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Direct School Admission: Part 2, Sharing my experience

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:39:10 GMT

by Aathithya Jegatheesan.

Hi everyone. I am a student from a School in the west. I’ve entered my school under DSA with STEAM( Science, Technology, Engineering, Aesthetics, Mathematics) in 2020. I would like to share my experience with you.

DSA is a process where P6 students can gain admission to a school they like before their PSLE. You can apply through Robotics, STEM, STEAM, Coding and more. You can visit https://www.moe.gov.sg/schoolfinder?journey=Secondary%20school to see which schools support them. It is also good to go to the school website to find out more about the school and see whether it suits you.

To register for DSA, follow what MOE has instructed and put SST as one of the options. There is nothing much you need to prepare for DSA as SST looks ours for values that an SST student should have. These are critical thinking, creative thinking, curiosity, collaboration, communication skills, citizenship, cross-cultural understanding, confidence, commitment, and courage.

If you have any certificates of achievement in areas related to STEAM, please prepared the certificates, and upload them in the DSA Application process.

There are two rounds of assessment for my school.

For the first round, there will be a quiz. In the quiz, you will be tested on questions based on the P6 syllabus. The subject focus is towards Math and Science, there is no coaching required because studying school textbooks and notes will be sufficient.
They will test your ability on problem solving and critical skills.

You will be tasked to construct or innovate an item to solve the problem. I was tasked to design a floatable platform that will hold objects without sinking. They gave me a list of objects, and I had to sketch out a design. A tip to share, be open-minded
and creative. Also, to elaborate humbly and be polite.

If you do not get into the interview, do not be disheartened. There could be a chance of you being admitted through SI (Supplementary Intake). Also, you may have to bring a few things during the interview, and it will all be stated in the email when they
admit you to the next round.

Saltwater Battery with Microbit

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 08:34:38 GMT

by Koh CC.

Saltwater Battery with Microbit

In the quest to find safe, low-cost batteries, eventually we have to ask ourselves a question: Why not simply use salt water?? Join us online and make use of recycle material to build a Saltwater Battery.

This online workshop is a collaboration with NLB MakeIT lab,

The lesson will be covering:

• Building a primary Cell Batteries with Salt water.

• Using the salt water battery to power up LEDs and Microbit.

Video here:

https://www.facebook.com/2161544934096693/videos/710585976547790

MakeX Spark 2021

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 09:24:21 GMT

by Koh CC.

MakeX Spark Online Competition is a project-based creative design program for young people aged 6 to 13. The participating team will need to focus on the specific theme and devise a solution through software programming and hardware construction. The solution will be a demonstration project and a poster with topics including research, design-thinking process, construction scheme, and outcome summary.

With the characteristics of low entry-level and flexible forms, Spark focuses on guiding teenagers to not only learn interdisciplinary knowledge and apply them to practical problems but also improve their problem-solving and logical-thinking abilities, developing their creativity and imagination.

THEME: Family Care

What comes to you when we talk about home? A nice house? A big dinner prepared by parents? A secret space for yourself? Or warm cares from family? A warm home refuels our bodies and spirit like a gas station. Amid the hustle and bustle of modern life, parents are always busy for business. When you hang out with friends, you cannot leave your kitties behind. But how to look after your company when you are apart? All you need is to take one more step, create your warm long-lasting care with ideas.

The theme of 2021 MakeX Spark Online Competition-2nd match is Family Care. Based on this theme, contestants are encouraged to build efficient projects for passing love and care. Here are some questions for you to think about:

1) How many family members are there in your home? Who are they? Have you met any problems when staying with them? What kinds of care do they need?

2) Do you know anyone who lacks family care more than others in your community? How can https://www.stemacademy.sg/makex-sg-2020-competitionyou help them? Let’s create a Family Care solution with our brilliant ideas!

More Info here: MakeX SG 2021 Competition | STEM Academy

Hour of Code: CODE TOWN

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 09:26:25 GMT

by Koh CC.

The past year has taught us that learning happens everywhere. Around the world, we’ve seen educators, families, and students using Minecraft to stay connected. This coming holiday, you will be task to locate the town mural.

Challenge

The town mural has gone missing since the start of Covid! It was constructed of 9 puzzle pieces that are now scattered throughout the village. Students need to use their coding skills to retrieve the puzzle pieces, bring them back & place them in the frames to restore the mural.

Students will need to solve 9 coding challenges. Students can tackle them in any order. They will need to use sequencing, loops, while loops, nested loops and conditionals to solve the coding challenges. They can start any challenge by interacting with an NPC that will provide them with instructions.

Performance Expectations

Students will complete all the coding challenges and collect 9 puzzle pieces. If they put all the puzzle pieces into the frames correctly, they will get the missing town mural.

Click image for Video

Registration

Signup now!

Direct School Admission Part 1 (DSA-Sec)

Thu, 27 May 2021 02:47:54 GMT

by Koh CC.

What is DSA-Sec?

Direct School Admission for secondary schools (DSA-Sec) allows students to apply to some schools before taking the PSLE.

Students apply based on their talent in sports, CCAs and specific academic areas.

If your child is admitted to a secondary school through DSA-Sec, they are not allowed to:

Submit school choices during the Secondary 1 (S1) posting process.
Transfer to another school. They must commit to their chosen school for the duration of the programme.

Who can apply

Primary 6 students can apply for DSA-Sec based on a wide-range of talents, including:

Sports and games
Visual, literary and performing arts
Debate and public speaking
Science, mathematics and engineering
Languages and humanities
Uniformed groups
Leadership (for example, prefects)

How to apply

Students can apply through the DSA-Sec portal. There are no application fees.

Click here for Schools offering Robotics as DSA

Click here for Schools offering STEM as DSA

Click here for Schools offering Coding as DSA

Seeking Ideas from Youths for Carbon-free Schools or Neighbourhoods in Singapore with Minecraft: Education Edition

Thu, 27 May 2021 02:23:27 GMT

by Koh CC.

26 Feb 2021

1 The Singapore Green Plan 2030 is a whole of nation movement to advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development. Our youth play an important role in reducing carbon emissions and saving resources and energy. To support the objectives of the Singapore Green Plan 2030^[1], the second edition of the Singapore Energy Grand Challenge (Youth) will garner ideas using Minecraft: Education Edition (M:EE) from secondary school and junior college students on the following topic – “How would your carbon-free school or neighbourhood in Singapore look like in 2050?”. The top three teams with the most innovative ideas in each of the two categories will be awarded up to $10,000 in cash prizes.

2 With registration starting 1 March 2021, the Challenge is a partnership between the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Microsoft Singapore, and supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). It is held as part of the Singapore Together movement where Singaporeans can partner the government and one another to co-create solutions and realise the Green Plan.

3 “As part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, Singapore is making the transition towards a carbon-free energy future. To achieve this, we need to change the way we produce and use energy. We encourage youth to envision how emerging low-carbon technologies like carbon capture and innovative energy efficiency solutions can make Singapore more sustainable in the future.” said Mr Ngiam Shih Chun, Chief Executive, Energy Market Authority.

4 To engage more youth on sustainability issues, this year’s Challenge has been expanded to include junior college students within the new Senior category, together with upper secondary students. Lower secondary students will be placed in the Junior category. Members of the public will also be invited to vote for the entry which best resonates with their ideas for a carbon-free Singapore.

5 The inaugural Singapore Energy Grand Challenge (Youth) was launched in March 2020 and invited secondary school students to co-create Singapore’s Energy Story with the question “How would your energy efficient school or neighbourhood in Singapore look like in 2050?”. 92 teams across 29 secondary schools took part in the Challenge. Teams from Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary), Bedok Green Secondary School and St Hilda’s Secondary School were crowned the top three winners and their submissions can be viewed online at https://go.gov.sg/segc-youth-winners.

6 Students interested to participate in this year’s Challenge may register online (https://go.gov.sg/segc2021) by 15 April 2021. Students must form teams of two to four schoolmates, and submit a three-minute video showcasing their idea for a carbon-free Singapore with their registration. Shortlisted teams will be contacted and invited to attend specialised workshops to help them with their final submissions. All submissions will be judged by a panel of representatives from EMA, IMDA, Microsoft Singapore and relevant industry players according to the criteria of relevance, creativity, and presentation. The top three teams from both the Junior and Senior categories will receive their awards in end-July 2021.

7 For more information on the Challenge and judging criteria, please refer to Annex A or visit the Powering Lives Portal (https://www.poweringlives.gov.sg). To learn about the Singapore Energy Story, refer to Annex B or visit www.BeyondTheCurrent.gov.sg.

^[1] The Singapore Green Plan 2030 aims for at least 20% of schools to be carbon neutral by 2030. Media release is available at: https://www.greenplan.gov.sg/resource-room/2021-02-10-press-release-on-green-plan

Click here for media release

Minecraft Education: San Francisco students give historic tours of Chinatown in Minecraft

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 14:57:47 GMT

by Koh CC.

Lisa Yu is a senior community organizer at Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), where she works with youth leaders in the Chinatown Alleyway Tours program. This program trains high school students as tour guides who lead groups of tourists through Chinatown, sharing stories to bring the neighborhood’s 170-year history to life. “Last March, when San Francisco schools closed, we paused the tours and met the youth leaders online to talk about what to do,” Lisa recalled. “They wanted to keep giving tours, but we all knew they had to be virtual.”

Brandon, a high school senior who started volunteering with CCDC in eighth grade, explained, “The alleyway tours were really personal for us. We were trying to create a personalized tour of Chinatown, given by members of the community who share their own meaningful stories, not like the generic city walking tours.” As the students explored different ways to share the tours online, from Google Maps to PowerPoint, one student suggested they use Minecraft. Inspired by in-game graduation ceremonies like the University of California Berkeley’s Twitch stream, they decided to build Chinatown’s historic alleyways in Minecraft.

Photo courtesy of the Chinatown Community Development Center

San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest Chinese community in North America. The neighborhood arose in the 1850s as an enclave for Chinese immigrants and families. While the Chinese community faced racial discrimination and repressive legislation across the country, associations founded by Chinatown’s leaders and benevolent groups provided support systems like schools, hotels, community centers, groceries, theaters, and more. Although still a residential neighborhood, Chinatown is now a popular tourist site for San Francisco.

The 22 blocks of Chinatown are connected by a maze of 41 narrow, bustling alleyways. “For example, Ross Alleyway is one of the oldest alleyways in Chinatown, featuring the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory that has been custom-making fortune cookies by hand since 1962,” explained Lisa. “There is 41 Ross, an active community creative space in the historic Ross Alley, a collaboration between CCDC and the Chinese Culture Center.”

In 1991, Reverend Norman Fong created the Adopt-an-Alleyway urban revitalization project in recognition of alleyways as public open space. Seven years later, the Chinatown Alleyway Master Plan was commissioned by San Francisco Public Works to guide the renovation of 31 alleyways in Chinatown. “The Chinatown Alleyway Master Plan plaque is on the floor of Ross Alley with the mascot at the corner, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, from the Chinese novel Journey to the West.” Chinatown Alleyway Tours grew out of the Adopt-an-Alleyway program as youth leaders developed tours based on interviews, research, and their personal experiences.

Once they decided to try giving tours via Minecraft, several youth leaders, CCDC alumni, and friends set up a Discord channel and started planning. “I’ve been playing Minecraft for seven years,” said Edwin, one of the primary builders of the Chinatown world. “I worked with some alumni of the Alleyway Tours program to lay the groundwork—level terrain, outline the map, build parks and streets. Then others added in details like signs and windows.” The student build team used Google Maps to measure each building and set up the world at a 1:3 scale. “I used computer science principles to program NPCs,” Edwin shared.

“In middle school, we used Minecraft: Education Edition, and honestly, it was the most fun class I had. Integrating Minecraft and education can make kids more interested in history,” said Tiao, another student builder who started playing Minecraft in eighth grade after seeing his favorite YouTubers play. “It’s a new way of learning.”

Photo courtesy of the Chinatown Community Development Center

“Because our tours are virtual now, anyone in the world can join,” adds Brandon. “We’ve had people join from all over the country, including a lot of teachers and their classes.”

“Whenever the students run Minecraft tours, the kids on the tour use chat to ask about how the world was built, and what blocks and textures were used,” said Judy Kuang, the youth program manager at CCDC. “Then their parents jump in and ask about the project. They realize that their kids are using a game for education.”

The student build team repurposed in-game items to represent real-world details of the alleyways and added photographs of murals and artwork to share streetscapes that might be temporary in person. “We added festive lanterns for Lunar New Year and decorated for Easter,” said Edwin.

Photo courtesy of the Chinatown Community Development Center

Brandon doesn’t think giving tours in Minecraft will end after the pandemic. “Our goal would be to bring San Francisco Chinatown to everyone so anyone can explore the neighborhood. Maybe we’ll add mini-games!”

“Or build Japantown,” adds Tiao.

Sign up for Chinatown Alleyway Tours online and meet the youth leaders—note that they’re taking a break from tours in May for testing and final exams. Follow Chinatown Alleyway Tours on Instagram to see more images of their Chinatown build.

***

To learn about San Francisco’s Chinatown, check out this informative guide from PBS. CNET has more on the story of the CCDC’s Chinatown build. Read about some of the heroes of Chinatown in this informative article by Reverend Norman Fong.