Oracle’s Think.com connects Lankan schools

A student of a tsunami affected school- Gintota Madya Maha Vidyalaya, is doing his very own internet homepage, to show his friends from the UK. Students in Sooriyawewa have found a new English learning tool, and post little messages on their friend’s website, a press release from Oracle said. In a country where ICT penetration is still hovering at a meagre 10%, this is indeed a giant leap. But Oracle’s pilot run with its online community learning system ‘Think.com’ has students from 15 schools already hooked on.

According to Country Champion for ‘Think.com’ in Sri Lanka and Pakistan Dr. Vickum Senanayake, ‘Think.com’ is designed to connect students around the world and engage them in collaborative, project-based learning using technology. It is not just a blog or another tool to create web spaces. It is a safe environment for both students and teachers to collaborate to make learning more interactive and fun. It guarantees a safe environment, where only students and teachers from member schools can enter this password-protected learning community. Once inside, members use websites and interactive tools to publish their ideas, collaborate on projects, and build knowledge together.

‘Think.com’ is currently available in 8 different languages, spanning across 26 countries and growing. Dr Senanayake at a interiew said, “Many people ask what motivates Oracle Corporation's philanthropy through the Oracle Education Foundation, and its investment in programmes like “Think.com”. The reason is simple: Many of us at Oracle care passionately about education and believe it's the right thing to do. Our aim is to support technology education that fosters students' love for learning and their sense of citizenship in a global community.

In a world in which cross-cultural understanding is more important than ever, the “Think.com” programme reflects our goal to promote collaboration and learning that spans borders, both real and imagined. We believe that getting students from different backgrounds to communicate, collaborate, and learn about each other's life experiences is valuable.

The technology industry will continue to prosper only if our global society produces citizens capable of leveraging technology and teamwork to solve business challenges and address needs in all areas of life. The global community's future is reliant upon the same factors - the skills and wisdom of this next generation.”

He also said ‘Think.com’ was Oracle’s Corporate Citizenship initiative and did not have the profit motive attached to it, unlike other programmes for which the student, the schools or the teachers have to pay for. “Learning is a social phenomenon, yet this aspect has been largely ignored by the traditional teaching methods, which puts most emphasis on tutor based learning via instructions. ‘Think.com’ engages and inspires students. Few students are motivated to write for an audience of one - their teacher. By providing a wider yet protected audience, “Think.com” turns students into multimedia authors for a global community and allows peers to think and learn together.

If one were to log in to the “Think.com” web site, you could see many cases where “Think.com” has made a difference either to the school or to the student community at large. Most Sri Lankan schools still have traditional, low-tech classrooms. How can “Think.com” fit into this environment? Can collaborative tools benefit schools that are under developed and lacking in other resources?

This in fact is a huge challenge. But if we were to say we don’t have the resources and infrastructure to launch this program, where will that leave us? What I can say is that we try to work in schools where the primary infrastructure is available but at the same time we also work on possibilities of “pairing” local schools with other schools within the “Think.com” community globally. We have seen collaboration that extends beyond the student interactions and learning to that of supporting and providing necessary infrastructure and financing by the peer schools.”

A pilot project was started with several Sri Lankan schools recently.Commenting on its progress he said, “altogether 15 schools are involved in the pilot. There are three main schools; Royal College Colombo, Gintota Maha Vidyalaya, Galle and Richmond College, Galle. Then we have 12 schools set up in an ICT Centre in Sooriyawewa, which is one of the most remote areas in the world that ‘Think.com’ has reached up to now.

The progress has been slow but steady. I think it is important to have a community that is active in the workings of Think.com. Everyone who is passionate about the programme is doubling up in their current capacities. As schools realize the potential and the benefits of the program we will have a faster take up of this programme. We like to see the adoption of the ‘Think.com’ programme in every school in Sri Lanka. That’s the ultimate objective so that we can touch the lives of the entire student community irrespective of their cultural, social, and religious backgrounds.”