Singapore delegation to showcase latest media technology for education and learning in London

Imagine learning all about financial management by simply playing a game. Or imagine watching not just a recording of a lecture but being able to zoom in to details such as your teacher’s handwritten notes on the board.

All these and more are just some of the technology solutions that Singapore companies will be showcasing at the British Educational and Training Technology Show 2011 (BETT). Taking place in London from 12 to 15 January 2011, BETT is an annual international trade event that showcases the latest educational technology products and services. It attracts more than 600 educational suppliers and around 30,000 visitors annually.

Mr Thomas Lim, Senior Director of Interactive Media and Games from the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), will lead the delegation. He said: “As MDA spearheads the development of the Singapore media industry, we are constantly looking at ways in which digital media can be consumed. We see a huge potential for digital media in the education and learning sector and believe media can act as a catalyst to enable learning in a more interactive and engaging manner. The United Kingdom has one of the strongest creative industries in Europe and through our participation in BETT, our companies will be exposed to many opportunities for collaboration which in turn will further strengthen our capability in this area.”

MDA will be joined by Amdon Consulting, Blue Orange Pte Ltd, Eduwealth Pte Ltd, EyePower Games Pte Ltd, Playware Studios Asia Pte Ltd, Qooco Inc, SyQic Capital Private Limited and XYZ Wave Pte Ltd. The delegation will showcase how digital media technologies have improved the learning experience in Singapore’s education and learning sector. (See Annex A for the list of products and services that the companies will be showcasing)

MDA will also host two seminars on 13 January 2011 to show how technology has made a difference to education and learning. The first seminar “Use of Media in Learning: Singapore Experience” will touch on how teachers have used and benefitted from media technologies developed by Singapore companies such as NewsMaker in their teachings. NewsMaker is a software developed by EyePower Games which allows students to create and publish their stories in simple steps.

The other seminar, “Use of Games in Learning”, will see Magma Studios talk about its partnership with National Heritage Board to create the World of Temasek, a virtual world/role-playing experience of distant 14th century Singapore. The National Heritage Board is responsible for championing the development of a vibrant cultural and heritage sector in Singapore.

In conjunction with BETT, MDA will also be leading a mission trip for companies from Singapore and the United Kingdom to meet and explore areas for collaboration. They will be visiting the British Broadcasting Corporation, UK Trade and Investment, The Independent Game Developers’ Association and British Educational Suppliers’ Association.

Veev Interactive, one of the participants of the mission trip, will be signing an agreement with the BBC Motion Gallery to co-develop interactive educational video resources in Science, History and Geography. Veev Interactive is a media company that specialises in educational content, technologies and solutions. BBC Motion Gallery traditionally uses television as its broadcast medium. Through its collaboration with Veev Interactive, content will be digitally converted to include Web 2.0 features, allowing students to benefit from the interactive content. The content will be distributed through Veev Campus Connect on an IPTV platform targeted at the education sector. It is expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2011 in Singapore and the wider region including China and Thailand.

The other companies on the mission trip are AsknLearn, Cherry Credits, Commontown, Magma Studios, Rockmoon, Shanda Games International, Singapore Education Academy, Tribe Studios and Wholetree Technologies. They will also be joined by the eight companies showcasing at BETT.

ENDS

Annex A: List of companies exhibiting in BETT 2011​

Media Development Autho​​​rity of Singapore (MDA)

The Media Development Authority of Singapore (www.mda.gov.sg) promotes the growth and development of the film, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation and interactive digital media industries in Singapore. It also regulates the sectors to foster a pro-business environment for industry players and increase media choices for consumers. It has developed an industry masterplan, Singapore Media Fusion 2015 (www.smf.sg), to grow the media sector.