Dr. Winnie Tang, Chairman of Esri China (HK) (right 4), Mr. Victor Cheng, Executive Director of HKEdCity (right 3) and Mr. Albert Wong, Chairman of Association of IT Leaders in Education (right 5), together with teachers and students who have joined Map in Learning Program.

Students and teachers joining Map in Learning (MiL) Program shared their experience of using cloud-based GIS in e-learning with the members of local media in a Media Luncheon. In her opening speech, Dr. Winnie Tang, Chairman of Esri China (HK) elaborated the benefits of the Program and the media were convinced that it can help to foster e-Education of Hong Kong.

MiL Program is co-organized by Esri China (HK) and Hong Kong Education City (HKEdCity) with the support from the Education Bureau (EDB), the HKSAR Government, aims to develop, promote and sustain an excellent eLearning environment and resources in education for our next generations. The vision of the program is to engage schools widely adopting innovative GIS technology for student’s learning.

Under MiL Program, Esri China (HK) provides free subscription of ArcGIS Online School Account, valued at over HK$55 million, to all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong and Macau in 2015. In addition, various technical support services, teacher training workshop and online e-learning resources are also provided on complimentary basis.

MiL Program not only encourages students to understand the world and their own community by easily making web maps and analyzing data online, but also assists teachers in creating suitable learning contexts for particular educational purposes for students. Through ArcGIS Online, a cloud-based web GIS platform, students will be able to develop the life-long learning capabilities and problem solving skills that are needed in our ever-changing society.

During the media luncheon on 20 April, journalists were able to learn the in-depth details of MiL Program and first hand comments from the users. Mr. Victor Cheng, Executive Director of HKEdCity, believed that the program has introduced world-class technologies into the education market of Hong Kong and Macau. Students can develop the ability of critical thinking and master the skills to analyze and solve problems from different angles and dimensions.

Teachers, students and representatives of the schools which have joined the Program, including Wah Yan College, Kowloon and Pooi To Middle School, shared their experience as the users of ArcGIS Online. The students of Pooi To Middle School have collected, integrated and converted data in field trips for in-depth analysis in ArcGIS Online and gained interesting learning experiences. The students of Wah Yan College, Kowloon have acquired the ability to collect data and information from different countries and use the tools of ArcGIS Online to organize, compare and analyze them. By doing so, they can acquire in-depth knowledge of various subjects.

Dr. Winnie Tang pointed out that it is important to promote e-Education through innovative tools. Through MiL Program, Esri China (HK) and HKEdCity have created a high quality learning environment. Students are able to learn more effectively through multiple devices such as mobile phones, tablets and PCs, and have a rich learning experience. It is hoped that the Program can help to foster the learning of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and various subjects, and cultivate a culture of innovation among Hong Kong students.

Article 1 (In English)
http://www.winnietang.hk/index.php/ict/mediacoverage/510-100097

Article 2 (In Chinese)
http://www.winnietang.hk/index.php/ict/mediacoverage/507-100096

For more information about Map in Learning Program, please click here.