Dated: 21 September 2006
By 2015, seven out of 10 Singaporeans will become media literate and be equipped with the skills to create content and use media responsibly for work, learning and play. This is the goal of MEDIAction!, a public outreach initiative organised by the Media Development Authority (MDA) to prepare Singaporeans to gear up for the digital age.
Launched end of last year, MEDIAction! offers all Singaporeans the opportunity to learn more about the media and upgrade their media literacy skills through participation in fun and engaging events.
These include workshops to teach Singaporeans how to create media content, and other activities such as talks, forums, exhibitions, and more. Please refer to some highlights of MEDIAction! activities in Annex A.
In anticipation of the digital age, MEDIAction! aims to help Singaporeans reap the benefits of new technologies and manage risks. Through MEDIAction!, Singaporeans will learn to use media not only for information and entertainment, but they will be equipped with media literacy skills and cyberwellness core values to upgrade themselves from being passive consumers into active,responsible “prosumers” in creating content and thus, enhancing their employability. (Prosumers are those that are able to both produce media content and also be consumers of content). .
As of end August, more than 40 MEDIAction! activities have been organised by MDA and its partners this year. These have reached out to more than 60,000 participants. To sustain the effort and power the momentum, MDA is inviting more companies from the public, people and private sectors for strategic, long-term collaboration to organise community outreach activities. This is to promote deeper media appreciation amongst Singaporeans to harness media for work, learning and play.
MDA will support projects that raise public awareness of the benefits of media as well as encourage Singaporeans to use media and create content, in a balanced and responsible way.
Ms Pam Hu, Director (Community and International Relations), MDA, said: “MEDIAction!’s outreach activities are grounded on a partnership model comprising people from the community, businesses and the public sector. This has been a key part of our success strategy as it enables stakeholders to contribute towards promoting responsible usage of media, growing media appreciation and literacy, and encouraging careers within the media industry. It also enables us to have a better appreciation of the needs of society and businesses as we play our part to prepare Singaporeans for the digital age.
“Our Calls for Collaboration take us a step further in this direction as we prepare Singaporeans to ride the media wave through activities organised with both existing and new partners to inspire Singaporeans to discover the benefits of media in their lives.” MDA has been in regular dialogue with partners from the people, private and public sectors and to date, some 30 companies have already indicated their interest to participate in MEDIAction!
Singaporeans can look forward to a whole gamut of activities listed at the MEDIAction! website at www.mda.gov.sg/mediaction, which also provides information and resources for the public to learn more about the media and how they can use media for work, learning, and play. Games and animation samplers will be hosted on the website to encourage visitors to “experience” media and create content.
3D Dino Animation Workshop The latest MEDIAction! outreach activity is a two-hour workshop aimed at training primary and secondary school students to use 3D animation in a fun way. It is entirely free! Jointly organized by MDA, the Singapore Science Centre and IM Innovations, the 3D Dino Animation Workshop will run for the next three months. This customised curriculum teaches students how to model, design and animate in 3D dinosaurs, like the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, via an easy-to-use software.
Students get to print their own created scene or store the animation on a CD to take home with them. Since it started in mid-September, some 200 students have indicated their interest to take up the 3D Animation course. By the end of the course, it aims to train a total of 3,600 students.
""At Science Centre, we aim to promote the public's science literacy by engaging them through fun and interactive activities. By collaborating with MDA, we hope to increase the students' media literacy skills and at the same time, develop an enquiring mind about science-related topics. For example, the 3D Dino animation workshop will give Singapore students an added advantage to learn 3D animation to add creativity to their science projects,"" said Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, Chief Executive, Singapore Science Centre.
Said Mr Vincent Ong, Managing Director of IM Innovations, ""Creating 3D graphics and animation used to be confined to creative professionals or students in tertiary institutions. We want to make interactive and digital media pervasive. The dinosaur appreciation workshop is the first major step. It exposes many students in both primary and secondary schools to 3D graphics and digital media. Our goal is to get as many students to experience how easy and fun it can be to use 3D modeling and animation tools. By developing such talent from young, and in large numbers, more schools will be able to use such tools to build exciting content and applications. Imagine interactive 3D lessons becoming the norm in classrooms!""
Commenting on MDA’s support for the 3D Dino Animation Workshop, Ms Hu said: “This event is an excellent outreach programme co-organised with our partners to raise students’ awareness of the fun possibilities of interactive and digital media as it uses a structured and yet innovative approach to fire up their interest. In the long run, we hope to attract more of such partnerships.”
For more information, please contact:
Ms Sharon Tan
Manager, Communications
Tel: +65 6837 9011
Email: sharon_tan@imda.gov.sg
Ms Phoebe Seow
Assistant Director, Communications
Tel: +65 6837 9369
Email: phoebe_seow@imda.gov.sg
About MEDIAction!
MEDIAction! is a year-round public outreach initiative organised by the Media Development Authority (MDA), with our partners, to inspire Singaporeans to discover the benefits and possibilities that media can offer for work, learning and play. MEDIAction! offers all Singaporeans the opportunity to learn more about the media and upgrade their media literacy skills through participation in fun and engaging events. For more information on MEDIAction!, visit www.mda.gov.sg/mediaction
Annex A
Some Upcoming MEDIAction! Events in September and October Please go to www.mda.gov.sg/mediaction for latest updates
Event Description
AnimateNOW! (1 September –30 November)
http://www.animatenow.sg
· Time: -
· Venue: -
· Registration Details: Free registration at www.animatenow.sg
· Audience: General Public
· Organiser/Partners: ANIMAGINE
· Online Animation competition (June –November)
AnimateNOW! includes an online animation competition which will run from June to November 2006, on the AnimateNOW! Website. Contestants will create their own flash animation using AnimateNOW!, an online widget. Each month, the top 5 top voted animation for each category (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Open) will be assessed by a panel of judges where the top winner will win prizes sponsored by Toonz and Wacom.
· Finale ‘LIVE’ competition for AnimateNOW! (10 December)
The top 3-5 winners from each month’s online animation competition will be invited back in Dec 2006 for a finale ‘LIVE’ competition. During the competition, contestants will create their animation clips ‘LIVE’ at the event within a given amount of time.
Moving Minds Film Heritage Talk (15 September –15 December)
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/education.htm
· Time: -
· Venue: -
· Registration Details : Paid registration.
Visit
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/education.
htm or email info@asianfilmarchive.org for registration details and venues.
· Audience: Students
· Organiser/Partners: Asian Film Archive
Students can learn more about the importance of preserving film heritage through this talk. It will include an overview of the film heritage of Singapore from early 1930's to present day. They will also learn about the complex work of archiving films.
Let's Go HD! (1 October - 31 October)
www.hdtv-trial.sg
· Time: 10 am –9 pm
· Venue: Woodlands Regional Library
· Registration Details: Free Admission
· Audience: General Public
· Organiser/Partners: People's
Association, Philips, CHIMEI, Prima, Toshiba, Panasonic
A series of HDTV showcase will be organised in selected public libraries to offer the HDTV experience to the public as well as informing them about HD technology.
Moving Minds Film Seminars (1 October - 22 December )
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/education.htm
· Time: -
· Venue: -
· Registration Details: Paid registration.
Visit
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/education.
htm or email info@asianfilmarchive.org for registration details and venues.
· Audience: Students
· Organiser/Partners: Asian Film Archive
Students now have the opportunity to learn more about film literacy when they sign up for the Screen Literacy Seminar. This intensive two-day session introduces screen literacy, film heritage and the film industry to students, and will furnish students with some of the critical viewing skills necessary to master the visual culture of the 21st Century, thus enhancing their competitiveness in today’s media saturated world.
Moving Minds Lab (9 Octoer –20 November)
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/education.htm
· Time: -
· Venue: -
· Registration Details: Paid registration.
Visit
http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/education.
htm or email info@asianfilmarchive.org for registration details and venues.
· Audience: Students
· Organiser/Partners: Asian Film Archive
Students will get the opportunity to investigate the dynamics of the local film industry under the mentorship of industry professionals. They will initiate, drive and evaluate social entrepreneurship projects to contribute to this community. The current project that the Lab embarked on is a viral marketing campaign project for Becoming Royston where students will learn how to market and promote a local film under the producer, Randy Ang and director, Nicholas Chee.
.webp)