Temasek Polytechnic Diploma in IT - Keeping IT Real!

Scholarship Briefing

2012-01-12T12:36:00.002+08:00

Attend a scholarship briefing and apply today. Call 67805312 for info.

JAE 2012 @ TP

2012-01-10T11:10:00.007+08:00

Hi, all GCE O level graduate student. The O level results are out and wanna think which polytechnic to choose from? Do you enjoy solving problems? Are you passionate about creating solutions and making them work for people? Information Technology is all about creating innovative software solutions for people and businesses through the use of technologies. Join us and be part of this dynamic and exciting industry.

The school will be having the JAE intake for all O level students from 9 January -13 January 2012.We also had set a booth that is indicated T30 on the signboard at the auditorium. So just come and take a look or if u has any issue about the courses just approach any of the staff there as they were explain to u more about it.

The Date, Venue and Time is as follow:

Date: 9 Jan- 13 Jan 2012

Venue: Temasek Polytechnic Auditorium 1&2

Time: 9am to 5pm

More info about the Diploma in information Technology Course at Temasek Polytechnic

This course equips you with in-depth software implementation skills to effectively lead,define, design and implement business solutions in various key sectors such as government, education, banking, finance, sales and marketing.

In your first year of study, u will learn and study the core modules like Object oriented programme(java),Computer Architecture(networking),Web design and etc……..

You have three options of study in this course in your second year to choose from:

• Business Analytics Option: focuses on analysing and interpreting data and converting them into useful insights for developing strategies for the organisation;

• Project Management Option: focuses on teaching you the knowledge and skills needed to manage IT projects;

• Enterprise Systems Option: focuses on customising and integrating established busines software solutions with other new or legacy systems.

In your final year, you will integrate the knowledge that you have acquired to complete a major project. You will also be attached to either a local or overseas company as an intern.

This course has an established track record of producing highly successful students who have won top positions in national and international IT software applications and development competitions. Many of our graduates have also gone on to pursue both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in local and overseas universities, with a significant number receiving attractive scholarships to further their studies.

So hurry and come down to take a look or sign up for it if u are interested.

Come to our Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) Course Preview Talks and be informed. We will also be having a Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) Course Preview Talk as follow:

Session 1

Date: 10 Jan 2012

Time: 7pm

Session 2

Date: 11 Jan 2012

Time: 12pm

Session 3

Date: 12 Jan 2012

Time: 6pm

Why Choose This Course?

The Diploma in Information Technology provides you with a wide range of career and further study options through this broad-based curriculum, focusing on the application of IT to the business domain.

We will prepare you to effectively lead, define, design and implement business improvement projects in banking, finance, trade and logistics, sales and marketing, as well as technopreneurship sectors.

The Diploma offers 2 specialisations (options) of study. The first option, (Enterprise IT, focuses primarily on the analysis and development of systems using enterprise technologies (e.g. Microsoft .Net Framework) to enhance business competitiveness. The second option, Enterprise Business Informatics, focuses on customising enterprise software solutions (e.g. SAP/Oracle) to support business operations such as Finance and Logistics.

Opportunities to enhance your understanding of specific business domains are also made available through elective subjects e.g. Introduction to IT Systems in Banking. These business-oriented subjects address the banking and financial services, trade and logistics, sales and marketing, technopreneurship and many other business-related areas.

We have well-established laboratories set up in collaboration with companies such as Hewlett Packard to provide students with exposure to the latest technologies.

Why choose TP?

We're leader of the pack with 53 full-time courses in Applied Science, Business, Design, Engineering, Humanities & Social Sciences and Informatics & IT. There's definitely a course that's just right for you.

And if you’ve done very well for your O level exams, we're giving out a wide range of scholarships worth more than $2 million in total. If you've got the passion and aptitude, let us know!

It's three years of your life – make sure you choose a place where you know you'll be happy and satisfied, where you can graduate knowing those were the best three years of your life. For two years in a row (2010 and 2011), TP has been rocking off-the-chart scores in the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore, and coming out tops among all the polytechnics!

TP is alive with student activities from dawn till dusk! From leadership training, to sports, music and cultural activities, our CCAs will add colour to your TP experience.

We study hard and we play hard. And we never fail to rawk your socks off! It's what everyone's talking about!

Open House @ TP 2012

2012-01-05T16:55:00.013+08:00

Here is a summary of the exciting projects being demonstrated by Dip IT for the Open House 2012 from 5th to 7th Jan.

(1) Therapy and Rehabilitation Assistant (TARA)
TARA is an application design to aid in the patient’s rehabilitation and recovery process. It makes use of Microsoft Kinect to measure the patient’s range of motion where the data can be used by the doctor to assess the patient’s conditions. TARA also provides interesting games to engage and assist the patient in the form of rehabilitation exercise.

Key Technologies Used:
Microsoft Kinect
Microsoft Windows Phone 7
Microsoft Azure (SQL and AppFabric)
Microsoft ASP.NET 4.0

(2) Ez-Travel
EZ-Travel is an interactive journey planner for tourists. It allows user to track their current location and plan their journey route based on different public transportation modes. It has features that allow user to be notified of the alighting point when taking public buses. ; and direct user to the proper exit in non-GPS environment.

Key Technologies used:
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Augmented Reality
Bing map
Routing service
Geocoding

(3) Recyclocator
Recyclocator helps make recycling more convenient on the go. It works by locating the nearest recycling facilities/bins for the users. Recyclocator makes it fun as users can compete for titles, earn points and even badges when they recycle. The points earned can be used to exchange for vouchers or merchandise.

Key Technology Used:
Microsoft Windows Phone 7
Microsoft .NET 4.0
Microsoft Azure
XCode 4

Student Internship Programme (SIP) - Accenture

2012-01-03T09:53:00.007+08:00

Hi, I'm Lee Qin, currently in my third year. During my Student Internship Programme (SIP), I was attached to Accenture. :)

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. In short, they work together with their clients to help them become high-performance businesses and government. By their industry knowledge, service-offering expertise and technology capabilities, the consultants help to identify new business and technology trends for their clients, helping them to develop solutions.

The purpose of my training is to see how a project in Accenture works and to help out some of the documentations. The company expectations for me are to understand the working world, how projects are handled and accomplish the documentations that are given.

With the task that I’ve been assigned to, I have seen how a project works and how the consultants handle them. Therefore, I’ve learnt that I have to plan and manage well the project and workload in order to produce a positive result.

The few tasks that are given to me during my internship are generating reports using Oracle Application, compilation of documents, constructing business process using Microsoft Visio, attending meetings to help take down remarks, comparison of processes between information, keeping file server updated, formatting of documents and preparing presentations.

With the experiences in the internship, I’ve came to try using applications like Oracle Application and it gives me an idea how business communicates with different each other and how reports are generated, all these are great experiences that I would never gain if I did not work in the industries. My company’s purpose to hiring me is to let me understand how a project works and within these five months, I’ve learned about almost everything in a project, from preparation to presentation of results. Therefore the expectations from both the company and me are met.

Student Internship Programme(SIP) - IBM

2011-12-07T13:24:00.009+08:00

Hi, I'm Jasmin Zhan, currently in third year. During my SIP, I was being attached to IBM and the experience I had was invaluable.

IBM is one of the well-known technology company. It is a privilege to be able to be attached here for my Student Internship Programme (SIP) to gain new experiences. One thing about working here is, I have to find my own workspace everyday as it is run as a mobile based job. This means that not everyone work in the office all the time, so the space provided in the office are mostly first come first serve basis for the mobile side.

Through the opportunities given here of making calls to high ranking personnel from different companies, I have had different exposure on how to deal with various cases of responses from people that I came across contact. I had the chance to attend a couple of meetings and one of it was actually meeting the external company. To be present in the meeting itself is a great experience to see how different company come together and connect to bring about one common purpose in mind to accomplished.

One of the project or rather assignment given was to drive the awareness on the essential of Smartcloud Enterprise (SCE) through creating a community etc to the targeted group of people in tertiary and IT Professionals.

Some of the challenges that I faced were:

Adapting to the working world. I guess after a period of time, it will just come naturally if one were to possess a positive attitude and also a decision for being exposed to the new environment

Cloud computing is something alien to me, thus to overcome this was to read up materials that was given and also by experiencing it real life through the different events that I attended and hearing from the other colleagues who are more experienced.

There were times whereby I meet customer who are tough to handle on the phone and would have to be able to direct them back on the spot without any help around. Also managing my emotions of not being affected by the bad experience that may happen, since I am here to learn. As some customer may tend to be quite nasty at times.

However, this internship experience have thought me skills which may come in useful in the long run. It certainly does give me a taste of how the working world is like and prepared me for the future that is to come.

Overseas Student Internship Programme (OSIP)

2011-11-30T12:41:00.005+08:00

Hi, my name is Pei Shi, currently in third year. I must thank Temasek Polytechnic for giving me a chance to do my internship in China, Beijing. It is a rare opportunity to go Beijing to experience the working lifestyle and culture of China. It was a new experience for me as I work overseas and lived independently.

A good point about OSIP which I think is useful for everyone, is that being independent plays a very big role during the period of stay in Beijing.

Peishi and her group of friends who went for OSIP in China, Beijing

Living in a brand new environment which I am unfamiliar with the food, place and culture, it makes me learn to be independent to take care of myself. Not familiarized with the surroundings, it makes me learn everything from scratch, like how to travel from one place to another or traveling from home to work place. Besides that, whenever I'm sick, I have to rely and take care of myself, for the fact that I'm alone in Beijing. Unlike Singapore, I have to settle my own meal either by cooking at home or eat outside.

During the weekends, I have to explore Beijing either on my own, or organize a meetup with colleagues. Of course, with colleagues' help, exploring of Beijing will be much easier as they brought me to popular places where visitors will visit most whenever they arrive in Beijing. If I were to explore on my own, I have to search online for places of attractions or shopping malls. It was challenging and interesting to travel around in Beijing as I had to change several lines of subway (MRT) before arriving at the destination. I could also explore the different places at the same time.

In conclusion, I think that it was a good experience for me to travel overseas to be exposed to their culture and learn to be independent. Independence teaches me not to give up easily when I meet difficulties but instead to persevere till the end. When there's a will, there's a way!

Tool to help stroke patients on clinical trial

2011-10-21T18:48:00.004+08:00

Taken from: http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111020-0000122/Tool-to-help-stroke-patients-on-clinical-trial

SINGAPORE - It did not take home the top prize at Microsoft's Imagine Cup Championship in the United States in July, but the project will now have a shot at making an impact on the lives of stroke patients.

The winners of the Singapore leg of the competition will see their Therapy and Rehabilitation Assistant (TARA), a tool to help assess stroke severity and rehabilitation, in a full-scale clinical trial at a hospital here.

The team - comprising Mr Satrughan Kumar Singh, Mr Wong Kin Seng and Mr Kim Arvin Galutera Evangelista, current and former Infomation Technology students from Temasek Polytechnic - made the announcement last Friday at a Microsoft Xbox 360 event.

The project was inspired by Mr Evangelista's late grandmother, who had suffered a stroke. The team found that the process of assessing stroke severity was tedious and time consuming, and that patients did not find the rehabilitation process engaging.

"Patients lose motivation in trying to get themselves treated," said Mr Singh.

Using Microsoft's Kinect, a full body motion controller, TARA is able to measure all nine joints at once in a patient's range of motion after a stroke, allowing the doctor to perform concurrent tests instead of measuring one joint at a time.

The measurements from the severity assessments are then passed to the games module of the software, which helps TARA decide on which games are best suited for the patient for rehabilitation.

The team now hopes to commercialise TARA into an international solution.

The Imagine Cup is an annual global competition for students focused on finding solutions to real-world problems.

by Alvin Chong Updated 04:36 PM Oct 20, 2011

Student Highlight: Randy Lim - How to prepare for Direct Poly Admission (DPA)

2011-09-27T14:57:00.003+08:00

Randy Lim, who is the recent 2011 Singapore Microsoft Office Academic Skills Challenge Champion - 1st place in both Word and Excel category / 4th Runner Up at the Worldwide Competition for Word Category, sat down with us to share his thoughts on the Direct Poly Admission (DPA) process and how best to prepare for it.

Question: Who told you about TP's DPA?

Answer: Through my Sec Sch Senior Lim Yuan Jie (Lee Kwan Yuew award winner, IDA Scholar, World Skill Gold Medal). He was from Dip IT. He graduated this year (2011). I think he is currently working as an assistant at TP for a lecturer.

Question: How did you prepare your portfolio for DPA?

Answer: I created a CD that contains
-Competition certs
-Project compilation
-Assignment
-CCA work
-CCA points sheet
This allowed the interviewers to view the contents at their own pace after the interview.

Question: What was the interview like?

Answer: The interviewing panel is made up of Mr Lim Kok Kwee, Dr Eng Pin Kwang and Mr Oh Chin Lock. We already knew each other from the Microsoft Office Skills training session that they conducted in TP when I was in Secondary 3 so it was more of a chit chat session.

Dr Eng came up with a lot of logic questions so it's important to train yourself with regards to such questions.

Question: Any advice for the other future DPA students who are going for the interview?

Answer: Don't give up. Work hard. Even if you get accepted into a course that you want, it is still important to work hard for your O' Levels as an important factor for job acceptance after graduating from Temasek Poly.

Thanks Randy for your kind advice. Hopefully this advice would be useful to potential DPA candidates!

Diploma in Information Technology (T30)

2011-01-12T15:11:00.003+08:00

Welcome to Our Humble Blog!

2010-01-06T15:15:00.001+08:00

Bookmark us at: bit.ly/itrawks

Visit & See Our THREE Projects @ Open House!

2009-12-30T16:58:00.027+08:00

Are you ready to visit us @ TP Open House on January 7-9? We will be showcasing THREE student projects at our Diploma in IT booths!

#1. Flex Cam

A photo application where you can take fun photos with effects like "Mirror", "Matrix" and "Ghost". Much like the Japanese photo booths that you see in department stores. Click on the photos below to see the LIVE photos that are taken during Open House!

www.flickr.com

#2. Fitto Fun

An interactive game where you move your hands and try to burst the bubbles that appear around you on the screen. Using motion detection technologies, this game is our first-ever commercialized product that is available at bookstores such as Popular!

#3. The Totally Power Quiz

This quiz is so WACKY, it will drive you up the wall! Developed by our students using Facebook technologies, you can play and add this quiz to your Facebook account by clicking on the badge below:

Student Spotlight: Cindy Mariani Askara

2009-12-09T20:26:00.001+08:00

Hi, my name is Cindy and I am an international student who came from Indonesia to come and study in Temasek Polytechnic. I am currently in third year.

I first came to Singapore to study when I received Temasek Poly’s offer letter. I decided to take the opportunity to come to Singapore even though I am unfamiliar to IT and rarely used the computer before. It was a new experience for me as I studied abroad and lived independently. It’s a very interesting experience and I never knew how much I would enjoy studying in Temasek Poly before I really experience it myself.

A good point about TP which I liked is that I never get bored with school. TP gives us lots of opportunity to participate and be involved in various events. Some of them are Overseas Community Project, Study Trips, Open House and many more. By participating in these events, I had the opportunity to know a lot more people and I am really grateful that I’ve known such great friends.

Cindy and her friends during Overseas Community Project in Cambodia

The classes are interesting and the lecturers are very friendly and approachable. This is one of the reasons I am very grateful that I am in IIT school. I have never met lecturers who are concerned, not only about your studies, but your family, welfare and social activities as well. We can approach the lecturers for any help and they would be really glad to help us. They can be serious in class but funny at the same time. IIT School lecturers are the best!

Studying in this diploma stimulates my thinking and made me realized how important IT is. I learned how to create simple IT solutions to solve people’s problem and make their life easier. Learning IT is not difficult as some people think. We need to put in our best efforts and work harder, and learning will be much more enjoyable!

Student Spotlight: Low Shuqi

2009-12-09T19:06:00.003+08:00

Low Shuqi is currently a third-year student studying in Diploma in IT. She was formerly from Temasek Secondary School, with an “O” level aggregate score of 19 points for L1R4. This article talks about her thoughts on her diploma:

"Before joining this diploma, I was already quite interested in this course, and believe that IT is inevitable in every single industry today.

To me, Diploma in IT covers mainly the programming sector but fret not, you will get to learn a wide range of IT-related skills and also experience new technologies.

I am currently on internship with KPMG, a well-known global consultancy firm. I am given an opportunity to apply what I have learnt in school, and that by joining a well-known and established company, it will give me a career head-start. Besides, when you receive compliments from your employers, the satisfaction is beyond words can ever explain. :)

My greatest fear is mathematics. My grade has never been good: It has always been a “F” grade and this is my most fearful subject. After entering Diploma in IT, the first subject that I heard was Computing MATHEMATICS. The word itself really scares me and I thought it will be a “F” grade again. Nevertheless, after attending the lectures and tutorials, I was able to grasp the logic. The lecturers have been really helpful when I have doubts and also classmates who offer to teach me when I am facing problems. They have all been a great help to me.

My advice to students is firstly, be willing to learn. To me, if you are willing to learn, people will be more than willing to teach. Don't be afraid to ask when you are in doubt! Secondly, don’t be afraid to venture into various fields in life. If you don’t venture, you will never know what are the things there waiting for you to uncover. It’s also important to always have passion in everything you do, have faith and always believe in yourself. :)"

Thanks Shuqi for your insights! We hope that you will continue to do us proud!

Overseas Community Project - Cambodia

2009-11-06T12:47:00.001+08:00

The memories of Cambodia will forever last with me. It was a community trip that I will not forget. From the trip, I have learnt and experienced a lot of things that I will not be able to experience in Singapore. I have also gained a better understanding on their environment and living conditions.

It was Sunday the 4^th of October which was the day that a group of us IT students were going on a community project trip to Cambodia. Arranging ourselves into groups at Changi airport, we checked our belongings and started to head for the check in. Upon touchdown, a lot of us were glad that we were finally off the plane as many of us were beginning to feel the effects of the long flight. We checked through customs and collected our luggage. Next stop was to our hotel. After about an hour of bus ride, we finally reached and started to check into our rooms

At the airport and in the plane.

All the groups met at the ground floor first and then we headed out to a Thai Restaurant for lunch. The lunch was great as lots of us got the experience the different type of foods in Cambodia. After lunch, we were brought to go shopping at a local market. For the next stop, we were brought to a shopping mall. We headed for the supermarket as lots of us want to stock up on the daily needs like water and food for the next few days. Finally done with our marketing of supplies we boarded the bus and headed out for dinner. After dinner we finally headed back to the hotel.

Feeling refreshed after a good shower, we sit down with other friends from other rooms to discuss about our project which was a study trip to a Cambodia school and the activities that we will be having.

On the second day we headed out to UDONG HIGH SCHOOL. As we got off the bus and walked into the school, we were warmly welcomed by the students of the school. The students were all lined up on both sides of the walkway and clapping and saying ‘welcome’ as we entered the school and into a classroom.

The Cambodian students with a warm welcome

A brief introduction of the teachers and the director of the school were given to us and after the director of the school gave his welcoming speech, we had a tour of the school with the students as our guide. Talking to the students was very motivating and interesting at the same time. I find out that the students are very hardworking and always eager to learn. They have planned their future as what they wanted to be and do when they grow up.

Us teaching the Cambodian kids.

The kids were adorable

Gearing into ‘hyped’ mood, we walked into the class and started to introduce ourselves with enthusiasm. Next, we asked the students to give us a brief introduction about them. After getting to know the students a little bit, we proceeded with the activities that we have planned out. The first item that we taught them was origami. Seeing them so engrossed into folding the items that we have taught them was a great sight. Next we played ‘Hangman’ to teach the students English and at the same time having fun as a class. To end the day, we gathered the class outside in the open field to play ‘Dog and Bone’. Seeing the smiles on their face, my group and I were contented that we have managed to bring fun and enjoyable to the students. Saying goodbye, we headed back to the bus and for dinner.

Origami activities and getting ‘physical’ activities

On the third day, we headed back to the high school. However we did not go into the school just yet as we were going on a tour of the village around the school. The tour of the village was an eye opener for us and at the same time an exhausting one for us as we had to avoid ‘landmines’ which were animal’s waste along the way. After the tour, we headed back to the school. All of us were tired and hot. After a long break and lunch, we again gathered in our groups and headed to the classroom. We could see that the students were glad to see us and were looking forward to what activities we have planned for them. Showing pictures and explaining of Singapore main attractions, the type of festivals we celebrate and the type of houses that we live in was the first thing we did. Next we asked them to share with us about the type of festivals that they celebrated. After learning about their cultural, we played games that taught them English at the same time. Interacting with the students was so fun that we did not know that time had pass by so fast and it was already time to end class. Cleaning up our stuff, we headed back to the bus and to dinner.

Day 4. This was the final day that we will get to be at the high school. To start the day, we climbed up a mountain to visit several temples. It was a difficult and tiring hike as the road was uneven and it was a very long way up. However when we got to the top of the mountain, words could not describe the scene that we saw. It was so beautiful that it was breath taking. With all the landscapes of the hills the trees as the background which we will never get to see in Singapore.

View from the Mountain Top

After seeing about seven temples, we started to head down the mountain and back to the school. Throughout the break, all of us were making sure that the final activities planned were all in place and was ready to be carried out. With final preparations done, we headed for lunch and rest before heading to the class. After lunch we all did a final check and started our walk to the class. We talked and played mini games with the students before heading outside to join with the group for the mass activity. Lining the students into groups according to the class under us, we demonstrated the game to them and making sure that they fully understand, we started the game. Seeing all the students competing with one and other with enthusiasm but with a smile on their face, made all of us leaders feel that we all have accomplished a big task by bringing fun and joy to the students of the school. After the games, we had a prize presentation to give donations and present to both the students and the director of the school. Finally it was time to say goodbye. It started to get emotional for both the students and us. Remembering all the time of fun that we have spent together and now it was time to part, a lot of us started to cry. To remember the students and the time that we had with them, we took pictures and souvenirs were gave and received from both sides. With final goodbyes, we boarded and headed back for dinner. It was an emotional day for a lot of us but we will always remember the three days that we had spent there with the students. Back at the hotel, we gathered together and went through all the photos that we have taken.

Activities between us and the cambodian students

Group photo at the top of Udong Mountain and a very cheerful pair of students

Game time!

Group photos after an eventful day

On the fifth day it was a day ride to Siem Reap so we were mostly on the bus but we got to experience the taste of fried spiders and crickets.

Eating fried spiders and crickets!

On sixth day, we went shopping in Siem Reap and a lot of us bought souvenirs for family members and friends back home.

On the last day of our trip we visited many famous temples including the famed AngKor Wat!

Entrance to Angkor Wat and the good looking palm trees that decorate it

Near the centre of AngKor Wat and a close up view of its walls

Taking a photo where Lara Croft (aka Angelina Jolie) once stood

Overall, our trip to Cambodia has been a meaningful and educational for my class and I. We all have learnt something from this trip and it was a great experience for us. If we were given a chance to go back again, what will our answer be? Of course the answer will be a resounding YES!!!!!!!!

Group photo at the top of Udong Mountain

Japanese Student Exchange – Programming Smart Lego Robots

2009-10-29T17:16:00.001+08:00

During the holiday month of October, I participated in a “Programming Smart Lego Robot” workshop. I felt honored to be able to participate in this student exchange program. Through the program, we had the opportunity to interact with Japanese students from Kumamoto National College of Technology (KNCT).

On the first day before meeting the Japanese students

We were grouped into teams of one Singapore and one Japanese student and worked together to construct and program our own robot using Lego Mindstorms. On the last day, we then compete with other teams to see whose robot is the fastest.

Ice Breaking Session with my new found Japanese friend

‘Smart’ Lego Mindstorms Robot

Testing our robots…

The main purpose is not the competition, but the process of working together and interacting with someone from a different country. Even though there might be a slight language barrier, that did not stop us from communicating. When needed, we used hand signal, writing and drawing to express what we want to say.

and having fun while at it!

Our interaction did not limit to only working but also playing and having fun. We had the chance to bring them out to visit places in Singapore and we also brought them out for lunch.

Lunch with the Japanese students

Question: Share with us the knowledge you have gained.

From this program, I gained valuable experiences. These can prepare me to enter into the workforce and better interact and communicate with people not only from Singapore, but also people from other countries with different cultures. This is especially so with the increasing influx of foreign friends into Singapore.

Group shot together

I also had the chance to use new software that was not taught in class to program my robot.

Students hard at work constructing the best robots

This is the first time I am involved in such a program, but with our knowledge on Java learnt during classes in dip IT, and the training provided by our lecturer, we were able to use the software effectively to program our robot.

Question: Give a simple introduction of yourself.

I graduated from Pioneer Secondary School in 2005. After receiving my O level results, I got into Singapore Polytechnic with the course of Diploma in Interior Design. That was not what I wanted as I have always keen on business related courses, but I went on to give it a try.

I thought I could survive in the course. But I withdrew after three semesters and finally enrolled into the Diploma in Information Technology.

Question: What kind of advice would you tell the secondary students who are reading this article now?

My advice is to choose your course wisely. If you really can’t get what you want, why not try others. Even though I’m in Diploma in Information Technology, I get to study business related subjects. Through Cross-Disciplinary Subjects (CDS), I have a chance to choose subjects from other schools. Like what I did, I took Basic Financial Accounting as one of my CDS.

This article was written by Lim Yun Ni, currently a year 3 student.

Innovation for TP Students by TP Students : ProxiQit

2009-10-27T09:06:00.008+08:00

Temasek Polytechnic students have to configure their browser settings to connect to proxy servers in order to gain access to our cutting-edge high-speed internet.

It can be confusing and somewhat troublesome for students and staff alike to configure these settings.

Now you can enable and disable these settings with just a single click! Our fellow Diploma in IT student Kenneth Ham has developed an application named ProxiQit to allow TP students to gain access to our school internet service more conveniently.

ProxiQit has been deployed in IIT school this week, and you are now among the first to know about it! The application is available for download at http://bit.ly/1PzQnA .

Should you have any feedback about the application, do feel free to send your feedback using a built-in Feedback function in the application.

With the skills and knowledge we acquire from our course, we can indeed touch lives and enable, enrich and enjoy IT!

Student Showcase: Linkstyle

2009-10-19T19:11:00.008+08:00

Team Members (from left): Wilson Hery, Joel Ng, David Wang (supervisor), Kyaw Myint

LinkStyle, to us, is like "Facebook playing basketball or playing soccer"!

Ok, probably not. But our application Linkstyle is a sports social networking application, and works similarly to Facebook.

Interested users can register with Linkstyle, find people with similar sporting interests (like soccer or basketball) and link up with one another to form groups to take part in these interests.

We hope Linkstyle will serve our desire to motivate people to participate in sports. We also have a "reward point" system for users. The more activities you organize, the more points you get. And the more points you get, the more you will be recognized in our community and can redeem a prize!

This project was started when some of our team members (Joel, Wilson) took part in the Singapore Open Jive Competition. Working together with them, I understand the purpose of this project and how I could contribute to the project.

I am thankful to Mr. David Wang, our supervisor. He is very enthusiastic to see a good project: That’s why he motivates us when we feel down and confused. Thanks Mr. Wang!

About the author:

Kyaw Myint is from Myanmar and is the only international student in his class. Before coming to Singapore and joining Temasek Poly, he has developed a strong interest in IT and learnt some programming on his own. He strongly believes he is on the right track to excel as an IT professional one day.

His advice to potential students? "When you encounter any difficulty, don’t give up and avoid it. Grab it and taking action. Maybe it will take some time and pains, but you will get a good result in the end."

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Student Showcase: NDP - mypledge.sg

2009-10-01T17:11:00.010+08:00

Team Members (clockwise from top left): Justina Foo Jiaxin, Tan Chun You, Esther Ng Shu Ping, Wu Jietong

"What significance does the pledge hold for you?"

mypledge.sg is a web site to support this year's MyPledge Short Film competition, held during the months leading up to National Day.

Our team created an online space where Singaporeans can show their dedication by uploading short videos. These short videos focus on Singaporeans expressing our Singapore identity through film.

Our web site integrates and runs with Youtube: Videos and content are dynamically uploaded and streamed using AJAX, PHP and Javascript. All this adds up to a dynamic user experience for everyone.

Our project has allowed us Singaporeans to express our feelings for the nation and also enabled Singaporeans to see what our citizens are capable of as amateur film-makers.

For our team, we have learnt much from this project, working together and helping each other along the way. We also experienced working with an external client, and for a project that is live and visible to the whole world. This provides us with very useful experience when we enter the industry.

We also attended media events for the launch of this competition and it is an exhilarating experience to be interviewed by reporters!

Finally, we would like to thank our lecturers in charge of our project for the guidance they have provided.

About the author:

Wu Jietong is currently in his senior year in Diploma in IT, and was involved in the creation of mypledge.sg. He believes being a software developer can help attain his dream: To invent something that can revolutionize our world. He also believes that the IT world is ripe for youths to change the world, or to make money through software. As the world progresses in terms of technology, he is certain that the IT industry will become a cornerstone in our economy.

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Student Showcase: Student Portfolio System .Net

2009-10-01T12:48:00.013+08:00

Team Members: Ang Bee Siew, Soh Wei Yu, Ong Xue Wei

Eyeing the economic difficulties upon the future of Singapore’s youth, our team decided to play a role in the field of economic defence: To showcase the talents of us youths.

Our web site helps students secure jobs by showcasing their achievements, CCAs, Competitions, past projects and grades. All information will easily be accessible by companies through our website.

With the use of popular technologies such as AJAX and Silverlight, our Student Portfolio System is well-liked by users for its simplicity. In fact, we invited students to create the most professional portfolio. All of them managed to complete their own portfolio in less than 10 minutes.

As of the time of writing, this project is still undergoing further enhancements.

With our Student Portfolio System, it gives our graduates a platform to showcase their skills to potential employers.

We are pleased to work with the lecturers for this project. They have been a great help to us in identifying areas of improvements. Without their help, this project would not be as successful as it is now. We also wish to thank our course mates who helped us in the testing process.

About Us:

Ong Xue Wei, Victor (left): Xue Wei decided to join this course since he always have interest in the area of IT. From this course, he have acquired many new skills such as programming and business knowledge which he originally did not even know of. Now being equipped with these important skills, he feels he is fully ready for the workforce.

Bee Siew (center): At the beginning of the course, Bee Siew was not familiar with website development. However, one of his dreams was to be able to create a "live" website, which he has done so with the Student Portfolio System. He is currently a Microsoft Student Partner, and take opportunities to present his expertise to not just Temasek Polytechnic students, but also to students from other polytechnics and even universities.

Soh Wei Yu (right): Before entering this course, Wei Yu have been involved in and won a few programming competitions including 2nd Prize at the Microsoft Ngee Ann Polytechnic Business IT competition. He feels that in this course, he can become a complete IT Professional: Not just knowledge in IT, but industry knowledge as well as effective communication and presentation.

Eco-Friendly Mobile Game

2009-03-11T11:34:00.011+08:00

Hey, this is cool. Check this out! This mobile game (Eco-Catch) is made in TP by two of our graduating students (Wen Yong and Mei Chan). This was actually an assignment they did while doing an elective subject in Mobile Application Development It was so good that we sent it for competition. The game can be downloaded into your mobile phone for FREE here today!

Eco-Catch is an educational game that promote awareness about recycling as many (recyclable) items as you can collect. Simply download the jar file and install into your handphone and wala! You are ready to go!

System Requirement:

Screen resolution of 246 x 250
Work best and tested with NOKIA N95
Warning Tones has to be turned on

What Made Jeremy choose Temasek Poly IT Course after his O Levels?

2009-01-16T08:42:00.006+08:00

About Jeremy Goh

Jeremy was a student from Bedok Green Secondary school who joined Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 17 points. Jeremy is now the president of a Special Interest Group in IIT School. During his secondary school days, he used to fail 9 out of 10 Math tests. But he 'magically' made a come back. How did he do it? Here's what he said.

Editor : Jeremy, how were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Jeremy : Well, I was a very playful boy and manage to scrape through it every year. I was rank among the bottom few of the cohort when I was in lower secondary. Failing 9 out of 10 additional mathematics test, I figured out that there’s a need for me to do something about it. So, I went through some "magical process" and manage to grab an A2 for additional mathematics in my Os. You see? The thing is, If you are willing to exchange what you want with "something", you will get it! I won’t tell you what’s the "something". You’ve to figure it out. =p

Editor : What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Jeremy : You really need to consider about - Interest; If you’re paid $200 a day but you’re unhappy for 30days a month. What are the chances one can excel in the area? - Is this course related to your desire job?; Make good use of what you’ve got! You should apply what you’ve learnt in similar industry. So this course should match your desire job [If not you’ll be wasting 3 years learning something that you’ve no much chance to apply] - Job prospects; how far do you wanna go and how far can you go? Keep it simple. Just 2 points.

Editor : Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Jeremy : Frankly speaking, I’ve all along wanted to enter Business School. My results couldn’t secure a place there for me thus, I’ve got NO CHOICE but to choose IT. But that’s really not the end for me. I was inspired by the words of the Course Manager. I can remember it till today and it goes something like, "When you’re here, you’ll get a diploma. It’s ok if you’ve done badly in your O level. Put your O level results behind because nobody is really gonna care about your O level certificate if you’ve got a Diploma. [Just like nobody is really gonna care about your PSLE certificate now.] So, the next step to do is to make sure you get a good Diploma certificate." It sounds absolutely logical. Despite Dip IT wasn’t the course of choice, I manage to excel in it and of course, I found the fun in Dip IT and I’m loving it. So I would like to give out the exact message to all students out there! If you think you haven done well, it’s not the end! I always have this believe that "If he can do it, why can’t I?" and if I can do it, why can’t you!

Editor : What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?

Jeremy :

1) IT isn’t as boring as what you think if you look at it from the "Cool~" perspective like how I did. I like the "Coolness" that IT brings. IPod? Iphone? Friendster? Facebook? YouTube? Blogger? Google! Aint they cool stuffs?! It’s all IT!

2) Opportunity! Over here at Dip IT, opportunities are everywhere for you to achieve and excel. The lecturers here are really committed in bringing the students to a higher level. Remember to hook yourself on with national competitions such as ImagineCup. In fact, Ryan, Alicia, Yanglin and Phyo have brought glory to our Diploma for clinching the First Position in Singapore and Semi-Finalist World-Wide.

3) Environment. Temasek Polytechnic is cool and hippy! I simply love the life here. The factors above blends with one another so well. Opportunities are there for you to shine with a young, vibrant and energetic environment for you to chill at and of course, the cool stuffs that IT can bring!

Editor : Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Jeremy : If you are a person who is always eager to find out what are mechanism behind software and website, this is the right place for you!

Editor : Why do you think Dip IT is a good choice to consider?

Jeremy : Heard of Facebook? - Owner of facebook is the youngest billionaire on Earth. Heard of Hotmail? - Acquired by Microsoft at around 400 million dollars - NO! It’s not the money! It’s about; you’ve brought the element of ‘simplicity’ and ‘fun’ to the life of people! You made everything simpler and convenient through the usage of IT. + The 3 things I like about Dip IT!

Editor : What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Jeremy : Do consider your choice carefully because this might affect your life greatly (if you don’t see it; a diploma may determine your job) . Talk to your parents about it as they’ve got more experience in life. If required, drop by the school’s general office to gain more insight and I’m sure that the students and lecturer will welcome you with open hands!

What made Karate Ryan Chose Temasek Poly IT Course after his O levels?

2009-01-14T08:21:00.008+08:00

About Ryan

Ryan was a student from Geylang Methodist Secondary school who joined Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 23 points. This young man is also an active Karaoke, oops, I mean Karate fighter (definitely not white belt). After his 'O' levels, Dip IT was his 5th choice diploma. Despite the initial disappointment, Ryan accepted the reality and did his best and made a come back. He is now one of our top students in his cohort. He is also one of the team members who helped to win the Imagine Cup in Singapore last year and represented the nation and the school at the international competition in France. How in the world did this Karate kid 'fight back' (like he did in his Karate sport) in his school life? Let's find out.

Editor : How were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Ryan : All along in my primary school and secondary school, I was just an average student who manage to promote to next level at the border line. Most of the time, I did not do well for my Semester Exam but luckily there is CA and class test to help me push up my result. When I was at Secondary School, my results for most of my subjects were at the average level which is between 50 – 60% except for Mathematic , Combine Science and Accounting which I could score more than 70%. Those were the subjects which I have great interest in. As for my primary school's result, it was still not too bad. I did not retain or drop into EM3 classes.

Editor : What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Ryan : Information Technology was not my initial choice. I did not score very well for my O level, therefore I did not expect myself to get into any popular course in Business , Applied Science or Information Technology. However, I still consider the courses by my interest. At the point of time, my thinking was to go for Design courses as it did not too much on academic result while it required more on talent. When the results were out,I was admitted to Diploma in Information Technology(IT), I was dumb-founded as I did not expect myself to get into Dip IT.

Editor : Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Ryan : Dip IT was my fifth choice for the Joint Admission Exercise. I did not put it as the top three choices due to my poor result. I did not even dare to think about it. That is why for my top three choices, I choose Design School courses.

Editor : What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?

Ryan : Able to learn different type of programming languages like Java, C# , Action Script and etc. Block learning system, participating in competitions

Editor : Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Ryan : I think people who have the following personality and characteristic are suitable to take Dip IT
• Patient
• Keen to know about Information Technology
• Able to adapt to changes
• Resourceful
• Like to keep yourself updated

Editor : Sounds like you are one of those who have. Why do you think Dip IT is a good choice to consider?

Ryan : Today, technology can be used in many ways. For example, education, business, communication and etc. When you have this set of skill, you would be able to make used of technology to make life easier and improve living.

Editor : What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Ryan : No matter how you did for your result throughout the secondary school days. Whether is good or bad, that was past. In polytechnic, its a new start. If you do not have any idea which course to choose and you are one who like challenges and who wants to make a difference for your future. Then you should come Dip IT.

The Grand Adventures of Lokman: OSIP Australia :P

2009-01-09T17:14:00.028+08:00

Hi all,

Well, to start it all off, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Lokman, and I'm a year 3 student of Temasek Poly studying in ITO. I'd like to think of myself as a jovial guy, and I LOVE programming. Don't ask me why, I think it's in my blood or something. From the moment I stepped into TP, I knew that it was a good thing, and that I was going to do well here. It must have been the good environment that i liked about TP to make it the school that I chose. Or the awesome food. :P Well, whatever it was, I knew that I enjoyed my every minute of school in TP.

Enough about myself. What I'd like to share to you readers today was the grand opportunity that I was lucky enough to have and TP provided it for me: an Overseas Student Internship Program to Australia (or OSIP, for short). What happened was that TP had sent me abroad to Australia for an internship with one of the most prestigious universities in Australia - University of Queensland. Can you believe that?! I was really at a lost for words when they said it was confirmed that I would go. All I could think of was "OMG! OMG! I'm really going!". What would Australia be like? Could I really survive the journey? Would I have enough expenses? I guess common questions like this would be on everyone's mind. But surprise, surprise, nothing untoward ever did happen to me (I certainly didn't go looking for it :P) and I survived, coming back to Singapore with a whole new outlook on life and with the rich experience of an another country's culture and lifestyle. Yeah, Australia rocks my world! :P

I can't possibly describe to you guys every single thing that I did or what I experienced, so I'm going to leave it to that trusty old adage of "a picture tells a thousand words". These are some pictures I took of the University of Queensland:

Alvin, my TPmate who went with me there

The Great Square Courtyard of UQ

One of the many beautiful walkways that display olden-style architecture

Ah, the scenery becomes even more breathtaking once the sun sets...

Who would have thougt UQ and TP have something in common? While we have our resevoir, they have a lake....

Ahhh... The pictures get more beautiful everytime I look at them, and fond memories come to mind... But then again, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, eh? Let's see some other pictures i took while i was havin' myself a lil' fun:

Just having a bike ride in DreamWorld Theme Park...

Or how about visiting the animal attractions? :P

Last but not least... The adventure wouldn't be complete without a day with friends enjoying the sun, sand and the sea... Take a wild guess on why it's called the Rainbow Beach... :P

Well, that's it for today. Till next time, bye! :P

Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger

Lokman

What made Alicia choose Temasek Poly IT Course after her O Levels?

2009-01-08T12:35:00.010+08:00

About Alicia

Alicia was a student from Geylang Methodist Secondary school (Normal stream) who joined Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 21 points. Studying in a polytechnic was a dream come true for Alicia in view of her past academic performance. She pursued her dream in poly IT course at Dip IT (although not her first choice) and she is now one of the top performer in class. What has changed for her? Let's find out.

Editor : Alicia, how were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Alicia : I was in Geylang Methodist Primary and Geylang Methodist Secondary under normal academic stream. My result was never good and I was among the poorest. I am not a smart person neither a person that has scanner memory. My friends whom I know in secondary used to compare their results in primary, and though their grades were good yet they are still complaining that they can do better. If Geylang Methodist Primary does not have affiliation with the secondary, I think my chance of getting in is slim due to my horrible result in PLSE 162. To score an Ace in my primary was impossible. It was until I get into secondary, I started to study hard, but not smart. Even during my O level, my parent did not expect I could forward my study in polytechnic.

Editor :What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Alicia :To be given the chance to study polytechnic was a dream for me. Initially I wanted to study design however, due to my incompetent O level result; I failed to get into a design course. This made me feels ashamed of myself but never give up. Since I am given the chance to study, why not giving myself a chance to study IT. The world is revolving and for the new future, everyone would depend on technology system. Studying IT would allow me to catch up with latest technology and being on the edge. It was not my first choice but I think it worth to study and probably I can be one of the top students to appear in my school website or a great programmer that is able to earn a lot? Haha. It was an aim and at the same time, I promise myself that I shan’t disappoint myself again that I must study well, get good grade. I may not be smart but I can be hard working, and study smart to give myself a good chance of getting university with variety of choices.

Editor :Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Alicia :I had a hard time during the period when I had to list down 10 choices of JAE. Firstly, there aren’t many choices for me to choose due to my poor O level result. Dip IT was one of the choices, which I thought it would be great to list. Although Dip IT was not my first choice but I think I had enjoy studying.

Editor :What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?
Alicia :Firstly, I enjoyed studying all the modules, which I have taken in Dip IT. It allows me to create interesting programs, learned how does IT help in business etc. Secondly, I love the environment in Dip IT, people whom are passionate in IT. Being with these people make me learns more, and learning from them was wonderful. Last but not least, I think taking Dip IT has allowed me and gave me the chance of being able to experience the world of IT. Participating in competitions was another great part of my 3 Years in IT. Microsoft Imagine Cup was one of the competitions, which I have taken during my year 2. It was really incredibly great and get to know that there are so many people who have passion for IT.

Editor :Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Alicia :I think those who are interested on working with programs, logics, taking on challenge, being flexible and enjoy learning new technology would definitely suits to take up Dip IT. However, being study in Dip IT, I think Dip IT have a wide variety of area, some may dislike doing programming while enjoy doing database etc. Therefore I urge the students who are going to make their selection soon to understand that taking Dip IT is not about doing programming but there is a lot of other interesting area that might interest them.

Editor :Why do you think Dip IT is a good choice to consider?

Alicia :I think Dip IT is a course where you learned thing beyond doing a business. Dip IT allows me to know that every systems, there live a logic behind. It is interesting.

Editor :What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Alicia :If you are not able to get into the course that you want, do not be disheartened, do not be afraid and never give up. A new journey is open for you, and you may turn out to be a top student or scholar. I think studying in Dip IT have changed me, allowing me to break through what I used to be and find myself enjoying studying it. I never regret studying in Dip IT.

What made Mei Chan chose Temasek Poly IT Course after her O Levels?

2009-01-06T17:38:00.013+08:00

About Mei Chan

Mei Chan was a student from Macpherson Secondary school (Normal stream) joined Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 22 points. Although she comes in as a 22 pointer, she is now doing well with a number of As and distinctions for some of her subjects. Recently one of her project she did was being commercialised. It's call Fit & Fun project. You will get to see and experience the project in our upcoming Open House 2009. Cool isn't it! Meantime, here is our exclusive interview with this young lady.

Editor : Mei Chan, how were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Mei Chan :I was just an average student in both Primary and Secondary School. I scored the usual grade that a normal student could obtain.

Editor : What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Mei Chan : During the Joint Admission Exercise, I considered the location of the school and the course availabilities. I had arrived to a decision by doing research online, found out from friends on the popular courses as well as gathered brochures and magazines from a variety of school and courses that correspond to my O level aggregate.

Editor : Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Mei Chan : I chose to study in Dip IT as I have immersed interest in IT especially in developing web based application. I wish to gain comprehensive knowledge beyond what I have understood and constantly upgrade myself with the latest technologies in the IT field. Apart from my curiosity, I am keen to experience and find out the expectation of an IT specialist in the real IT working environment. I indicate Dip IT as my first choice in the selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise.

Editor : What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?

Mei Chan : Studying in Dip IT for two years, I have exposures to a wide scope of cognition in IT and also acquired practical IT skills. I get to know the various network applications/frameworks and programming languages such as Java, C#, HTML and SQL. I also have a chance to create my own e-commerce website using the programming languages I have learnt from my helpful lecturers and tutors. Apart from those that I have taught in school, the most enjoyable task is to handle commercialized project during my internship at >60 Design Center. I have gain vital experience in interacting and attending to clients requests more efficiently by producing a quality end product before the deadline. It is indeed a great pleasure studying in Dip IT.

Editor : Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Mei Chan :I think anyone is suitable to take Dip IT. If you are interested in IT and are keen to learn more than what you know about IT, this is the best opportunity and you will never regret.

Editor : Why do you think Dip IT is a good choice to consider?

Mei Chan :Dip IT can serve as a springboard for future IT career. It provides the basic IT foundation which you can use anywhere and anytime. You can constantly improve your IT skills by expanding your exposure toward the IT knowledge that you have already gained.

Editor : What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Mei Chan :Be precise on your selection by knowing what you want to achieve. If you are interested to learn beyond what you have about IT or looking forward to look for an IT job in future, Dip IT is the best choice.

What made Guo Hong chose Temasek Poly IT Course after his O Levels?

2009-01-06T14:58:00.007+08:00

About Guo Hong

Guo Hong was from Montfort Secondary school who join Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 11 points. He is currently one of Microsoft Student Partner on probation. What makes this young chap decides to choose Dip IT at Temasek Poly as his first choice? Here's what he told us.

Editor : How were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Guo Hong : Pretty good

Editor : What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Guo Hong : Whether any friends joining? Are there any courses that interest me? Am I able to get in?

Editor : Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Guo Hong : 1st choice cos' it is my interest

Editor : What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?

Guo Hong : Friendly teachers, good environment, workload is done properly by the management

Editor : Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Guo Hong : Anyone who is passionate about IT. You do not have to know anything about IT before you enter the courses. The lecturers are ready to equip you with whatever is needed!

Editor : What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Guo Hong : Follow your interest!

What made Yang Lin chose Temasek Poly IT Course after her O Levels?

2009-01-05T18:24:00.017+08:00

About Yang Lin

Yang Lin was from Bedok Green Secondary school who join Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 17 points. Her current CCAs in TP is in the Student Interest Group, holding a secretary post and also in the Microsoft Community Club as a Vice President. What made this vibrant young girl chose Dip IT in Temasek Poly? Let's find out.

Editor : Yang Lin, how were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Yang Lin : My results were pretty good for the first 2 years in secondary school, however deteriorated subsequently due to my weakness in A math. During primary school days, I was considered an average student with grades adequate enough to only pass each level, having able to be in Express stream during PSLE.

Editor : What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Yang Lin : The criteria considered were interest, job variety, job expectancy, job sustainability and school’s reputation.

Editor : Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Yang Lin : IT was the IN choice at that time and as I was clueless about computers and technology, I was strongly encouraged by my family and relatives me to pursue this reputable industry.

Editor : What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?

Yang Lin : Dip IT lecturers and staff are friendly and supportive. Academic system is flexible. Project ideas are welcomed and resources are readily available.

Editor : Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Yang Lin : People who loves challenges and innovation. More importantly, people who wants to participate and be an entrepreneur in this 21st computing century.

Editor : Why do you think Dip IT is a good choice to consider?

Yang Lin : Dip IT is a good choice to consider as through a single diploma, it seemingly teaches you things learned in business, design and IT school. No other course teaches you a variety of skills needed to succeed in life, including communication skills. Dip IT courses equips you with a strong IT knowledge and life essential skills. With a value added IT skill at hand, you can use it for any field you are in.

Editor : What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Yang Lin : Choose Dip IT. Know what to expect from Dip IT and be prepared to stick it through. You’ll be amazed of what you can do and perhaps, making history with your creation. With IT, you can enrich, enable and enjoy. :)

What made Surya chose Temasek Poly IT Course after herO Levels?

2009-01-05T18:19:00.010+08:00

About Surya

Surya was from Bedok View Secondary school who join Temasek Poly IT Course with an 'O' level aggregate of 20 points. So what made Surya chose Dip IT at Temasek Poly as her first choice? Let me check it out.

Editor : How were your results all along in Sec Sch and also for Pri Sch?

Surya : Secondary School : Bedok View Secondary Secondary 1 (Normal Academic): Topped the level and promoted to :

Sec 2 Express Stream.
Secondary 2 (Express): 64.8 %
Secondary 3 (Express): 58%
O level: L1R4 = 20

Editor : What were the criteria you considered during the Joint Admission Exercise? How was the process and how did you arrive at a decision?

Surya : IT is growing very rapidly. It is widely used in all the fields. The opportunities for jobs are plenty. I believe that a person having average intelligence can also make a good career in IT. I looked for subjects and courses involving high technology because the world is heading for high technology in all areas to make lives easier. By taking IT as my career I will be able to take part in the technology development.

Editor : Why did you choose to study in Dip IT? Which choice did you indicate Dip IT as in your selection form for the Joint Admission Exercise?

Surya : The Dip IT gives wide scope in the IT sector. It is a general IT course involving programming and system analysis, useful for all domains such as banking, telecom, enterprise etc. It gives scope to specialise further in areas such as administering the operating system and database, ecommerce website development etc. Dip IT was my first choice in the Joint Admission Exercise

Editor : What are three things you like/enjoy about Dip IT?

Surya : I enjoy learning programming and making things work, I enjoy group projects where we interact, share knowledge and do presentations and I like the course contents which is enabling me to have good practical exposure.

Editor : Who do you think is suitable to take Dip IT?

Surya : I think a person who has the following attitudes:
1. High determination
2. Analytical
3. Commitment
4. Dedication

Editor : Why do you think Dip IT is a good choice to consider?

Surya : Dip IT mainly focus on the programming and system analysis. It helps to learn develop desktop applications, ecommerce applications, networking concepts etc. It meets the current demands in the job market.

Editor : What advice do you have for ‘O’ level school leavers who are going to make their selection soon?

Surya : O level school leavers should choose Dip IT to make their career in IT.

Overseas Community Project at Cambodia

2008-10-22T01:29:00.008+08:00

Kenneth Ham, a first-year Diploma in IT student, shares with us his experience in a recent Overseas Community Project which some Temasek Informatics & IT School students participated in earlier this semester break.

Cambodia, an experience not to be missed! It’s not just about the experience gained, but more about the opportunity for us to understand the poverty and suffering other countries face first-hand, instead of us gleaning jigsaw pieces of their lifestyle through the news and other media. This first-hand experience certainly helped us fathom what the people of less wealthy countries are going through to a larger extent.

The living conditions in Cambodia are not very friendly; rubbish, debris, algae, can be seen all over the place, and quite certainly this is not a place you would normally choose as a first choice holiday destination. The stark contrast between such an environment and our comfortable homes in Singapore made us appreciate what we have more.

We visited the RiverKids Foundation of Alexander and the Blum Project, both of which are orphanages. The children from these orphanages come from diverse backgrounds; some of them are HIV or AIDS patients, some of them have parents who are on the run, or who have to work in far-away places. Recalling the various unfortunate fates that befall upon them would often leave them in tears. These orphans are just like you and I; they too want the warmth of love, something that they may not be able get from their parents.

The first few days in Cambodia were basically spent to understand the community there, where we see people living in ‘kampong’-like villages, albeit slightly more advanced ones with televisions and other appliances. Besides that, we went down to the orphanage and get to know the children there. They are really adorable, friendly and fun-loving. They enjoy company, that’s the word to it. The Cambodian kids there are more than delighted to play with you. Some seniors also carried out installation of educational software on their computers.

We didn’t manage to return to the orphanage during one of the afternoons because of heavy rain. There is an almost inexistent drainage system in Cambodia to mitigate rainwater flooding. In Singapore, it takes 3 to 4 days of heavy rain for some areas to flood to about knee level. However in Cambodia, in just less than 15 minutes, the place is flooded to about ankle level.

We went back to RiverKids Foundation for more work to be done the day after the flooding. The day was pretty exciting; we had to paint the walls at the orphanage. Of course, background work was involved beforehand, for instance in the designing of the walls, coordination of colors, and so on.

It seemed like a very tough job; no thinners were to be used, so we had to use petroleum instead. Trust me, our hands still smelt of petroleum even during dinner. That really spoilt our appetite! Anyway, it was one experience not to forget. It turned out to be a fun experience. The outcome of the painting proved to be marvelous. Something which we didn’t expect to even complete, but we did it.

Our last day at RiverKids Foundation was also another day of fun with the kids. We prepared games and lots of games with them, which really brought joy to the kids. Seeing how happy they were really gives me a sense of accomplishment. We prepared little gifts for them and had them distributed at the end of the event. That brought many smiles on their faces.

Well, yes, the main objective of the Overseas Community Project is indeed about serving the community. That notwithstanding, we were also given time for shopping at the central market, and even tour around Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. We got to understand their culture there, learnt a little of their language and even bargained with shop owners for cheaper prices for the goods that we are buying. *Secret tactics not to be revealed.*

Other than that, we got to make more friends as well. The fun part about everything is that everybody gets to get together and bond with one another, without the distractions of our modern urban life. This is something that we can never really fulfill back in Singapore with our busy work schedules.

Well, Cambodia in general is indeed a place that not many people would want to be in because of its relatively undeveloped infrastructure and environment, but on hindsight, and recalling the fun we had, the kids at the orphanage, the shopping experience and lastly touring around Cambodia, I think it’s not a chance to be missed.

Journey of a First-Year IT Student

2008-10-11T15:26:00.014+08:00

Hey everyone, I am Yuan Jie, a first-year student pursuing a Diploma in IT at Temasek Informatics & IT School. I would like to share my experience as a student here so far for the past eight months into my course.

I have been intrigued with computers, IT and technology since young. The sense of accomplishment from watching robots I have built work, or viewing a website I designed often keeps me going.

The environment here in TP is really vibrant, and students initiate various kinds of activities that make learning here so much more fun and alive. I remember the first time I was here with my secondary schoolmates, we got lost finding our way in the school. But instead of us looking for help, it was a student in TP who came up to us to help us out. He even told us which food from which canteens we have to try out before we leave the campus! Among all the polytechnics I have visited, I find the TP family the most caring and warm.

I've also attended lessons at TP for two weeks as a Sec 3 student before, studying an Advanced Elective Module. And through that experience, I got a first-hand experience of the cutting edge technology and facilities that TP provides for her students. There are many reasons why I made TP my first choice, but the fact that TP is a school that has both hardware and heartware are the main reasons why.

TP has also given me ample opportunities to build my character and prove my mettle in competitions. One of the competitions I took part in was the Singapore Microsoft Office Academic Skills Challenge, in which TP had clearly stretched my potential. I was fortunate to become the competition's double National Champion in both Word and Excel, and eventually represented Singapore in the worldwide round in Hawaii with a senior student. I had never travelled beyond Southeast Asia, and this was certainly an eye-opening experience for me! Below are some of the photos I took in the competition which I hope to share with you.

The Hall of Flags

Friends from other countries

The Hawaiian sunset

Huge family portrait at the Gala Dinner!

Me and You Hock, a Diploma in IT Year 3 student

Like many Sec 4 students, there came a time when the question of where to go after 'O' Levels popped up. Back in secondary school, I had been scoring L1R5 scores that could have made me eligible for quite a few JCs that are among the best. But I decided to pursue my passion in technology and went for the Direct Polytechnic Admission exercise to enrol in the Diploma in IT in TP.

I remember the time when my 'O' Level results were out, the people around me questioned me if I was really sure that this was the path that I wanted to take, instead of taking the JC route.

But ten months down the road now, I am more certain than ever that this choice was a right one, and I'm sure the people who care for me are also convinced that I made a right choice.

If you are an 'O' Level student who happened to chance upon this blog, I wish you all the best for the coming exams :) Life is too short to hold back. Pursue your dreams and don't go where the crowd goes just for the sake of it! Do something you like after your 'O' Levels, and add real meaning to your life. And if you happen to like IT, Temasek Informatics & IT School is certainly the place to be. I have had a breathtaking and exciting ten months here, and I invite you to join my schoolmates and me on this magical journey in enabling, enriching and enjoying IT.

Making Paper Airplane that Flies with Style

2008-10-08T17:38:00.003+08:00

I designed this paper airplane and shared it in youtube about a year ago. Todate, it has been viewed more than 180,000 times. If you are looking for some ideas for your school project, this may be useful to you. Try this out and let me know if it works for you. :-)

For Your Eyes Only

2008-10-08T17:26:00.003+08:00

These days you just can't believe what you see with your own eyes. Check this out!

NEW OPTICAL ILLUSION QUIZgreat free widgetsWidgetbox

Get distracted, play Sudoku!

2008-10-08T17:12:00.004+08:00

This game has become so popular that we have no reason to leave it out here. Enjoy!

Sudokugreat free widgetsWidgetbox

Play the Classic Super Mario

2008-10-08T16:53:00.006+08:00

Controls keys :

Arrows : Left/Right
Jump : Up
Crouch : Down
Fireball : Space

Imagine Cup 2008

2008-09-01T23:00:00.015+08:00

Greeting from Team MamaGaia!!!!

We are year 3 students from the Diploma in Information Technology. Basically, we are here to share with you about our experience in Imagine Cup 2008 @ PARIS!! WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE STUDENTS FROM INFORMATICS & IT SCHOOL TO TAKE PART. Well, next year it will be held at Egypt. Interested???

Please visit ImagineCup 2009 Egypt

What is Imagine Cup all about?

Everything that the world may become "someday" lies in the hands of young people today. As they look at the road ahead, their close relationship with technology enables them to dream in ways we never have before. Put the two together, and you have young minds holding the tools that can make their vision a reality.

This is the recipe that inspired Microsoft to create the Imagine Cup. What begins with a burst of inspiration and a lot of hard work can become a future software breakthrough, a future career, or a flourishing new industry. The Imagine Cup encourages young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world – today. Now in its sixth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to real world issues.

Open to students around the world, the Imagine Cup is a serious challenge that draws serious talent, and the competition is intense. The contest spans a year, beginning with local, regional and online contests whose winners go on to attend the global finals held in a different location every year. The intensity of the work brings students together, and motivates the competitors to give it their all. The bonds formed here often last well beyond the competition itself.

So now let us share with you about our experience.

Ever since, we took part in this competition, all of us had this desire to win the Imagine Cup Software Design Championship in Singapore and represent to Singapore in the World Wide Finals at Paris. Since January 2008, which is about the proposal submission deadline, we started working as a team together to strive our goal. We brainstormed all our ideas together and came out with a team name. After all the decision we made, we finally decided our team name to be “MamaGaia” and our project, “CoralTellus”.

Our team name, MamaGaia, represent Mama as Mother and Gaia, a Greek word, as Earth. Therefore, it means Mother Earth. And the reason why we choose corals as our project idea is because we believe this is a unique idea and most of our friends are divers themselves, thus we could get information about corals easily from them.

Our project won champions at the Imagine Cup 2008 competition in Singapore. We also compete against 59 other teams in the World Finals. And, our team emerged among the top 12 semi-finalists !

At Paris, it was an eye opener for us as it was our first time getting into worldwide competition, representing Singapore and Temasek Polytechnic. And of course, it was our first time to a European country.

The world wide final in Paris was really an eye-opening and unforgettable experience for us. First of all, it was a great opportunity to meet with other competitors from 61 countries from all over the world and share our ideas and passions in IT and know their software systems to provide sustainable environment using technology. Through this competition, we exchanged our contacts information one another and thus extending our network of friends.

In addition, we also presented and showcased our application to the different audiences such as the media, press, journalists, business associates, professors and other competitors. Some of them showed special interest in our software solution and even interviewed us about our experience and journey in Imagine Cup. Therefore, we are very glad to showcase our work and passion for using IT to provide a sustainable environment for corals. On the other hand, we also got the chance to explore the applications developed by other teams in different categories and in my opinion most of them were very interesting and strong technically.

It was a very tough competition as competitors from all the countries were mainly from universities and the projects brought up were amazing. However despite so, we have got into the top 12 worldwide!Through this competition, we have met people from all walks of life, people like the judges, press, competitors from software design and other categories. They were very friendly. Through our conversation, we learnt about their countries, culture and their personality. It is very enriching for us through this competition. The process was fun and we even exchanged many contacts with international competitors and judges, so that we can get in touch with each other in future.

To conclude, we enjoyed the whole journey that Team MamaGaia went through from proposal submission, semi-finals, Singapore Finals to World Wide final. Although we did not win any of top 3 prizes, we indeed won in many other ways such as gaining experience, exposure to world level, showcasing our application to the audience from other countries, according to the slogan of Microsoft Imagine Cup: "You win, we all win".

Here are the photos that we took at Paris. Enjoy!

Departure @ Singapore

Arrival @ France

Day 1 : Opening Ceremony @ City Hall

Day 2: Round 1 Presentation and Demo

Day 3 : Round 2: Top 12 Finalist Presentation & Demo

Day 3 : Round 2: Top 12 Finalist Presentation & Demo

Day 3 : Student Project Showcase

CoralTellus ( Our Project)

Team Singapore & Team Serbia

Demo to other competitors and media

Team MamaGaia with Eiffel Tower (Day)

Team MamaGaia with Eiffel Tower (Night)

Team Singapore & Team Korea

THANK YOU!!!

Amazing Discovery about IT

2008-05-30T17:18:00.009+08:00

Hi, I’m YuWen. I’m currently a senior student in Information Technology (IT) in Informatics and Information Technology school of Temasek Polytechnic. I got into IT this course basically was not simply out of luck. It was not a not my ideal course that I want since after O level graduation. I took up a try in this course. I always had a mindset whereby IT is always about troubleshooting computer hardware stuffs only. To my amazement, it wasn’t the case after I came to IIT.

Besides hardware, I learnt software stuffs like programming languages and I even get to study business related subjects. It’s cool as I learn to write applications, meddle with databases, I even develop software games like mobile games etc. And not to forget I learn about how a computer runs. It’s like so amazing because I realised that computer runs in bytes where all the things are in 0 or 1s. Although programming languages is challenging, whenever I am done with troubleshooting my error codes, I always felt a sense of satisfactions. The best part is whenever I accomplished a project I have those feelings that are indescribable. I simply ENJOY IT! =). Now here are some pictures of the project I have done in one of my subjects. As you can see, it is a web shopping cart project and my webstore is called HellGate Computers.

A New Learning Tool

2008-05-26T14:25:00.013+08:00

Hi guys!

Today I am going to introduce a program (which I will classify it as a learning tool) for my dear readers, which is called the 'Second Life'.

Well, I used to ask my secondary school juniors this question:

What is the first thing that they think of upon hearing Diploma in Information Technology?

Most of their answers: 'Programming, programming, and more programming.'

Well, I beg to differ. Diploma in Information Technology is not just about programming, programming and more programming. There are other interesting things that we do in this diploma too! Therefore, I'm going to introduce one of the program (Second Life) that I have learnt in one of my Cross-Disciplinary Subject (CDS) - Introduction to Digital Game Development (IDGD).

So, how many of you have heard about Second Life?

Well, I have heard about this Second Life program when I was in year 1. At first I thought that Second Life is just an ordinary massive online game. However after learning more about this program in IDGD, I begin to realize that Second Life is more than just a game. In fact, there are many things which you can find in this Second Life virtual world which you cannot find in this world.

First, let me begin by telling you what Second Life is. Second Life is actually a 3D virtual world created by its residents, and it has grown explosively ever since it’s opening to the public in 2003. Today, it has a population of about millions of residents around the globe.

Although the interface and display of the Second Life looks similar to most popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), there are two key unique differences:

1. Creativity

Second Life provides near unlimited freedom to its residents. You can choose to start your own business, build your very own garden, go shopping or fight dragons, create a game or even build a skyscraper.

2. Ownership

Residents can obtain their first Basic account for FREE. There will be additional basic accounts that will cost about $9.95. If you choose to get land to live, work and build on, you pay a monthly lease fee based on the amount of land you have. Residents retain IP rights over their in-world creations; hence you own anything you created!

Alright, I believe that picture speaks a thousand words...so..

PICTURE TIME ~!

The following are some of the pictures of the Second Life Virtual World:

Well after going through the e-learning session on my own last week, I realized we can do the following:

1. Make new friends from all over the world in this 'game'

2. Learn how to make businesses

3. Build or create anything you want in Second Life virtual world

4. See things that we cannot see in Singapore, such as rockets

5. Try or test out things that are not even out in the market yet

Sounds interesting huh?

You can look out for more information about Second Life here.

IIT School Graduation - I was there!

2008-05-25T16:57:00.009+08:00

Hello Folks,

Last Friday morning was our IIT School Graduation Ceremony, with 283 seniors from Information Technology, making a total of 586 seniors from IIT school graduating on this very faithful day.

I was fortunate to be sitting in the guest seats, watching every seniors from IIT schools taking their Diploma and celebrating their success.

I believe this will be a very memorable day for many of our seniors, either graduating with Diploma with Merit or with Course Medals, i believe everyone of them will embark them self on a whole new journey in their life's.

Alright lets view some photos that i took.

And lastly, to all seniors... Embrace your Dreams....

Welcome our to-be visitors and students of Temasek Polytechnic

2008-05-22T09:44:00.009+08:00

Yoz... Whatupz everyone!!...
Well after seeing what Gina had blogged. This remind me of one of our school famous project.Guess what project is that?

Google 3D in TP

This project is done by using Google Sketch Up 6.0 to come with all the building structure. Then using the platform given by Google Earth to upload the 3D structure.Well, you may think this is an easy project as no coding is required. However, the most tedious parts of the project are capturing the images of the buildings and converting images to 3D structure.

Now let's take a look at the project.

With Google 3D in TP, it allow visitor to have an overview of our campus before stepping in TP. Oversea Talents who are interested to come Singapore to further studies can also view our campus through Google Earth so that they will be able to familiarize with the surrounding estate.

To view TP’s 3D virtual campus, images and videos, you need to have Google Earth on your computer and download the files at TP website. Thank you. :)

We have Visitors!

2008-05-21T12:06:00.009+08:00

Hi guys (and girls of course)!

This morning we have visitors from Geylang Methodist Secondary School (GMSS) coming to Temasek Polytechnic - Informatics and IT School for workshops!

The students from GMSS arrived at 8.30am and they were briefed by one of the lecturer at Lecture Theatre 12 (LT12). The briefing ended at about 8.45am, and the students were being brought around the whole Temasek Polytechnic by the student helpers (or you can call it the ‘Morning Walk’). The students are grouped according to their classes, and were departing from the LT to the places that the student helpers have planned for them. Of course, I am one of the student helpers who brought these students around the polytechnic for a walk.

Well, I, together with another two student helpers, took care of one group.

Here’s the destination we have planned for these students:
First stop: Game and Entertainment Technology (GET) Lab
Second stop: The Plaza (or you can call it the ‘Horse-shoed’ Plaza)
Third stop: The School Library
Fourth stop: Temasek Convention Centre (TCC)
Fifth stop: Temasek Culinary Academy (TCA)
Sixth stop: The Triangular Garden
Seventh stop: The IT School canteen

Here are the photos which I took…

On the way to the TCA...

At the TCA...

The other group is on their way to the TCA..

Candid Shot!

Back from TCA,on the way to the Triangular Garden

The students are tired of walking, so...

RESTING TIME~!

Candid Shot (again)!

The Plaza...

Before the workshop starts...

During the workshop...

Well, its fun having visitors coming to Temasek Polytechnic for workshops. I’m sure that these students are having fun learning some of the things that students in Informatics and IT School are learning. Of course, we do hope that they will join us into this one big family! =)

That's all for now...
See you around soon!

More photos of CCN Day

2008-05-20T23:57:00.008+08:00

Nice photos and write-up about CCN by Yuan Jie.
I also like to share some photos that I took on CCN day.

IIT Students Showcase Enterprise on Campus Care Network Day

2008-05-16T15:54:00.003+08:00

The whole TP campus was abuzz and bustling with activities this afternoon as the first Campus Care Network Day (CCN Day) of the year kicked off. The schools of Business, Design and Informatics & IT took the lead by being the first three schools to take part in the CCN Day, while the schools of Applied Science, Engineering and Humanities & Social Science shall do so during the second half of the year.

The CCN Day is essentially a fundraising day in TP, whereby students set up stalls to sell products and/or services to raise funds for student welfare. Participation from all Year 1 classes (such as mine) is mandatory, while Year 2 and Year 3 classes may take part if they wish to.

Here in the Informatics & IT School, human traffic was unusually high for a Friday (whereby most Year 1 classes don't actually have classes) as students walk around the concourse in search for good deals or interesting trinkets to buy.

By observation, it seemed that most Care Groups (classes are known as Care Groups in TP) in the Informatics & IT School had decided to sell food items, such as the Care Group featured above (which is actually my Care Group!) and this Care Group featured below.

Some innovative ideas from other Informatics & IT School students:

Car Wash Services from IMI Fried ice-cream from GET

Water gun shooting game from CDS

Enabling IT with MS Word and PowerPoint 2007 Workshop

2008-05-16T11:59:00.008+08:00

As polytechnic students, crafting project reports is part and parcel of our workload. Some may find doing so an absolute chore and have a hard time creating reports.

Here in Temasek Informatics & IT School, the Diploma in IT Special Interest Group has put in place a programme to ease freshmen (Year 1 students) into the world of report writing and project presentations.

The second of two workshops to train freshmen in the latest versions of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint took place this morning. Training the students were two of the best student-trainers in the Diploma in IT.

Firstly, we had Lup Peng, the Diploma's Silver Medallist for the Class of 2008, and also the incumbent World Champion for Microsoft Word to share with students about using Microsoft Word for project reports.

Secondly, we also had Alexander, one of the top 10 Excel Experts in the nation, to conduct a sharing on harnessing the power of PowerPoint 2007 in project presentations.

The mettle of both trainers is evident from the fact that this is not the first time they have trained students in using these software applications.

This programme will undoubtedly equip our new students with a deeper insight in use of Microsoft Office applications for projects, and enable them to be able to use these applications more effectively. This will thereby enrich their academic experience in TP! This is in tandem with our school's motto to Enable, Enrich and Enjoy IT .

Algomania* - First Runner Up!

2008-05-15T11:18:00.012+08:00

Hello everyone,

I am Phyo. This is my very first time posting on Diploma in Information Technology blog and I am glad that I have the chance to share my wonderful experiences of my student life in IIT School.

Today, I would like to share my experiences of joining a competition called Algomania*. The competition was organized by NUS School of Computing and was one of the challenges in the National Infocomm Competition 2007. It was held on 14^th December 2006 (Saturday). The competition tests one’s ability of brainstorming the algorithm to solve a given case or problem.

So what exactly is algorithm?

Algorithm (n) - A set of ordered steps for solving a problem, such as a mathematical formula or the instructions in a program. The terms algorithm and logic are synonymous. Both refer to a sequence of steps to solve a problem. However, an algorithm implies an expression that solves a complex problem rather than the overall input-process-output logic of typical business programs (Ref: PC Mag.com)

Before I share my experience on the actual day of competition, I would like to share how we practiced and prepared for the competition. We had formed a group of three students. My group mates are Jeremy and Hanafi, both from Diploma in IT. Mr. Lawrence Goh is our mentor. He is very good and kind teacher who provided proper guidance and example questions for us to practice. “Practice makes perfect”, so goes the saying. We had started our preparation for the competition since September school holidays. We had meeting about twice a week and we discussed about strategies and ways to solve the sample problems.

Time flied very fast and finally the actual competition day was reached. The competition started at 9:30 am. We were competing against other teams from Polytechnics and ITEs. We were led to a room and teams from JCs, secondary schools and Polytechnics were present. Our team name is "Code breakers". We got one PC workstation running on Linux platform (Fedora OS). Since the PC's processing speed is slow, we need to use the text editor to write the codings and command line to compile and run. The question containing five questions and they were arranged in order of difficulty, i.e. the first question is the easiest and the last most difficult. We were given 3 hours duration to complete as much questions as possible. As soon as we got the question paper, each of us quickly read one question and thought of possible solutions. Hanafi typed the codings. Jeremy also thought and wrote down possible answers on the paper.

Here, I am going to introduce the marking system of the competition. After we got the solution for each question, we ran the program with sample input sets to ensure the correct output were produced. Then, we submit the codings online to the judges. Each submission is known as a "run". After that, the judges would test and run the solutions with their own input sets to check the solutions. If the solution could resolve all the inputs into correct output, the answer is considered correct. Once correct, judges will award the points. If the two teams had same points, the team who submit the correct answer fastest and within minimum of runs will win.

For our team, we had successfully solved two problems. The first two questions were quite easy and we finished in a short time. For the third question, we had the solution but our algorithm was slow and could not process all the inputs within the time limit. The problems given were real-life scenarios and thinking of the correct and efficient algorithm to solve the problem was a challenging yet interesting task for our team.

To make the story short, the competition was over at around 12:30pm and we had our lunch outside the auditorium. Then, the chief judge explained and discussed the problems and solutions for them. The results were announced in the evening and our team was First runner up for the competition. Each of us was presented with a certificate and a Sony digital camera.

To sum up, it was a very exciting and interesting experience for me to participate in Algomania*. It tested our logic and thinking in programming in order to solve the problems. I believe that it is through our hard work and teamwork, we had achieved success. I would like to thank Mr Lawrence Goh for his support and guidance, my team mates for their great teamwork and programming skills and IIT School for providing both necessary lab resources and morale support.

The questions and solutions can be found here.

As I am interested in photography, I would like to end this post with a photo that I taken.

The above photo was taken using Holga 120N Lomo, film camera, Film: Agfa Optima 100 (Expired). Can you make a guess from which Level 7 lab that I took this photo?

Doing IT is fun.... At least for me :P

2008-05-08T16:49:00.018+08:00

Hi all,

Sorry for blogging late, but I've finally found some spare time amongst all the school work and projects to write to our valued readers. I remembered that one of my earliest and most enjoyable memory of doing IT in TP was when I was participating with my friend Phyo in a competition called RoboCode. "What is RoboCode?" you ask. Well, let me explain it to you in the simplest way possible in 4 easy steps:

1) Design your robot tank.

2) Code your robot tank.

3) Battle with your robot tank in a challenge similar to a tournament

4) Win as many battles as you can and become the champion !(most important step :P)

Well, it is really as simple as that. Phyo and I tried the competion, but due to our lack of programming knowledge at that time (we were only in year 1, mind you) and our insanely short time to come up with a robot (we were only given 2 days as the organizers informed us very, very late), we managed to get the 8th place out of the 16 teams battling it out. Not bad, don't you think? Well, that's it for now. Here are some pictures for you to get a feel of RoboCode:

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Blogger,

Lokman

Bubbles Game

2008-04-23T10:52:00.009+08:00

Play the famous bubble game. What do you think is the best strategy to use to score high? Share with us your strategy in the comment and tell us (honestly without exaggeration) your best score attained.

For me, this game reminds me of this saying "If we fail to plan, we are planning to fail"

About Our Blog

2008-04-05T09:28:00.001+08:00

Hi folks,

Welcome to our blog. We are the team of blog editors taking Diploma in IT course in Temasek Poly (TP). Like you, we love to blog and so we like to capture what's life about in our course in Informatics & IT School in TP.

You see, our life in school is more than just study, programming and mugging away for exams. We have a lot more activities and fun that goes on when we are not studying. We participate in competitions and various student activities in and outside of school. And so we capture them here to share with all of you so that you can see what life is like here.

So feel free to move around and come back for more to check out what we are doing in school.
And, and ... of course feel free to give us your comments if you have any. But as editors, we are responsible to ensure all comments comply with the usual internet etiquette or in this case, we call it 'blog-tiquette'. Well, you know what we mean right?

Alright, see you around the blog (not block). OK? Cheers!

- Dip IT Student Blog Editors

Unforgettable Experience in MS Office World Competition

2008-04-01T10:02:00.004+08:00

(Article by Lup Peng) In life, there are many decisions to make and paths to walk. A simple decision now may close several paths, but open up a whole new array of opportunities. What is important is that we recognize these opportunities and seize them before it’s too late, literally. I mean, some of the opportunities are once in a life time.

Once you have missed that window of opportunity, it’s gone forever. Some of the opportunities I have seized have brought me far, in terms of both achievements and geographical sense. But regardless of the outcome, each opportunity I grabbed has given me invaluable experience which could otherwise not be gleaned from a classroom setting. Let me talk about one of the opportunities that brought me far in 2007 – the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office 2003 (Microsoft Word Category).

At the beginning, I had never expected myself to travel all the way to Orlando, Florida to take part in this competition. The competition started off with a local round in Singapore. Having participated in this competition once before in 2006, I already knew how difficult and tough it would be. In 2006, I had made several careless mistakes and emerged 6^th at national level. My objectives of participating in 2007 were to use the competition as a platform to evaluate my skills, as well as to see if I would learn from my previous mistakes if I am presented with similar questions.

Things took a pleasant turn when I was announced as the champion at the national level, and again at the worldwide level. When I look back, the entire competition and its process feels meaningful as I have achieved what I set out to do, and much, much more. So what did I learn from this trip?

One of the unforgettable things of the trip was the culture shock at the difference in lifestyle between Singapore and US. In Singapore, it is uncommon to see people rushing from place to place, even rushing through meals to get back to the office. However, the lifestyle there is rather laid back and relaxed as compared to Singapore.

Also, the perception of society is different too. In my opinion, in Singapore's context, to be successful in life is to have the five 'Cs'. What struck me is that the US citizens seem contented at their current lifestyle, even if it meant living without the five Cs. As we toured around New York for a couple of days, it was amazing to see that people made a living out of selling photographs of the 9-11 incident and posing as a miniature Statue of Liberty to collect fees from people taking photographs with them. They felt totally at home and contented with their lifestyle.

Last but not least, I also learnt how to live independently away from my parents. Washing of my clothes and managing cash are just some of the various skills I picked up along the way.

Though the trip was short (ten days), it broadened my horizons and changed the way I perceived and tackled problems and challenges in my life. It also made me more appreciative of my family who has taken care of me unconditionally for the past 20 years.

I always believe in giving back to others what I have received. With a better understanding of how the different functions in Microsoft Word works, I help my peers to harness the full capabilities of Microsoft Word to facilitate their report writing. With a better insight of how use of Microsoft Word, they can now feel confident with their written and reporting skills and tools, in addition to their technical skills, to benefit the company which they will work for.

I am also helping out my course manager, Mr. Lim Kok Hwee, to train a group of secondary school students in Microsoft Word. By imparting my extensive knowledge and experience, I hope that these students are able to build up a strong foundation of the Microsoft Office Suite and start using it effectively from young. Hopefully, they will, too, emerge as World Champions one day and bring glory to Singapore and their school.

Of course, in whatever we do, it is always important that we have support from others. For this competition, I had the support from many people including teachers (Ms Lim Sok Keow, Mr. Lai Garluck, Mr. Lim Kok Hwee, Mr. Yeak Shaw Wen, Mr. Jonathan Chee, etc), seniors, who helped train us (Steve, Florine, Eda), friends (Alvin, Diwanand, Doreen, Jonah, C100, etc) and my family. It was their constant support that kept me motivated and determined to strive on, even though the training was tough and the pressure, high.

There are many other incidents/events during my stay at TP IIT School that taught me important life lessons and skills. I would be delighted to share them with you, but that is another story, for another day.

Apologies to those whose names I have missed out, but nevertheless, I’m still grateful for your support!