Da Nang is one of three localities in Viet Nam having schools granted the certificates of Microsoft’s Showcase School programme for the 2021-2022 school year. This is also senior high schools’ common goal in their digital transformation roadmap.

Senior high schools across Da Nang are boosting the training and application of information technology in teaching and learning activities. IN THE PHOTO: Local pupils taking part in the city-level Informatics Contest in April 2021. (Photo taken at the time when there were no Covid-19 cases). Photo: NGOC HA

‘Microsoft Showcase School’ model

Last September, the Sky-Line Primary, Secondary and High School in Da Nang was awarded the Microsoft in Education certificate in recognition of membership in the 2021 - 2022 Showcase School programme. This encouraging result was mainly attributed to the school’s active involvement in innovating and catching up with trends in educational approaches, methods and administration.

Specifically, the Sky-Line school has carried out five educational innovation projects, including a project to teach Informatics according to international standards which is now developed into the Sky-Line Informatics Programme, thereby creating favourable conditions for school pupils to access technology during their learning process.

In addition, the school has deployed a smart school model with a focus on managing entry/exit and other activities by magnetic cards, using software applications as an official communication and information channel to parents, and applying virtual reality technology VR - VR360 in its online exhibitions.

Also, Sky-Line has accelerated its digital transformation since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Since then, the school has quickly approached the Office 365 toolkit and developed a plan to deploy the ‘Microsoft Showcase School’ model.

Most importantly, all most of the school’s teachers have granted Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) certificates.

Mr. Cao Thanh Trung, Deputy Headmaster of the Sky-Line school, who has just become an MIE in 2021, underlined that the application of technology in teaching requires teachers to constantly innovate in order to create flexible and interactive lessons, thereby significantly contributing to making teaching work much more convenient.

Towards 4.0 schools

According to Mr. Phung Viet Thang, Sales Director of Microsoft Vietnam, in March 2020, when COVID-19 began to break out, Microsoft actively worked with the Da Nang Department of Information and Communications, and the municipal Department of Education and Training, to provide free Office 365 accounts for students and teachers citywide in a bid to maintain learning and teaching activities during the social distancing period, thereby promoting digital transformation in education.

Currently, Microsoft is working with the municipal Department of Education and Training, and the Le Quy Don Senior High School for the Gifted, to expand the ‘Microsoft Showcase School’ model in the near future.

“The ‘Microsoft Showcase School’ model has been expanded into other provinces and cities across the country. We are always willing to stand by side with schools to replicate the global education model in Da Nang, and in Viet Nam as a whole, in the time to come. Moreover, we expect school leaders to actively share and exchange real stories and innovative educational ideas as well so that more schools nationwide can implement the project, thereby heading to building a roadmap for a digital transformation with Microsoft in the near future” said Director Thang.

Director of the Da Nang Department of Education and Training Le Thi Bich Thuan said that thanks to digital transformation, the city's education sector completes the school year as scheduled.

“In the coming time, the education sector will step up to perfect the information technology infrastructure and teaching facilities, enhance the capacity of information technology application for teachers and students, and build schools applying 4.0 technology”, Ms. Thuan said.

Reporting by NGOC HA - Translating by M.DUNG