Content of this article
Towards a better life
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3 : original article
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Article 1
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Students share a ‘better life’
PETALING JAYA: An end to child abuse. Less time spent on social media. More time for personal interaction.
These were among the suggestions from students who were asked on what they thought would contribute to a better world.
Twelve students, who were given 10 minutes to depict their version of “A Better Life”, highlighted these elements in a mock magazine at The Star-NiE-Pizza Hut’s Mag Inc launch yesterday.
The contest this year invites students to share their views on how their lives would be better through a three-page mini magazine. A “better life” could be in areas such as relationships, environment, education, social work and health.
Holistic development: (From left) Ee, Jamaludin and Yeoh launching The Star-NiE -Pizza Hut contest at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet Monday.
Students have to work in teams of four or five under the supervision of an English teacher for the competition, comprising three categories – Primary Four to Six, lower secondary and upper secondary.
For their efforts, winners in the upper secondary category will walk away with pre-university scholarships worth a total of RM100,000 from Taylor’s University College. The winning teams in each category will also be feted to a four-day, three-night stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with flight tickets sponsored by AirAsia; while the runners-up will enjoy a trip to Resorts World Genting and receive Pizza Hut vouchers.
Students submitting entries under the video clip category will have the chance to walk away with gadgets like iPods in addition to Pizza Hut vouchers worth RM100.
Education Ministry sports division director Ee Hong said the Mag Inc contest could help spur students to think critically as they would need to learn how to put together a mini magazine.
“Sports and co-curricular activities are important to students’ holistic deve¬¬lopment,” she said when launching Mag Inc 2010 at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet here yesterday.
Star Publications (M) Bhd managing editor David Yeoh said the newspaper was pleased to find that its hard work over the past 12 years had made a lasting impression on the local school community.
“This would not have been possible without the support of Pizza Hut, our partner in NiE, as well as the Education Ministry,” he said.
Managing director Jamaludin Md Ali of QSR Brands Bhd, which operates Pizza Hut, said the contest was part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the education sector.
“Pizza Hut is committed to spending more than RM1.4mil on newspaper pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes on the contest this year.”
The first contest workshop will be held in Tafe College, Seremban, on Wednesday and subsequently in Stamford College, Malacca, the following day.
See StarEducation for the full report on Sunday.
Posted by N.A.B at 10:04 AM
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Article 2
Sunday May 9, 2010 THE STAR
Edited from Star Online.. A possible future.. COURTING CHANGES
By Dr THEVA NITHY
The technology and resources are already available for electronic readers to transform our education landscape.
Picture this — Malaysian students walking into school compounds with light bags that require just one finger to carry. As they walk in, the day’s and week’s lessons, complete with lesson plans, notes, web links, assignments and problems for collaborative actions, are instantly downloaded into a gadget that looks suspiciously like an old-fashioned slate, but with an LED screen.
Is this a plausible scene, or is it a ridiculous notion?
An electronic reader is a computer in the form of a book, and has the potential to be immensely beneficial in the classroom. — AP File photo
Let me pose the following questions:
• Why destroy the earth and the environment with the unsustainable action of destroying trees to print books, all to create books that will be outdated the day they are sent for printing and obsolete when published?
• Why pay more to have books that can only be used in one way, when ER (Electronic Readers) could cheaply replace books, provide means for innovative classroom pedagogies, and could be updated continuously for almost forever?
• Why have books when ERs could be the catalyst for the development of broadband access for every school — hence transforming Malaysian education?
• Why force our children to carry heavy bags that damage their bodies when all they need is a lightweight ER?
The ER, a simple technological innovation, has the potential to completely transform Malaysian education, and only requires professional and political will to happen – with perhaps a dash of forward thinking and real concern for learners and educators.
It requires the Education Ministry to completely change their approach, and for our printing and publishing companies to retool themselves to offer a new service.
It also requires perhaps the Engineering and Computer Science experts at our universities and industries to build Malaysian-made ERs that are cheap, adaptable and most of all, completely sustainable.
An ER is simply a computer in the form of a book, with minimal capabilities except to read and write on and with web browsing capabilities. It has a local area connection, has plug and play upgradable components and best of all, it could easily be manufactured locally.
So, why does this amazing device not exist in Malaysian schools?
Long-term gain
In terms of purely financial commitments, the ER is much cheaper than textbooks. We believe that local technology could, albeit with some difficulty, create an ER for RM500 or so.
Keep in mind that the device is usable for at least five to 10 years, and updates to content and syllabus could be done hourly if necessary.
For comparison’s sake, what is the financial cost of 15 years worth of obsolete, un-updatable textbooks, from primary school right up to university?
Sure, it will involve a huge expenditure of capital to start-up, but we have the talent and the resources.
With the billions we are spending on weapons, food subsidies and textbooks, this would be an easy buy if we were to just divert funds from “needless” programmes to this crucial one!
With the ER, even exercise books could be done away with, as assignments could be completed on the device and sent directly to the teacher when logged on to the school network.
Realise that the important event that we want to transpire is to get everyone to have access to learning.
Reading from a textbook is just a different experience than reading from an ER. The important thing is the text, not the medium.
The introduction of ERs into every school in Malaysia, rural schools included, will spur the growth of broadband and access to truly cater to all Malaysians, especially to those who need it the most in rural schools.
We know that there will be detractors who will say that staring at a computer screen for long periods will cause eye-strain and related problems — but that is expected with any new technology.
Before ERs, everyone said that the textbooks strained students’ eyes because the texts were too small and students were reading for too long with bad lighting.
ERs are backlit, have almost zero glare due to the latest LED technology, text size can be customised and can feature animated movies to demonstrate dangerous experiments and create new learning experiences.
We also must point out that the application of this technology is not completely new — we are all already using ERs in one form or another in the likes of PDAs, mobile phones, paging devices and so on.
Why not evolve to the next stage where it can be used to enhance not just our social lives and comfort levels, but our education systems as well?
In spite of the proven track record of the role of technology and its capability to greatly enhance teaching practices, many traditional educators are not convinced simply because it really is difficult to access technology in our schools – and this certainly is a case of seeing is believing.
With easy access, implementation and operationalising of ERs in classrooms, learners, teachers, parents and stakeholders will start thinking and incorporating technology into teaching and learning in a whole new way.
We are confident that authors, publishing companies and other parties with financial interests and political clout will raise a huge stink should this materialise.
As such, we need the support of someone with the highest levels of power and with focused attention to our nation and our national interests.
Conducted properly, this would aid tremendously in the development of the New Economic Model and achieve buy-in by Malaysians for the eight Strategic Reform Initiatives.
Stakeholders would clearly see that our future talent is being placed on the right track and that the powers that be are in touch with global educational developments, objectives and expected outcomes.
Dr Theva is a senior lecturer at The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Through this fortnightly column and through the ENGAGE Programme – Education for Sustainable Global Futures – USM has started, he and his colleagues hope to help transform the Malaysian schooling and higher education systems. He can be contacted through
theva@usm.my.
Article 3 : original article
What makes for a better life?
STUDENTS... TAKE NOTE OF THIS ... YOU COULD WIN RM100,000 worth of scholarships at Pizza Hut and The Star’s annual NiE contest
Sunday March 14, 2010 EDITED ARTICLE FROM THE STAR - Towards a better life
By SHARON OVINIS and ALYCIA LIM educate@thestar.com.my
At a time when the five C’s (Cars, Credit Cards, Condominium, Cash and Career) are priority to Generation Y, it’s refreshing to hear how four 14-year-olds concocted the five F’s for a better life.
A FEW STUDENTS FROM SMK Damansara Utama vouched that “Family, Food, Fun, Friends and Freedom” were sure tickets to quality living.
“What makes for a better life are face-to-face interactions. Social websites or gaming consoles are merely distractions,” said Syahana, while teammates Vanessa and Ainaa nodded in agreement — wise words indeed, from youngsters who have never known life without the Internet, mobile phones or social networking sites.
Vanessa added: “We should be grateful because we have everything that we need, and I feel it is time we do something to help those who do not even have basic necessities.”
A better life - Such enthusiasm to inspire change marked the start of The Star-Pizza Hut’s annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest which was launched last Tuesday in the Pizza Hut restaurant outlet in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
The contest concept, which requires students to produce a three-page mini magazine, is running for the second year. Last year’s theme “Teenage angst” saw 74,000 students submit entries to win Pizza Hut vouchers.
This year’s contest, jointly sponsored by The Star and Pizza Hut, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, centres on the theme “A better life”.
Students, in teams of four or five, design a three-page mini magazine on an issue that changes their lives for the better. Topics could centre on health, safety, racial integration and environment, among others. Each team will have to conduct research on a selected topic, interview peers and write a feature article.
Students are also encouraged to to be more creative in their presentation by using a myriad of writing forms such as poetry, anecdotes, statistics, or comic strips for a more exciting presentation.
This year’s theme allows plenty of room for creativity. As student N. Nagulan, 12, of SJKT Rri Sungai Buloh puts it: “A better life for me is having a car that can be transformed into a radio.
CONCEPT OF A BETTER LIFE
“Not only will I then have a radio to listen to, the car folds neatly into my pocket as well. Parking will no longer be a problem!”
Teams will shoot a three-minute clip based on their perception of what makes a better life for them. While the team with the best video presentation will receive iPods, participation in the category is optional. Qualification for the merit and the grand prize awards depends solely on the mini magazine category.
Great prizes
While the students came with noble ideas, it was undeniable that a major motivation factor for participating in the competition were the attractive prizes offered.
- trip to Cambodia made the competition all the more enticing.
-iPods offered for the video-clip category
- competition makes learning English a lot of fun because we get to carry out activities we don’t normally do in class.
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said: ”I feel that the theme this year is a good platform for students to express their creativity, as it gives them a wider scope to delve into. “Students can produce their magazine about almost anything, from issues about economics to their personal life.” He added that competitions like Mag Inc also made learning English more interesting.
Online registration for schools will open on April 1, and contest templates will be available on April 7 (with reprints on April 28). The contest is limited to schools and is open to primary (Years Four to Six), Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary teams.
BELOW IS THE COMPLETE ARTICLE FROM THE STAR ONLINE DATED 14 MARCH 2010
Sunday March 14, 2010
Towards a better life
What makes for a better life? Your ideas could just win RM100,000 worth of scholarships at Pizza Hut and The Star’s annual NiE contest.
By SHARON OVINIS and ALYCIA LIM
educate@thestar.com.my
At a time when the five C’s (Cars, Credit Cards, Condominium, Cash and Career) are priority to Generation Y, it’s refreshing to hear how four 14-year-olds concocted the five F’s for a better life.
Syahana Azhari, Vanessa Chip Shiao Ven, Ainaa Aiman Mohd Mashrique, and Aaron Luke of SMK Damansara Utama vouched that “Family, Food, Fun, Friends and Freedom” were sure tickets to quality living.
Excited: Pupils celebrate with mock-ups of their magazines and pizzas.
“What makes for a better life are face-to-face interactions. Social websites or gaming consoles are merely distractions,” said Syahana, while teammates Vanessa and Ainaa nodded in agreement — wise words indeed, from youngsters who have never known life without the Internet, mobile phones or social networking sites.
Vanessa added: “We should be grateful because we have everything that we need, and I feel it is time we do something to help those who do not even have basic necessities.”
A better life
Such enthusiasm to inspire change marked the start of The Star-Pizza Hut’s annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest which was launched last Tuesday in the Pizza Hut restaurant outlet in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
The contest concept, which requires students to produce a three-page mini magazine, is running for the second year. Last year’s theme “Teenage angst” saw 74,000 students submit entries to win Pizza Hut vouchers.
This year’s contest, jointly sponsored by The Star and Pizza Hut, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, centres on the theme “A better life”.
Pizzalicious: Students of SMK Bandar Baru Petaling and SK Sri Hartamas enjoying their pizzas.
Students, in teams of four or five, design a three-page mini magazine on an issue that changes their lives for the better.
Topics could centre on health, safety, racial integration and environment, among others.
Each team will have to conduct research on a selected topic, interview peers and write a feature article.
Students are also encouraged to to be more creative in their presentation by using a myriad of writing forms such as poetry, anecdotes, statistics, or comic strips for a more exciting presentation.
This year’s theme allows plenty of room for creativity. As student N. Nagulan, 12, of SJKT Rri Sungai Buloh puts it: “A better life for me is having a car that can be transformed into a radio.
Yeoh (second from left), Jamaludin, Wong and Ee Hong listening to students of SMK Damansara Utama as they explain their concept of “A better life”.
“Not only will I then have a radio to listen to, the car folds neatly into my pocket as well. Parking will no longer be a problem!”
After an encouraging submission of 800 entries for the video clip category last year, this part of the contest has been retained for students who want to try their skills at this genre.
Teams will shoot a three-minute clip based on their perception of what makes a better life for them. While the team with the best video presentation will receive iPods, participation in the category is optional.
Qualification for the merit and the grand prize awards depends solely on the mini magazine category.
Great prizes
While the students came with noble ideas, it was undeniable that a major motivation factor for participating in the competition were the attractive prizes offered.
Sathappan Somasundaram, 12, from SK Sri Hartamas, said that a trip to Cambodia made the competition all the more enticing.
“I really hope to win a trip to Siem Reap so I can see the Angkor Wat, which is one of the wonders of the world,” he said, adding that he would like to learn about the history and culture of Cambodia.
His classmate, Puteri Alisa Alishsal said that the iPods offered for the video-clip category was a good incentive for students to participate in that additional category.
“I also think the competition makes learning English a lot of fun because we get to carry out activities we don’t normally do in class.
“Not only are we learning something new, but are in the running for exciting prizes too!”
New ideas, anyone?
For the second consecutive year, Taylor’s University College is sponsoring the awesome grand prize of pre-university scholarships totalling RM100,000.
Five lucky students can choose to enrol in any one of the following programmes — South Australian Matriculation (SAM), International Canadian Pre-University (ICPU) or Cambridge A-Levels (CAL) — offered by Taylor’s Pre-U studies.
Taylor’s Institutional Marketing vice-president Loy Teik Inn said that it had always been a practice for Taylor’s University College to give scholarships as a means of recognising achievements.
“A competition like this requires a different set of skills.
“Winning a contest like Mag Inc is an accomplishment of a different kind.”
He added that when a scholarship was offered as one of the prizes, it would usually heighten the level of competition among students.
Taylor’s School of Communications dean Josephine Tan is optimistic that the contest would receive an even better response this year.
“The contest theme is an avenue for students to showcase their creativity.
“Since it focuses on aspects that can improve their lives through even the simplest of changes, students would find ample room for expressing their ideas.
“These young minds have many interesting and innovative ideas which we may not have even thought about,” added Tan.
Gracious support
Present to officially launch Mag Inc 2010 was Education Ministry sports director Ee Hong.
In her speech, Ee thanked corporate companies like The Star and Pizza Hut who generously lent their expertise to nation-building efforts.
“Formulate your thoughts and express your observations in ways that can help make this country better as we work towards values and morals that are relevant to our social order and, ultimately, One Malaysia,” she advised students.
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said: ”I feel that the theme this year is a good platform for students to express their creativity, as it gives them a wider scope to delve into.
“Students can produce their magazine about almost anything, from issues about economics to their personal life.”
He added that competitions like Mag Inc also made learning English more interesting.
“It is a good avenue for students to brush up on their English language skills.
“It makes the learning process a fun and interactive one.”
Jamaludin said that he was appreciative of the strong support shown by the Education Ministry over the past years.
“I am very grateful for the interest generated by the ministry.
“What we are doing I believe, is just a small contribution to the bigger picture.”
He added that he looked forward to the finals in September, where six shortlisted teams will present their mini magazines to a panel of judges.
Pizza Hut will be spending more than RM1.4mil on Star-NiE pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes for the contest this year.
Also present at the contest launch was The Star’s managing editor David Yeoh and QSR Brands Bhd (KFC/Pizza Hut Division) director Wong Sooi Kheong.
The Mag Inc 2010 contest workshops are currently running throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Online registration for schools will open on April 1, and contest templates will be available on April 7 (with reprints on April 28).
The contest is limited to schools and is open to primary (Years Four to Six), Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary teams.
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