Photos by BRIAN MOH and courtesy of Microsoft Malaysia
Teachers from around the world gathered together to share their experiences on ensuring better learning outcomes for students.
USING Minecraft to teach children Maths and being able to conduct classes without having to be physically present.
These are among the interesting methods shared and learnt at a global exchange of 300 of the world’s most innovative educators.
Three Malaysian teachers were part of this exciting event where they had the opportunity to work together, create and share their experiences on how to use technology to achieve better learning outcomes.
The three — Deblin Lawan from SJK (C) Chien Chi in Plentong, Johor, Kamilah Abdullah from SMK Abdul Rahman Talib in Kuantan, Pahang and Seyamala Subramanyam from SMK Sungai Pusu, Kuala Lumpur, are also known as Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Experts.
To qualify for the Microsoft Global Educator Exchange (E²), the teachers were required to submit a technology-oriented lesson they had already carried out.
Kamilah’s project on “Cyberbullying” saw her 16-year-old students sharing what they knew about the topic by using puppets to tell stories and presenting their activity in PowerPoint or video format. (The cover shows an example of a story her students told using puppets.)
“I also used Sway to run the project. The app is a sharing platform that allows many people to work on one project at the same time then publish it.
“The activity subconsciously got my students to communicate more in English, as they were required to produce videos and write informal letters in the language,” said the English teacher.
Deblin got her 11-year-old students to produce movies based on the topic “Manners for the Modern Children”.
“The tools used were Microsoft’s Movie Maker and PowerPoint. I also incorporated the higher order thinking skills to get the students to create their own production based on their interpretation of manners.
“The results were amazing, as the students were really creative with how they presented their movies,” she said.
Deblin said the students also learnt how to manage time and resources by sharing one laptop when classes were in session.
On using Minecraft to teach Maths, Kamilah said: “It’s a game that requires players to build using textured cubes, so they have to calculate how the objects can fit.”
“By using Office Mix, I can create lessons using PowerPoint presentations with videos to give instructions for a language class or incorporate music for my art session,” said Deblin who teaches English and Art.
“These presentations can be shown by a colleague if I’m unable to attend classes because I’m sick or away for training. It’s like giving voice to a PowerPoint slide.”
Deblin, 28, was recognised for Project Excellence at E² for her individual project in the Office Mix Award category.
Microsoft hosted the E² Global Educator Exchange — a three-day event held at its Redmond campus in Washington, the United States — from April 29 to May 1.
It was to recognise and celebrate the achievements of educators who are preparing students for life in the 21st century.
The programme, which aims to bridge the gap between technology skills and innovative teaching, brought together 300 of the world’s most innovative educators from more than 80 countries.
At E², educators teamed up with peers from different parts of the world to brainstorm and design projects that reflected new ways to tap into technology to improve educational outcomes and enable teachers and students to do more.
Winners were selected across 12 categories that covered themes such as enhancing student collaboration, and building educator capacity and product innovation.
Kamilah, 27, and her group were awarded for their project in the Mind Shift category.
“Our ‘Extend a Hand’ project aims to get students to be involved and help special needs children,” she said.
“We’re leaving it up to the students to figure out what and how they want to help the special needs children, whether by creating a website, video or app.”
Deblin’s group challenge called “I Am Beautiful” is a campaign on the effects of advertisements on children.
“We want to ask the 11- to 13-year-olds what they understand from advertisements and get them to express their own sense of beauty.
“Our group will be communicating through Skype, and using OneNote, PowerPoint, Bing, Sway and Movie Maker to do our work,” she said.
In addition to being given exposure and training on how to use various Microsoft products and tools at E², Kamilah and Deblin both sat for exams to qualify as a Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE). (See sidebar on the difference between MIE and MCE.)
On important lessons learnt during the programme, Kamilah said it allowed her to put herself in her students’ shoes and realise the challenges of working with different personalities.
“We had to adapt to the situation, analyse the information we had and select the best to be presented,” said Kamilah.
“As a teacher, E² has really opened my eyes to how working with educators from around the world can elevate the education of our students to another level.
“I am passionate about teaching, and I feel that it is my responsibility to be more and do more to help in further developing the quality of our education here.”
Deblin shared that she learnt the value of inspiring others.
“It makes a difference to appreciate and inspire people. A little motivation helps in getting the project going,” she said.
“E² was truly a life-changing experience. I am now more confident in trying fresh approaches when designing innovative teaching and learning methods for my students.
“In fact, I am currently preparing my students for their first-ever classroom showcase to demonstrate their ICT learning proficiency, which will be held during our school open day this year.”
Microsoft Malaysia Public Sector Group director Nik Ariff Nik Omar said: “As a partner in learning, the Global Educator Exchange is in line with the Government’s efforts to improve the quality of teaching and education in Malaysia.
“Technology can be a tool to help improve education but it is only one piece of a larger solution. This needs to be supported by professional development for educators, which leads to new innovations in teaching and learning.
“We are delighted to see our very own teachers receive the recognition they deserve for their passion in teaching, and the innovative ideas they have in using technology to reinvent and improve educational outcomes of their students,” he said.
Microsoft Malaysia later presented Kamilah and Deblin each with a Microsoft Surface 3 tablet in recognition of their innovative approaches to technology in the classroom and their dedication to educating the next generation of leaders.
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