Dated: 15 July 2009
A team from Yu Neng Primary School has emerged as the grand winner at the inaugural ASEAN NewsMaker Competition Singapore. Comprising two primary five students Nur Tasleem Banu and Debbie May Santa Maria, and led by their teacher Syed Ali Omar, the team impressed the judges with their five-minute video news clip featuring preparations work for the upcoming Youth Olympics 2010. They beat 41 other entries from 28 primary and secondary schools to clinch the top prize.
The ASEAN NewsMaker Competition Singapore is held in conjunction with the launch of the ASEAN NewsMaker Project, which trains students and teachers across the 10 ASEAN countries to produce broadcast news-style video clips about life in their country using the NewsMaker software. All produced clips will be uploaded to the ASEAN Media Portal (www.aseanmedia.net) for viewing. Organised by the Media Development Authority (MDA) and home-grown software developer EyePower Games, with endorsement from the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI), the ASEAN NewsMaker Project marks the first initiative to foster cross-cultural understanding among ASEAN youths through digital media and aims to reach out to 500 participants by the end of this year.
As part of the Singapore leg of the initiative, the 150 participants who attended the ASEAN NewsMaker Project workshop on 1 –2 June 2009 were invited to submit their entries for the ASEAN NewsMaker Competition Singapore. In all, 28 and 14 entries from primary and secondary schools respectively were received. The entries were then assessed by a panel of judges, comprising representatives from MDA, EyePower Games and Nexus, the central coordinating agency for National Education in Singapore.
Following the selection process, six top entries, three each from the primary and secondary school categories, were honoured at a prize presentation ceremony held today. The winning teams were from Greenridge Primary School, Clementi Primary School, Yu Neng Primary School, Anglican High School, Assumption English School and Pasir Ris Secondary School. Their entries stood out in terms of story content, language proficiency, adherence to theme, technical quality and aesthetic appeal. Based on these criteria, the entry from Yu Neng Primary School was crowned the overall champion for its originality, comprehensive research and technical excellence. Please see Annex A for details of the winning teams and their prizes.
Said Mr Benson Loo, Chief Executive Officer, EyePower Games: “The ASEAN NewsMaker Project has shown how creative and resourceful teachers and students are, producing such informative and entertaining video news clips within a short amount of time. We would also like to thank the teachers and students for their encouraging feedback, telling us how easy and fun it is to use the NewsMaker software and how meaningful the ASEAN NewsMaker Project has been.”
An evolving ASEAN NewsMaker student network
Since the launch of ASEAN NewsMaker Project in Singapore, trainers from EyePower Games have travelled to Malaysia (11 –12 June) and Brunei (29 –30 June) to conduct workshops, reaching out to 50 Malaysian and 40 Brunei participants respectively. The video clips produced are uploaded onto ASEAN Media Portal at www.aseanmedia.net.
Beyond training, the workshops have seeded news exchange between participating schools across borders. For a start, Singapore’s Tampines North Primary School and Malaysia’s Putrajaya Presint 8-1 in Selangor are collaborating to produce a series of news clips that showcase their respective schools and countries. Students from both schools will take turns to role-play as news anchors and foreign correspondents. This pilot collaboration sets the framework for more schools in the region to join in the ASEAN NewsMaker student network to exchange knowledge in an interesting and educational manner.
Said Ms Cassandra Tay, MDA’s Director of Communications, Community and International Relations: “The ASEAN NewsMaker Project has received encouraging response from teachers and students in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. The formation of the ASEAN NewsMaker student network reinforces the value of the Project as an excellent platform to engage ASEAN youths in a fun and interactive manner, equip them with basic proficiency in media literacy, and promote cross-cultural exchange amongst our young people.”
The ASEAN NewsMaker Project will next be making its way to Cambodia on 30 –31 July and Myanmar on 3 –4 August. Similar workshops in the remaining five ASEAN countries are expected to be completed before end this year.
View the video clips created by Singapore, Malaysian and Brunei students who participated in the ASEAN NewsMaker Project on the ASEAN Media Portal (www.aseanmedia.net) and www.NewsMaker.TV.
Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)
Formed in 2003, the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) plays a vital role in transforming Singapore into a Trusted Global Capital for New Asia Media. MDA spearheads initiatives that promote industry growth in film, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation and Interactive Digital Media. At the same time, in ensuring clear and consistent regulatory policies and guidelines, MDA helps to foster a pro-business environment for industry players and increase media choices for consumers. For more information, visit www.mda.gov.sg and www.smf.sg.
EyePower Games Pte Ltd
Established in May 2004, EyePower Games Private Limited found its first success when the video processing technology that it was developing was licensed to Creative Technology, as an Advanced Video FX (aVFX) feature found in many of its web cameras sold globally. This technology was later used to create the company’s first educational product, the highly innovative and fun NewsMaker software that aims at improving students’ oratorical skills. EyePower Games continues to harness its innovative technology expertise to develop innovative applications that make teaching and learning more effective.
About NewsMaker™
Currently used in over 85 schools in Singapore, NewsMaker is interactive software that teachers used to help their students to improve on their oral skills through broadcast journalism. With fun interactive features that make the process learning engaging and fun, NewsMaker is suitable for students aged 9 and above. For more information, visit www.AboutNewsMaker.com.
The ASEAN Committee for Culture and Information (COCI)
The ASEAN Committee for Culture and Information or ASEAN COCI was set up in October 1978. Its aim is to promote effective cooperation in the fields of culture and information for the purpose of enhancing mutual understanding and solidarity among the peoples of ASEAN as well as in furthering regional development. To this end, various projects and activities, ranging from ASEAN Youth Camps to news exchanges among ASEAN media, are conducted each year. There also are workshops and other activities to nurture talent and promote interaction among ASEAN scholars, writers, artists and media practitioners.
The ASEAN-COCI has two sub-committees, one dealing with culture and the other with information. These sub-committees plan, implement and monitor projects approved and funded by the ASEAN-COCI. At the same time, there is in each ASEAN Member State, an ASEAN National COCI that oversees the coordination and implementation of ASEAN-COCI projects and activities. The ASEAN National COCI comprises representatives from the foreign ministries and ministries of culture and information, national radio and television networks, heritage boards, museums, archives and libraries.
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