Blog 3: Make connections between ESE and MOE masterplans for ICT in Education

Since the implementation of masterplan 1 and 2, schools with improved infrastructure allow teachers to use visualiser, video, audio, certain programs (eg, Geogebra) and mobile device during field trips to reinforce ideas, clarify concepts or to engage students in discussion. Students become more self-driven learners whereby syllabus is a guide but the depth of knowledge depend on individual’s diligence, ie students are encouraged to use their IT skills to explore further whenever they can.

Students are getting accustomed to the idea of learning outside classroom and they could learn beyond curriculum. Certain homework are given in school system and students are asked to login and do it online or hardcopy.

School has also built the platform where teacher could upload assignment, quizzes, video , audio files Students will then do it anywhere outside classroo. Besides loading, it also has a forum for interaction between teacher and students or teacher with teacher.

In addition to knowledge, ICT has helped to impart values through the news in class and video shown. Many videos from different countries are used to give students an insight of foreigners who are less fortunate but yet they are resilience and adaptable to their surrounding.They shared their success and motivate students to do likewise.

Beside teaching and learning, IT has pervasive impact on school processes (admin) such as school cockpit system, forum to discuss matters. For example, it reduces the marking time of exam paper via the use of OMR.

In Straits Times , 18th July 2011, Education Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat said, "Look at the children entering Primary 1 next year. By the time they start work in 15 or 20 years' time, what would the world be like? We wouldn't know but we must equip them to face the future." He further mentioned “future is not going to be a world where there are set solution. In a globalised world, the ability to think analytically and creatively is important”.

From my earlier years in private sectors, I am totally agreed with Mr Heng’s words. I feel ICT masterplans are heading in the correct direction. We need to train students to be self directed learners. The skill of fishing is much more important than just to receive free fish for every meal. Tomorrow, the world is getting smaller. Employees of the future, include foreigners and Singaporeans, are competing not just locally but also worldwide as the globalisation continue to stride. To become a self directed learner is a survival skill. Meanwhile, we, as teachers, need to upgrade ourselves as well, to learn and pass on what we learn so as to equip students while they are still under our wings.

Blog 2 - MOE Masterplans for ICT on Education

Second post, share what you think about the following: In your opinion, why do you think it is important for MOE to develop the three Masterplans for ICT in education?
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).
Based on your enhanced school experience, how do you think the current Masterplan 3 may affect your role(s) as a beginning teacher ?

Prior to year 2000, the whole world is very concerned of the year 2K virus/gap that could cripple many computers and systems. IT experts have instilled fears that such breakdown will cause chaos due to the dependence of computers. As a result, millions of dollars are poured in by big organisations to prevent the forecasted catastrophic events.

Technology is advancing and it is obvious that the world would become more and more relying on IT and our lives have become totally inseparable with IT anymore. It is also a general belief that we should leverage on IT and motivate Singaporeans not just to upgrade their skill to enhance our country competitiveness but also be consciously staying ahead of other developed countries. With our labour skills and its high literacy level, it is possible to implement more sophisticated systems.

With the fear of wrong implementation and increase reliance of IT, to have a ICT masterplan is critically important. First of all, it is a framework of what we need and want, how to implement by stages, when is the appropriate timeframe for different stages, where to start with (future school or government school). With it, the transition during the implementation minimise confusing to the existing and future batch of students. It also provide sufficient time for staff training and integrate these skills into the curriculum. Lastly, the masterplan stagger the built-up of infrastructure (people, hardware and software).

During the implementation, newer technology such as open source program, better internet speed and icloud, just to name some. Within the timeframe, it could enable certain cost saving especially with the free open source and fine tune the details of implementation.

The masterplan helps us to focus and prevent us from going to wrong direction when we analysis the advancement of technology.

The aim of ICT is to let our students be exposed to the usage of technologies in daily lives as well as early as possible hand-on experience and develop habit of continual learning through computers. Unfortunately, I was a secondary student from 1983-1986 and had no chance to be exposed to ICT. In those years, only Computer Club (ECA) students were able to use the computer lab. During ESE, I could see ICT had embedded into the school daily life. For example, Broadrick has daily English Breakfast during morning assembly to show students short clip of confusing words(powerpoint), common misspelt words and also podcast to promote school’s values.

The school is also conducting home e-learning for Sec 1 and Sec 2. Teachers are briefed to prepare and upload relevant lesson materials. These students will login to the school system and follow the lessons. Teacher will be on standby and answer any ad-hoc enquires.

As a beginning teacher, I feel it provide a platform for teachers to share among the peers. Students today are different from out batch. We should not confine them to our learning or teaching. With ICT, we could develop students to become a self-directed learners. They could use IT outside the class and gain in-depth knowledge or clarify something which the teacher may not have the time to explain. Thus, students need not to wait the next school day to clarify with teacher. This, however, could result in widening gap between students, which is a good problem to have.

Blog 1 - Enhanced School Experience

ENHANCED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE:

PREPARATORY TASK FOR ICT FOR MEANINGFUL LEARNING Enhanced School Experience: Classroom Observations of ICT Use

(I) Specific Observation

School Name: Broadrick Secondary School

Class: 3A5

Profile of the class: Normal Acadamic (For e.g., the students’ academic abilities, stream and other characteristics) Class has about 39 students. I observed that most students are not very attentive in classroom. The teacher use step-by-step approach worksheet to engage students for them to listen and write on their worksheet. Students are quick to respond to surrounding environment and peers’ activities. In other words, they are distracted easily by small things happening around them. A few repeat students are bored to go through the same topic again. For students who are better in mathematics may also find the pace of teaching being too slow and would talk or do something else in class.

Subject: Mathematics

What ICT tools are used in the lesson? Geogebra for chart

Describe how ICT is used for teaching and learning in the lesson. This ICT lesson covered Quadratic Equations via Geogebra. It is used to explain the concept of quadratic equation and show the relationship between components of a quadratic equation such as the turning point, x- and y-intercepts and the coefficient of x2 . The overall aim is that students will be able to understand the concept and sketch quadratic equation curve without graph paper or detailed table. The lesson is conducted in the IT lab and the teacher assigned 1 PC to each student. For the start, the login process takes about 10 minutes. Teacher then proceed to explain the chapter on quadratic equation. By compare varies equations and lines, students are to understand the generic equations for straight lines (y=mx+c) and all types of quadratic equations (y=ax2+bx+c) result with a “U” or inverted “U” shapes. With Geogebra, students are asked to explore the changes in variables and see how it impacts the original curve. Through the use of such software, teacher can show the “true and accurate” graph on projector screen as compare to manual drawing on the whiteboard. It also allows teacher to re-draw the graph in seconds with few clicks and re-explain. One drawback of the lesson is some students were distracted, surf internet or watch youtube video. However, the risk is minimise as students are required to put in their observations and conclusions in their worksheet to ensure they learned the use of Geogebra and able to sketch a graph at the end of the lesson.

General Observation::

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.)? Teachers are basically quite positive to the idea of the use of ICT for teaching and learning. However, at present, ICT application is still focus on the classroom connection to the projector and visualiser to show case videos and worksheet. Each classroom has internet connection through the school server. Currently, the school is organising e-learning at home for Sec 1 and 2. Lessons are pre-planned and uploaded on to the system before the date of e-learning. There will be a fixed time table to enable students to follow closely as though it is a “classroom” condition. Students from home are to required to login to the school MOODLE for “attending” the lessons. Subject teachers will station in school to access the MOODLE and monitor students’ attendence as well as to answer to adhoc queries from students. It is quite an eye-opening experience to see how it is being carried out. The process to conduct half a day lesson is not as easy as it is. Briefings are conducted to inform teachers of the process and due dates to complete preparation and uploading of lesson material. Students without PC at home are required to use the school computer lab for lessons. Another area of e-learning is the Ace-Learning which students are required to subscribe. Upon subscription, teachers are able to utilise the videos to explain the various mathematical concepts. It also allows teachers to use the questions database to prepare worksheet whenever necessary. Ace-learning has a Quiz Module to allow teacher to create and assign quizzes to student. Students would login using their personal password to answer such quizzes. Teacher would be able to analyse the individual student’s performance gauge the pace for next lesson. This Ace Learning combines contribution of exam / test papers from cluster/zone to enable a large data bank for teachers to share and learning. Any sharing benefited by 1 students will be amplify to his/her class. It also allows quick generation of simple format questions for students when teacher is doing relief lesson or spot-test. This Ace-learning would also provide the platform for giving assignment when school is closed due to certain health alerts, eg SARS.