Principals of top Smart Schools, colleges and senior Education Ministry officials took part in a working visit to discuss cutting-edge management issues in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) teaching methods and administrative systems at the Alice Smith School (Equine Park) recently.

The working visit was conducted by BBC’s head of Digital Education Curriculum Richard Pietrasik.

Pietrasik focused on key issues in teaching methods with particular emphasis on system organization and the use of intra-nets in tandem with extranets.

Alice Smith School vice principal Mike Welland also spoke on whether computer facilities should be networked, dedicated to specific lessons, classes or stand-alone configurations.

The benefits of online learning, video conferencing and wireless networking and the problem of shared server access in a teaching environment were also discussed.

Of interest to the participants was learning processes and the shift away from textbooks to concurrent leaning empowered by modern ICT and internet systems-allowing students to research online in real-time, often in advance of lessons.

“ICT teaching and learning methods allow greater parental involvement in children’s education. Alice Smith School is keen to develop and extend dialogue by parents,” said Welland.

The school recently conducted workshops for parents on ICT Across the Curriculum involving nearly 300 parents at the Jalan Bellamy site.