EPSON Organizes CSR Project to Mark its 25th Anniversary,
Spends Over Bt8 Million to Equip 25 Schools with Epson Smart Classroom
Epson Thailand, the printer/projector leader in Thai market, celebrates its 25th anniversary with a CSR project. Using a budget of well over Bt8million, this initiative is going to give Epson Smart Classroom to 25 schools across the region.
Mr. Yunyong Muneemongkoltorn, General Manager of Epson (Thailand) Co., Ltd., says his firm has reached its 25th anniversary milestone in 2015. To celebrate the occasion, Epson Thailand is well ready to launch not just new products or special promotions. As a show of gratitude towards the society and its intention to contribute to social development, the firm has now come up with a CSR initiative that will deliver the Epson Smart Classroom solution to 25 schools in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and also Pakistan. All these countries are the markets under Epson Thailand’s supervision. Implemented under the budget of over Bt8 million, this CSR project will start its installations at the Kanchananukroh School in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, first. Installations at 24 other schools will follow and be completed before the end of this year.
“Epson is proud to have been a part of the society where Epson businesses are present. We are also proud to have improved quality of life there through our innovations and technologies. At Epson, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is a core part of corporate philosophy. We have conducted various activities to repay the society. Epson Thailand’s CSR activities have to date mainly focused on youth. We hope to give them better education, better sports and better occupations. So on our special occasion, we have decided to combine relevant technologies together and create the Epson Smart Classroom. This solution promises to turn the classroom into a fully active learning/teaching space. Our move responds well to the Smart Classroom project of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), the Education Ministry, which seeks to facilitate two-way communications with students at the center and teachers serving as their advisors”.
Epson Smart Classroom solution features Epson hardware equipment namely all-in-one L350 Ink tank System Printers, which offer the lowest cost per page, ink sets, EB-485 short-throw projectors, tablets, notebooks, PCs, routers, and servers for teachers and students.
On content or academic content, the Epson Smart Classroom is designed to work well with various sources. Content may come from schools, their teachers or open sources. Relying on their teaching experiences, schools or teachers can create content by themselves and integrate it to the Epson Smart Classroom. They may also download content from available sources in social media or online media. In fact, they may even get the content from iTunesU. On top of this, Epson Smart Classroom is compatible with content that is now provided or will soon be provided by the Education Ministry. The standard content for Epson Smart Classroom has won endorsement from the Education Ministry. Its strengths lies with its comprehensive range of support functions, covering textbooks, exercise books, and group activities. By using these applications, teachers and students can share information conveniently. The applications also offer tests to assess learners’ comprehension plus various edutainment games.
Epson, moreover, has included the teaching/learning management software in the Epson Smart Classroom. With this software, teachers can boost their teaching efficiency easily as teachers can use software in evaluating their students’ understanding in the lesson and increasing the children’s participation. For example, the Sketch and Comment functions are the innovative tools for teachers and students to share what they have learnt and engaged in the trial-and-error learning method. With these functions, students can learn from other peers’ approach/activities. As the process goes on, they analyze information, comment and synthesize in a more comprehensive manner.
Epson Smart Classroom project will be followed by the Epson Smart Classroom Champion scheme. The new initiative will put some members of each participating school into a series of regular training. As they come together for the training, they will share their experiences and knowledge from the implementation of Epson Smart Classroom at their schools too. Information will be gathered to develop the Epson Smart Classroom project further on a sustainable basis. Following the installations of Epson Smart Classroom solution, all 25 schools will receive maintenance and training support from Epson Thailand. Teachers/IT staff will be trained about how to use Epson hardware and software. All such support is designed to ensure that they can help the schools make the utmost use of the facilities and deliver additional benefits. The perfect elements of devices, system and management in Epson Smart Classroom define the strengths that will definitely make this solution stand above any conventional learning/teaching project.
Mr. Yunyong says his firm has set criteria in choosing the schools for this CSR project as follows: “Epson will consider three factors. Firstly, schools must have the policy to leverage modern technology in improving teaching/learning standard and in developing academic content for each subject. Secondly, teachers of the schools must have an interest and abilities to put the technology to good use. Thirdly, the schools must have IT infrastructure to support the Epson Smart Classroom solution”.
“After we install and test the Epson Smart Classroom solution at the Kanchananukroh School, our project will enter its second phase during which four more schools will get the solution. This phase is scheduled for implementation in the early part of the third quarter. Then, the third phase of the project will start with 10 schools receiving the smaller version of the solution. The final phase is for overseas schools and will take place in the last quarter of this year,” Mr. Yunyong adds.
He then concludes that, “Epson seriously hopes that Epson Smart Classroom project will empower students, stimulate their analytical thinking and improve their quality through the creation of teacher-student collaboration in the teaching/learning process. This project aims to provide endless learning opportunities and make students well prepared for competition in the society particularly during the upcoming AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) Era. Last but not least, we hope the Epson Smart Classroom project can contribute to the sustainable development of Thai education”.
