10 Sept 2015 - IDA and MOE presented its first-ever Outstanding Computing Teacher Award to two teachers who have demonstrated outstanding contributions and sustained excellence in Computing at the IDA’s inaugural Young Tech Fest.
Singapore, 10 September 2015 | For Immediate Release
$160,000 unlocked for charity by youths solving coding challenges
IDA and MOE presented its first-ever Outstanding Computing Teacher Award to two teachers who have demonstrated outstanding contributions and sustained excellence in Computing at the IDA’s inaugural Young Tech Fest.
Computing teachers, Ms Shashariza Bte Jupri, Computer Applications coordinator from Chua Chu Kang Secondary School and Mr Ng Tze Feng, Scott, Computer Applications and Maths teacher from Bedok North Secondary School, were amongst the 14 nominations received for the award and were first in Singapore to receive this award that gives them a sponsorship to attend an overseas Computing conference relevant to their professional development. Both teachers have demonstrated the use of innovative and engaging approaches in teaching their subjects and have made significant contributions in promoting computational thinking among students. Upon their return from the Computing conference, the teachers will be given the opportunity to share their learning with other Computing teachers.
The teachers are not the only ones to benefit at the inaugural Young Tech Fest that saw more than 2,000 youths gathering to discover and share technology at the two-day Festival at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. Many were also given an opportunity to do good by participating in Code for Charity to help the less fortunate by solving coding challenges. Since its pilot in January 2014, Code for Charity has seen more than $180,000 worth of donations pledged by various industry partners like SAP and unlocked by more than 10,000 students across our tertiary institutions (polytechnics and universities) in assistance of needy students. This round at the Young Tech Fest, youths and the general public came together to unlock $160,000 ($150,000 donated by Singtel and $10,000 donated by the Singapore Computer Society) to their appointed beneficiary, SG Enable.
Steve Leonard, Executive Deputy Chairman, IDA said, “As we build Singapore into a Smart Nation, we need people of all ages to imagine and build new creative ways to solve real world challenges. Young people are especially critical to these goals as they are the "digital natives" with tech having always been a part of their lives. The Young Tech Fest is aimed at encouraging young people to have both the curiosity and the confidence to be part of creating cool things.”
Youths at Young Tech Fest also joined in to root for and cheer for their favourite teams at the inaugural National Infocomm Competition (NIC) Face-Offs. Winners from various NIC competitions came together for a final showdown in the NIC Face-Off | App Development competition and the champion team will represent Singapore in the 2015 Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA) to be held in Sri Lanka in November. In Ace of Coders, which is Singapore’s most prestigious coding competition that is conducted in an e-sports fashion, students competed through real-time coding against each other in a fantasy gaming environment. In the NIC Face-Off Competition | Data Analytics competition, youths used open datasets to contribute ideas on how to make Singapore a Smart Nation.
Many of the youths also tried, first-hand the latest tech innovations like virtual reality gaming, the world of augmented reality, flying of drones, and building of Arduino cars. The Festival also saw more programmes targeted for the young female tech enthusiasts to participate programming workshops.
Participants were also treated to a suite of innovative technology showcase brought together by industry partners as well as various Institutes of Higher Learning.
ISSUED BY THE INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
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About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The mission of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is to develop information technology and telecommunications within Singapore with a view to serve citizens of all ages and companies of all sizes. IDA does this by actively supporting the growth of innovative technology companies and start-ups in Singapore, working with leading global IT companies as well as developing excellent information technology and telecommunications infrastructure, policies and capabilities for Singapore. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg. Follow IDA on Facebook and Twitter.
For media clarifications, please contact:
Suzanne Tan (Ms)
Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: (65) 6211 1514
Email: Suzanne_Tan@imda.gov.sg
Tan Boon Leng (Mr)
Manager, Corporate and Marketing Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
DID: (65) 6211 0375
Email: Tan_Boon_Leng@imda.gov.sg
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