Personally, I believe that the use of even the most simple multimedia tools and Internet websites in the classroom helps in teaching as well as learning. Having taught Literature in the school I did my ESE at, I realized the significance of incorporating ICT in the lessons. Even while I was doing the lesson plans, I was constantly reminded of the need to engage the students via interactive media. Naturally, YouTube and the Internet came to my mind. Reading aloud the chapters of the text was a no-go because the students would fall asleep on their desks. Hence showing videos of the film adaptations of the novel helped tremendously in their understanding - they managed to come up with an accurate penned picture of the characters and to suggest the interpret the actions/gestures of the characters or even to predict the possible notions/innuendos beneath the lines. Studies have also shown that most humans are visual beings so it certainly does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that teaching and learning is best assisted by visual aids via ICT. Although it is undeniable that Literature requires more of basic acting skills and a dash of imagination, I think a little of ICT helps in the understanding of the context and to consolidate learning.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
#3. Make connections between your ESE and MOE Masterplans for ICT in Education
Describe which achievement(s) of the three masterplans for ICT in education are evident in the school/classes that you are attached to for your ESE. You may want to refer to your blog post about your ESE.
#2. Opinions on MOE Masterplans for ICT in Education
In your opinion, why do you think it is important for MOE to develop the three Masterplans for ICT in education?
After viewing the video on the importance of ICT, I now see the perennial importance of having to constantly meet the demands of the globalized world even in any academic institutions. The conventional way of delivering lessons via textbooks is proven to be less effective and also does not equip students with the technological changes. Even the most seemingly basic multimedia tool is sought after to support teaching and learning, and this is indeed a welcoming two-pronged approach as well as a pedagogical tool that make lessons more engaging. The pervasiveness of ICT extends to beyond the classroom - what with the competitions that encourage students to hone their ICT skills and embark on continuous experimentations, the need for teachers to undergo professional development. However, it must be acknowledged that different schools advance at different rates in ICT hence the need to ensure that all schools have to at least equip students with the necessary and basic ICT skills. The importance of e-learning is also given much emphasis. Although some skeptics frown upon the usage of e-learning (claiming that it is not effective teaching because no teacher is present to monitor the students), it is an opportunity for students to practise self-learning, take ownership of their leaning, and discern right from wrong. Altogether, this ICT movement is not only a compass that guides both teachers and students in a rapidly globalizing world but also serves as a platform for students to mature into responsible individuals and to increase their employability.
Has any of the Masterplans impacted you as a student? Share your experience of how ICT had been used in the classes you attended as a student (if applicable).
I remember having my first taste of ICT back then in 1997 when I was a Primary Four student in Xinmin Primary School. There was overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm over the introduction of ICT in classrooms, an even an overwhelming sense of loss that engulfed me because I did not even know how to manoeuvre myself around something as simple as Microsoft Word. Many things have changed since then; the use of computers and the Internet is pervasive - websites like YouTube and blogging tools were used when I was a student to cater to the learning demands and the urgency to pique the students' interest as well as a convenient (shared) platform for us to reflect our learning on. Because of these factors and circumstances, I remember pleading my father to sign up for a dial-up connection (and subsequently, broadband) in our house so that I could participate in ICT activities and not be left out amongst my classmates.
Based on your enhanced school experience, how do you think the current Masterplan 3 may affect your role(s) as a beginning teacher ?
A beginning teacher has many changes to adapt to. Some of these changes may overwhelm him/her because of the flurry of activities we may find ourselves in and having to adjust to them or even re-learn. Hence it would be of no surprise if there were vehemence expressed towards Masterplan 3. However, I am positive that in due time, we can show our potential to shine as teachers of the 21st Century - not only adhering strictly to the role of educators but also in facilitating learning. We have to constantly come up with interesting resources and tools of learning to feed the students' interest and also to encourage them to come up with their own fair share of it.
After viewing the video on the importance of ICT, I now see the perennial importance of having to constantly meet the demands of the globalized world even in any academic institutions. The conventional way of delivering lessons via textbooks is proven to be less effective and also does not equip students with the technological changes. Even the most seemingly basic multimedia tool is sought after to support teaching and learning, and this is indeed a welcoming two-pronged approach as well as a pedagogical tool that make lessons more engaging. The pervasiveness of ICT extends to beyond the classroom - what with the competitions that encourage students to hone their ICT skills and embark on continuous experimentations, the need for teachers to undergo professional development. However, it must be acknowledged that different schools advance at different rates in ICT hence the need to ensure that all schools have to at least equip students with the necessary and basic ICT skills. The importance of e-learning is also given much emphasis. Although some skeptics frown upon the usage of e-learning (claiming that it is not effective teaching because no teacher is present to monitor the students), it is an opportunity for students to practise self-learning, take ownership of their leaning, and discern right from wrong. Altogether, this ICT movement is not only a compass that guides both teachers and students in a rapidly globalizing world but also serves as a platform for students to mature into responsible individuals and to increase their employability.
Has any of the Masterplans impacted you as a student? Share your experience of how ICT had been used in the classes you attended as a student (if applicable).
I remember having my first taste of ICT back then in 1997 when I was a Primary Four student in Xinmin Primary School. There was overwhelming excitement and enthusiasm over the introduction of ICT in classrooms, an even an overwhelming sense of loss that engulfed me because I did not even know how to manoeuvre myself around something as simple as Microsoft Word. Many things have changed since then; the use of computers and the Internet is pervasive - websites like YouTube and blogging tools were used when I was a student to cater to the learning demands and the urgency to pique the students' interest as well as a convenient (shared) platform for us to reflect our learning on. Because of these factors and circumstances, I remember pleading my father to sign up for a dial-up connection (and subsequently, broadband) in our house so that I could participate in ICT activities and not be left out amongst my classmates.
Based on your enhanced school experience, how do you think the current Masterplan 3 may affect your role(s) as a beginning teacher ?
A beginning teacher has many changes to adapt to. Some of these changes may overwhelm him/her because of the flurry of activities we may find ourselves in and having to adjust to them or even re-learn. Hence it would be of no surprise if there were vehemence expressed towards Masterplan 3. However, I am positive that in due time, we can show our potential to shine as teachers of the 21st Century - not only adhering strictly to the role of educators but also in facilitating learning. We have to constantly come up with interesting resources and tools of learning to feed the students' interest and also to encourage them to come up with their own fair share of it.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
#1. My Enhanced School Experience
Enhanced School Experience: Classroom Observations of ICT Use
School Name: Peicai Secondary School
Class: Secondary 3 Express
Profile of the class: Class is generally chatty but on-task and cooperative. Because they are in the Express stream, they have the ability to grasp concepts relatively better than the other streams.
Subject: Social Studies
What ICT tools were used in the lesson?
- powerpoint slides
- Internet
- YouTube
Describe how ICT is used for teaching and learning in the lesson.
In order to capture the students' attention and interest as well as to engage them, the teacher used mainstream media such as YouTube. For example, because the topic was on the causes & consequences of the conflict in Northern Ireland, the teacher inserted YouTube links and played the videos either before or after elaborating the issues concerned - depending on whether there was a need for the students to address some questions pertaining to the contents & objectives of the videos, or reflecting upon the pressing issues after having viewed the videos.
There was also active engagement and participative discussion amongst the students when the teacher used the platform of 'thinkpad' - an online writing pad that enables everyone to view & share their thinking processes and answers simultaneously while typing them out.
Also, many political cartoons were inserted in the powerpoint slides as a way to prod the students into thinking and answering any source-based questions hence sharpening this required skill.
How do teachers in the school feel about the use of ICT for teaching and learning? (For this question, you may want to speak to the HOD/ICT and other teachers you know in the school.)
The teachers feel that the traditional way of droning on & on throughout the pages as well as writing on the board no longer works for both teachers and students - the students will definitely get bored and restless or choose to 'switch off' their thinking caps, and because of these teachers may get frustrated. The traditional way no longer serves both parties well. And because students these days seem to be visually-inclined, any form of medium that they can feast their eyes on has the capacity to pique their interest in the subject/topic. Certainly, they are able to remember the concepts well because of the graphics or even the entertaining contents of the medium. However, it is undeniable that because of this use of ICT in teaching and learning, teachers have to go the extra mile to prepare the lessons as well as come up with interactive resources. This equates to having to do more work. But the effort pays off because the students will enjoy the lesson and leave the classroom with something to remember.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)