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The explore@myworld.com & SCIMA Digital Enhancement Program was launched
by Learning Links Foundation in MESCO Grades High School, Malakpet Hyderabad in
June 2009. The enhancement program is part of Dell's signature Dell Youth Connect
program and aims to provide support for education by promoting a 21st
century learning environment, encouraging science & math learning and helping underprivileged
children from the community gain digital literacy and 21st century skills.
The inception of this program has brought about a paradigm shift in the teaching
and learning processes in the nodal school. More than 600 students from Madrasas
and nearby outreach schools have been trained successfully on the 'explore@myworld.com'
curriculum that focuses on digital literacy and 21st century skills. On the 24th
of February, 2010, a special visit was organized for visiting Dell delegates at
the MESCO School, Hyderabad to enable an interaction with the children. Mr.Steve
Felice President, Small & Medium Business was the special invitee for the occasion
and was accompanied by other senior Dell delegates from across the world. Parents
of community children and principals of all participating out reach schools were
also invited.
After a celebratory and warm welcome, the event was initiated by Ms .Nuriya Ansari,
Vice President, Learning Link's Foundation (LLF) who spoke on the collaborative
vision of Dell and LLF for the Youth Connect Program.
Showcasing of SCIMA Initiatives' by Teachers
The event began with a brilliant showcasing by Science and Math teachers, who shared
the motivation being provided by the SCIMA Digital Enhancement project for math
and science skills in children. They were very appreciative to LLF for providing
technology and pedagogical guidance to their schools. They also mentioned the contribution
of the T 3 training and the 21st century Skills workshop along with seminars
on Science and Math which had helped in enhancement of their skills.
They felt that initiatives like SCIMA assignments, Math Club, Science Club, Field
Trips and Project Based Learning approaches were very beneficial for the children.
Smart Class and SAS Demonstration by Teachers
The visitors were provided with a Smart Class demo to exhibit the enhancement it
provided and the enthusiasm it generated among the students.
Smart Assessment System (SAS) was introduced to the guests and a small SAS test
was also conducted to the officials. The visitors participated with a lot of enthusiasm.
Community children showcasing Projects
Finally it was the turn of the children to showcase a project on 'Hyderabad Heritage
and Culture'. Working in groups they had collaborated, researched, analyzed
and put together the final presentation all by themselves. Their presentation beautifully
portrayed the rich culture and heritage of Hyderabadi jewellery, cuisine, its festivals
and the clothes. Their presentation also had a futuristic vision for their city-without
traffic, corruption and pollution.
The children expressed their delight in being able to acquire 21st Century
Skills and digital literacy through the program.
Fun Activities for the community children
The event drew to a close with fun activities and the prize distribution for the
day. A Mehndi designing competition was conducted where the children applied Mehndi
on volunteers using geometrical shapes to make attractive designs. A digital painting
competition had been organized for the boys, on 'Making a difference', where
the children availed of the opportunity to express their creativity on the computer.
As an expression of their appreciation, the community children presented the visiting
Dell officials with a 'thank you' card.
The day had been a rewarding one and had brought smiles on the faces of all concerned.
An outreach genuinely appreciated.
Testimonials
'A wonderful and inspiring experience - You can see the success in the faces of
the children. This was a terrific experience to see how much better education can
be with technology and motivated teachers and enthusiastic students. It will make
a big difference! Thank you for doing this.'
Steve Felice,
President, Small & Medium Business
Dell Inc, Singapore
'Excellent! Well done!'
Daniel Carels
Sales Support Senior Manager
Dell Inc, Montpellier , France
'Awesome!'
Tim Griffith
Vice President- Services,
Dell Inc, Singapore
'Par Excellence!'
Shyam Sandhu
Dell Bangalore
'I am very impressed with the spirit of learning & teaching and value add with technology to help the children. Keep it up. Good Luck!'
C S Tang
Director, Global CE Programs & Execution
Dell Inc, Penang
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