River Valley High School [*IP]
-
The article was in The New Paper yesterday too. The printed article was much longer and talked about a Sec 2 parent who raised his voice during the meeting.
—
Parents question use of iPad in school
January 31, 2012 - 11:35pm
By:
Bryna Sim
THE shouting match over iPad2s did not take place in a dodgy electronics shop between a sleazy salesman and a tourist.
Instead, it took place in one of Singapore’s top secondary schools between some parents and school authorities.
River Valley High School (RVHS) plans to get all of its 2,800 students and teachers to use Apple’s hand-held tablet computer for lessons.
And the furious exchange took place when some parents questioned the decision during a briefing session. Their concerns also included the device’s cost - about $700– and access to unsuitable material on the Net. -
It’s a pity to see this news, for both the school and parents. I did not see the full text, however, if the reporter did report the full picture, the news should include the school’s opinion and plan. And of course, the detailes of the price plan and theft protection plan. And the price is $786, not $700.
-
Wasn’t the briefing held before CNY? Why was it only reported yesterday? How did the reporter get the news? An observation about Lianhe Wanbao and The New Paper is that both carry more gossip than news as compared with The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao… well, just a thought.
-
Belle2011:
It is sad to see such news in the paper. I think RV has a good intention to hold dialogue sessions with parents to clarify doubts and get feedback. Not sure whether other schools even hold such sessions.
I wonder why other schools did not seem to have this issue. -
why parents need to raise voice in dialogue with school ?
if the kids were to become addicted, no matter where / what the kid will be addicted…they will get their hands somewhere and get addicted
better for the parents to work with the kids how to use the ipad rightly without getting addicted or without going to undesireable websites.
they can get to where they want with or without ipad -
I attended this Y2 parent briefing. There were only 2 parents who were all out to attack. The press was of course not there. Some parent or student notified them, and they are of cos, always ready for some juicy gossip.
Some parents also repeated questions already posted by other parents. For example, the question about students’ handwriting being affected was repeated again and again. -
Some of these parents didn't get their kids happily into RV. They have prefered other schools like RI but failed to get in because of a few points.
====
The fact is that RV has always been in the forefront of innovation. Well before ipad, the school has already been pushing virtual lab for more interactive learning. The school may be seeing ipad as a boost from the platform point of view from the teaching materials that they have been developing.
http://www.futuregov.asia/articles/2010/oct/11/science-brought-life-virtual-reality/
==
Education IT
Science brought to life with virtual reality
By Kelly Ng | 11 October 2010
River Valley High School is the first campus in Singapore to have a Virtual Reality Laboratory and has reported significant success in helping students understand concepts better. Subject Head Biology (Junior High) Chow Ban Hoe gave FutureGov Asia Pacific and 20 teachers a tour of the new facility.
Photos
View photos
Related Articles
Citizen safety through police mobility
Related Categories
EDUCATION IT
From this Section
NEWS
Supported by a funding from the Ministry of Education of up to S$100,000 (US$76,000) over the first three years, Chow invested in a special screen, polarising and anaglyph glasses, and two ceiling-mounted high resolution LCD projectors fitted with polarising filters.
The equipment made up the Virtual Reality Laboratory; but the most important component of the class was the content. Chow was heavily involved in content creation because the process needed someone with expertise in pedagogy and subject matter.
“We decided on three forms of media – 3D movies, 3D anaglyph posters and the molecular studio,” explained Chow. “A lot of research was done before we drafted the storyboard and finally created the animation. I focused on the content and pedagogy while our collaborators worked on the ‘movie magic’.”
Working alongside on this innovative project is Associate Professor Cai Yiyu, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Zepth, a solution provider in immersive technology.
Almost all of Chow’s class (97 per cent) surveyed said that the Virtual Reality Laboratory helped them to grasp the subject better, regardless of their initial level of knowledge. 90 per cent of the students said this new way of learning has generated more interest in Biology. River Valley High School is a leading public school which attracts the top ten per cent of students in Singapore.
“The 3D animation has really helped me gain another outlook in the structure and internal working of cells, plus illustrate effectively the units of DNA, which was very interesting. This is as good, if not better than, a practical lesson,” said one of the students.
“I believe that virtual reality technology would be a key technology to reshape our lives in the 21st century. It already has a wide diversity of impressive and practical applications, such as 3D medical imaging, military training, visualisation of complex scientific data, and molecular modelling,” added Chow. “3D environment enables students to reach many complex worlds – from biomolecules to solar system – to gain a deeper and better understanding of difficult concepts.”
Biology resources have been created for all levels of students aged 13 to 17. Topics include cell structure and function, microorganism, cell ultra-structuer and function, cell division and genetics of viruses. -
Weihan, that’s why I said RV is already doing so well and the students have benefitted from the prog, this can be seen from the spectacular A level results. So there’s no need to introduce ipad. It doesn’t mean that when they go more high-tech, students will benefit more. The cost is a major concern, addiction is another big headache.
-
Hi sall,
Maybe the school feel that with ipad platform, the concept can be more widely applied in all subjects. -
Snow Crystal:
Why are those parents so angry? What's their major issues? Cost of ipad or afraid kids will become addicted?
Hmm...I am wondering too...even if they are not happy ...it does not justify the 'shouting' match . There must be a lapse in communication of some sort.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login