OpelxFrost
01-20-2007, 11:33 AM
SINGAPORE: So, you think your child is spending too much time on computer games at home. What if he tells you he'll be playing them at school too - with his teacher's permission?
Next month, at least two schools here are expected to pilot a unique initiative to introduce students, teachers and principals to the world of online gaming as part of the curriculum.
None of the schools have been identified yet as plans are still being fine-tuned and awaiting the authorities' endorsement.
Then again, perhaps it was only a matter of time before the drive to harness IT to the Singapore school experience turned to the powerful influence of role-playing games (RPG) among the young.
The initiative represents a "shift" in direction for the education system, said Assistant Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education.
"I see gaming as a new and broadened platform for learning, and by making it interesting to students, it will help motivate them to learn new skills," Prof Muhammad Faishal, who was pleased to learn that teachers would be around to guide the youngsters, told TODAY.
Following focus group discussions with principals, teachers, students, academics and counsellors, the RPG Granado Espada was "carefully selected" to have its colourful fantasy characters introduced into the school curriculum.
Mr Thomas Chong, director of education initiatives at Infocomm Asia Holdings (IAH), which is spearheading the initiative, said it was "not your typical slash-and-kill" game, but one that can help players learn life-skills such as decision-making and problem-solving.
"This is not an educational game dressed up as an MMOG (massively-multi-player online game). Rather, we want to ask students whether, say, a war can be won without fighting, but instead by signing a treaty? We want them to see the merits of discussion, strategising, and coming up with alternative ideas," he said.
Singapore is believed to be the first country in the world planning to use Grenado Espada as a learning tool. And lest parents are worried it might open the school doors to other addictive RPGs, the online games operator gave the assurance that any future games introduced would undergo the same strict selection process.
Educators and parents were understandably cautious. St Andrew's Secondary School principal Belinda Charles felt that while the arrival of online gaming in schools was unavoidable, she said: "If we are going to allow and encourage students to play such games, then there has to be a re-think among teachers on how to better prepare our children for this new environment."
One of her greatest fears is students becoming "obsessed" with online gaming if exposed at too young an age.
"I've seen it as a reality among secondary school children. They get obsessed because it's a nice secret world they can escape to, a place where the adults cannot get into simply because they are not familiar with the game," she said.
The fear of addiction is the reason another secondary school principal, who preferred not to be named, said she would not want online games in her school.
"I think the learning objectives are not strong enough to overcome the disadvantages of a student getting hooked on the game," she said, arguing that the same desired outcomes could be had by giving students case scenarios or letting them make decisions in group settings.
National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan stressed the importance of striking a balance between cyberspace learning and face-to-face interaction. "You may have a student who is very competent in the online world, but in the real world, he may lack the ability to interact with his peers. I think our children lack those skills - and this is where the educationists have to step in," she said.
Mr Chan W K, a 49-year-old father of two primary school-going children, suggested that online gaming be restricted to only "once, maximum twice" a week as a treat for "students who deserve it".
All about Granado Espada
The fantasy role-playing game is set in a detailed fictional game-world that mirrors the 17th century and the European colonists' forays into the New World. The game allows players to explore countries as they solve puzzles and hunt for treasure.
The developers from Korea even spent time touring Europe in a bid to recreate the Baroque era, with realistic images of the parks, museums, costumes and architecture during that period.
On the game's educational merits, IAH's Mr Chong said: "There's the historical and geographical context, and it will appeal to the Arts Elective Programme at schools."
The game is expected to go on sale to the general public by the middle of this year. With the server being hosted here in Singapore instead of America, gamers can expect a faster response time of two to three seconds.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/253406/1/.html
If only they consider dota instead of GE lol.
Next month, at least two schools here are expected to pilot a unique initiative to introduce students, teachers and principals to the world of online gaming as part of the curriculum.
None of the schools have been identified yet as plans are still being fine-tuned and awaiting the authorities' endorsement.
Then again, perhaps it was only a matter of time before the drive to harness IT to the Singapore school experience turned to the powerful influence of role-playing games (RPG) among the young.
The initiative represents a "shift" in direction for the education system, said Assistant Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, who sits on the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education.
"I see gaming as a new and broadened platform for learning, and by making it interesting to students, it will help motivate them to learn new skills," Prof Muhammad Faishal, who was pleased to learn that teachers would be around to guide the youngsters, told TODAY.
Following focus group discussions with principals, teachers, students, academics and counsellors, the RPG Granado Espada was "carefully selected" to have its colourful fantasy characters introduced into the school curriculum.
Mr Thomas Chong, director of education initiatives at Infocomm Asia Holdings (IAH), which is spearheading the initiative, said it was "not your typical slash-and-kill" game, but one that can help players learn life-skills such as decision-making and problem-solving.
"This is not an educational game dressed up as an MMOG (massively-multi-player online game). Rather, we want to ask students whether, say, a war can be won without fighting, but instead by signing a treaty? We want them to see the merits of discussion, strategising, and coming up with alternative ideas," he said.
Singapore is believed to be the first country in the world planning to use Grenado Espada as a learning tool. And lest parents are worried it might open the school doors to other addictive RPGs, the online games operator gave the assurance that any future games introduced would undergo the same strict selection process.
Educators and parents were understandably cautious. St Andrew's Secondary School principal Belinda Charles felt that while the arrival of online gaming in schools was unavoidable, she said: "If we are going to allow and encourage students to play such games, then there has to be a re-think among teachers on how to better prepare our children for this new environment."
One of her greatest fears is students becoming "obsessed" with online gaming if exposed at too young an age.
"I've seen it as a reality among secondary school children. They get obsessed because it's a nice secret world they can escape to, a place where the adults cannot get into simply because they are not familiar with the game," she said.
The fear of addiction is the reason another secondary school principal, who preferred not to be named, said she would not want online games in her school.
"I think the learning objectives are not strong enough to overcome the disadvantages of a student getting hooked on the game," she said, arguing that the same desired outcomes could be had by giving students case scenarios or letting them make decisions in group settings.
National University of Singapore sociologist Paulin Straughan stressed the importance of striking a balance between cyberspace learning and face-to-face interaction. "You may have a student who is very competent in the online world, but in the real world, he may lack the ability to interact with his peers. I think our children lack those skills - and this is where the educationists have to step in," she said.
Mr Chan W K, a 49-year-old father of two primary school-going children, suggested that online gaming be restricted to only "once, maximum twice" a week as a treat for "students who deserve it".
All about Granado Espada
The fantasy role-playing game is set in a detailed fictional game-world that mirrors the 17th century and the European colonists' forays into the New World. The game allows players to explore countries as they solve puzzles and hunt for treasure.
The developers from Korea even spent time touring Europe in a bid to recreate the Baroque era, with realistic images of the parks, museums, costumes and architecture during that period.
On the game's educational merits, IAH's Mr Chong said: "There's the historical and geographical context, and it will appeal to the Arts Elective Programme at schools."
The game is expected to go on sale to the general public by the middle of this year. With the server being hosted here in Singapore instead of America, gamers can expect a faster response time of two to three seconds.
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/253406/1/.html
If only they consider dota instead of GE lol.