CELEBRATING
Honouring teachers who integrate technology in their classrooms
THARANYA ARUMUGAM KUALA LUMPUR tharanya@nst.com.my
TEACHERS are encouraged to integrate modern technology in classroom teaching for the 21st century learners to equip them with the skill-sets needed to keep up with the world’s demand.
FrogAsia executive director Lou Yeoh said teachers were the people who would shape millennials into leaders of the future.
She said teachers were encouraged to adopt and practise a 21st century teaching and learning method based on the 5Cs, which were critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, character and communication.
In line with this, Lou Yeoh said FrogAsia had always worked hand-in-hand with the Education Ministry to provide a learning environment that would instill creativity and nurture innovation in every student.
In conjunction with the recently held Teachers Day celebration, FrogAsia had celebrated teachers who had successfully integrated technology in their lessons.
“The ceremony celebrated teachers who had successfully empowered the next generation of Malaysians through the use of technology in the classroom.
“They (the teachers) have gone the extra mile to ensure their students receive the best quality of education possible with the help of technology,” she said in a statement recently.
At the 2017 National Teachers Day celebration, the 1Bestarinet Teacher Awards (1BNTA) ceremony was also held to celebrate and recognise teachers with outstanding achievement in adopting technology.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid presented the awards to five deserving teachers.
Lou Yeoh said the 1BNTA was a national-level award programme organised by FrogAsia, a subsidiary of YTL, since 2014 to appreciate teachers all over Malaysia.
The winner selection process was done through two stages, namely a voting stage and a jurying stage, with the winners identified based on a jurying process which assessed reports and presentations by the finalists.
Additionally, this year’s awards included two special categories for Inspirational Teacher as the candidate with the highest number of votes and a special appreciation award.
Saifulnizan Che Ismail of SK Raja Bahar bagged the grand prize for using various technology tools to improve efficiency in the classroom.
He had highly maximised the widgets in the Frog Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), an award-winning cloud-based VLE, by using functions such as videos and file downloads to make his lessons more fun and memorable.
“Teachers today need to move as fast as the world’s developments and demands, especially in the field of education, which is also in line with developments in science and technology,” said Saifulnizan.
First runner-up Kamisah Khamis of SMK Taman Ria Tuaran described herself as someone who prioritised fun in the classroom.
She believed teachers should be generous in praising their students, as such acts instilled confidence in students to succeed in school.
“Space and opportunity are essential in order for students to learn new skills.
“I also believe that the Frog VLE, modern classrooms, e-folios and other exciting learning and facilitating methods help students enjoy learning.”
Meanwhile, second runner-up Mohamad Jalil Yunus of SMK Jalan Reko had adopted five roles as a facilitator, which was to teach in a professional and systematic manner and to prepare his daily lesson plans according to the unique needs of his students, deciding on the assessment methods according to their abilities.
He also prepared adequate resources for his students so they could easily make notes to share, and chose motivational learning spaces for his students.
Meanwhile, Huszaudin Hussin from SK Felda Lok Heng Selatan, who received the highest number of votes on the official 1BNTA website, walked away with the Inspirational Teacher Award.
He said one positive impact that technology in the classroom had was that students were more confident to take part in any learning activity that tookplace because it involved all students and left none out.
The winners also received a 1BNTA trophy, a Chromebook, IT gadgets, and tickets to Petrosains.
A special appreciation award was given to Noridah Hamdan from SK Kayang for her efforts in championing 21st century learning and facilitating.
The 1BestariNet project is an effort to connect all government schools across Malaysia with a YES 4G Internet connection and an online learning platform, the Frog VLE.
The Frog VLE was introduced by FrogAsia, an education technology company with the mission to transform education through 21st century learning initiatives.
FrogAsia is the first organisation in the world to connect an entire nation of 10,000 schools through a single cloud-based learning platform, creating a learning community of 10 million students, teachers and parents.
FrogAsia leverages Frog Education's 15-year track record and expertise in providing the awardwinning Frog Virtual Learning platform to schools.
Frog Education was awarded ICT Provider of the Year at BETT 2015 and “Best Use of Education Technology” at the Education Investor Awards 2013.