MoE and Microsoft introduce ‘The Smart Circle for Safe Web Learning’

Wednesday, 4 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Microsoft in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the ICT branch of the MoE, created a new level playing field for Sri Lanka, with their initiative ‘The Smart Circle for Safe Web Learning’ introduced at a recently held forum at Waters Edge. The forum was to make educators and students aware of how to smartly use the hardware and software resources made available to thousands of students in the country’s urban and rural areas.

Through the ‘Partners in Learning’ program, Microsoft and MoE have launched numerous initiatives in order to provide both teachers and students opportunities to gain 21st century skills in order to become globally competitive.This new endeavour aims to draw a finer emphasis between ones personal computer and the World Wide Web. In the present age of computing, students across the world increasingly use internet for its multifaceted uses and the vast knowledge and resources it represents. Yet neither students, nor their parents or educators are adequately aware of the dangers the internet may represent to individuals or communities at large, which could be phenomenal. On the other hand neither are they empowered to mitigate or avoid such dangers. Through ‘The Smart Circle for Safe Web Learning’ initiative the MoE along with Microsoft will ensure that both students and educators will be amply equipped to ensure that mentoring and learning is done within a completely secure environment. Microsoft Sri Lanka Education Programs Manager Yashinka Jayasinghe Alles said that the company’s relationship with the MoE went back almost 10 years. “We have worked hand in hand with the MoE and created some great milestones in the ICT education sector of this country. We have together introduced programs like Teacher Training, Innovative Teachers and Students, Dreamspark to the 1000 Schools program etc. and we greatly appreciate the support extended to us. Lal Dias, Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team Coordination Centre (Sri Lanka CERT|CC), the national point of contact for Cyber Security, says that they are engaged in developing proactive and reactive measures to mitigate malicious activities on the Internet, where in recent times Social Media networks have been the main target of attackers. “The number of security incidents has been on the rise, particularly due to the increase in the number of users in cyber space and partly due to improper or unsafe use of social media networks and the internet. We are well aware that education and awareness on how to be safe on the internet is key to minimising social networking/internet related incidents that affects mostly teenagers and young adults.” Despite this he says that one cannot underestimate the unlimited potential online web learning has created in recent times. It facilitates students to tap into a vast knowledgebase; but it is by adhering to good online habits that students can get the best out of the latest Internet technologies. By providing vital information on how to be safe online and the dangers of improper use of social networking sites the younger generation can maximise the use of these tools with a lot more confidence, and avoid being targeted by online predators. Astrid S. Tuminez, Regional Director (Legal and Corporate Affairs, Southeast Asia) of Microsoft Corporation in her key note address said that according to a recent study, cybercrimes are evolving at lightening speed and children are more vulnerable than most. According to the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, 90 million images and videos of Child Pornography were found on the web. “It is important to be aware of the dangers and take protective measures to ensure the safety of our students. We have developed some of the best Internet Learning tools and programmes for use worldwide but at the same time we keep abreast of the latest threats and how best to mitigate crime. We will continue to be pro-active in cybercrime disruption; building strong and secure products and cloud services, as well as forge strong public-private partnerships on cyber threat intelligence to create a secure environment for students.” The event, which was attended by key officials of the MoE, Microsoft and the ICT Agency, was graced by Minister of Education, Bandula Gunawardena who was Chief Guest. A number of teachers, Provincial and Zonal Education Directors and senior Education Officers also participated.