This BackPack makes school fun

DON'T fret when your child gets answers for her homework or school research from Windows Live Messenger.

Two Ngee Ann Secondary School physics teachers, Mr Alvin Tan and Mr Lee Chin Teck, observed the prevalent use of instant messaging among students and decided to use it as a teaching tool.

So, with help from Microsoft and a local software developer, they developed a virtual instant messenger buddy that the students can add to their contact lists.

Enhanced with artificial intelligence, "Hola Newton" can answer simple physics questions.

Hola Newton has been a hit with school children, with 99 per cent of students surveyed saying they had learned more about Newton's Law of Motion with it.

Such projects that enhance education with the use of IT will be the cornerstone of a collaboration between the Ministry of Education, the Infocomm Development Authority and Microsoft.

The BackPackLive! initiative will benefit 500,000 primary, secondary and junior college students.

This is "phase two" of BackPack.NET, a previous five-year, $20-million collaboration between the three organisations launched in 2003, said Ms Jessica Tan, managing director of Microsoft Singapore, to innovate the use of IT in education.

Over the next four years, $5.5 million will be pumped into BackPackLive! to help teachers develop ways to integrate infocomm technology in their curriculum.

Said Ms Tan: "The main aim is to make teaching and learning engaging and fun."

The aim is also to get local software developers involved in the education market, and put the spotlight on cyber-wellness issues such as security and intellectual property.

Why are broadcast regulators allowing so many rape scenes in local TV dramas?

SCREENSHOT OF RAPE SCENE IN THE LITTLE NYONYA, A CHANNEL 8 DRAMA SERIES

STOMPer Rony Ang is appalled that there are so many rape scenes in local TV dramas Red Thread and Fighting Spiders. Shouldn't broadcast regulators censor these scenes to protect our children, says the concerned STOMPer.

In an email to STOMP today (June 24), the STOMPer says:

“I am quite disturbed by the many rape scenes on our home TV programmes. I see that happening on Red Thread, and I also see that happening on a show that’s supposedly good for our children, Fighting Spiders.

“Is this necessary? I am not saying that rapes do not happen in real life, but children are simply too young to understand what they see.

“Are producers trying to prepare our children for such horrible things? Are they brainwashing them by saying that rape is so common that they should just simply ‘move on’ when it happens?

“If producers are not concerned about protecting our children, shouldn’t our regulators censor these scenes before it's put on TV?”

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PSLE Congress 2009