Expanding methods of IT education: an ideal environment.

Located in a quiet Singaporean suburb, Maris Stella is a government funded magnet school for IT education, an experiment and model for other schools in Singapore. Inside the simple exterior are state-of-the-art facilities that are transforming education in Singapore. Here, Wacom's Intuos line of pen tablets is playing an essential role in teaching primary school students -- Singapore's future artists -- about the increasingly important field of digital art.

Introducing pen tablets and the world of digital art

"The kids are all very excited to use the tablets. They draw their favorite cartoons," Ong Bee Kian explains. Teaching 4th graders, Ong wanted her students to have more exposure to the computer than simply typing and making websites. She wanted her students to experience drawing on the computer -- a skill that is increasing in demand today as multimedia becomes more widespread.

At Maris Stella, one of their three computer labs was equipped with pen tablets in 2004 when students began attending digital art class. The effect was obvious: "you cannot draw with a mouse. The children are more enthusiastic about digital art with these pen tablets." The novelty of the new equipment combined with the amazing new ability to apply art skills to the computer would capture the attention of any child.

However, there were some hurdles to overcome. "Some children just cannot stand the time required to get used to the pen tablet. Since they are so used to the mouse, children claim that they can’t use the pen. But at some stage, I know that about 90% of them are satisfied with using a pen tablet instead of a mouse."

Digital art class curriculum

A good introduction to digital art is important in order to capture the students' interest. "One digital art class session lasts four to five weeks, with one lesson each week (traditional art classes take up other weeks). The classes are held in grades 2, 4 and 5. In the first week the teacher does a demonstration on drawing. The following week is tracing, then painting, finishing and so on," explains Ong. All the digital art classes are taught by Jacqueline Ho, an IT teacher who has had years of experience with the pen tablet.

One of the more popular exercises with the pen tablet is the first lesson. Students are asked to trace their favourite cartoon or comic characters using the overlay sheet attached to the pen tablet, which imitates drawing on tracing paper with a pencil. The ability to draw their favorite characters on computer well made the students very excited. Some of the students are so excited about their newfound skill that they participated in Ong’s after school art club.

Other uses of pen tablets in education

Maris Stella’s teachers have plans to expand the use of the Intuos pen tablets in their curriculum. Calligraphy class is one idea that has been proposed. The pen tablets would to write and analyze Chinese characters and the Latin alphabet.

Teachers themselves may begin using pen tablets in all classes for highlighting and writing notes in PowerPoint presentations. The dynamic nature of PowerPoint based classes are potential a very effective way to communicate with the students.

Observing the future

One thing that the teachers know from observing the children in the class day after day is that their concentration is easily broken by any disruption. As teachers continue to search for improvements in educational equipment, stable, easy-to-use hardware and software too will take precedence. Wacom’s pen tablets have established a high standard where hardware is concerned, and will continue to play an important role in bringing education up-to-date with the rest of this fast-paced, technology-driven society.

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