QED 507 ICT for Meaningful Learning: Blog 3

Making A Connection Between My ESE and the Masterplans for ICT in Education

Determining Where My School Is At

Like most of the schools we beginning teachers are in, the school that I worked in have also implemented ICT Masterplan 1. How did I know? In terms of basic infrastructure (although we do not have a laptop or desktop in every classroom), all teachers are assigned with a laptop and a computer account to work with. In every homeroom, there is a projector screen, a projector, a visualiser and a control panel for teachers to interswitch their presentations between computers and visualisers. Internet access is possible in every classroom via a wire whereas the teacher's access to the internet in the staff room is via wireless service within the staff room limits. There are computers in the Maths, Science, Arts and Music special rooms. Three computer labs are also available for teachers to book and conduct lessons when the teaching content involves ICT interactional activities. Our elevators, computer labs, subject special rooms and staff room can only be accessed via the individual teacher's unique thumbprint.Needless to say,existence of the above already signifies the sustaining presence of the outcomes of ICT Masterplan 1.

So what about ICT Masterplan 2? Pamethean Boards are gradually introduced ( to Primary 1 classrooms first and progress to Primary 2 classrooms and so on) into this school, since the beginning of this year, to actualise the ideology of the Masterplan 2 , ie to shift the learning from a teacher-centred one to a student-centred one. Most of the teachers in my school are definitely capable of planning and conducting their lessons using basic Microsoft Office tools and resources from the internet. But I am yet to understudy more lessons in this school to determine whether ICT was used in a more student-centred manner. From my observations, lessons content were mainly transmitted by teachers (using their ICT tools and skills) in a teacher- to- student directionality. The overall evidence that I have is not strong regarding students using ICT to empower their learning. However , I did observe an instance whereby a group of Primary 4 students( only a single group of four) were using their computer skills to produce a report that described their group project because they participated in an external competition. There was a group of teachers who mainly served as facilitators but the whole group of students were left on their own to come up with the final product using ICT. At a teacher's level, most of the teachers in the school are very efficient in harnassing ICT to conduct administrative matters.

I think ICT Masterplans 3 will be considered as a "higher ground" to reach for this school, while awaiting for the thorough and complete implementation of all the elements that described ICT Masterplan 2.

QED 507 ICT for Meaningful Learning Blog 2

Reflections about Masterplans For ICT in Education in terms of:

A) Why I think it is important for MOE to develop the three Masterplans for ICT in Education

I could still remember ICT tools such as the computer were already around in Singapore during the late eighties. When schools does not have any signs of ICT in their curriculum and students' essays and project work were still hand-written and drawings/ illustrations were hand-painted, and some parents were only sending their children to learn about ICT as an enrichment course.

Two decades down the road, ICT tools have evolved from being accessible to those who are in institutions of higher education or professional fields to being an indispensable item in every household.

With the rapid changes and demands of  use of ICT in our society and workforce in the coming century, MOE has felt that not only there is an urgency to equip our students with the various tools of ICT, our students should also be harnessing these tools to obtain the information they require with the appropriate attitudes.

B)The impacts of the Masterplans have on me as a student( if any)- the experience of how ICT had been used in the classes I attended as a student(if any)

As a student experiencing ESE, I felt the impacts of Masterplan 1 and Masterplan 2 mainly(as since from my blog above) since it was only a brief three-month experience.  

C)How ICT Masterplans 3 may affect my role (s) as a beginning teacher, based on my Enhanced School Experience

With the heightened awareness of the importance of ICT in the realm of Singapore's education field, brought about by the three ICT Masterplans, my role as a beginning teacher would involve:

1) Extending my students' learning beyond their textbooks by showing them( via internet, Youtubes and subject-related sites) what students from other parts of the world are also learning concerning the same academic concepts.

2) Allowing them to experience self-directed learning through the use of ICT tools whenever the opportunity arises.

3) Incorporating opportunities that includes collaborative learning via the use of ICT tools.

4) Making fuller use of the available ICT softwares to portray subject-related concepts instead solely relying on 'chalk and talk'.

5)Making use of online platforms to show students other modes of learning eg the exchange of ideas among students and teachers through discussion forums, the self-assessment of one's learning through online quizzes etc.

6)Introduce and practise the concept of Learning by Doing via ICT tools to cater for students that have various learning styles and motivation needs.

7)Increase efficiency in administrative matters and lesson-planning by employing more ICT tools

As Aldous Huxley had inspired, I will embrace the "Brave New World" ahead of me.

QED 507 ICT for Meaningful Learning Blog 1

Pre-Course Task 1

ENHANCED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE:

PREPARATORY TASK FOR ICT FOR MEANINGFUL LEARNING

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Classroom Observations-Use of ICT

(I) Specific Observation

School Name: A Neighhourhood Primary School

Class: P1 Mathematics lessons

Profile of the class:(For e.g., the students’ academic abilities, stream and other characteristics)

This primary one class consist mainly of students from Singapore with a handful of students that have international background ,namely Korea, Kurgystan, India, Myanmar, Taiwan and Hong Kong . Most students belonged to the middle-ability group. A handful of students ( about 8 ) belonged to the low-ability group. About five students in the class belonged to the higher-ability group. There is also a special needs child in the class that requires the help of a teacher's aide from time to time across all lessons.

(II)Subject:

What ICT tools are used in the lesson? During Mathematics lesson, the Pamethean Board (electronic white board) were often used. The visualizer was also indispensable.With the access of the Maths teacher's laptop computer and internet, Powerpoints, AsknLearn platform and Youtube videos were also often used.

Describe how ICT is used for teaching and learning in the lesson. The Pamethean Board were mainly used for answers-checking and highlighting of common errors. Powerpoints were used for displaying the outlines of the lesson taught as well as recapping the content of the lesson learnt previously. The slides were also used to tell  a story regarding the different types of basic shapes.The children were really captured by the contrasting pictures of the slides. When the teacher can gain access to the internet, Youtube videos were also shown to help the children further enhance their understanding of certain mathematical concepts.

(III) 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.) Most P1 teachers are trained to use the Pamethean Boards as they are only installed in the Primary 1 classrooms initially. As the term progressed, the Pamethean Boards are gradually installed in the P2 classrooms and P2 teachers were asked to attend Pamethean Board training workshops at the start of Term 3. Although some P1 and P2 teachers were not confident with using the Pamethean Board, they welcomed the change as they knew that all ICT changes around the school adhered to the ICT Masterplan of the Ministry of Education and the change was inevitable. Others(mainly P1 teachers) reported about the inconvenience of using the Pamethean Board as the board space completely replaced that of the traditional white board and left them with very little space( or time) in inserting extra notes and mathematical workings. As some of them were still fumbling with the use of this electronic white board, lesson objectives can sometimes be hindered and delayed due to the hick-ups they encountered in using the Pamethean Board. Most of the HODs in the school were mainly involved in teaching the higher primary students. They mentioned that although they understand that the lower primary teachers are facing some difficulties with using the Pamethean Board , they also recognized that this is a phase that teachers teaching all different levels in the school will eventually come face-to-face with.