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1. Description of Our Community
Singapore is a small country having an area of 693 square kilometres. The population of Singapore is about 4 million people, which make her one of the most densely populated country on Earth.
Singapore has one of the best land transport systems in the world. She has a world class public transport system. The trains and buses in Singapore are efficient, clean, reliable, very affordable and easily accessible. Compared to many cities in the world with similar size and standard of living, Singapore roads are less congested and less polluted. All these achievements cannot be there without Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA). Since 30 years back, LTA has put up a pro-public transport policy. As a result, large public funds are used to built railway tracks, both underground and aboveground for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. Singapore has more than 50 km railway track. LTA has also built more than 10 bus interchanges and terminals, as well as over 4000 sheltered bus-stops, most of which are accessible from housing estates. Pubic buses are exempted from heavy taxes imposed on private cars and buses are given priority lanes during peak hours so that buses can travel faster and smoother. Currently, public transport in Singapore are run by 2 government-linked companies SMRT and SBSTransit. The target for LTA is to reduce the travelling times of public transport 1.5 times longer than private transport as compared to 1.8 times currently. To discourage private car ownership and usage, LTA imposes heavy tax on car ownership and implement road pricing scheme on congested roads. Drivers of private cars have to pay when using congested roads. However, if Singaporeans still prefer to own and use private cars, the road network here is excellent, comparable to many developed nations. Singapore has more than 250 km of expressways and many more secondary trunk roads. All the roads are well-paved, well-sign posted and brightly lit at night. Pot-holes are non-existent on Singapore roads, and flooding has not occurred for the pass 10 years. On the expressways, Electronic Traffic Monitoring and Alert System (EMAS) allows motorists to be well-informed of the traffic conditions and motorists re advised to take alternative routes if necessary. Looking forward, with increasing population and limited land, the challenges facing LTA is still formidable and urgent.
2. Summary of Our Project
The aim of our project is to share about Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) efforts to create a smooth and seamless journey for all. The project will present the various categories of road transport in Singapore, namely, rail (MRT), buses, taxis, private cars, road network, private cars/vehicles, and LTA future plans. For each category, a glimpse of the past is also provided.
Our group visited LTA gallery, attended presentations by LTA staff, meet and discussed with LTA staff, and took photographs of various systems and vehicles of Singapore.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
Our main problems were the formation of our team and lack of time. As we were primary students advancing to the secondary level, we had just joined this new School. We volunteered to participate in the project because we were interested to work on a project together. However, we did not know each other well as we were from different primary schools and we had to understand each other. The team members met to discuss the project only in early-February 2009. Unfortunately, some of the group members were not committed, not to mention the busy schedule of class tests which made the other members mentally exhausted and frustrated and thus delayed the progress of the project.
By the time, we settled down to do the project, it was already mid-February. Since some members were not serious, work on the project did not begin until late-February. Finally, we decided to focus on our strength and allocated tasks accordingly. At the same time, we had to find time to learn technology skill like Photoshop and Adobe Flash. Sometimes we had to bring our work home, and the work was not always finished. As the deadline drew near, we had to rush and spent our one week break working on the project. This proved that we had endured through this major problem that could easily dissuade us in further doing of the project. It was a feat we could not call small.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
Our interest in this project gave us the motivation and strength to persevere. As we had volunteered to participate in this project, we had to commit our time to ensure we complete the task.
We have learnt many things when working for the CyberFair Competition that we could not do so in the normal classroom like teamwork, research skill, communication and IT skills. We realized that teamwork is very important as everyone must do their part. We learnt to research for information from various resources like the Internet, newspapers and we also consulted officers working at the Land Transport Authority. The education officer for the LT Gallery was very helpful to provide us with the necessary information. We learnt technical skills like Photoshop and apply the skills immediately on the photographs taken.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
In Singapore, the Ministry of Education recommended the Baseline ICT Standards, which is a comprehensive list of ICT skills competencies, to be integrated into core subject areas and project work. In participating in the CyberFair Competition, the pupils were able to accomplish the following skills areas such as (1) Learning to operate in an interactive media environment, (2) Learning internet navigation and use search engines independently, (3) Learning to create, edit and format text with word processor, (4) Learning to produce and manipulate multimedia content like flash and PhotoShop, and (5) Learning online communication skill like wiki. At the same time, they learn to respect Intellectual Property and practice safe and responsible use of the Internet.
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