Armed with personal digital assistants (PDA), students from 10
secondary schools found their way through a local version of the
popular reality television show, The Amazing Race.
Called Mobile Amazing Race@Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), the
students used PDAs that were connected to the campus-wide wireless
network to navigate and locate clues that would lead them to various
checkpoints. The event was held on Sept 19.
The race was to raise awareness in wireless technologies, and at
the same time, to instill innovation and creativity among students,
said NP lecturer Ng Poh Oon, 37, who came up with the idea of the
race.
The winning team, from Peicai Secondary, solve all the clues to
reach the final checkpoint in about an hour.
Interestingly, the race was the first time that the teamÂ’s
leader, Secondary 3 student, Tony Fang, had used a PDA.
Said the 15-year-old: "We didnÂ’t expect to win, but we were
happy to complete the race in such a short time. The questions were
not too difficult and we knew most of the answers."
At each checkpoint, teams had to download and answer questions
using their PDAs to get the clues to the next stage. If they gave a
wrong answer, a one-minute penalty was added to their final race
timings.
The questions tested their general knowledge as well as specific
IT acronyms and know-how, such the number of bits that make up one
byte.
Said Tony: "We had problems with some questions as each of us in
the team suggested different answers. In the end, we just asked some
of the poly students for the correct answers."
To complete the race, the teams had to learn how to plan and
manage a set of resources and limitations, said Mr Ng.
"They must decide when to use the preloaded location map in their
PDAs because this could mean expending the power supply of their
devices. There was a charger station available, but more time could
be wasted," he added.
The polytechnic plans to hold a similar race during its next open
house in February.
