Smart classroom scheme will replace tablet scheme

[webfact]

Smart classroom scheme will replace tablet scheme



BANGKOK: -- The Office of Basic Education Commission has decided to introduce Smart Classroom project to replace the tablet project for students which was ordered scrapped by the National Council for Peace and Order.

Mr Kamol Rodklai, deputy secretary-general of Basic Education Commission’s Office, said on Monday that the 1,170 million baht leftover budget which was earlier earmarked to procure tablets for Mathayom 1 students in the North and Northeast would be shifted for use, plus another 3,000 million baht from the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, to create smart classrooms in 15,000 schools out of a total of 20,000 schools under the jurisdiction of the OBEC.

Under the smart classroom concept, internet service will be installed at the schools which will be equipped with laptops or desk top computers in accordance with the sizes of the schools.

Small schools will be equipped with 20 sets each, 40 sets for medium-sized schools and 50 sets for big-sized schools.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/smart-classroom-scheme-will-replace-tablet-scheme/


-- Thai PBS 2014-06-24

[sirchai]

Under the smart classroom concept, internet service will be installed at the schools which will be equipped with laptops or desk top computers in accordance with the sizes of the schools.

Small schools will be equipped with 20 sets each, 40 sets for medium-sized schools and 50 sets for big-sized schools.

​Special foreign teachers from Silicon Valley will be hired to switch the units on and off and to update them.Free accommodation, helicopter service and a catering service will make sure that they feel comfortable.

Starting salary will be 100 K, plus a house and car allowance of 50 K. bla, bla bla....

My input is as weird as the whole new idea in a country full of lost faces. Who'll use them, which programs are on it.

But as far as Io know will they be used to update their facebook status.God, please not again....

Edited June 24, 2014 by sirchai

[rijb]

SNAFU - distract real learning at all costs.

[GeForce]

One thing Thailand is good at is putting on a show.

[joshstiles]

So stupid.....let's see what LOS is doing now in education.....they will scrap one "Tablet" program for another "Tablet" program.....as if substituting one program for the other will increase learning and knowledge development in Thailand schools.....seriously???? Really???? Looking forward to yet another generation of students who will never learn how to "turn on a computer"

[Mousehound]

Tablets don't cure education illness.

[sirchai]

So stupid.....let's see what LOS is doing now in education.....they will scrap one "Tablet" program for another "Tablet" program.....as if substituting one program for the other will increase learning and knowledge development in Thailand schools.....seriously???? Really???? Looking forward to yet another generation of students who will never learn how to "turn on a computer"

Thai and other Asian teachers don't turn anything on. They "open" it. Open your tablets please...oh there's a mouse inside....

[Robby nz]

So nothing in education will change, still the same rote learning, still the same no fail policy, still the same move kids up a grade each year whether they are ready or not.

This basic education outfit needs to be dumped and replaced with smart people who understand modern principles of education.

I see reported elsewhere that they have signed a deal with Microsoft making them the only software supplier which will tie schools to them for years and cost the country billions over that time.

Get them out of there General and start some real education reform.

[sirchai]

So nothing in education will change, still the same rote learning, still the same no fail policy, still the same move kids up a grade each year whether they are ready or not.

This basic education outfit needs to be dumped and replaced with smart people who understand modern principles of education.

I see reported elsewhere that they have signed a deal with Microsoft making them the only software supplier which will tie schools to them for years and cost the country billions over that time.

Get them out of there General and start some real education reform.

Yep, it seems that nothing and nobody will change anything, even knowing how bad they'd failed in the past.

One of our high school health teacher's using her notebook and a projector. But only to let the kids copy whole pages from a website, or a book.

Seems that they've to import some smart people, not creating smart classrooms to conduct real education.

[pauleddy]

Daft.

Instead of giving each child a portable, which would have been connected to wifi in the school anyway (wifi is fairly cheap) and used by most with Lan or wifi at home...this scheme just means that there will be 20 or 30 portables or fixed stations in 75% of the schools (so not even complete equality there).

On second thoughts: maybe not so daft! Most kids would 've used their tablets for facebook or games. And, can you imagine how many tablets would get nicked, broken, left on the bus, traded, sold, crashed, etc etc

mmmm......

[SanukJoeII]

Daft.

Instead of giving each child a portable, which would have been connected to wifi in the school anyway (wifi is fairly cheap) and used by most with Lan or wifi at home...this scheme just means that there will be 20 or 30 portables or fixed stations in 75% of the schools (so not even complete equality there).

On second thoughts: maybe not so daft! Most kids would 've used their tablets for facebook or games. And, can you imagine how many tablets would get nicked, broken, left on the bus, traded, sold, crashed, etc etc

mmmm......

I'm not sure about other schools, but in my local schools in the amphoe those tablets that were provided to the students, stayed in the school, nobody was allowed to take the tablets home, so no damage done outside the school.

As I'm quite sure that all teachers have a tablet now, I wonder how many tablets never made it to students.

And as it is reported, 5000 schools will have no smart classroom at all, guess in what part of the country those 5000 schools are located?

To me it's either ALL schools have a smart classroom, if necessary with less computers each, or the idea has failed even before it started.

Edited June 24, 2014 by SanukJoeII

[Yooyung]

What would really help is for ALL normal English program classrooms (ie not IEP, MEP) to have working projectors, with decent speakers so that you can use Powerpoint, show short clips, listen to songs etc. At my school the 2 IEP rooms have it....they are talking about one day...within the next 58 years having this in all classrooms. I will not be holiding my breath.....oh, and having classes with 40+ kids in it doesnt really help. Whatever happened to the idea of halving classes at govt schools? Doesnt seem to be happening where I am in the normal program.

[Brian Corrigan]

All thats needed now are SMART TEACHERS.

[sirchai]

All thats needed now are SMART TEACHERS.

Smart Teachers with a Smartphone, driving a Smart right from the smart start.

Edited June 24, 2014 by sirchai

[xminator]

The real issue here is that rich taxpayers money where used for educating the poor non taxpayers children. Wich is of course an outragous idea. Whats next? Give free health care?

(for those that can not read sarcasm, redistribution of wealth is one of the major pillars in a free open, fair and functioning society)

[Maroon Watcher]

... actual quote today "Your students [along with all others] have asked permission for changing of the flower pots...all classes will be cancelled"

What a polite genteel society - why spoil things, with all that ferang stuff!

[pauleddy]

Exactly. Polite, genteel and benevolent. Why let something as low-brow as education interfere with the critical imperative of moving the flower pots around a tad?

I really hope that ASEAN will bite the butts of those who oversee or direct this sort of nonsense. But, perhaps I hope beyond hope.

[belg]

so till now, all those tablets were just gaming toys for kids, as no internet was available (will be installed now???)

[Mudcrab]

All thats needed now are SMART TEACHERS.

Totally agree. When I went to school the teacher wrote on the blackboard and we copied it down - not much different to what some posters say about Thai teaching methods, using an overhead or whatever other medium is in favour.

The difference though was back then the teachers knew how to teach, were more interested in the students (from an educational viewpoint not a paedophilia viewpoint) than the Unions and were prepared to go that little bit extra to get the kids who had difficulties up to speed.

In other words they knew how to teach, saw it as their profession rather than just a job as seems to be the case now, and my view appears to be supported by the many alleged English teachers who post on TV blaming the students and the system for their own shortcomings.

At the end of the day the results the students achieve comes back to the teacher, nothing else. The constant whining about the lack of English skills by Thai students by TEFL and NES teachers is more a reflection on them than the students.

If the system is that hard, grow some balls and change the system, or give up teaching.

A professional in any calling should have the fortitude to speak out and challenge the system where they perceive a shortcoming.

If they do not, they have abdicated the right to call themselves a professional.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Mudcrab

[otherstuff1957]

In all of this talk of improving or reforming education, I never hear any discussion of reducing class size. I have taught classes of 55 students and classes of 15 students. There is a huge difference in how well the students can learn. With any class over 35 or so students, you are just going through the motions. Only students who are really motivated will be able to learn anything in a typical, overcrowded Government School classroom.

I currently teach at a school that limits class size to 25 students and most classes have around 20 or less. The level of attention I can give to my students cannot be compared to what I could do in a more crowded classroom.

[mok199]

^{...when you pay peanuts,expect monkeys...the first thing is they need to move out of this primitive language,and concentrate on english,i am still amazed at how seldom english is ever used, in daily conversations among thai students,or thais on general,they feel comfortable in thier ''zone'',thai is so limited and restrictive and personal expression is just the same line over and over again..''when was the last time or if ever,you heard a thai say anything but ''gap baan'' when returning home,or ''bai nai''when they ask where you are going.or ''sabai di mai'' when asking how you are.or ''jep mai'' to ask if it hurts.. even the doctors and teachers are stuck in this box....the cycle of repetition and ''sayings'', drive me crazy,english is a language with endless colorful words and expressions..,or they can just stay stuck in the rut and live in the thai bubble.....just my humble opinion...}

Edited June 24, 2014 by Scott

[troysantos]

^{...when you pay peanuts,expect monkeys...the first thing is they need to move out of this primitive language,and concentrate on english,i am still amazed at how seldom english is ever used, in daily conversations among thai students,or thais on general,they feel comfortable in thier ''zone'',thai is so limited and restrictive and personal expression is just the same line over and over again..''when was the last time or if ever,you heard a thai say anything but ''gap baan'' when returning home,or ''bai nai''when they ask where you are going.or ''sabai di mai'' when asking how you are.or ''jep mai'' to ask if it hurts.. even the doctors and teachers are stuck in this box....the cycle of repetition and ''sayings'', drive me crazy,english is a language with endless colorful words and expressions..,or they can just stay stuck in the rut and live in the thai bubble.....just my humble opinion...}

How much Thai language do you know anyhow? My guess is very little. "... move out of this primitive language ..." means ... abandon the language? Please elaborate some .... PLEASE!