Reflections on Lesson 1 (2nd Aug 2007)

Oops... I know this is a bit late...

K: What I already KNOW about this week’s topic

I know Information and Communications Technologies(ICT) is an essential tool to be incorporated into today's classroom environment, especially in the fast-changing world we live in, where ICT has been central to many of the improvements and advancements we see around us. I know that as a teacher, I need to be well-equipped in this area so that I can introduce some of the relevant ICT tools in my teaching effectively, so that in the midst of learning content, the students can be well-versed in the usage of ICT in preparation for the challenges ahead of them.


W: What I WANT TO LEARN

I want to learn how to make my class come alive with the help of ICT. I believe ICT when incorporated effectively, can break the dullness of everyday classroom activities... it can bring learning to a new dimension. How much ICT is good and effective and not overly burdensome on the students? How to use ICT creatively to achieve the goal of introducing applications and bringing to life on what's been learnt and yet do not compromise on the amount and depth of content learnt?

L: What I LEARNED this week

I learned, first and foremost, that we are not allowed to drink in computer labs, even if it's just water. That's how strict we have got to be with ourselves, starting right now in NIE, so next time we will be conditioned to do the same in our schools too. To protect the school's property - the beloved computers... from suffering waterfalls that might come crashing down on them when accidents happen... sorry, drifting. Was the first to get caught drinking in class in front of dear Dr Tan, and it was something new, because no food and drink signs have meant "but plain water is alright if you are thirsty" all my life, except in the chemistry labs of NUS, and in this instance. So well, I learnt something new, non-content material. haha, but I do understand the need to do so. If we are going to use ICT tools, we first got to learn how to protect and safeguard their well-being.

What I really learned from content in class today is that ICT tools is especially helpful when it comes to implementation of student-centred or learner-centred learning. While most of the people my age(grand old age of 25) belongs to era where learning is still very much teacher-centred, indeed there is an increasing need for learner-centred education approach. This caters learning according to the abilities and needs of the students and ICT tools opens new doors for learners to explore amongst themselves and with the surroundings. This pose challenges for us teachers from a different era, and that's why the importance of this module, and the need to keep learning new things even as we age. (Sorry for sounding like an old man... but sometimes their age-old advice still applies...)

I also learned about wiki, a user-friendly platform that facilitates interaction amongst learners and with teacher, where ideas and files can be shared, where learning is done together on a ship instead of individual sampans... But I've still got lots to learn about wiki's because apparently, it isn't quite user-friendly to me as it should...hmm...

Q: What QUESTIONS I still have

Oh, plenty. They will surface as we go along in this course. For now, just some appetizers... ICT tools like palmtops and touchscreens that we saw in the video remains a premium for many schools, as many would consider it a luxury to have a visualizer in every class. While some schools are luxuriously equipped in this area, giving them a wider scope of exploration with ICT, others would have to make do with creativity in the midst of limitations. Are there plans underway to create a leverage for schools less furnished in this area? Even so, I believe ICT tools are getting flexible and more easily accessible to teachers and learners than before. This means without sophisticated gadgets, ICT can still make learning fun and multi-dimensional with collaborative learning objectives being met. So there's lots more to explore in this module... looking forward to learning from my beloved peers and Dr Tan.

Hope my long postings still sound coherent...



Tsk... Night cats like me, my father say, should not have chosen teaching as a career. But ESE has given me hope, that I can successfully finetune my rest-time for the rigours of teaching. It was tough, agreed.