From The Straits Times    |

Imagine this: tablets become the new textbooks, and students ace their subjects by playing multiplayer games in class. 

It may seem like a long shot, but visit Media Fiesta 2011 and you will see why the above scenario may not be as crazy as it sounds. 

It’s especially useful to be savvy in this digital age as we can easily get lost in the midst of shifting technologies and interactive media content.

Media Fiesta, hosted by the Media Development Authority (MDA) and organised by Pico Art International, hopes to boost every Singaporean’s media literacy – that is, a person’s ability to sift through and analyse all types of media. 

The month-long campaign, themed “Celebrate and Discover Media”, offers a line-up of interactive media activities, experiential games and local performers. 

The highlight of Media Fiesta will be its four anchor events, held over the weekends in March. The events cover four media platforms – music, publishing, games and film.

The first anchor event, Celebration of Music, was held on March 5 at *SCAPE. The musical showcase featured the best of up-and-coming Singaporean talents, such as indie singer Inch Chua and YouTube sensation Ko XinYi. 


Celebration of Music featured a great line-up of local talent, including former Singapore Idol runner-up, Sylvia Ratonel.


Inch Chua, homegrown indie singer-songwriter, charmed the audience with her unique Bjork-like vocals.


Ko XinYi has over 22,300 subscribers on her YouTube channel "talktothewalls".

Before the concert began, Mr Sam Tan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of MICA, announced two projects for the Singapore music scene: Music Matters and Republic of Pop.

Music Matters, Asia’s music business forum to be held in May, will feature bigwigs like Steve Lilywhite (producer of U2), Jason Mraz and The Rolling Stones. 

The second project, Republic of Pop (www.rop.com.sg), is Singapore’s first online resource dedicated to promoting Singapore’s contemporary music and events. 

The remaining three anchor events include: 

• Enchanted Journey through the Pages (March 13 – 16, Woodlands Regional Library): a workshop where children will get hands-on experience in story writing and e-publishing.

• Singapore Game Box Inter-Tertiary Challenge (March 17 – 20, nex): a gaming competition finals featuring made-in-Singapore games.

• Singapore Movies under the Stars (March 26 – 27, *SCAPE): an outdoor screening of classic and latest local films

Even if you’re not participating in them, you should check out Media Transformer, an interactive mobile display which will be erected on site of the four anchor events. 

You will be able to get hands-on experience with the latest media applications and technologies, learn tips on Internet filtering services and play local games. 

I was completely blown away during the media tour of the local games. For instance, one allows A-level students to learn Organic Chemistry by creating spells (made up of scientific formulas) in World of Warcraft-like settings; another lets your mind control the gameplay – you don’t even have to use your hands or make a sound!

Aside from the four anchor events, Media Fiesta also features 70 partner events held island-wide throughout the month. 

For the detailed schedule of events and activities at Media Fiesta 2011, visit www.mediafiesta.sg or become their fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mediafiesta

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