creative multimedia developers stand to win RM1mil worth of grants at the MSC Malaysia Intellectual Property Creators Challenge (IPCC) 2009.
IPCC organiser Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) will give out 26 grants in the competition’s four categories — animation, computer games, digital interactive comics and mobile games.
The RM1mil total is a slight increase from that during the past three years that the competition has been running. Previously the grants totalled about 870,000 per year.
This year, there are six RM50,000 grants for the animation category, five RM50,000 grants for computer games, five RM50,000 grants for mobile games, and 10 RM20,000 grants for digital interactive comics.
IPCC is in an initiative by MDeC that aims to unearth creative content. It expects 360 entries this year — an increase of 20% from last year.
Saifol Bahri, vice-president of MDeC, said the entries can be as simple as a concept put on paper, with a few accompanying visuals.
Out of these initial entries, 51 participants will be chosen to make a pitch to local industry players in mid-July.
These will then be whittled down to 26 participants, who will be given grants to develop their paper concepts into prototypes over five months.
There is an added bonus exclusively for those who receive grants in the animation category — they will get a chance to make a pitch to a panel of regional industry players next year.
MDeC hopes to extend this bonus to the other categories in the near future .
Stepping stone
Saifol hopes that the annual event will act as a launching pad for local talent in developing content that can meet global expectations.
“Last year’s animation winning team, Roaring Tin Toys, has attracted interest from satellite TV and production company Astro Bhd,” he said.
“Astro was impressed with the team’s winning clip about ghost-hunting superheroes, called Ghoul Smashing Quarters, and are currently in talks with Roaring Tin Toys.”
That year’s runner-up team in the animation category, Insipidea Sdn Bhd, has been shortlisted by internationally-known Cartoon Network for a co-production deal, said Saifol who declined to elaborate.
He said it is time for the local creative multimedia industry to move up a gear because there is a huge global market for the taking, estimated to be worth about US$780bil (RM2.6 trillion).
There is also a lot of space for revenue growth locally, according to him. “Revenue from Malaysian creative multimedia was RM2.4bil in 2007, we hope to hit RM3bil by 2010,” he said.
Those interested in competing in IPCC 2009 should send a brief story outline and accompanying visuals to submitipcc@mdec.com.my.
Participants must be college graduates or working professionals. The closing date for entries is July 12. For more information, surf to www.msc.com.my.
MDeC is caretaker of the MSC Malaysia initiative.
IPCC organiser Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) will give out 26 grants in the competition’s four categories — animation, computer games, digital interactive comics and mobile games.
The RM1mil total is a slight increase from that during the past three years that the competition has been running. Previously the grants totalled about 870,000 per year.
This year, there are six RM50,000 grants for the animation category, five RM50,000 grants for computer games, five RM50,000 grants for mobile games, and 10 RM20,000 grants for digital interactive comics.
IPCC is in an initiative by MDeC that aims to unearth creative content. It expects 360 entries this year — an increase of 20% from last year.
Saifol Bahri, vice-president of MDeC, said the entries can be as simple as a concept put on paper, with a few accompanying visuals.
Out of these initial entries, 51 participants will be chosen to make a pitch to local industry players in mid-July.
These will then be whittled down to 26 participants, who will be given grants to develop their paper concepts into prototypes over five months.
There is an added bonus exclusively for those who receive grants in the animation category — they will get a chance to make a pitch to a panel of regional industry players next year.
MDeC hopes to extend this bonus to the other categories in the near future .
Stepping stone
Saifol hopes that the annual event will act as a launching pad for local talent in developing content that can meet global expectations.
“Last year’s animation winning team, Roaring Tin Toys, has attracted interest from satellite TV and production company Astro Bhd,” he said.
“Astro was impressed with the team’s winning clip about ghost-hunting superheroes, called Ghoul Smashing Quarters, and are currently in talks with Roaring Tin Toys.”
That year’s runner-up team in the animation category, Insipidea Sdn Bhd, has been shortlisted by internationally-known Cartoon Network for a co-production deal, said Saifol who declined to elaborate.
He said it is time for the local creative multimedia industry to move up a gear because there is a huge global market for the taking, estimated to be worth about US$780bil (RM2.6 trillion).
There is also a lot of space for revenue growth locally, according to him. “Revenue from Malaysian creative multimedia was RM2.4bil in 2007, we hope to hit RM3bil by 2010,” he said.
Those interested in competing in IPCC 2009 should send a brief story outline and accompanying visuals to submitipcc@mdec.com.my.
Participants must be college graduates or working professionals. The closing date for entries is July 12. For more information, surf to www.msc.com.my.
MDeC is caretaker of the MSC Malaysia initiative.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
NEWS: Philip Morris sets up more ICT centres
KUALA LUMPUR: Tobacco company Philip Morris (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has teamed up with non-profit organisation Yayasan Salam Malaysia (Salam) to build three more information and communications technology (ICT) centres.
The centres, costing a total of RM115,000 to set up, are located in Jerlun (Kedah), Pekan (Pahang) and Batu Rakit (Terengganu). Philip Morris has eight other ICT centres around the country.
Each centre is equipped with 11 computers, broadband connection, shared printer and local area network, and are used to teach ICT skills to rural folk.
The centres are part of Philip Morris’ corporate social responsibility programme to address the needs of underserved communities.
“We recognise that technology is not accessible to a large majority of rural communities in our country,” said Marlene Kaur, director of corporate affairs at Philip Morris Malaysia.
The centres, costing a total of RM115,000 to set up, are located in Jerlun (Kedah), Pekan (Pahang) and Batu Rakit (Terengganu). Philip Morris has eight other ICT centres around the country.
Each centre is equipped with 11 computers, broadband connection, shared printer and local area network, and are used to teach ICT skills to rural folk.
The centres are part of Philip Morris’ corporate social responsibility programme to address the needs of underserved communities.
“We recognise that technology is not accessible to a large majority of rural communities in our country,” said Marlene Kaur, director of corporate affairs at Philip Morris Malaysia.
NEWS: Prison ‘break’ that brings hope
KAJANG: Nineteen-year-old Abu (not his real name) was a typical college student. He was studying security management and in his spare time listened to Indonesian rock and chatted on the Internet.
Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, he lived a comfortable. middle-class life until everything changed one night. He and two friends got into a scuffle and a foreigner was stabbed to death.
Now he’s in the Kajang Central Prison, where he has been these past few months, waiting to go on trial.
It’s a far cry from his college life, he told In.Tech two weeks ago. Nowadays, he has to put up with prison food, lights-out by 7pm, and if he’s lucky, two hours of TV viewing every weekend.
“I’m trying to focus on my future,” he said in Bahasa Malaysia. The light at the end of his tunnel is provided by the prison’s e-Bimbing programme, where inmates can learn IT skills so that they can find employment when they are released.
Abu is one of the more than 1,000 inmates, aged between 14 and 21, participating in the year-long programme that is being conducted at the Kajang prison and in four others around the country.
e-Bimbing teaches desktop publishing, digital photography and PC maintenance.
The inmates are also taught how to use common programs such as Microsoft Office and Corel Draw.
The only entry requirement is that the inmates have the right attitude and are eager to learn.
“It’s just like being back in school,” said Abu from in front of a PC in the prison’s training room. Around him were the other 29 participants in the class and the instructor.
Classes are from 9am to 2pm, from Monday to Friday. The classroom is equipped with about 30 PCs in rows, a colour printer, scanner, and digital camera.
All the computers are on a wireless local area network but Internet access is only available under supervision of prison authorities.
Before prison, Abu only knew how to surf the Internet and participate in online chat sessions, but now he’s learned how to create graphics on a computer.
That success has sparked off an ambition to become a graphics designer and he’s been asking his parents to buy him a PC when he gets out. “They are quite supportive,” he said.
Abu doesn’t know when that’ll be but he’s happy that e-Bimbing is teaching him new skills and keeping him occupied.
Another e-Bimbing participant is 20-year-old Ali (not real name) who has been in remand for a year at the same prison. He’s awaiting trial for illegal possession of a firearm.
Like Abu, Ali is quite taken with being able to use a computer to design graphics. “I want to set up a kiosk at the Central Market (in Kuala Lumpur),” he said.
Helping hand
e-Bimbing is the brainchild of Prihatin Malaysia, a charity organisation that among other things, uses information and communications technology (ICT) training to help prison inmates find employment or start a business after they leave prison.
The project is funded and supported by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, with the co-operation of the Prisons Department of Malaysia.
Ramanitharan Rajaram, vice-president of Prihatin Malaysia, said prisoners have so much time on their hands and many don’t know what to do with themselves.
“We offer them the opportunity to better themselves by learning a new skill or several skills,” he told In.Tech.
“With enough time and training we can teach them to be very good at whatever vocation they choose.”
There are choices aplenty. Inmates can take up batik printing, motor vehicle repair, woodworking and even baking. Training in computer skills was added about two years ago when it was found that young inmates were more inclined towards that.
The pilot programme for e-Bimbing began in June 2007 in Kajang Central Prison with 250 participants.
There are 750 e-Bimbing graduates nationwide to date. “Among those released, 50 are studying for IT diplomas, 20 are with companies designing T-shirts, wedding cards and name cards, and two have set up e-kiosks selling and designing T-shirts,” said Ramanitharan.
This helps show prisoners that they can earn a living the legal way, he said. “With the skills they learn in prison, they can easily earn RM2,000 to RM3,000 a month when they go into business after they are released,” he added.
Syamir Mustadza, 25, who is the ICT teacher at the Kajang prison, agrees. He’s been teaching there since the start of the programme.
“At first, I was not very confident that I would be successful teaching prisoners,” he said. “But many of them surprised me.”
He said the inmates realise that e-Bimbing is a golden opportunity for them to improve their lot in life and they are very dedicated to the lessons.
“Some of them can create their own designs after only three months of training and many have shown a lot of spirit and creativity,” Syamir said. “I guess the programme also gives them hope.”
Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, he lived a comfortable. middle-class life until everything changed one night. He and two friends got into a scuffle and a foreigner was stabbed to death.
Now he’s in the Kajang Central Prison, where he has been these past few months, waiting to go on trial.
It’s a far cry from his college life, he told In.Tech two weeks ago. Nowadays, he has to put up with prison food, lights-out by 7pm, and if he’s lucky, two hours of TV viewing every weekend.
“I’m trying to focus on my future,” he said in Bahasa Malaysia. The light at the end of his tunnel is provided by the prison’s e-Bimbing programme, where inmates can learn IT skills so that they can find employment when they are released.
Abu is one of the more than 1,000 inmates, aged between 14 and 21, participating in the year-long programme that is being conducted at the Kajang prison and in four others around the country.
e-Bimbing teaches desktop publishing, digital photography and PC maintenance.
The inmates are also taught how to use common programs such as Microsoft Office and Corel Draw.
The only entry requirement is that the inmates have the right attitude and are eager to learn.
“It’s just like being back in school,” said Abu from in front of a PC in the prison’s training room. Around him were the other 29 participants in the class and the instructor.
Classes are from 9am to 2pm, from Monday to Friday. The classroom is equipped with about 30 PCs in rows, a colour printer, scanner, and digital camera.
All the computers are on a wireless local area network but Internet access is only available under supervision of prison authorities.
Before prison, Abu only knew how to surf the Internet and participate in online chat sessions, but now he’s learned how to create graphics on a computer.
That success has sparked off an ambition to become a graphics designer and he’s been asking his parents to buy him a PC when he gets out. “They are quite supportive,” he said.
Abu doesn’t know when that’ll be but he’s happy that e-Bimbing is teaching him new skills and keeping him occupied.
Another e-Bimbing participant is 20-year-old Ali (not real name) who has been in remand for a year at the same prison. He’s awaiting trial for illegal possession of a firearm.
Like Abu, Ali is quite taken with being able to use a computer to design graphics. “I want to set up a kiosk at the Central Market (in Kuala Lumpur),” he said.
Helping hand
e-Bimbing is the brainchild of Prihatin Malaysia, a charity organisation that among other things, uses information and communications technology (ICT) training to help prison inmates find employment or start a business after they leave prison.
The project is funded and supported by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, with the co-operation of the Prisons Department of Malaysia.
Ramanitharan Rajaram, vice-president of Prihatin Malaysia, said prisoners have so much time on their hands and many don’t know what to do with themselves.
“We offer them the opportunity to better themselves by learning a new skill or several skills,” he told In.Tech.
“With enough time and training we can teach them to be very good at whatever vocation they choose.”
There are choices aplenty. Inmates can take up batik printing, motor vehicle repair, woodworking and even baking. Training in computer skills was added about two years ago when it was found that young inmates were more inclined towards that.
The pilot programme for e-Bimbing began in June 2007 in Kajang Central Prison with 250 participants.
There are 750 e-Bimbing graduates nationwide to date. “Among those released, 50 are studying for IT diplomas, 20 are with companies designing T-shirts, wedding cards and name cards, and two have set up e-kiosks selling and designing T-shirts,” said Ramanitharan.
This helps show prisoners that they can earn a living the legal way, he said. “With the skills they learn in prison, they can easily earn RM2,000 to RM3,000 a month when they go into business after they are released,” he added.
Syamir Mustadza, 25, who is the ICT teacher at the Kajang prison, agrees. He’s been teaching there since the start of the programme.
“At first, I was not very confident that I would be successful teaching prisoners,” he said. “But many of them surprised me.”
He said the inmates realise that e-Bimbing is a golden opportunity for them to improve their lot in life and they are very dedicated to the lessons.
“Some of them can create their own designs after only three months of training and many have shown a lot of spirit and creativity,” Syamir said. “I guess the programme also gives them hope.”
NEWS: Mosti task force to tackle ICT issues
KUALA LUMPUR: The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) has formed a task force to look into pressing ICT issues such as the slow national rollout of broadband.
“The task force had its first meeting this month to identify the various (information and communications technology) issues; among these is the slow rollout of broadband,” said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili on Monday.
According to the National Broadband Plan, 50% of the population must have access to superfast Internet connections by next year but penetration is lingering at the 26% mark now.
Known officially as The Task Force on the ICT industry, it will identify problems, formulate solutions and present these to Mosti, which will then decide whether or not to implement the suggestions.
Broadband rollout is too slow, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, Ongkili said.
He said the Universal Service Provision (USP) fund should be used if the slowdown in those states is due to lack of financing.
Totalling RM3bil now, the USP fund was set up about a decade ago to finance the introduction of telephony and broadband services to underserved areas and groups in the country.
Due to their isolated locations, these underserved areas were largely being bypassed by telecommunications companies that preferred the more profitable urban areas.
In view of that, the Government made it mandatory for all telcos to contribute 6% of revenue generated from their services to the fund every year.
Make heads roll
The Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom) chimed in with its ideas to boost the flagging broadband rollout.
Its chairman, David Wong, said the Government should revoke the licences of WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) broadband licensees that have failed to meet their targets.
“There are four licensees and not all have delivered (on the conditions set by the Government in the licences),” Wong said. He declined to be more specific.
Industry researcher IDC believes some WiMAX licensees are taking a wait-and-see attitude over the rollout of their infrastructure and services because of the huge capital involved.
According to IDC, it takes anywhere from RM100,000 to RM1mil to set up a base-station and the WiMAX licensees will need hundreds of base-stations.
The four licensees are Packet One Network Sdn Bhd, Y-Max Networks Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace Sdn Bhd, and Redtone International Bhd.
Wong said the issue should be brought up at the next task force meeting.
“We need to have a review; find out why some of the WiMAX players are slow to roll out,” he said. “We must know if it’s a question of finance or something else. Only then can the (appropriate) action be taken.”
The task force meets every two months. It comprises representatives from Pikom, the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry, applied research body Mimos, CyberSecurity Malaysia, and several others.
Another pressing ICT issue that the task force will be looking into is the country’s human resource pool.
It believes that there needs to be programmes that better match retrenched workers to new jobs.
“There should also be (more) government programmes to find alternative employment for these affected workers,” said Wong.
National ICT month
Earlier, Ongkili officiated at the launch of the inaugural National ICT Month (NIM) 2009, to be held from July 20 to Aug 20 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Pikom hopes the event will help replicate some of the buzz that the industry experienced during last year’s World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) which was hosted by Malaysia.
WCIT is a forum that brings together global leaders in business, government and academia for the exchange of ideas on ICT and industry policies. It is hosted by different countries every two years.
NIM 2009, the brainchild of Pikom, will include a three-day leadership summit and exhibition, an eWaste recycling campaign, and a month-long buy-online campaign.
Pikom will be launching an ICT mall in cyberspace as part of the buy-online campaign. The campaign is to encourage consumers to shop on the Web.
The association will collaborate with several online merchants to provide discounts and incentives for consumers for the duration of the campaign.
“We intend to spend a few hundred thousand ringgit to promote the event and we hope (many) e-commerce retailers will participate,” said Wong.
“We are used to seeing online campaigns by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines but where are the other e-commerce merchants?”
Wong added that by participating in the buy-online campaign, these merchants would also be raising their profiles.
NIM 2009 will cost Pikom RM1.6mil to hold and a national ICT strategic review report will be released during the leadership summit at the event.
“The objective of the inaugural publication is to provide details on the Malaysian ICT sectoral outlook,” added Wong.
Pikom hopes to make NIM an annual event. It is being supported by Mosti and MDeC, the caretaker of the country’s MSC Malaysia initiative.
“The task force had its first meeting this month to identify the various (information and communications technology) issues; among these is the slow rollout of broadband,” said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili on Monday.
According to the National Broadband Plan, 50% of the population must have access to superfast Internet connections by next year but penetration is lingering at the 26% mark now.
Known officially as The Task Force on the ICT industry, it will identify problems, formulate solutions and present these to Mosti, which will then decide whether or not to implement the suggestions.
Broadband rollout is too slow, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, Ongkili said.
He said the Universal Service Provision (USP) fund should be used if the slowdown in those states is due to lack of financing.
Totalling RM3bil now, the USP fund was set up about a decade ago to finance the introduction of telephony and broadband services to underserved areas and groups in the country.
Due to their isolated locations, these underserved areas were largely being bypassed by telecommunications companies that preferred the more profitable urban areas.
In view of that, the Government made it mandatory for all telcos to contribute 6% of revenue generated from their services to the fund every year.
Make heads roll
The Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom) chimed in with its ideas to boost the flagging broadband rollout.
Its chairman, David Wong, said the Government should revoke the licences of WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) broadband licensees that have failed to meet their targets.
“There are four licensees and not all have delivered (on the conditions set by the Government in the licences),” Wong said. He declined to be more specific.
Industry researcher IDC believes some WiMAX licensees are taking a wait-and-see attitude over the rollout of their infrastructure and services because of the huge capital involved.
According to IDC, it takes anywhere from RM100,000 to RM1mil to set up a base-station and the WiMAX licensees will need hundreds of base-stations.
The four licensees are Packet One Network Sdn Bhd, Y-Max Networks Sdn Bhd, Asiaspace Sdn Bhd, and Redtone International Bhd.
Wong said the issue should be brought up at the next task force meeting.
“We need to have a review; find out why some of the WiMAX players are slow to roll out,” he said. “We must know if it’s a question of finance or something else. Only then can the (appropriate) action be taken.”
The task force meets every two months. It comprises representatives from Pikom, the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry, applied research body Mimos, CyberSecurity Malaysia, and several others.
Another pressing ICT issue that the task force will be looking into is the country’s human resource pool.
It believes that there needs to be programmes that better match retrenched workers to new jobs.
“There should also be (more) government programmes to find alternative employment for these affected workers,” said Wong.
National ICT month
Earlier, Ongkili officiated at the launch of the inaugural National ICT Month (NIM) 2009, to be held from July 20 to Aug 20 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
Pikom hopes the event will help replicate some of the buzz that the industry experienced during last year’s World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) which was hosted by Malaysia.
WCIT is a forum that brings together global leaders in business, government and academia for the exchange of ideas on ICT and industry policies. It is hosted by different countries every two years.
NIM 2009, the brainchild of Pikom, will include a three-day leadership summit and exhibition, an eWaste recycling campaign, and a month-long buy-online campaign.
Pikom will be launching an ICT mall in cyberspace as part of the buy-online campaign. The campaign is to encourage consumers to shop on the Web.
The association will collaborate with several online merchants to provide discounts and incentives for consumers for the duration of the campaign.
“We intend to spend a few hundred thousand ringgit to promote the event and we hope (many) e-commerce retailers will participate,” said Wong.
“We are used to seeing online campaigns by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines but where are the other e-commerce merchants?”
Wong added that by participating in the buy-online campaign, these merchants would also be raising their profiles.
NIM 2009 will cost Pikom RM1.6mil to hold and a national ICT strategic review report will be released during the leadership summit at the event.
“The objective of the inaugural publication is to provide details on the Malaysian ICT sectoral outlook,” added Wong.
Pikom hopes to make NIM an annual event. It is being supported by Mosti and MDeC, the caretaker of the country’s MSC Malaysia initiative.
NEWS: New ministry a plus for content industry
PETALING JAYA: The Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom) thinks it’s unnatural for the communcations industry to be under the newly-formed Ministry of Information, Communications, Culture and Arts.
But the Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) —custodian of the MSC Malaysia initiative — believes it was the right move by the Prime Minister when reshuffling the Cabinet.
MDeC chief executive officer Datuk Badlisham Ghazali told In.Tech that the country’s communications industry included content developers, which comprise a diverse mix of technologists and those into culture and the arts.
“You have a group of animators, game developers, film makers and even stage performers,” he said, “and the new ministry will help bring together these diverse individuals for the betterment of the industry.
“We see this as a positive step in aiding the local content industry.”
Badlisham said the ministry would also be able to encourage more local flavour in Malaysian-made content.
Doing this will make local content stand out in the global arena. “The world knows more about kung fu than silat,” he said. “Both are martial arts but the international audience knows less about silat, which can make Malaysian content more exciting.”
There is not a single policy now that states the rational for inculcating our arts and culture into locally produced content, according to Badlisham who believes the new ministry will be able to remedy this shortcoming.
“I see this ministry driving the content industry further forward,” Badlisham said on the sidelines of a signing ceremony between local technology company K-One Technology Bhd and US-based Smart-pen inventor Livescribe Inc last week.
Mismatch
Pikom said it was surprised to find the country’s communications initiatives placed under the purview of the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry.
It said the communications element — all important for the nation’s development — is at odds with the ministry’s other responsibilities.
“The element is significant since communication is high on the national agenda with the (planned) roll out of High Speed Broadband in the country, as well as the Government’s aim to achieve 50% broadband penetration by end 2010,” said Pikom chairman David Wong.
Previously, communications was the responsibility of the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry.
Pikom is disappointed that its call for a single Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry has not been heeded.
Wong said the organisation now has to ferry between two ministries — the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry.
He said having a single ministry for all things ICT would have sped up procedures for technology companies in the country because there is now overlap between the two ministries.
“This would be a pro-investor condition that would likely have helped increase foreign direct investment into Malaysia,” he said in a press statement.
“We envisage such a ministry would be specifically tasked to actively promote Malaysia’s ICT industry, develop constructive policies and guidelines to deal with global ICT deregulation and market liberalisation.”
Pikom, however, lauds the Government’s move to create a ministry to facilitate green technology — the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.
“This will definitely see the nation adapt energy cost-saving measures, as well as take future environmental protection and preservation steps,” Wong said. “It will also transform Malaysia into a developed nation and society.”
New Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the Cabinet reshuffle on April 9.
But the Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) —custodian of the MSC Malaysia initiative — believes it was the right move by the Prime Minister when reshuffling the Cabinet.
MDeC chief executive officer Datuk Badlisham Ghazali told In.Tech that the country’s communications industry included content developers, which comprise a diverse mix of technologists and those into culture and the arts.
“You have a group of animators, game developers, film makers and even stage performers,” he said, “and the new ministry will help bring together these diverse individuals for the betterment of the industry.
“We see this as a positive step in aiding the local content industry.”
Badlisham said the ministry would also be able to encourage more local flavour in Malaysian-made content.
Doing this will make local content stand out in the global arena. “The world knows more about kung fu than silat,” he said. “Both are martial arts but the international audience knows less about silat, which can make Malaysian content more exciting.”
There is not a single policy now that states the rational for inculcating our arts and culture into locally produced content, according to Badlisham who believes the new ministry will be able to remedy this shortcoming.
“I see this ministry driving the content industry further forward,” Badlisham said on the sidelines of a signing ceremony between local technology company K-One Technology Bhd and US-based Smart-pen inventor Livescribe Inc last week.
Mismatch
Pikom said it was surprised to find the country’s communications initiatives placed under the purview of the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry.
It said the communications element — all important for the nation’s development — is at odds with the ministry’s other responsibilities.
“The element is significant since communication is high on the national agenda with the (planned) roll out of High Speed Broadband in the country, as well as the Government’s aim to achieve 50% broadband penetration by end 2010,” said Pikom chairman David Wong.
Previously, communications was the responsibility of the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry.
Pikom is disappointed that its call for a single Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Ministry has not been heeded.
Wong said the organisation now has to ferry between two ministries — the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Ministry.
He said having a single ministry for all things ICT would have sped up procedures for technology companies in the country because there is now overlap between the two ministries.
“This would be a pro-investor condition that would likely have helped increase foreign direct investment into Malaysia,” he said in a press statement.
“We envisage such a ministry would be specifically tasked to actively promote Malaysia’s ICT industry, develop constructive policies and guidelines to deal with global ICT deregulation and market liberalisation.”
Pikom, however, lauds the Government’s move to create a ministry to facilitate green technology — the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry.
“This will definitely see the nation adapt energy cost-saving measures, as well as take future environmental protection and preservation steps,” Wong said. “It will also transform Malaysia into a developed nation and society.”
New Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the Cabinet reshuffle on April 9.
NEWS: Applying psychometrics to smart schools
KUALA LUMPUR: The subject may sound mind-boggling but applied-research body Mimos Bhd believes that psychometrics will be an important component in the smart school flagship application.
Generally defined as the application of statistics and mathematic techniques for psychological and education testing, Mimos’ centre of psychometrics plans to develop tools to complement the flagship application.
The plans will also make the lives of human-resource personnel and researchers a bit easier, said the centre.
The two-month-old centre is actively helping in the development of applications for Malaysian smart schools under the Mimos Innovative Learning Platform.
Its principal researcher, psychometrician Dr Haniza Yon, said the platform promotes e-learning using semantic technology.
“Semantic technology and psychometrics are related because personalisation is part of the semantics, and profiling as well as psychometrics deal with these subjects,” she explained.
Using this platform, Mimos hopes to help students get more out of e-learning through better learning methods, she said.
Compared to regular multimedia presentations used in schools, the platform takes issues further by personalising the teaching and learning methods for each student.
Through a psychometric method called Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), schools are able to assess each student’s abilities and weaknesses.
It can also identify if a student is visionary or prefers a hands-on learning approach so that teachers can personalise the method to the individual student to make the learning process more effective.
“Research has shown that students are more comfortable learning this way,” Haniza said.
Half-year checks
Students will be evaluated every six months to monitor any change in preferences, she said.
CAT can also be a more effective assessment method, compared to typical pencil-and-paper tests, according to Haniza.
In a computer-assisted test, students are given random questions with similar difficulties. “The level of difficulty will depend on how students answer the previous question,” she explained.
This method, she said, will produce better results compared to the conventional method and also help minimise cheating among students.
Mimos plans to use this method of psychometrics in a pilot study which it expects to roll out at the end of the year, which will be conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
“This will help us identify whether the system will fare well in our schools,” Haniza said.
She declined to go into details, but said the pilot would involve rural and urban schools nationwide.
Generally defined as the application of statistics and mathematic techniques for psychological and education testing, Mimos’ centre of psychometrics plans to develop tools to complement the flagship application.
The plans will also make the lives of human-resource personnel and researchers a bit easier, said the centre.
The two-month-old centre is actively helping in the development of applications for Malaysian smart schools under the Mimos Innovative Learning Platform.
Its principal researcher, psychometrician Dr Haniza Yon, said the platform promotes e-learning using semantic technology.
“Semantic technology and psychometrics are related because personalisation is part of the semantics, and profiling as well as psychometrics deal with these subjects,” she explained.
Using this platform, Mimos hopes to help students get more out of e-learning through better learning methods, she said.
Compared to regular multimedia presentations used in schools, the platform takes issues further by personalising the teaching and learning methods for each student.
Through a psychometric method called Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT), schools are able to assess each student’s abilities and weaknesses.
It can also identify if a student is visionary or prefers a hands-on learning approach so that teachers can personalise the method to the individual student to make the learning process more effective.
“Research has shown that students are more comfortable learning this way,” Haniza said.
Half-year checks
Students will be evaluated every six months to monitor any change in preferences, she said.
CAT can also be a more effective assessment method, compared to typical pencil-and-paper tests, according to Haniza.
In a computer-assisted test, students are given random questions with similar difficulties. “The level of difficulty will depend on how students answer the previous question,” she explained.
This method, she said, will produce better results compared to the conventional method and also help minimise cheating among students.
Mimos plans to use this method of psychometrics in a pilot study which it expects to roll out at the end of the year, which will be conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Education.
“This will help us identify whether the system will fare well in our schools,” Haniza said.
She declined to go into details, but said the pilot would involve rural and urban schools nationwide.
NEWS: A free online phone service
WITH the launch of Hotlink Mobile Playground, students at six private institutions of higher learning in the Klang Valley can now browse the internet, games and music on specially set-up mobile phones for free.
Provided by Maxis Communica-tions Berhad (Maxis), the data service area is available to students at Stamford College, KDU College, Binary University College, Inti University College, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak and Universiti Tenaga Nasional for six months from February to July. Two Hotlink ambassadors are also stationed at each venue to assist students and to demonstrate Maxis mobile data services.
Hotlink Mobile Playground is part of the recently launched Hotlink Youth Club, a new prepaid and rewards plan exclusively for college students.
From left: Chief operating officer Andrew Choo, Lai and Selva watching a student play an online game through the Hotlink Mobile Playground at the college.
Maxis Head of Product Marketing Lai Shu Wei said at the launch of Hotlink Mobile Playground in Stamford College recently, “Maxis subscribers today form the largest base of mobile data users in Malaysia, with an astounding 4.4 million accessing mobile internet services and sites on a regular basis.
“Many of these subscribers are youths within the under-25 age bracket, who use their mobile phones for social interaction and expression.
“Maxis is introducing Hotlink Mobile Playground to reach out to them and meet their demands for more engagement and information, helping them to be more mobile in their internet experiences.”
According to PC.com publisher Selva Rajan, the magazine, which is partnering with Maxis in this initiative, will also be demonstrating the latest tech gadgets and game shows for students during this period.
“In our quest to drive ICT and broadband penetration even further than the 22% we are at currently, it is efforts like Hotlink Mobile Playground that will spike and sustain the interest of the technology users of tomorrow - students.
“PC.com magazine will be offering special magazine subscription packages targeted specifically for students. Apart from this, PC.com magazine will be offering all students from these six colleges a concise version of our magazine for free,” he said.
Lai added, “We have made it as easy and simple as possible for students to access mobile data services from Maxis. We are confident that Hotlink Mobile Playground will be popular, and we hope to bring this service to four more colleges by year-end.”
Provided by Maxis Communica-tions Berhad (Maxis), the data service area is available to students at Stamford College, KDU College, Binary University College, Inti University College, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak and Universiti Tenaga Nasional for six months from February to July. Two Hotlink ambassadors are also stationed at each venue to assist students and to demonstrate Maxis mobile data services.
Hotlink Mobile Playground is part of the recently launched Hotlink Youth Club, a new prepaid and rewards plan exclusively for college students.
From left: Chief operating officer Andrew Choo, Lai and Selva watching a student play an online game through the Hotlink Mobile Playground at the college.
Maxis Head of Product Marketing Lai Shu Wei said at the launch of Hotlink Mobile Playground in Stamford College recently, “Maxis subscribers today form the largest base of mobile data users in Malaysia, with an astounding 4.4 million accessing mobile internet services and sites on a regular basis.
“Many of these subscribers are youths within the under-25 age bracket, who use their mobile phones for social interaction and expression.
“Maxis is introducing Hotlink Mobile Playground to reach out to them and meet their demands for more engagement and information, helping them to be more mobile in their internet experiences.”
According to PC.com publisher Selva Rajan, the magazine, which is partnering with Maxis in this initiative, will also be demonstrating the latest tech gadgets and game shows for students during this period.
“In our quest to drive ICT and broadband penetration even further than the 22% we are at currently, it is efforts like Hotlink Mobile Playground that will spike and sustain the interest of the technology users of tomorrow - students.
“PC.com magazine will be offering special magazine subscription packages targeted specifically for students. Apart from this, PC.com magazine will be offering all students from these six colleges a concise version of our magazine for free,” he said.
Lai added, “We have made it as easy and simple as possible for students to access mobile data services from Maxis. We are confident that Hotlink Mobile Playground will be popular, and we hope to bring this service to four more colleges by year-end.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
