Sunday, August 14, 2011
Nuggets of wisdom
"... a Nation must believe in three things. It must believe in the past. It must believe in the future. It must, above all, believe in the capacity of its own people to learn from the past so that they can gain in judgement in creating their own future." Franklin D Roosevelt
Monday, August 1, 2011
Making Connections
From the lesson observation, it is evident that the student knows how to use a touchscreen device. Actually it's quite fool proof, isn't it?
Cos the whole iPad concept is to make technology easily accessible to everyone. So anyway, let's see if ICT MP1 was evident in the observation.
Source: The ICT Connection [http://ictconnection.edumall.sg]
Based on the Key Dimensions, it seems most of it was done.
Now for MP2
Source: The ICT Connection [http://ictconnection.edumall.sg]
Most evident for the lesson was 'Connections between curriculum, instruction and assessment are enhanced using ICT'. Also, there is a clear direction in the school for 'active research in ICT in education'. This can be seen in the introduction of iPad2 in the classrooms. Being a new product, the school management has already purchased and implemented it in lessons so as to tap into the extensive potential of the iPad. Teachers in the school are actively experimenting with the iPad to make their lessons more interesting and engaging.
Lastly, MP3
Masterplan for ICT in Education
Masterplan 3?
"What's that?" I pondered as my Principal introduced it to us. Having just been a contract teacher for 2 months, many initiatives and acronyms (DGE, DOS, CoL, SDL) were still just as foreign as they were when I was a student.
Aiya, what masterplan 1,2,3... It's just about using IT in the classroom only what. How come still need to plan this MP1, MP2, MP3. But probably it's something more than meets the eye.
So as a history student, I decided to dig deeper into the history of the MPs.
The 1st MP was conceived in 1997 which ties in closely with the proliferation of the internet. The whole basis of MP1 can be summarized into one word, Introduction. It was implemented to introduce teachers and students to the capabilities of ICT in education. Curriculum was devised in such a way that learners needed to have a basic technical knowledge of PCs in order to utilize them in the classroom. Also, teaching how to use programs like Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Printshop Deluxe were included as part of the timetable.
In short, with globalization hot on the heels at the end of the century, it was henceforth necessary to equip 'our future' with 'the future'. Hence MP1.
By year 2000, all teachers were equip with core knowledge of ICT. It was then that the Ministry decided to upgrade MP1 to MP2.
This was done so because after all the equipping of hardware in schools and teaching technical know-hows to teachers, it was time to move on to the next step. MP2 looks beyond using ICT in the classroom, what it does is that it explores the avenues of using ICT effectively and extensively in schools.
With that 'successfully' attained, MOE came out with MP3 recently in 2008.
The three MP were developed by the Ministry in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. ICT has moved beyond a single user and his PC but it's communicating with the world out there. With the advent of social media, the world is closer and information is even more readily available than through mainstream media. As globalization kicks into higher gear, the classroom needs to be open to the world to engage in Collaborative Learning. Furthermore with that much information outside the textbook, a student can be a Self-Directed Learner if taught how to use ICT in the correct manner.
I supposed this image would be a good conclusion to sum up the rational for MOE's masterplans.
Has any of the Masterplans impacted you as a student?
As a student in Maris Stella High School (MSHS), I had the benefit of being the first batch of students in a new school building. Hence, all the IT equipment were all in good and working condition. Went in as a Sec 1 student in 1997, just when MP1 was introduced and I must say, MSHS stuck to this MP as close as they could. Not only were there computer lessons for students as part of the timetable, teachers were not spared from the computer lessons. I managed to witness the teachers attending computer lessons as I was one of the 'lucky' few made to stay back (due to disciplinary issues) to help set up the lab for the teachers.
When we were in upper secondary, we were also introduced to 'weird' equipments in the science lab. They were used as part of the physics experiments and were connected to a laptop to log in the data at set intervals. This made looking at a thermometer or stopwatch easier and more precise data could be taken.
I'd say MP1 was quite a success in MSHS.
MP2 was lost to me in my NS and NUS days.
Based on your enhanced school experience, how do you think the current Masterplan 3 may affect your role(s) as a beginning teacher ?
The MP3 would require me to change my teaching style on a whole new scale. My Principal said that how we teach students usually is modeled by how we were taught as students. This was something which I totally agree and was doing during my 10 months as a contract teacher. So considering that my teachers were under influence of MP1 or even MP0, it would be a big chasm for me to cross over to MP3.
"What's that?" I pondered as my Principal introduced it to us. Having just been a contract teacher for 2 months, many initiatives and acronyms (DGE, DOS, CoL, SDL) were still just as foreign as they were when I was a student.
Aiya, what masterplan 1,2,3... It's just about using IT in the classroom only what. How come still need to plan this MP1, MP2, MP3. But probably it's something more than meets the eye.
So as a history student, I decided to dig deeper into the history of the MPs.
The 1st MP was conceived in 1997 which ties in closely with the proliferation of the internet. The whole basis of MP1 can be summarized into one word, Introduction. It was implemented to introduce teachers and students to the capabilities of ICT in education. Curriculum was devised in such a way that learners needed to have a basic technical knowledge of PCs in order to utilize them in the classroom. Also, teaching how to use programs like Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Printshop Deluxe were included as part of the timetable.
In short, with globalization hot on the heels at the end of the century, it was henceforth necessary to equip 'our future' with 'the future'. Hence MP1.
By year 2000, all teachers were equip with core knowledge of ICT. It was then that the Ministry decided to upgrade MP1 to MP2.
This was done so because after all the equipping of hardware in schools and teaching technical know-hows to teachers, it was time to move on to the next step. MP2 looks beyond using ICT in the classroom, what it does is that it explores the avenues of using ICT effectively and extensively in schools.
With that 'successfully' attained, MOE came out with MP3 recently in 2008.
The three MP were developed by the Ministry in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. ICT has moved beyond a single user and his PC but it's communicating with the world out there. With the advent of social media, the world is closer and information is even more readily available than through mainstream media. As globalization kicks into higher gear, the classroom needs to be open to the world to engage in Collaborative Learning. Furthermore with that much information outside the textbook, a student can be a Self-Directed Learner if taught how to use ICT in the correct manner.
I supposed this image would be a good conclusion to sum up the rational for MOE's masterplans.
Source: ICT in Education [http://www.ictineducation.org/]
Has any of the Masterplans impacted you as a student?
As a student in Maris Stella High School (MSHS), I had the benefit of being the first batch of students in a new school building. Hence, all the IT equipment were all in good and working condition. Went in as a Sec 1 student in 1997, just when MP1 was introduced and I must say, MSHS stuck to this MP as close as they could. Not only were there computer lessons for students as part of the timetable, teachers were not spared from the computer lessons. I managed to witness the teachers attending computer lessons as I was one of the 'lucky' few made to stay back (due to disciplinary issues) to help set up the lab for the teachers.
When we were in upper secondary, we were also introduced to 'weird' equipments in the science lab. They were used as part of the physics experiments and were connected to a laptop to log in the data at set intervals. This made looking at a thermometer or stopwatch easier and more precise data could be taken.
I'd say MP1 was quite a success in MSHS.
MP2 was lost to me in my NS and NUS days.
Based on your enhanced school experience, how do you think the current Masterplan 3 may affect your role(s) as a beginning teacher ?
The MP3 would require me to change my teaching style on a whole new scale. My Principal said that how we teach students usually is modeled by how we were taught as students. This was something which I totally agree and was doing during my 10 months as a contract teacher. So considering that my teachers were under influence of MP1 or even MP0, it would be a big chasm for me to cross over to MP3.
My ESE(?) Experience
Specific Observations
The class observed was a Secondary 3 Express class. It is a combined class and these two classes are considered to be the Pure Humanities classes of the level. The lesson that was observed was Pure Geography and the topic that was taught that day was on Plate Boundaries and Landforms. It is a rather small class consisting of about 20 students. Considering that the 2 classes are the last 2 classes of the stream, their academic performance cannot be compared to the Pure Sciences classes. Hence they are considerably weaker in their studies. Furthermore, as the school building is undergoing PRIME and this location is a holding site, it needs to be noted that the students are not settled in as comfortably as they should and hence there’s always signs of restlessness in the class.
The class observed was a Secondary 3 Express class. It is a combined class and these two classes are considered to be the Pure Humanities classes of the level. The lesson that was observed was Pure Geography and the topic that was taught that day was on Plate Boundaries and Landforms. It is a rather small class consisting of about 20 students. Considering that the 2 classes are the last 2 classes of the stream, their academic performance cannot be compared to the Pure Sciences classes. Hence they are considerably weaker in their studies. Furthermore, as the school building is undergoing PRIME and this location is a holding site, it needs to be noted that the students are not settled in as comfortably as they should and hence there’s always signs of restlessness in the class.
In this particular lesson, the teacher was using the iPad as her main teaching tool. The students were all assigned one iPad each and a stylus. The main app that was used was called ‘Show Me’. It is an app that allows the user to record and draw on the screen at the same time.
So, during the lesson, the students are supposed draw out plate movements and the result and at the same time describe what they were drawing. The whole intention of such an approach is that it is part of their assessment to be able to draw informative diagrams describing plate movement. At the end of the recording session, the students are required to present their recording to the whole class. Hence, each student would become a teacher of sorts by the end of the lesson.
The students were intrigued by the fact that the app was able to record their drawing and speech real time that many of them kept redoing the recording so as to get a good rendition of their diagrams and voice.
The outcome of the lesson was that the students actually learnt from each other rather than from the textbook or the teacher. Given that the textbook has diagrams that are already drawn and coloured, the students would not know how to go about drawing a diagram from scratch. As each student presented his drawing, the teacher and his classmates would be able to see his thought process. Also, they were give comments on the drawing on how to make it better or ask questions about it.
One particular student went as far as to harness the capabilities of the iPad and the app that he took a picture of the diagram in the textbook and 'pasted' it on the drawing canvas and started his diagram from there. Although that was a smart move in harnessing ICT but he was 'plagiarizing' the textbook and was not learning how to draw a diagram from scratch.
Overall, this was an experience on (not much but evident) collaborative learning and self-directed learning can be implemented in the classroom using ICT.
General Observations
Teachers in the school feel that on a whole a change in mindset is needed especially for language based subjects like Mother Tongue and the Humanities. Teachers teaching these subjects either do not know how can ICT be helpful for their subject or what type of ICT can be used for their subject.
The next quirk that most teachers find quite troublesome is the ICT support in the school. In order for the curriculum to run smoothly while using ICT, it needs to have as few technical problems as possible. Having 1 or 2 TAs in the school would not be enough if MOE is looking towards a ICT-based learning environment. The current ratio - 2:100 or 1:1000.
Coupled with the above 2 points is that teachers need to be competent in both technical (hands-on) and creativity (minds-on) knowledge in order to fully utilize ICT in teaching and learning.
The outcome of the lesson was that the students actually learnt from each other rather than from the textbook or the teacher. Given that the textbook has diagrams that are already drawn and coloured, the students would not know how to go about drawing a diagram from scratch. As each student presented his drawing, the teacher and his classmates would be able to see his thought process. Also, they were give comments on the drawing on how to make it better or ask questions about it.
One particular student went as far as to harness the capabilities of the iPad and the app that he took a picture of the diagram in the textbook and 'pasted' it on the drawing canvas and started his diagram from there. Although that was a smart move in harnessing ICT but he was 'plagiarizing' the textbook and was not learning how to draw a diagram from scratch.
Overall, this was an experience on (not much but evident) collaborative learning and self-directed learning can be implemented in the classroom using ICT.
General Observations
Teachers in the school feel that on a whole a change in mindset is needed especially for language based subjects like Mother Tongue and the Humanities. Teachers teaching these subjects either do not know how can ICT be helpful for their subject or what type of ICT can be used for their subject.
The next quirk that most teachers find quite troublesome is the ICT support in the school. In order for the curriculum to run smoothly while using ICT, it needs to have as few technical problems as possible. Having 1 or 2 TAs in the school would not be enough if MOE is looking towards a ICT-based learning environment. The current ratio - 2:100 or 1:1000.
Coupled with the above 2 points is that teachers need to be competent in both technical (hands-on) and creativity (minds-on) knowledge in order to fully utilize ICT in teaching and learning.
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