Technology enabled learning environment being proposed for SVG

Digicel is looking at ways in which they can create a technology enabled learning environment, to maximize the benefits which can be derived by students who recently received laptops under the Government’s one laptop per child initiative.{{more}}

In the wake of the ongoing distribution of laptops to secondary school students, Invest SVG, in collaboration with telecommunications services provider Digicel, suggested to the Ministry of Telecommunications an idea on how to maximize the use of the recently distributed laptops.

Last week, Minister of Telecommunications Camillo Gonsalves held a meeting with Digicel’s director of Projects (Digicel Group) for the Caribbean and Central America Lisa Lewis and Sanjeev Patni and Ringkasan CV Raman of software solutions company Xchanging.

During the meeting held at the conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lewis said that Xchanging, through their learning management solution, has managed to transform the educational system in Malaysia into a top of the line ICT set-up that benefits not only students, but teachers and parents as well.

Lewis said that over the years, Digicel has been involved in a lot of work in education and has adopted the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) which speaks to literacy.

She said that in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Digicel wants to look at how to use technology to enhance education. She added that in other countries, Digicel has created technology enabled learning environments where teachers have been taught how to use ICT to integrate their current content.

“This is more than just using a laptop and bringing a tablet into the classroom; it is about how they create ICT content that is correct and engages the student. It’s more than just being ICT literate; it involves being an ICT enabled teacher and how to use ICT tools to train,” said Lewis who added that this concept can help maximize the use of the recently distributed laptops.

She stressed that Xchanging’s learning management solution not only focuses on using ICT as a tool to educate, but also does, among other things, make reports on things like absent teachers and students.

Talking about Xchanging’s learning management solution was Ringkasan CV Raman. He said that the company has managed to transform the schools in countries like Malaysia, India and the United Kingdom, as Xchanging has the capability to deliver end-to-end Managed Services Networks and complete Education Platforms globally.

He said that this can be done in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

He added that they run the largest education account in the world for the Malaysia Ministry of Education, which delivers technology services to 10,000 schools, 5.9 million students, 4.5 million parents and over 500,000 teachers.

Xchanging learning management solution accommodates a student demand for 24/7 learning with secure and innovative software, content and network solutions that include design, installation, implementation and on-going maintenance.

Students access all their curriculum needs through their computers and this eliminates the need for textbooks. The work being done is always available through the computer so a student can review the day’s work at anytime. The solution also has a specific login area for parents to monitor a child’s progress. The solution uses an interactive digital whiteboard, a computer or a tablet instead of the chalk and blackboard.

“Xchanging recognizes the need for more effective ways of learning to stay ahead of rapidly evolving teaching environments,” said CV Raman, adding that they have expertise in educational capacity planning, network management and security.

Xchanging helps to enable accessible, affordable, high quality learning in a global market where student enrolment is rising rapidly. They accommodate student demand for 24/7 learning with secure and innovative software, content and network solutions that include design, installation, implementation and on-going maintenance.

It was also noted that it is important for underdeveloped countries to provide accessible and affordable learning solutions for their communities.

“Xchanging is trusted by government bodies, higher education and further education institutions around the world to deliver secure learning environments to students, teachers and extended communities of all ages and abilities. Our capabilities and expertise in the education market enable us to apply unrivalled technology solutions, end-to-end,” said the presenter Raman.

In response, Senator and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Consumer Affairs and Information Technology Camillo Gonsalves said that the Government is at a point where, “we want to maximize technology that has been placed in the hands of students and that involves pedagogical and curriculum adjustments that are not fully thought out as yet.”

He added that his Ministry must sit down with high-level people in the Ministry of Education to deal with this issue.

In addition, Gonsalves said that there is a problem with the performance of boys and the girls have been outperforming the boys, “and we would like to look into this.”

He added also that the boys have been gravitating towards technology, “and we would like to see how we can use these laptops to address this.”

He also added that Digicel’s Dennis O’Brien has indicated his willingness to help with the training of teachers in ICT teaching solutions.

Meanwhile, Invest SVG’s executive director Bernadette Ambrose-Black said that Invest SVG is hoping to implement through partnerships, some of the ICT projects already in operation in the other islands.

Some of these projects include a government assisted Internet programme, using 4G LTE, the implementation of enrichment programmes in challenged schools, the establishment of Technology Enabled Learning Centres, the deployment of a learning and school management system and the coder dojo project, where students aged 7 to 17 can learn to code mobile applications.