the best use of ICT in education, during the 2007 eLearning Awards held in Brussels on 6 December.
The Maltese entry for the seventh edition of the European eLearning Awards, entitled "Rescue La Vallette - An Adventure in Time" won the top award. Mr Zammit who was recently posted as assistant head at Gzira primary school is the brains behind an amazing project based on teaching the basic skills of the ECDL through an online interactive game.
Education Minister Louis Galea congratulated Mr Zammit on his accomplishment, citing him to all students as an example that Malta's size is not a handicap when it comes to developing and using talents. Dr. Galea also congratulated the team working within the Technology in Education Department which has, over the past few years, brought about an incredible paradigm shift in the way technology is used as an educational tool.
Professor Derrick de Kerckhove, Director of the McLuhan programme at the University of Toronto and president of the jury, said "This site introduces young learners to the e-skills of the European Computer Driving Licence through an engaging storyline mixing fun and learning at the right dosage for beginners. High production values, innovative format and clever didactics make this project the best in all categories."
The award includes a €3,000 (Lm1,287) cash prize and a SMART classroom technology package donated by SMART technologies which includes an interactive whiteboard, USB devices, an interactive response system and SMART's Ideas concept-mapping software.
The game can be found on http://skola.gov.mt/ictsec/gamesite/scsp.html.
There were in all 564 submissions from all over Europe that were full of good practices and innovative pedagogical ideas. These were shortlisted to 100 and the Maltese entry was then chosen as the winner.
The La Vallette Adventure is not a history lesson even though Jean de La Vallette was really wounded during a sea battle, captured and served as a galley slave. During this adventure to rescue La Vallette, users become secret agents who travel back in time. The students have to employ all their wits and skills, as the journey is full of dangers and riddles that they must solve together as a team. To succeed, students must make full use of the technology that is available. They are encouraged to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the Internet and e-Mail to record their journey as they discover the codes and get closer to rescuing the person who is to become Grand Master of the Knights. From time to time students receive help from Mission Control (the students' teachers) whom they can reach only through e-Mail, although sometimes they also meet Mission Control face to face.