In a trend that likely points the way to the future, schools are increasingly integrating computers and classrooms in a teaching method that is more appealing to youngsters. Chai Wan Faith Love Lutheran School, for example, is making good use of free internet resources, particularly Google's Apps for Education. Marie Yuen King-yin, a teacher who also serves on the IT panel, says the free applications are useful for the school not only educationally but also for administration. Ms Yuen says Google works as an online server, and the free maintenance provided by the server's team lessens the school's IT burden. 'Software such as the mail server, Google Maps and Google Earth are useful in teaching. They make classes more vivid and close to daily life,' she says. 'More importantly, the applications are free of charge and the money saved can be used on purchasing other teaching tools. It is more cost-effective.' Ms Yuen teaches computer, maths, English and music in the school, and she says the applications can be used in many subjects. 'I can use the maps to teach the students about the landscape of Hong Kong. In addition, I can show them instant images of the buildings and ask them to calculate the distance from one point to another,' she says. Students' response has been encouraging. 'It's amazing to see the real landscape of the whole world,' says Primary Four student Julie Ko Cho-lee. 'I don't even have to check up the dictionary, as there is instant translation on the website.' Ms Yuen says: 'These children are born digital natives. I'm sure they absorb new things and concepts, especially those related to computers, much faster than we do.' Fanling Public School is also merging computers and the classroom, having purchased Promethean Activboards to replace traditional white boards. The Activboard is connected to the computer and is like a big touch-screen monitor. 'With their mobile writing pads, students can write their answers or opinions on the board,' says Chong Wu-lan, a teacher at the primary school. He also thinks the convergence of computers and teaching is a trend. Mr Chong says the digital whiteboard saves space and the data can be saved for use in the next lesson. He adds it is useful for students who suffered from poor concentration. 'It helps me to better manage group discussion sessions as well.' He says increased use of multimedia in education is also a trend. 'There are many channels available and I can see no reason why we shouldn't use them in teaching,' he says.
