The EUAP HK-EU e-Learning Project is featured in Mingpao’s IES corner “Green living and sustainability in the Community” on 30 March 2015. It is written by Jacob Hui, Chairman of HK Liberal Studies Teachers’ Association. His school, Christian and Missionary Alliance Sun Kei Secondary School, has been participating in the e-Learning project. He has introduced the project as well as the e-Learning Platform “EU LOOK”. A student of Jacob Hui also shared his experience taking part in the project.
(Please scroll down for English)
Download the article in pdf “電子學習與全球化”
【明報專訊】同學學習「全球化」單元時，會經常接觸關於全球化的正面影響事例。例如在現今資訊爆炸的環境下，我們可以學習更多知識，而且藉着互聯網，我們有機會結識來自全球各地的朋友，互相通訊亦很方便。
同學是否想過，上述現象不但是事實，更可以親身體驗甚至成為專題報告的主題？
事實上，身處「地球村」，同學不難與香港以外的朋友聯絡，獲取不同種類的資訊。以下用一次跨地域電子學習活動為例，分享同學如何善用互聯網，完成專題報告。
資源豐富的全球化網站
「全球化」單元總會接觸到「歐盟」此組織。歐盟多國同學均耳熟能詳，而且這些國家多與香港、中國有緊密聯繫，也同樣是「今日香港」、「現代中國」單元的「常客」。其實歐盟多國與可持續發展、「公共衛生」相關的資訊也是學習的好素材，可作跨單元學習。
同學可多瀏覽「歐LOOK網上教學平台」，一方面了解歐盟，另一方面也可加強對網站內容涉及的重要議題，如公民教育、多元社會、環境保護等的認識。除此之外，設計這個網站的機構「香港歐盟學術計劃」也會舉辦一些有意義的學習活動，當中「香港、歐洲網上互動學習計劃」運用電子學習。
電子學習與專題探究
在計劃中，參與的香港中學生會與歐盟5國包括比利時、法國、德國、荷蘭及西班牙的中學生，同於電子學習平台學習「可持續發展」的議題，一連8星期內定期互相交流，兩地中學生要共同撰寫一份主題為「可持續發展」專題報告。
◆今年3月初，兩地中學生已開始交流。以下是其中一個參加計劃的中四同學任朗騫的學習感言，說明在過程中到底學到了什麼。相關內容，的確可成為專題探究的好主題呢！
「可持續發展」被全球各大媒體加以推廣，已成為熱門話題。在過往幾百年，人類不斷耗用地球資源，發展文明、文化、經濟等都建基於地球資源，令地球的資源出現短缺。
幸運地，目前科學進步，有更多環保發明出現。地球的前途需要我們「地球村所有村民」的努力，盡快實現「Eco-city」(生態城市)，使生態和資源與人類發展融合，並取得平衡令兩者得以並存和傳承。這就是我心目中的可持續發展。可持續發展有何重要呢？對於歐洲學生，他們又如何理解此議題呢？當然，我亦想了解歐洲各國如何實踐可持續發展。以上3個問題促使我參與這次與歐盟中學生合作的交流計劃。
2015年4月1日是香港全面推行塑膠購物袋徵費的日子，而三堆一爐的議題早前亦鬧得正熱。現時本港可持續發展的工作仍有不少改善空間，而歐洲各國在可持續發展上的措施能成為香港的借鏡。德國的資源回收系統、歐洲各國用可再生能源，及可持續發展的宣傳教育都對我們有很大啟發。當然，本港學生也能藉此向歐洲學生介紹香港可持續發展的政策和理念，兩地學生可融合各地知識，增進大家對可持續發展的理解，並在生活之中實踐。
青少年身為世界公民，在全球可持續發展的里程上是其中一個持份者。我認為大家都不應輕看自己的力量。每人在生活細節上出一分力，逐步達至可持續發展，令地球資源不會枯竭。所以我希望在這次交流中不單了解各國可持續發展的工作，更與歐洲青少年交流看法，匯集各方意見，從而提高大家對可持續發展的意識。我希望在生活細節上不遺餘力，在生活之中實踐可持續發展。
◆活動名稱﹕香港-歐洲網上互動學習計劃
負責機構﹕歐Look網上平台( euap.hkbu.edu.hk/youngeurope )
指導老師﹕許承恩
記錄同學﹕任朗騫
■《IES講呢啲》
想知更多做IES注意事項，可瀏覽明報通識網節目《IES講呢啲》系列，資深通識科教師許承恩講解IES要點
(From: http://www.mingpaocanada.com/TOR/htm/News/20150330/hk-gfr1_er_r.htm)
English
MINGPAO COLUMN ON LIBERAL STUDIES, MONDAY 30 MARCH 2015
By Jacob Hui, Chairman of HK Liberal Studies Teachers’ Association
Translated by Julian Chan
E-LEARNING AND GLOBALISATION
When students come into contact with the unit of “Globalization” under the Liberal Studies course, they will often come across positive examples and stories of globalization. In today’s environment where explosive amounts of information are fed towards us, we are indeed able to learn much more than ever before, and thanks to the internet, we now have the opportunity to know and meet friends from all over the world, with easy access to communication tools. However, have you students ever imagined that such aspects have not simply become a reality, but that they allow you to gain hands-on experience, and even become the theme of a research project?
In truth, we live in a global village, and it is not difficult for Hong Kong students to be in touch with friends overseas, and gain various perspectives and information. The following activity is an example of a cross-border tele-collaborative learning experience, and we will share how students make full use of the internet, in order to carry out and complete their research projects.
A globalized site with a wealth of resources
The unit of “Globalization” under LS sees students approaching the organization of the “European Union”. The names of the European Union member states will be familiar to the ears of students, and these countries have many close links established with Hong Kong and China. The EU is also a “frequent visitor” in the units of “Hong Kong Today” and “Modern China”. Topics of “sustainable development”, “public health” that are provided here are good learning materials, allowing students to obtain knowledge for cross-units learning.
(Picture 1: “EU Look e-education platform” is a website about the EU, and its contents are especially relevant to Liberal Studies)
Students are encouraged to frequently visit the “EU Look e-education platform”, where they can firstly understand more about the EU, as well as strengthening their own learning across some of the major themes that the platform highlights, including Civic Education, Multicultural Society, Environmental Protection, and so on. In addition to this, the designer of this e-education platform, an organization called the “European Union Academic Programme Hong Kong”, also holds several useful and meaningful learning activities, one of which is the usage of e-learning.
(Picture 2: Participating students using the e-learning platform “Blackboard”)
E-learning and Topical Research
In this project, participating secondary students in Hong Kong will work with students from five EU countries including Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, where they will simultaneously learn about the topic of “Green living and sustainability in the Community” using the e-learning platform. In the 8-week project, they will exchange ideas, and will jointly write a research report on the theme of “Sustainable development”.
In March this year, students from both sides have already begun exchanging and communicating. Below is a participating F.4 student Yam Long Hin’s thoughts and comments, detailing what he has learned so far in this experience. Such content is indeed great ideas for the topics of research!
In recent years, the concept of “Sustainable Development” has been heavily promoted by various forms of media across the world, and has very much become a hot topic. Over the past centuries, humans have incessantly consumed the earth’s resources, in order to develop their civilization, their cultures, their economies, which have increasingly caused depletion and a shortage of such resources. However, fortunately, as technologies mature and modernize, we have seen a multitude of environmentally-friendly inventions. The earth’s future requires us, all the “villagers” in this “global village”, to make an effort, to build “Eco-cities” as soon as possible, and to integrate ecology and resources with human development, in order to draw a balance between the two and allow both to coexist and be continued into the next generations. This, in my mind, is sustainable development. But why is sustainable development so important? To European students, what is their understanding of this topic? Of course, I would like to develop a good understanding of how various European countries practice sustainable development. These three questions I have in mind made me very much wish to participate in this HK-EU School Collaboration and Exchange Project.
1st April 2015 will be the day when Hong Kong introduces a full implementation of the Plastic Shopping Bag Charging scheme, while earlier on, the “Three landfill sites and one incinerator” issue was hotly discussed and debated in the society. Currently, the work in Hong Kong for sustainable development has much room for improvement, and measures that are introduced across various countries in the EU for sustainable development make extremely useful references for Hong Kong. Germany’s recycling & reuse programmes, the use of renewable energies in different EU states, the education + promotion of sustainable living, have all been great inspirations for us. Yet, at the same time, local students here can also take the opportunity of this project to inform and introduce EU students Hong Kong’s sustainable development policies and concepts. This way, both sides can integrate knowledge and experiences that can be shared amongst teach other, and it will also increase everyone’s understanding towards sustainable development, allowing such ideas and concepts to turn into reality in our lives.
The young generation is that of global citizenship, and is also therefore a stakeholder in the global development discourse. I believe that no one should underestimate his/her own ability to bring change. Everyone must make an effort in every detail of his/her life to reach sustainable development stage by stage, so that the earth’s resources will not be exhausted. Hence, in this exchange project, I hope to not only understand more about work that is done in sustainable development across various countries, but to exchange and share views with young people in Europe, to gather different opinions and thoughts, and from this we can hopefully increase knowledge and awareness on sustainable development. I hope to spare no effort in every detail of my everyday life, to genuinely achieve and practice sustainable development.
Name of project: “Hong Kong-EU School Project: Green Living & Sustainability in the Community”
Organisation in charge: The European Union Academic Programme Hong Kong
(euap.hkbu.edu/hk/youngeurope)
Directing Teacher: HUI Shing Yan, Jacob
Recording Student: YAM Long Hin