Enlighten the School with ICT

Sri Lanka is a small country in the Indian Ocean called as “The pearl in Indian Ocean” with 20 million great people. Our country is a wonder of Asia ecologically-wondrous types of forests, imposing mountains, magnificent landscapes featuring lazy lagoons, fertile wetlands, inspiring heritage sites from ancient cities to colonial forts, a vibrant culture including fine arts and crafts and grand festivals, and people of diverse ethnicity and religious persuasion, charming and hospitable.

My school, Embilipitiya president’s college,the gem lamp of Rathnapura district consists of five thousand sons and daughters studying in the greatest college in the area. This college was declared open in January 1977, in the name of “New Town College”. This college commenced with 126 children and 15 teachers in the past and now it has 5000 children and about 216 teachers as Embilipitiya president’s college. Amides obstacles various strikes and barriers as well as good foretelling and winnings, the journey of the president’s college up to date is a great pride. We should appreciate the services rendered by about twenty principals presence. Up to this date not only in our country but there are sons and daughters of this college who have spread the glory and fame all over the world. Among them, there are not only doctors, engineers, lawyers, literary people, government officers, but there are so many various country people. The government distributes free text books, uniform materials for the children and salaries and allowances for the teachers. So our school is a government school.

When an intelligent and learned child declines from good qualities, there is no help to the nations from his intelligence and knowledge. In order to fulfill that, good qualities are an essential fact. So, the main purpose of Embilipitiya President’s college is too open the new avenues to gift an intelligent, discipline child generation to the future. To achieve that extensive task, the principal and teachers are giving the leadership to Embilipitiya president’s college at present.

Actually, I would like to say that I really love my teaching profession. I’m working with pleasure with my students and colleagues. Now I feel that I have selected the right profession for me. I have been attracted to this profession more since last year because I have a great job to renew school web site & handle the school social media and to work as an administrator of school web. I created the 2nd version of school web with the support of my friends. As the head of the school ICT unit I got an opportunity to show and explain advances of having a school web and social media with my staff last September. They all appreciated me with their heartiest blessings. After that with the students of ICT club we are covering all the events of our school and update the school social media. With the feedback of specialists of IT and other reviewers of our web site and other related works performed by me, I am really convinced that I have selected the most accurate profession for my life, further Microsoft have proved me that I am in the right profession by selecting me as an expert educator. Now I’m working with enthusiasm. So, I love and am much more interesting in my teaching profession forever.

Our students like to learn more things being beyond the classroom. In ICT subject, every student likes to practical sessions. When they come to the computer lab they fly to the lab like birds. The same thing happens when they are learning in the multimedia unit. Teachers use digital equipment for most of the subjects as teaching aid. We found that when students are learning with the use of technology, they are learning well with enthusiasm. Students do their group works more than usual.

There was a boy in my class room who didn’t like to participate for theory parts of the ICT subject. But most of the times he likes to participate for the practical sessions of ICT. I observed that he is fluent in programming side. His father Mr. J. A. Priyantha is a chemistry teacher of our school. He took the responsibility to develop the school bell system. After developing the school bell system, chemistry teacher said that “most of the codes of the bell system were developed by my son”. I wondered by hearing these words. Next day I called to come the student and asked about the bell system. He said that “teacher, I referred some books for visual basic from our school library. And I found some codes & more syntax for the programme. So, I helped my father to develop the programme.” Then I appreciated him well.

I wondered because I have being teaching very basic concepts of programming and first ages of Visual Basic program language for grade 11 students. That student motivated to invent new things and apply the things which I have taught in better way.

Students like to learn with the use of modern technology. Every time they are finding new things. Students don’t like to follow the conventional teaching methods. And they like to do activities more than listening the teacher. Students love to learn with new technology.

As the head of ICT unit I discussed with my teacher colleagues to design a logo for ICT unit, create a vision and mission for the unit and start a photographic and video graphic club to cover every event of the school. Then we could update our school web and social media. The students who are in the video graphic & photographic team taking photos and videos at every morning assembly and in every school event. I organized a photographic and video graphic workshops for the video graphic team members. Now they are involving with video graphic enthusiastically. They are taking videos and pictures of every event of the school and editing by themselves. I assigned them to design a web for the school video graphic and photographic club. I planned to join that web with the school web site.

The art teacher, Mr. Rumith Halanayaka designed the ICT logo according to our ideas and we designed it using the computer. Finally he drew the ICT logo on the wall of ICT laboratory. He has done a great service to the school. And always he used ICT like presentations, slides when teaching art subject to his students. At the same time we created the vision and mission for ICT unit. Our present Principal, Mr. Parakrama Karunanayaka is giving his fullest co-operation for the betterment of the school as well as the ICT unit and he is most interested in using ICT.

As the request of our principal and according to the idea of our ICT unit we started to create a school database using VB.net last year. As the first step we entered 350 names of grade 1 students to the data base. These days we are entering names of this year students of grades 1, 3 & 4.

While holding the 23rd Common Wealth Conference in Sri Lanka, “Sabaragamuwa” Provincial Ministry of Education organized a knowledge contest for the first time in Sri Lanka based on CHOGM conference as an online test in last year. It was held as online test with 896 students and 139 schools from Sabaragamuwa province. So, ICT units had to face so many challenges when going to do it. Most of the schools didn’t have speed internet connection. Our situation also was the same. We used teachers’ dongles to get the fast internet access. But, we didn’t give it up. Eight students participated for the online test and got the marks just at that moment. That was a very new and impressive thing for our students as well as many schools. No students have faced such an exam earlier. Finally we got the results. Our school won the first place in zonal level and two students won the 1st and 2nd places at the zonal level.

Three students from our school participated for the all island school inventors’ competition-2013 organized by faculty of science, University of Kelaniya by producing a new machine of cutting and washing vegetables. Through this machine it can be washed and cut vegetables easily without any help of anyone. So these students won the 2nd place of the competition...

The results of ICT in O/L examination also good this year. Students have got the A passes, B passes, C Passes and S passes. It is a pleasure to say that there are no students who Failed. The result of ICT 100% after 3 years.

I had great experience participating for the Microsoft in Education Global Forum Barcelona, Spain. With that experience now I think I can work more and more than earlier with enthusiasm. I wish to share my knowledge with my colleagues and students.

It is with great pride we convey that our bright young boys & girls brought honor to their Alma Mater by achieving excellency in the various fields of activities they are engaged in.