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Are there free spaces in the parking lot? What is a 21st-century greenhouse like? How do you learn grammar? These are just some of the great projects that the Montenegrin elementary school pupils managed to realize using micro-bit devices.
The micro-bit computer actually allows the use of hardware parts through the software, and the British Council will provide around 4,000 micro-bit pocket computers over the next three years, which should encourage student's innovation.
In 20 schools the students are already designing projects, on 600 micro-bit computers, which are also a gift from the UK Government through the British Council and the Ministry of Education. Irena Selcanin from the Ulcinj Elementary School "Marko Nuculovic" is already familiar with the micro-bit device. She says it seemed interesting, but also complicated."In time, by getting to know this powerful device and its capabilities, it became easier, more interesting, and I was eager and thrilled to start working on them," she said.
The project she worked on is called "Smart Parking".
"We had more ideas. We decided on this project because we wanted to contribute to solving the problems that our local community has. The project involves detecting free spaces in the parking lot. By igniting the lights on one of the micro-bits, busy parking spaces are displayed, and on the second micro-bit, the number shows how many other free places there are. When the number of zero is displayed, the ramp is lowered" she explains.
Pupils of the elementary school "Risto Ratkovic" from Bijelo Polje Milica Markovic, Katarina Dragovic, and Marko Markovic tell us that at one of the workshops they were assigned the task of creating the code for the project that we would present at the competition. Ideas have been merged into one, applicable in language classes, regardless of the course.
How to learn grammar while playing a game – Pupils of the elementary school “Risto Ratkovic”(Photo: Mpin.gov.me)
"We begin with the game by pressing the start button after which a number between one and five displays on the micro-bit screen. The number is the indicator which key the player needs to press. After pressing a specific button on the micro-bit, a letter will appear that represents a specific task. (The player needs to say a particular type of word that begins with that letter). After the acoustic signal, the player has to solve the given word to continue the game. In case a player does not respond to a task at a specific time interval, he falls out of the game. The game continues until one player-winner remains. Depending on whether the player replied correctly or incorrectly on the screen of the micro-bit, a certain signal will appear which is given by the game manager via the radio connection.
Miro Marjanovic and Milo Sekularac from Berane Elementary School "Vuk Karadzic", with the help of micro-bits, made a model of a greenhouse for the 21st century. For "Vijesti" they point out that the idea came from the desire to help farmers to grow their plants more efficiently and in better quality.
"Due to the complexity and specificity of the work in the greenhouse that requires a constant presence of farmers, we wanted to allow the farmer to be able to deal with some other activities or rest, and that the cultivation of plants in the greenhouse is as good and quality as if the farmer himself is present. In other words, the micro-bit would allow the control of the temperature inside the greenhouse - if the temperature exceeds the allowed limits within the greenhouse, the micro-bit with the servo motor opens or closes the windows, and thus prevents the withering of plants due to high or low temperatures.
It would also allow light measurement - if the light intensity drops below a certain limit, the micro-bit includes the light source (light bulb), if the intensity of light meets the predicted level, it turns off the light source. In this way, an additional light source allows the growth of plants."
Micro-bit, it is emphasized, also measures the speed of wind outside the greenhouse, and if the wind has a speed above normal, the micro-bit closes the windows with the help of a servo motor, which protects the plant culture from possible damage.
Students from Berane third in Belgrade
"During the development of the project, we used the knowledge of biology, physics, technology, and informatics. At the national micro-bit computer program competition held in May last year, we won the first place, whereby we acquired the condition to attend the "New Technologies in Education" fair which was held in June 2018 in Belgrade. At the fair, we presented our project with which we won third place at the regional competition in coding micro-bit computers," said Marjanovic and Sekularac.
The digital age does not eliminate the chalkboard
Minister Damir Sehovic said that the assessment of the Ministry of Education that turning the head from the fact that our children live in the digital age is irresponsible because in this way we would get children who cannot even recognize the numerous possibilities, but also the dangers that lurk in this cyber world.
"That is why we will not turn our head, but we will work on education in which the chalkboard, but also a good book, will occupy the place that belongs to them. But, we will be aware at the same time that the modern age in which we live requires a new - modern way of thinking but also learning because it is the only way to create preconditions for using all the benefits of today, which are unlimited. "
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Text by Tina Popovic, on March 25th 2019, read more at Vijesti
On Sunday, in the organization of the Agency for the Development and Protection of Orjen, a group of 50 nature lovers visited several sites that have their own story about water: Kotobiljski spring, Tajno brdo, Austro-Hungarian water-supply system and ultimately Ljuti krs - the biggest attraction of this tour. An educational tour called "Voda u krsu" was organized on the occasion of the World Water Day.
The area of Ljuti krs is extremely rich in various forms of rocks, coves, canals, gutters, and even pits created by chemical decomposition under the influence of precipitation waters. "The water crushed its huge stone blocks by chemical erosion, creating a fascinating micro-relief. Except for a few stones, there are no drops of surface water here, because it directly goes with vertical channels in its unexplored interior. Water in the areas of the karst is therefore even more precious, but also more sensitive to pollution since limestone terrain is far less purified than usual. On the other hand, as much as it is inaccessible to people, the underground is the only habitat for some forms of life, and so is the olm, the most famous living species of cave streams, the kind that probably inhabits our underworld, which is another argument for the need of careful protection of the water in the karst," the agency said.
In the labyrinth of Ljuti krs
At the end of the tour, participants tried local specialties of this region at the Stanovcic family home in the village Kameno, known among others by the oldest rural water-supply system in our hinterland, made even during the Austro-Hungarian administration.
However important it is to recognize the tourist potential of such an unusual karst relief, it is also important to preserve its underground from the pollution, since Orjen is a mountain with the highest amount of precipitation in Europe, deep in its interior, it was stated from the Agency for the development and protection of Orjen.
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Text by Slavica Kosic, on March 25th 2019, read more at Vijesti
Today, 50 boys and girls arrived in the barracks "Milovan Saranovic" in Danilovgrad for voluntary military service in the Army of Montenegro.
"We are starting a new working week strengthened with 50 boys and girls who arrived today at the “Milovan Saranovic” barracks in Danilovgrad for voluntary military service," reads the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Defense.
From that Government's office, they said that 50 of them would spend the next three months in the barracks and be trained for basic military skills.
"Today is the day to get acquainted with the environment, colleagues, commanders, dressing up in the uniform and pair of boots. Continue to follow us, in the coming period we will show you how #DobrovoljnoUVojsku looks like with our first generation," reads the Facebook profile of the Ministry of Defense.
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Text by Vijesti Online, on March 25th, 2019, read more at Vijesti
March 26, 2019 - President of the Management Board of the Port of Kotor DOO, Branko Ivanovic, signed the Contract on the Priority Concession on the Water and Operational Coast of the Port in Kotor with the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Traffic in the Government of Montenegro, Osman Nurkovic. The contract was signed for 12 years.
24 March 2019 - Montenegro will develop an economy based on know-how and innovation, at the same time preventing the brain drain, Prime Minister Duško Marković underlined at the conference on the occasion of ending the project Towards Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem in Montenegro.
"Montenegro can develop this economy of the future. And it has to stick to that path. Currently, this segment of our economy is not at the level we would like it to be, but the opportunities and chances that exist on the market are very attractive for many talented entrepreneurs and researchers," said Prime Minister Marković.
In parallel with the development, he added, Montenegro will make efforts to prevent the brain drain, which makes international operations easier. Innovative and young entrepreneurs, especially in the field of information technologies, as well as older, more experienced innovators and researchers, are already looking for better conditions for applying their ideas in Montenegro: "I would like to take this opportunity to say that we will create conditions for their work in order to get a new vital energy for our economy."
Recalling Monstat's data on economic growth of 4.9% for the previous year, and pointing to an increase in production in a number of economic activities with an increase in exports, the Prime Minister said that we have a realistic basis for optimism. He pointed out that one of the priorities of the Government is enhancing the business environment for the growth and expansion of business based on knowledge, with the help of the EU partners.
"The Government has developed a precise plan. We have adopted the Programme of Measures Promoting Innovative Start-Ups, which relies heavily on the project that has gathered us here today. We will work on creating concrete favourable legislative conditions, such as tax relief, cutting red tape and better protection of intellectual property, as well as on the creation of new financial instruments that will direct the business towards prospective innovations and those that help solve our local problems and challenges," the Prime Minister pointed out at the conference.
He added that it is necessary to work on changing the culture of work, which needs be strengthened in every way - through non-formal education, the media, and also the entrepreneurial approach of the administration itself, both the state and local one.
"From the beginning of the year, we have been implementing the Programme that we adopted. With the support of the World Bank, experts will be engaged to work on the development of a new, modern legislative framework for encouraging innovative businesses through fiscal and other measures. Most importantly, we have established a central institution of our ecosystem - the Scientific and Technological Park of Montenegro," Prime Minister Marković explained.
In this business, he stressed, the key partnerships that we have established at the national level are of key significance, which is also demonstrated by today's event. Examples of business and high-quality applied research projects should become visible models for other trends in the economy.
"This transition is not easy to achieve - some Western countries took more than 20 years for doing that. We can use their know-how and experience to make our transition as fast and successful as possible," the Prime Minister of Montenegro underscored.
He said that Montenegro is also leading a great regional initiative, namely the establishment of the International Institute for Sustainable Technologies in South East Europe, which will be a driving force for improving the technological environment in the region.
"We have realised that this initiative was found in the recommendations of the EU experts who are with us today, proposing that Montenegro should initiate at least another similar major initiative at the national level, which is going to be considered," Prime Minister Marković noted.
The Prime Minister thanked the European Commission, the World Bank and the members of the scientific diaspora of Montenegro for supporting the country, pointing to how to build the capacities for the policy that was the subject of the conference.
24 March 2019 - Montenegro has done a lot to improve its business environment, but there are still some grave challenges that the country should focus on. Preventing other countries from taking over high-quality investors is of great importance, said the representatives of Adriatic Marinas.
Foreign Investors Council in Montenegro issued during the last week the White Book where they assessed the business environment in Montenegro with 6.49. They stated that the economy in Montenegro was stable last year, but some concrete results in the implementation of reforms fell behind.
They stressed othat the grey economy is still a problem, as well as that the rule of law must improve and that a platform for the prevention of frauds and evasion of any kind must be provided.
Representatives of Adriatic Marinas said that environment for foreign investors in Montenegro is changing rapidly.
“We have made some important moves, especially in the sphere of navigation and super-yachting industry. However, not everything has been solved yet,” said the representatives of this company which is the owner of Porto Montenegro.
The real challenge for business in Montenegro is the market since other yachting destinations across the world are very competitive and they, naturally, want to take over the clients from Montenegro.
“Our top priority is that we have our nautical industry that is active during the whole year and to do our best so that the benefits can be felt in the entire country. We must continuously promote all our business possibilities and Montenegro, as a destination. Also, we must keep eliminating business barriers and maintaining tax rates at a low level so that we can attract foreign investors and make Montenegro stable business destination,” said the representatives of Adriatic Marinas.
Representatives of Montenegrin Telekom think that the business environment in Montenegro is much better and that some serious reforms have already been implemented, but they also noted that there is still space for even more progress.
Director of the Sector for Corporate and Legal Affairs in Montenegrin Telekom, Pavle Đurović, said that the regulatory framework referring to the domain of telecommunication is harmonized the European in no small extent.
One of the most significant challenges that all operators are generally faced with is the increase of the so-called OTT providers – Google, Skype, WhatsApp, and Viber.
“Providers of such services offer practically the same voice services as traditional operators, but without investing in networks because they use networks and services of the electronic communication operators. Also, they do not employ a workforce; they do not pay any taxes. This is a problem for all European telecommunication operators, and we are glad that Montenegrin authorities are ready to tackle this issue by the European practice and European regulatory framework,” concluded Đurović.
25 March 2019 - Minister of Culture Aleksandar Bogdanović is paying an official visit to the Republic of France, where he met with French Minister of Culture Franck Riester.
The two ministers discussed the cooperation projects that are being implemented by the already signed Agreement on cooperation in the field of culture, as well as on new exchange initiatives.
Furthermore, they discussed the intensification of cooperation and exchange of programmes and artists in the fields of music and theater, visual arts, as well as the possibilities for translating Montenegrin literature into French and French into Montenegrin.
"A special focus of our future cooperation will be on creative industries. To develop this area, Montenegro is developing creative hubs that will be a synergy of art and entrepreneurship, both of domestic and foreign artists," Minister Bogdanović said, adding that the French experience will be of great importance to us.
The ministers also discussed the exchange of good practices and experiences in the field of cultural heritage protection, project development and exchange of programmes between libraries, museums, archives, and cinemas.
Bearing in mind the many years of friendly relations and cooperation between Montenegro and the Republic of France, as well as the fact that the building of the former French mission was located in Cetinje, two ministers discussed the possibility of joint restoration of this facility.
Minister Bogdanović informed Minister Riester about the activities that are being implemented in Montenegro in order to transfer the remains of members of the Petrović Njegoš dynasty to Montenegro in the near future, and pointed out that the support of the Ministry of Culture and other relevant institutions of the Republic of France will be of particular importance in the transfer of the remains of Mihailo Petrović Njegoš, buried in Paris.
Minister Riester pointed out that the Republic of France appreciates the importance this initiative has for Montenegro and its last ruling Petrović Njegoš dynasty and stated that they would provide all the necessary assistance.
Minister Bogdanović expressed satisfaction with the friendly relations between the Republic of France and Montenegro in all areas and expressed the gratitude for the continued support that France provides to Montenegro on its path to full membership in the European Union.
Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Montenegro in France Zdenka Radulović and President of the Association of Artists of Montenegro Igor Rakčević also attended the meeting.
25 March 2019 - The members of the Majorette Club Lili returned from Podgorica from the state championship in dance with seven gold medals, and thus became state champions in the categories of juniors, cadets and bees, as well as in formations “senior solo stick”, “senior solo pom pon” , “cadet solo stick” and “cadets duo pom pon”.
The Majorette Club Lili also received the Special Thank-You-Note from the Dance Association of Montenegro for an outstanding contribution to the promotion and development of dance in the past year.
Thirty-five girls and young women from this majorette club aged 5 to 23 years old who worked hard in the past couple of months on practicing choreography, presented their skills in front of an expert jury and won the “National Champions” title.
The competition organized by the International Dance Organization IDO Montenegro gathered 17 dance clubs with around 170 choreographies. The Majorette Club Lili now plans to give their champion girls a few days of rest to celebrate their great success, after which they will continue with work and preparations for the future performances and competitions. The most significant is undoubtedly the appearance at the European Majorettes Championship in August in France, where the girls will represent Herceg Novi and Montenegro, as they have for the past five years.
In five years of existence, the Majorette club "Lili" has won numerous acknowledgments and awards, including eight European medals, and their favourite one is their very first medal. “We have plenty of medals from state championships and international competitions; so many that we lost count. There are probably around 40 in different categories. The biggest prizes that are the most meaningful to us are eight European medals. Although we look forward to every prize, we always emphasize that our first European medal is somehow the most desirable," said the club’s choreographer.
25 March 2019 - The Orange team has reason to celebrate this Monday evening! Cedevita has defeated Budućnost VOLI in front of 4,500 fans in the Dražen Petrović Hall and took the lead in this semi-final series. The audience watched a big battle down on the court as each side really gave its best to win the match. Eventually, Cedevita’s deadly duo Cobbs-Pullen made a difference by scoring 43 points combined for the home team.
Game 2 in this series will be played in Podgorica on Sunday, March 31. If Cedevita wins that match, they will advance to the 2019 ABA League Finals. If Budućnost VOLI manages to tie the score in this series, then Game 3 will be played in Zagreb on April 7.
Cedevita was up by 76:73, with 4 minutes left on the game clock, while Budućnost VOLI had a fast-break to reduce the gap. However, Petar Popović missed an open-lay up, while then Goga Bitadze and Earl Clark also missed open shots after making offensive rebounds! The visiting team was punished for those three missed shots, as Cedevita made 4 points in a row and jumped to 80:73. For this kind of game, a 7-point lead was a huge advantage, and Cedevita remained in the lead until the very end.
Justin Cobbs was the player of the match as he was a true leader of the Orange troops. He was the top scorer of Cedevita with 23 points, while he also made five assists alongside his defense which was exceptional this evening. He also had one steal and performance index rating of 22.
Cedevita won the battle in the paint. The home team had seven rebounds more than Budućnost VOLI squad, while some of their offensive rebounds were very important in the key moments of this match.
Source: ABA League
25 March 2019 - A ruthless England survived an early scare to stroll past Montenegro 5-1 in their European Qualifiers clash in Podgorica on Monday night.
Creator Ross Barkley then turned scorer as he touched in Callum Hudson-Odoi's shot (38) after his Chelsea teammate cut in dangerously from the flank on his first England start at just 18.
The impressive Barkley got his second and England's third with a simple finish from Raheem Sterling's cut-back (59), Harry Kane got in on the act by tapping home (71), again from Sterling's unselfish centre, and Sterling himself then wrapped up the win with a cool finish from sub Jordan Henderson's fine through ball (81).
England now look ahead to June's UEFA Nations League after two convincing wins from two in European Qualifiers Group A, and have now won five consecutive matches for the first time under Gareth Southgate having scored five for the second time in four days.
England dominated the ball early on, but Montenegro went ahead with their first attack as Hudson-Odoi failed to get up for a header, allowing Vešović to run towards the box, unintentionally play a one-two with England defender Keane and curl past Jordan Pickford from 15 yards.
But Keane atoned for his sloppiness for the opener by levelling for England just after the half-hour mark, tucking a header into the bottom right corner from Barkley's free-kick on the right.
By then, Hudson-Odoi had switched from right to left wing, and the tactical move had paid off as he cut in from the flank well and saw his shot touched home by Barkley ahead of goalkeeper Danijel Petković.
Hudson-Odoi looked bright going forward, and his excellent run and shot forced a good stop from Petković after the break, but Barkley gave England a two-goal cushion as he finished off at the back post after Sterling's centre from the by-line had fortuitously fallen into his path.
Kane got his 22nd goal for England in 37 caps, tapping home directly from Sterling's pass as Barkley had superbly played in the Manchester City man, showcasing England's quality on the counter.
Source: Sky Sports
March 25, 2019 - In a world where all the advanced countries leave the use of fossil fuels, we open new sites, find a justification for exhausting non-renewable resources and activating the global greatest threat to marine biodiversity, writes the activist of the Montenegrin NGO Green Home, Natasa Kovacevic for respublika.edu.mk.
Fossil Fuels Exploration and Exploitation: Damage to life, fishing and tourism
Fossil Fuels Exploration and Exploitation: Dissolving conscious citizens
Remax Property of the Week
Editorial
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07 Mar 2018, 08:08 AMWelcome to Total Montenegro News!
Interview of the week
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Ranka Vukasovic Botica on Montenegro as a Maritime Country
