1BestariNet becomes political hot-button issue: Page 2 of 2

 
The two tower issues
 
The health issue with YTL’s towers is just one aspect however – industry observers have wondered whether the Malaysian taxpayer is paying for these towers to be built.
 
“Given that a tower can then be used to offer YES services to the surrounding community, are the taxpayers underwriting YTL Communications’ network expansion?” said one pundit who requested anonymity.
 
YTL Communications chief executive officer Wing K. Lee (pic) denied this, saying “The  installation  of  these  towers  is borne solely by YTL  Communications to  enable 4G  wireless connectivity to all parts of the schools, as part of our 1BestariNet service deliverables.”
 
“Currently, Malaysian schools only have limited fixed Internet access from existing computer labs. With wireless mobility, enabled by our 4G technology, e-learning can now take place in classrooms, canteens and anywhere in the school – not just in computer labs.
 
“The use of wireless technology will help save an enormous amount of time and capital in building and maintaining labs and local networks,” he added. “This will enable substantial savings and allow our public funds to be better used for the sake of helping our students perform.”
 
Wing also described 1BestariNet as a total solution that combines wireless broadband connectivity with the Frog VLE “to realise the goal of collaborative teaching and learning.”
 
When asked if YTL Communications would use the tower to roll out YES 4G services to the residents of the surrounding community, Wing conceded the point, but added that the Frog system itself would be free to students and parents.
 
“This infrastructure will enable teaching to go beyond classrooms, not just anywhere in the school compound but also the surrounding areas up to a 4km radius. With this broad coverage, students, parents and teachers can use this network to access the Frog VLE from home and continue the learning experience.
 
“1BestariNet also offers free-of-charge access for parents and students to the Frog VLE through our 4G network from their homes,” he said.
 
Wing noted that a YES ID is required for access to Frog, but assured DNA that users of other Internet access services such as Telekom Malaysia’s UniFi would be able to access the VLE from their own home networks.
 
Frog's learning leap
 
The numbers are daunting – 10,000 schools, over 5.3 million students, 500,000 teachers and 4.5 million parents, on one unified platform, which led one open source advocate to describe it as the “ultimate lock-in.”
 
Despite all the bad press the project is getting however, the Frog VLE itself has pedigree. It was developed almost 13 years ago in the United Kingdom and was being used by more than 700 schools worldwide before the 1BestariNet project made such a number look inconsequential.
 
The developer, FrogTrade Ltd, earlier this year won the title of ‘ICT Provider of the Year’ at the 2013 British Educational Training and Technology Awards 2013 in London.
 
“It’s not just about the classrooms but about creating a digital school, or a social network for learning,” FrogAsia executive director Yeoh Pei Lou (pic) told DNA last November, adding that there were features for teachers, students and parents.
 
For instance, teachers can assign and keep track of students’ work and marks, create teaching resources, and connect with other educators.
 
“All lessons one teacher creates can be shared with all the other teachers in much the same way sharing is done on social networks,” Yeoh said, adding that one teacher from a school in Petaling Jaya created a lesson on microbes using a song from rock band Queen, which proved to be popular with both his students and fellow teachers.
 
Teachers can also use the calendar function to view, create, join or add events.
 
Students can use videos and games to learn. They get a homepage which they can personalise and through which they upload and save files on the cloud, complete assignments and share ideas with classmates and teachers.
 
Finally, parents can use Frog to keep track of school events, PTA reports and school notices with the calendar and school notice board, find contact details on the Contact School page, and download permission forms and other school documents.
 
The VLE also comes with the ‘FrogStore,’ a one-stop resource centre containing e-books, videos (including some from Khan Academy), articles, worksheets and more that can help with their lessons or projects.
 
Yeoh said then that FrogAsia had trained 671 master trainers, who would go out and train others. The company itself conducted training in 351 schools, selected by the Ministry of Education (MoE) itself, in both rural and urban areas.
 
At that time, about 25% of the 10,000 schools had been connected, and she said that all schools would be connected by the end of this year.
 
Assuming that the May 5 general election doesn’t produce a shocking result. When pushed for details of the tender and the project at the Choong Wen school event, MoE’s Wee said “I will let the Prime Minister announce the details.”
 
Related Stories:

EduNation promises ‘free tuition for every Malaysian child’
 
The reality of Malaysian schools at odds with nation's aspirations
 
‘Our education system is broken, but we’re going to fix it’             
 
Office 365 rolls out in more Asian markets, free for education
 

For more technology news and the latest updates, follow @dnewsasia on Twitter or Like us on Facebook.