Media Literacy with Kingmaker

Captivated Audience at Bartley Secondary School

It was to be an anchoring programme for a Cyber Wellness & Media Literacy Carnival – for hundreds of Bartley Secondary School students after their exams. Yet what took place (still) surprised most students.

The highly media-exposed youths were led through media experiments conducted on the entire crowd, and most fell for the media tricks used to manipulate their responses. From emotional responses to memory tricks, the youths experienced for themselves the power of media.

“Being media-exposed does not ensure that one becomes media-savvy”

It certainly takes more than familiarity to discern how popular media (such as video games, advertisements, music and lyrics) can change one’s perception and behaviour.

Hear what the teachers had to say (verbatim comments):

• “The programme allows you to be more aware of how media influences your thoughs and behaviour”
• “Helps your kids see through the advertisements so they don’t fall prey to the pied piper of advetisements”
• “… touches on many aspects which are very relevant to analysing a visual stimulus, which is tested in the new English syllabus”
• “Very engaging and though provoking! Not to be missed!”
• “The vendor engages the student very well”
• “It’s good and relevant to all, young and old”

(“What did you like most about the programme?”)

• “Speaker was very engaging and his use of up-to-date and relevant resources was really helpful in letting the students learn in an authentic context. Things were put simply and easy to understand.”
• “Speaker was engaging and many relevant points were highlighted, especially about how our personal data may be kept and exploited.”
• “It was able to reach out to the audience in a lucid manner. Sources were original too . Very down to earth.”
• “Presenters were engaging. Students enjoyed the presentation. Salient points were highlighted through various modes- video, pictures, texts etc.”
• “The trainers were very informative and I felt that the students were engaged for most of the time. In fact, the memory test that they played was very interesting and it was relevant for teachers too.”
• “Very well adapted for the secondary student audience.”

(“What would you suggest for improvement?”

• “Speaker should have been given more time for his presentation for he had so many interesting things to share with the audience.”
• “Good to do this at the beginning of the year as part of CME Then allow the  teachers to follow up in class.”
• “Include such programmes for all schools and made available for school to implement it in a variety of ways to educate our students, such as assembly talks, games, exhibits, in-class activity, projects, camps, etc.”

Thank you Bartley students and teachers. It was a most memorable and fruitful engagement!

Kingmaker conducts quality cyber wellness programmes using a media literacy approach. Students are taught to consume media with understanding and with critical thinking. For a generation that is highly media-exposed, it is crucial that they become media-savvy too.

Empowering Educators for Cyber Wellness

Stamps of approval for our workshops

In the past 9 months, Kingmaker has trained more than 300 teachers in 13 schools about cyber wellness. The workshops have been most fruitful and satisfying for Kingmaker and we thank all participants for their kind feedback.

Improving Teachers Awareness (% “agree” or “strongly agree”)

• 97.7% – “I have improved in my understanding of video games”
• 100% – “I have improved in understanding social media”
• 96.5% – “I gained valuable insights into how social media works”
• 100% – “The information on privacy and online reputation was useful for me”
• 95.5% – “The information on cyber bullying was useful for me”

Beyond being useful information for themselves, teachers also found the workshop empowering them for their work (% “agree” or “strongly agree”)

• 93.9% – “The intervention tips are useful for my work”
• 92.8% – “The research data is helpful for understanding my students”
• 91.3% – “I gained new insights into educating students on cyber wellness”
• 100% – “The case studies presented were useful”
• 91.8% – “I learned useful mentoring tips”
• 93.2% – “The segment on engaging teenagers were useful”

Thank you for your kind attention on a weekday afternoon!

Verbatim feedback at Cyber Wellness workshops (“What would you say about this workshop?”)

• “Very informative and insightful presentation. Never knew so much about game addiction. The talk and presentation is back up by research data.” – West 6 Cluster Cyber Wellness Workshop
• “Positive information that can bring about a change” – Mayflower Secondary School
• “Eye opening data with mind-bogging implications” – Bartley Secondary School
• “Not the conventionally-boring cyberwellness programme” – Junyuan Secondary School
• “It realy helps to raise awareness of an issue that truly matters today.” – Junyuan Secondary School
• “It is an eye opener and gives a clear understanding of cyber gaming addiction” – East Spring Secondary School
• “Really learn a lot about cyber wellness. Excellent workshop.” – Mayflower Secondary School
• “Force every parent to undergo this workshop, make it compulsory” – Assumption English School
• “You should do more of such presentations to schools as a form of advertisement and also as a form of educating teachers. I think there is a real need to provide more info to all.” – West 6 Cluster

Verbatim feedback (“What do you like most about the workshop?”)

• “I like the sharing of case studies, videos. It made the talk very engaging and insightful” – Junyuan Secondary School
• “I like it that issue was very current and presenter was knowledgeable” – Bartley Secondary School
• “I like the engaging trainer, research data and education strategies” – East Spring Secondary School
• “I like the real life scenarios/examples on how the trainer uses social media positively to reinforce responsible use of social media among the young” – Junyuan Secondary School
• “I like it that the trainer is engaging and exposes us to the possible ways to intervene in students’ social media lives, which I think is very useful” – Junyuan Secondary School
• “I like it that the materials that were used were helpful. I can see how I can use then during my lessons” – Mayflower Secondary School
• “I like the knowledge about the gaming world and the (sharing of) trends among students with respect to gaming” – Assumption English School
• “I like the sharing of research data to back up the intervention approaches etc.” – Hwa Chong Institution
• “(I now) have better understanding of video game addiction, what are the possibilities behind their addiction and possible solutions.” – Jurong Secondary School
• “I like it that the speaker is very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic.” – Beacon Primary School

Your response made it most satisfying for Kingmaker!

Kingmaker believes that teachers have a critical role in educating children about cyber wellness. We have launched a suite of services to share our experience and methods with Educators, so as to multiply our reach. Kingmaker continues to innovate ahead of the curve to keep pace with 21st century learners!

“Friends or Fiends?” – Online Stranger Danger!

Kingmaker Consultancy hit the road and conducted assembly programmes for young users of the Internet.

• “How many of you use Facebook?”
• “How many have added online strangers as friends?”

We came up close with present reality, as many told of their forays into the online world. It surfaced the many challenges facing parents, teachers and children – how can we make safe choices in the face of peer pressure and overwhelming wave of underage Facebook users?

• “Do you think you can trust Uncle Tan? How about this chubby man, or this cool looking faceless guy?”
• “What if this guy knows your other friends?”

Scenarios were painted to test the children’s responses and reveal how they have assimilated the messages. The trainer played the devil’s advocate to push the limits of the children’s reasoning abilities.

• “Say a big no to online strangers..not just a no, but a NO NO NO!”

With that the participants launched into a corporate response to affirm what they would do to respond to stranger friend requests.

“I will say that Kingmaker’s talk is fantastic” – Simon Lee, P5

“I like the video Hopeless Sashimi” – Darren Tan, P5

“Very nice, very entertaining” – Vincent, P5

“It is a fun way to learn about cyber wellness” – Low Gin Lim, P5

“You must attend this workshop because it’s engaging and fun and we could learn at the same time” – Nicole Ooi, P5

Kingmaker Consultancy: It is estimated that more than 70% of primary school children are underage Facebook users, and a good proportion of these do so without parental approval. Coupled with increasing trading of virtual items, many young children report meeting strangers to exchange items and cash. In this climate, it is imperative that children are engaged with practical and viable solutions in the online space.

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Cyber Wellness Roadshows

Kingmaker Consultancy took to the road with “Virtual Creates Reality” Cyber Wellness Roadshow in Beatty Secondary School!

It was to be a different mode of promoting and “teaching” cyber wellness – through fun, games and quizzes. Students participated in these interactive activities at a Kingmaker’s cyber wellness booth. At the end of the day, the entire school was treated to a presentation by Mr Poh Yeang Cherng on how to truly master video games. They also took part in a competition to share their reflections on cyber wellness.

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Loud screams and cheers filled the cyber wellness booth throughout the day, as students cheered their friends in the attempt to  hit the game targets. The challenge was compounded with participants struggling with less-than-perfect “vision”. Everybody walked away winners: all had good fun and impactful learning, and some even won Kingmaker’s cyber wellness token and drink vouchers from the school.

The event was carefully designed to run on an integrated approach, paired with coordinated themes and coherent messages. Top-quality direct instruction was coupled with experiential learning and skilful facilitation by Kingmaker’s trainers. Within a limited time, Kingmaker Consultancy was able to achieve a high level of learning-interaction with the entire student population.

Kingmaker’s cyber wellness consultants are adept at creating cyber wellness solutions for varied needs. This roadshow promotes cyber wellness in a carnival setting. The high energy engagement delivers learning out of the classrooms and especially engages active teenagers. Inquire with us at info@kingmaker-consultancy.com for more unique ideas on customising a programme for your school’s needs!

Empowering Young Ladies – Cyber Wellness & Media Literacy

“If we care about nourishing the human spirit, if we care about human relationships, we have to care about this issue (the Media and how it relates to our children)” – Enola Aird, Activist Mother

Students learn the multi-faceted effects of media & advertising

Over a span of three days, the Secondary 1 girls of St. Margaret’s Secondary School learned about how modern media influences their behaviour, perceptions and values. A keen sense of “media literacy” was the goal, and the students applied it in everyday youth Internet issues such as Copyright, Online Privacy & Reputation, and the dangers of Unbridled Online Expression on social media

“The workshops are really beneficial for young people who think that the internet is a very safe place.” – Ain Azizah, 1E4

Voting for Top Cyber Wellness Artefacts

The trainers from Kingmaker Consultancy also demonstrated how consumerism & commercial agenda dominates the media diet of young people in the Internet age. These influences often promote a warped view of how a “woman” should be. The biggest danger, though, is that young girls are often oblivious to its effects.

“Learning about being Media-Savvy applies a lot to us, especially these days.” -Vanessa Teo, 1E2

The girls learned about the subtle methods often employed in modern marketing. The also practised their skills of discerment in an exercise to create original artifacts for a Media Literacy contest and exhibition. Every participant had multiple opportunities to be an advocate for the cyber wellness issues they chose to highlight.

Kingmaker is pleased to have partnered St. Margaret’s Secondary School in shaping values in 21st century learners! Noting that it is St. Margaret’s mission “to nurture confident, creative and caring young ladies who will serve God, the Country and the Community,” Kingmaker sought to impart timeless values of balance, astuteness, respect and responsibility.

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Kingmaker Consultancy conducts workshops & exhibitions to teach Cyber Wellness and Media Literacy. Contact us for custom solutions for your school’s unique needs!

Brand New Eyes In The Cyberworld

Kingmaker trainers conducted cyber wellness roadshows in 5 different campuses of the Institute of Technological Education (ITE) Central. Thanks to the initiative of the Student Care Development department, the youth of ITE were exposed to risks and opportunities of living in the virtual world.

A wide spectrum of issues were covered, including “Cyberbullying”, “Cyber Security”, “Video Gaming Addiction” & “Responsible Online Expression”. This roadshow was unique in the paedagogy adopted. Instead of direct instruction, the ITE students learned through gaming experiences and an interactive quiz. They were introduced to various cyber wellness values such as “Responsibility” and “Respect” through a real life “First Person Shooter” (FPS) game using nerve guns.

The atmosphere was also fabulous for the Kingmaker trainers to share their know-how about prevalent cyber wellness challenges. In return, the facilitators had an opportunity to come up close and hear the actual problems faced by youth in the virtual world today.

Many students who were taking a break from their lessons or heading home for a good rest chose instead to join their friends at the crowded exhibition area and engage the experiential learning games.

In a simulated ‘goal-achieving’ game, many of the students got to hear their very own friends share about their aspirations and dreams – some wanted to be teachers, some wanted to finish well and further their education at Polytechnics, others also chose the exciting lifestyle of an air stewardess!

Kingmaker is thrilled and pleased to have partnered the Institute of Technological Education in this colorful roadshow. We hope that the future graduates of ITE would have integrated cyber wellness not just in mind but in their hearts as well!

Media Sense & Sensibility

“For the sake of our children & their generation”

Sitting through a video depicting a handful of kids dancing along to their favorite dinosaur, Barney, belting out his theme song  “I Love You”, many smiled and laughed at the innocence of the carefree children. The amusement was substituted with astonishment as the subsequent scenes jolted most of the participants. A room full of animated children began simulating their on-screen Power Rangers heroes, jostling with each other in imitation of the exhilarating fighting scenes and grappling violently with one another out of spirited mischief. Could teenage violence have originated at such early stages?

Learning about negative exposure must have been all in a day’s work for a parent, so it seemed… Until it was realized that many years down the road, kids like the ones mentioned above would have been fed with hundreds of thousands of violent images and media illustrations portraying savage behavior. In retrospect, nurturing the acquiescent, subservient Singaporean child didn’t seem such a straightforward game anymore as external players i.e. video games and social media enter the fray.
Well, that was part of several reasons why more than a hundred parents, educators, students and teachers shared their Saturday morning with Kingmaker Consultancy in a seminar to delve extensively into “Children, Media Usage & Cyber Wellness”.

Led by Kingmaker Director, Poh Yeang Cherng, participants were invited into the fascinating world of Social Media and Facebook. They were  then escorted on a journey of surprising, intriguing insights from different angles and perspectives, both from the consumers and also the producers.

This was complemented with Dr. Douglas Gentile’s expertise in his pet subject, media effects on children and adolescents, as Dr. Gentile shepherded the discussion into the perennially problematic issues of video-games and addiction. Having matured in the age of technological enlightenment and progressively enthralling video-game development, it was clear that many of the participants identified with the problems from experience, both with children, youth and even their peers. These discussions definitely brought regenerated views and unraveled fresh facts for the parents and teachers. Safe to say, these groups of educators have augmented their arsenal in the perpetual warfare against media-reliance and gaming-addiction.

Media Sense & Sensibility was a timely and momentous platform for passionate parents and educators to step into the hot debate about children media usage. More importantly, public awareness and interpretation of media/cyber literacy were pronouncedly amplified through a short handful of hours spent with Kingmaker.

Kingmaker would like to thank all who joined us in the seminar, it has been a pleasure working with you to create greater understanding and advocacy for Cyber Wellness and Media Literacy!

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Awakening This Generation

“Brighter Perspectives & Fresher Ways”

“The trainers are funny, and the workshop really gave me a wake up call.” Lisa Park, 1C

Group activities, the occasional laughter, classes of excited girls but… A wake up call? Who could have thought that another day spent in school on a Monday morning would turn out this way? What exactly was this student talking about – precisely what did she wake up to?

Well, Kingmaker had the privilege to hang out with the Secondary One students of Cedar Girls’ Secondary School on another ordinary Monday morning, as many lessons and discussions were shared over topics such as Social Media and Copyright Issues. The day didn’t turn out as many students expected it to be after all – learning about Copyright and the prevalence of Copyright violation was shockingly scary. In an age where information and ripe knowledge are so readily available and temptingly accessible, students seem to rely on the silver spoon of offered wisdom more than anything else.

“The workshop is very useful and tells me all the knowledge and information about copyright, and plagiarism that I am unaware of.” Jamie Ang, 1P

A wake up call, by the aforementioned student, so it seems, related not only to our youth’s susceptibility of breaking our local copyright and plagiarism laws. More importantly, what was also apparent was the imminent loss of creativity, and increasing reliance on conventional answers among our youth. This was certainly all in a day’s work to champion change in a perpetual war against over-dependence and sloth in their minds!

The day didn’t end on a solemn note though, as the girls left their Social Media workshops raving about their favorite boy, Justin Bieber, and debated over their highly frequented social media applications like Facebook and Twitter. Were they using Facebook too often? Did they know all of the 1250 friends in their networks?  A handful of insights were imparted for the girls to ponder over. At the end of the day, from their response, it was pretty clear that an annual, regular “Cyber Wellness Day” could be informative, advantageous and relevant at the same time!

“I liked that I learnt how to protect myself online.” Elizabeth Yee, 1S

Kingmaker Consultancy is pleased to work in tandem with Cedar Girls’ Secondary via this wonderful Cyber Wellness engagement. Workshops of the most exceptional quality will do well in encouraging students to have a positive perspective of Cyber Wellness, and also practically advocating it, beginning with their personal lives. Kingmaker is proud to partner Cedar Girls’ Secondary in nurturing responsible and media-savvy youths in the 21st Century!

Kingmaker Consultancy’s workshops are conscientiously crafted to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in generating real change in our young generation. Our curriculum is scientifically validated for learning outcomes. Dynamic and capable trainers assist us in achieving our goal of shaping profitable values in our youth which are congruent to the values in our schools today.  Contact us to find out more how this may fit into your school’s plans for Cyber Wellness and character development!

Challenging and Transforming Negative Cyberspace Values

“The bully, the bullied and the bystander – which are you?”

The school hall packed with a thousand students broke out in uninhibited laughter and rapturous applause as a disfigured, doctored picture of teenage pop sensation Justin Bieber appeared onscreen. The young ladies roared out in unappreciative disapproval and dissent at their peers’ reactions; the eager boys merely added to the celebrations of a moral victory over their universal antagonist that is Justin. A familiar scene, another intriguing engagement – all in a day’s work for Kingmaker Training Consultant, Adeline Wee.

Kingmaker collaborated with Yusof Ishak Secondary School to bring the students through a journey of Cyber Bullying in our ever-changing Cyber World today. The youths screamed out in exhilaration and volunteered enthusiastically as questions were asked about famous (also infamous) social media personalities such as Justin Bieber, even locally notorious bloggers like Steven Lim. Amidst all the fun and enjoyment, the point was eventually raised that Cyber Bullying precipitates serious problems.

“I liked the trainer who was very engaging and the way she presented such a solemn and serious topic.” Lai Mun Yee

Along the way, the mood turned solemn when the unthinkable consequences of Cyber Bullying were illustrated through several examples. Now, they were really listening.

“They showed interesting videos of real life examples instead of simply pointing out the boring points of Cyber Bullying.” Xena Ong

After a short hour spent together, the youths learnt practical steps to adopt in order to alleviate the countless problems associated with apathy towards Cyber Bullying today. More than that – as they left the hall, they gained keen awareness that they could either  contribute to the persistent problem, or joining the fight against Cyber Bullying. All were led to consider their roles in advocacy.

“This program was meaningful to students and very helpful.” Fazeera Suhaimi

Each of them has a role to play in our Cyber World today, now they accept it. The question left to be answered: how will “intention to change” translate into actual action?

(That was not to be left to chance as Kingmaker also designed follow-up activities for teachers to conduct during classes. These will reinforce learning and create opportunities for application of values)

Kingmaker Consultancy conducts impactful, high-energy assembly programs to promote Cyber Wellness. Rather than providing mere entertainment, concrete learning outcomes are achieved with varied paedagogy and effective speakers. This assembly program was testament to how a short but impactful session can instill greater awareness and increase empathy among youths today.  Contact us to find out more how this may fit into your school’s plans for cyber wellness!

Grappling with the Multifaceted Dimensions of Cyber Wellness

“Advocating imperative values in the Cyber World”

Within two sessions over a two-week period, Kingmaker worked with Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) to increase awareness and improve Secondary 2 students’ understanding of Cyber Wellness. A handful of stimulating topics were covered, including “Responsible Online Expression, “Mastering Video Gaming”, “Respecting Copyright” and “Online Privacy”.

Under the conscientious supervision and watchful eyes of Kingmaker trainers, Chung Cheng students journeyed through thought-provoking lessons in order to subsequently share their learning outcomes and insights with their peers. All coaching was provided in order to empower and enable the students to conduct Cyber Wellness lessons of the highest quality.

Participants feedback significantly reflected a common appreciation of the trainers’ effective use of visual aids in the forms of creative videos and pictures.

“The videos are really interesting and they help me more efficiently recognize what Cyber Bullying is.” Faith Ye

“It teaches me a lot of things that I did not know before.” Ang Li Ting

The various topics covered also opened the students’ eyes to the urgent need to hold on to values in the cyber world today; values such as respect, responsibility and empathy, which become frequently forgotten upon entry into the Cyber World. Participants were enlightened on how the increasing apathy towards such critical values in the Cyber World must be combated with conscious and persistent efforts to enhance awareness among their peers.

“I learnt a lot to prevent myself from Cyber Bullying, which is commonly seen nowadays.” Bong Ming Min 

“It is amazing, it provides you with important information which I think you cannot miss out on.” Carter Tan

“The workshop can help you learn to manage your gaming problems.” Lee Yan Yi

Kingmaker Consultancy is delighted to partner Chung Chung High School (Yishun) in this groundbreaking Cyber Wellness engagement. Workshops of the highest quality will not merely convince students, but also propel them towards advocacy. Kingmaker joins Chung Cheng High (Yishun) to embrace the stretch goal of getting students to train their peers!

 

Kingmaker Consultancy’s workshops are rigourously designed to ensure effectiveness in creating real change. Our curriculum is scientifically validated for learning outcomes. Mature and skilful trainers top up the whole experience for a truly effective cyber wellness intervention programme.