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International Collaboration to Transform Education Announced
Added: (Thu Sep 07 2006)
International Collaboration to Transform
Education Announced
Futurelab, the UK’s leading education innovators, and the Singapore government agency, Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), have announced a two-year partnership today to develop ground-breaking digital learning resources that support new approaches to teaching and learning.
This international collaboration, known as iLAB 2015, draws on the creative talent, educational experience and technical expertise in both Singapore and the UK, and will lead to a range of educational tools that make learning an engaging and rewarding experience for learners of all ages and abilities.
The collaboration will develop new digital learning resources as well as implement Futurelab’s existing prototype technologies and research programmes in Singapore. In practice, this means that innovative resources such as Racing Academy, which uses gaming to teach engineering, and Space Mission: Ice Moon, which transforms the classroom into an Emergency Response Centre to enable collaborative learning, are likely to be introduced into Singapore schools.
Looking further ahead the IDA, a Singapore government agency for policy formulation, regulation and development of the IT and telecommunications sectors, and Futurelab plan to develop a number of these pioneering educational tools into products that are available to learners across the world.
"We are pleased to partner Futurelab, an established organisation in the UK with a reputation for using information communication technologies in education. Like education, infocomm is an intrinsic part of our lives today. Infocomm technologies have brought about a transformation in the way we learn. I have no doubt that new technologies will continue to bring about radical transformations in the way we teach as well. iLAB 2015 can help to accelerate that transformation, putting Singapore in a strong position for the future, anchoring our position as a global education hub," says Mr Yeng Kit Chan, Chief Executive Officer of IDA.
Annika Small, Chief Executive of Futurelab says: “Singapore and the UK share a vision around the potential of new technologies to radically transform educational practices by enabling more diverse and compelling learning experiences. I am delighted about the Futurelab-IDA partnership which will ensure that innovative ideas for learning resources are put into practice. Together we will produce practical examples of digital tools that foster the development of the creative, problem-solving skills needed in the 21st century.”
Issued: 07/09/06 Ends Ref: f024.doc
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For further information
Futurelab: Lacia Ashman, tel: 0117 915 8222, lacia.ashman@futurelab.org.uk;
Futurelab PR: Sarah Scott, Livewire Public Relations, tel: 020 8339 7440, sarah.scott@livewirepr.com.
About Futurelab
Futurelab is passionate about transforming the way people learn. Tapping into the huge potential offered by digital and other technologies, it is developing innovative learning resources and practices that support new approaches to education for the 21st century. Working in partnership with industry, policy and practice, Futurelab:
• incubates new ideas, taking them from the lab to the classroom
• offers hard evidence and practical advice to support the design and use of innovative learning tools
• communicates the latest thinking and practice in educational ICT
• provides the space for experimentation and the exchange of ideas between the creative, technology and education sectors.
A not-for-profit organisation, Futurelab is committed to sharing the lessons learnt from our work in order to inform positive change to educational policy and practice. For further information, go to www.futurelab.org.uk. Registered charity 1113051
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA)
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) develops, promotes and regulates info-communications in Singapore, with the aim of establishing the country as one of the world's premier infocomm capitals. To nurture an internationally competitive infocomm industry, IDA offers a comprehensive range of programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more information, visit www.idanews.gov.sg.
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Submitted by:
Sarah Scott