Students in the northern state of Penang are in for a treat, as MDEC together with Ministry of Education have just launched the first Digital Maker Hub within the teachers activity centre, a program that encourages teachers and students to come together and gain computational skills.
The hub is currently the fourth one located in the Northern region and the 31st hub for the across the country.
Speaking at the launch, YBhg Dato’ Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Minister of Education Malaysia shared, “I am pleased to know that the Teachers’ Activity Centre in SK Hashim Awang, Kepala Batas is the first one of its kind to be converted into a Digital Maker Hub”. Other than transforming the Teacher’s Activity Centre into a Digital Maker Hub, MDEC – who is also a strategic partner of the Ministry of Education – has worked together with us to train close to 70,000 teachers since 2016.
According to Dato Yasmin Mahmood CEO at MDEC, since a year of introduction the has seen significant results among children and will work on more partnerships focusing on making all teaching programmes structured so as students and teachers embrace digital technology.
Digital Maker Hub initiative, under Teacher’s Activity Centre, is structured to assist young teachers into assisting in shaping the students in Penang into future Makers and Creators, as well as elevate their computational thinking skills through activities using Arduino materials and practicing Scratch Coding. Teachers will undergo training and by the end of it, will be applying the Digital Maker Club Module that is specifically designed for future educators. It is also compulsory for selected schools and their educators to participate in upcoming competitions in this regard.
MDEC has roped in partners like- Microsoft, Google, DiGi, Sasbadi, Designex3D, Cytron Technologies, Janalima, Centillion Robotics, Acestar, and Maker21 – to showcase learning modules and content covering robotics, creative animation, virtual reality, apps development, cyber safety, as well as 3D printing and modelling into a mobile learning unit that will reach out rural schools in the country.
To-date, MDEC has partnered with more than 60 private sector partners for the #mydigitalmaker programme and has established 31 Digital Maker Hubs nationwide, including Sabah and Sarawak. 33 top young digital talents are identified under Digital Ninja Programme and sent to participate in advanced digital maker skills and holiday internships at digital tech companies.
