Bett Asis 2015 | kalpana

CHUNG HWA MIDDLE SCHOOL, BSB BETT ASIA LEADER SHIP SUMMIT 2015

BETT ASIA Leadership Summit is a cutting-edge conference, bringing together the leading decision makers within education technology from across Asia. The summit brought together senior education leaders, practitioners and industry experts from throughout the region and across the globe. Their presence was of great importance in sharing high-level knowledge and ideas to work towards a common goal of internationalizing education practices and ultimately improving student outcomes.

The summit addressed the latest trends, challenges and advancements in education technology and innovation across the world, with a distinct focus on Asia. The summit provided a unique platform for thought-provoking debates, innovative case studies and regional forward-thinking projects that are shaping the future of education. Chung Hwa Middle School, BSB was led by the Principal, Mdm Kho Guik Lan along with the two Educator Experts Mdm Tan Been Tiem and Mdm Kalpana Kishorekumar joined the Brunei delegation, headed by Danial Azizan Henry, Education Lead, Microsoft in Education, Brunei Darussalam. The Leadership Team from CHMS, BSB attended the School Leaders Academy where the main theme of the discussion was about transforming the future Education in Asia.

[CHMS, BSB Leadership Team with Mr. Danial Azizan Henry, Education Lead Microsoft Brunei]

The second annual Bett Asia Leadership Summit that CHMS, BSB attended which was held at the Marina Bay Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore, on November 17 and 18. School leaders were exposed to various tracks combining the use of technology for teaching and learning with classroom knowledge, curriculum and pedagogy. Paneling the tracks at the summit were prominent icons in Education including Microsoft Vice President for Worldwide Education, Mr Anthony Salcito and Universiti Brunei Darussalam’s representative, Dr Abby Tan, Director of Global Relation.

The two day summit kick started with the Opening remarks of Eve Psalti, Global Director, Microsoft in Education. Notable speakers across the APAC region discussion on the transformation happening in Education, Education Changemakers steered the whole session with great zeal and passion. Topics like “My Reflections to Change, Success Stories from APAC invited more attention among the attendees.

On the whole, the School Leaders Academy discussed on what we should do to transform our school and how to implement this transformation in schools. The session was highly fruitful as it was powered with many hands on activities and new case studies that draw some valuable insights from us. Also, it had provided real world problem solving skills as we had to try our level best to solve the problems that they provide us with. The insights that we captured from the Summit will be shared with CHMS, BSB Leadership Team [HODs] when the school reopens. The strategies that we learned from the School Leaders Academy will help us to rationalize and analyze the problems that we face during this transformation.

Apart from these sessions, we were able to visit the Expo set up in the venue where Partners has set up their Education technology products for display. We visited all the booths and some tools like ‘The 3D classroom”, Mobilaya’s Edvelop and Canvas captured our attention. There were software’s that provide support to student’s learning through a Learning Management system [LMS] that can be integrated into our Office 365 application.

It was a memorable Summit for Brunei delegates and Chung Hwa Middle school, BSB, as Brunei was recognized with Educator of the Year 2015 - Best Overall Education Technology Project of the Year Award, received by Madam Kalpana Kishorekumar from Chung Hwa Middle School BSB, who is also an active Microsoft Innovative Educator-Expert, for her project “Envisaging Strategies in Realising Brunei Vision 2035 for Tourism”, combining the use of various Microsoft productivity tools such as OneNote, Power point, Word, Excel and Skype.

While commenting on this achievement, Chung Hwa Middle School, BSB Principal, Mdm Kho said that “our school is humbled with this award. The advance of technology is evident in all departments of CHMS, BSB. The whole infrastructure of the school, which basically means everything IT related. Students are encouraged to get creative with technology, Interactive software packages, Web based sources etc. CHMS, BSB’s main objective is to impart quality education in more effective ways than we imagined. Microsoft has enabled us to come out with innovative ways in teaching & learning methodology and it has been prolific experience in our end, added Mdm Kho.

“The support and guidance I received from my school, CHMS, BSB – BODs, my Principal Mdm Kho and fellow teachers is the most vital one, says Mdm Kalpana Kishorekumar”. Microsoft also plays a crucial role in this recognition. Since my first day as a Microsoft Innovative Expert Educator, I learned a fair portion about integrating Technology in Education. Microsoft played a huge role in molding me into a thriving Educator Expert in the past couple of years. The changes evolving around the transformation of Schools in the 21st century calls the attention of teachers to revisit their methodologies. It’s mandatory for teachers to use Technology in teaching and learning. I am a part of a huge Microsoft Innovative Educator-Expert (MIEE) community, I am thrilled to be the very first educator to win this award in Brunei as well in the APAC region,” Kalpana commented after bagging the award.

In the picture Ms. Eve Psalti, Director, Microsoft in Education and Mdm Kho Principal, CHMS, BSB

It’s an electrifying time for everyone working in education in Asia, as digital advancements affect both teaching practices, and the skills students need to acquire to succeed in the modern world. Different countries are at different stages of development, but common challenges are being experienced. The summit addressed the latest trends, challenges and advancements in education technology and innovation across the world, with a distinct focus on Asia. It provided a unique platform for thought-provoking debates, innovative case studies and regional forward-thinking projects that are shaping the future of education.

[Group photo of Chung Hwa Middle School BSB after receiving the award]