A thought just flashed through my mind, while i was reading my communication studies package. Yes regardless of the lack of cohesion and relatedness, it just flashed through my cognitive process (or lack thereof).
A great idea for a history game! CIVILISATION - SINGAPORE EDITION!!
I remember playing Civilisation , Civilisation I, and II? back in the 90s and boy was it addictive. During the course of gameplay however, as you get carried away with looking for resources and mining for supplies, you actually get snippets of technological advancements, historical moments, building the Wonders of The World to improve your score and 'status'.
Can we perhaps in the future see a Singapore edition? Although this will not be a MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Real Playing Game) Game play can consist of students controlling natives in the island of Temasek, from the early 1700s or even earlier, adapting to the various technological changes (new fishing techniques?), to the emergence of Raffles, (send a diplomat to greet Raffles? Then open the ability to harness resources?), followed by the affects of the world wars, Japanese invasion, and finally to modern times.
The game can possibly capture the attention of the students (until expansion packs can be made...) for a short period of time, but at least they subconsciously can learn the pivotal moments and historical information that encompasses Singapore's history?
The possibilities are endless. You can even have world history running concurrently, and affecting the economic situation of the game scenario, etc, and students will then understand why their empire of Singapore is collapsing... etc.
Or wait.. what about a SIM Singapore (Remember Simcity?). Where they play the role of urban planners? The possibilities are endless....
(Eugene rubs his hands in glee...) (No i'm not heavily intoxicated with caffeine...)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
The Future. It scares me - Eugene's Part B
It's something to look forward to , with a classroom of the future that enables students to dictate or pace their own learning - they can decide at what pace they would want to learn a certain topic, or perhaps they would be given a myriad of interesting subjects to choose from that would be pertinent to their needs and aspirations. No streaming examinations, no classifications into the normal stream, express, etc, just self-paced.
The myriad of technologies that would be available as highlighted in the video also is something to look forward to. However i have my fears. Yes we are teaching students today to be technologically savvy (if possible), and to think critically and adapt to changes (which the video terms this world is exponentially changing). Would we be able to keep up with these changes? What happens to the institution of education and schools? With self-paced learning, students might not really need to go to school anymore. They can always do their learning at home. What becomes of teachers? Will we just become facilitators? Sitting in the comforts of our home, answering and monitoring our student's progress? How will our students be able to learn EQ, relationship management, and face to face interaction and group dynamics?
Yes the virtual world now exists for us to play out what might entail in real life. This however does not replicate or replace what really happens in the real world. Yes in WOW or any other virtual game, you can make mistakes and try again. If our students make a mistake in life, for example commit a crime, or partake in pre-marital sexual relationships and get pregnant, is there a second chance?
You cannot hit the reboot button on your pc. You cannot perform a restore function. Life carries on, with the lessons learnt and baggages carried. How do we teach these skills to our children if they have no such exposure to real lessons as compared to virtual and computer game-based learning?
With technology being the forefront of our future living and work, what happens to our sense of privacy? Will we be able to switch off and go on a holiday? Or have we already been electronically enslaven? Can we live without our phones for a day? Without text messaging for a day? How will work take place. Will our newspapers become a thing of the past? I would not trade a physical newspaper for an electronic plate which acts like a virtual screen displaying the news of the day which was what the taxi driver was doing in the video which depicts a possible Singapore in 2015. (How hypocritical, we have phones now that allow us to surf the web online)
Learning will definitely be dynamic and possibly self-paced in the future. And NIE is preparing us to learn how to harness technology alongside traditional curriculum like psychology and concepts to better equip us to handle the future of education. Even though the possiblities excite me, the myriad of changes that are about to take place scares me. Life will be come more complicated, more dynamic and exponential.
Sometimes i wish life and education were simple. I guess not.
The myriad of technologies that would be available as highlighted in the video also is something to look forward to. However i have my fears. Yes we are teaching students today to be technologically savvy (if possible), and to think critically and adapt to changes (which the video terms this world is exponentially changing). Would we be able to keep up with these changes? What happens to the institution of education and schools? With self-paced learning, students might not really need to go to school anymore. They can always do their learning at home. What becomes of teachers? Will we just become facilitators? Sitting in the comforts of our home, answering and monitoring our student's progress? How will our students be able to learn EQ, relationship management, and face to face interaction and group dynamics?
Yes the virtual world now exists for us to play out what might entail in real life. This however does not replicate or replace what really happens in the real world. Yes in WOW or any other virtual game, you can make mistakes and try again. If our students make a mistake in life, for example commit a crime, or partake in pre-marital sexual relationships and get pregnant, is there a second chance?
You cannot hit the reboot button on your pc. You cannot perform a restore function. Life carries on, with the lessons learnt and baggages carried. How do we teach these skills to our children if they have no such exposure to real lessons as compared to virtual and computer game-based learning?
With technology being the forefront of our future living and work, what happens to our sense of privacy? Will we be able to switch off and go on a holiday? Or have we already been electronically enslaven? Can we live without our phones for a day? Without text messaging for a day? How will work take place. Will our newspapers become a thing of the past? I would not trade a physical newspaper for an electronic plate which acts like a virtual screen displaying the news of the day which was what the taxi driver was doing in the video which depicts a possible Singapore in 2015. (How hypocritical, we have phones now that allow us to surf the web online)
Learning will definitely be dynamic and possibly self-paced in the future. And NIE is preparing us to learn how to harness technology alongside traditional curriculum like psychology and concepts to better equip us to handle the future of education. Even though the possiblities excite me, the myriad of changes that are about to take place scares me. Life will be come more complicated, more dynamic and exponential.
Sometimes i wish life and education were simple. I guess not.
Eugene's Part A
What are Characteristics of digital natives?
1) Children raised with the computer 'think' differently from previous generation of children. They develop 'hypertext minds, leap around, and that their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential.'
So apparently linear thought processes that are part of educational systems apparently retard learning for these students whose brains have been brought up on game and web-surfing processes.
These children would be good with mind-maps, pictorial representation in their minds,responds better and faster to 'expected and unexpected stimuli'.
These children crave for interactivity. And are not to be mistaken for having short attention spans. It's simply that the old fashioned way of thinking bores them terribly. So they choose NOT to pay attention.
The cons- Students have lost the ability to reflect on their experiences. This is because they need to be interactively engaged in activities, and multi-task. Reflections require someone to pause and think through their experiences, which is what a digital native has trouble doing.
Digital Portrait----
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-justin-video
Justin is 16, and would fit the bill of a secondary 4 student in a Singaporean school. I could identify with Justin, because he has a similar background to mine in terms of early computer introduction and interaction.
My contract school also offered animation, and 3-D modelling in school. This gave an avenue for students to explore expressions through the medium of an animation program.
Most singaporean students now also have exposure to technology just like Justin. Most children have their playstations and Nintendo DS-es by the time they are in Primary school. If we could incorporate technology and educational game play into curriculum, this would be an advantage for we could be 'speaking' their language. We cannot use linear ways of teaching or front loading anymore. We have to start using interactive ways to depart knowledge and engage our digital native students. Whether this has to take place on a gaming platform, or gaming methodologies.
And yes i'm guilty of being addicted to World Of Warcraft too in my earlier years fresh out of University. Just like Justin i spent a night or two playing it without sleep.....
1) Children raised with the computer 'think' differently from previous generation of children. They develop 'hypertext minds, leap around, and that their cognitive structures were parallel, not sequential.'
So apparently linear thought processes that are part of educational systems apparently retard learning for these students whose brains have been brought up on game and web-surfing processes.
These children would be good with mind-maps, pictorial representation in their minds,responds better and faster to 'expected and unexpected stimuli'.
These children crave for interactivity. And are not to be mistaken for having short attention spans. It's simply that the old fashioned way of thinking bores them terribly. So they choose NOT to pay attention.
The cons- Students have lost the ability to reflect on their experiences. This is because they need to be interactively engaged in activities, and multi-task. Reflections require someone to pause and think through their experiences, which is what a digital native has trouble doing.
Digital Portrait----
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-justin-video
Justin is 16, and would fit the bill of a secondary 4 student in a Singaporean school. I could identify with Justin, because he has a similar background to mine in terms of early computer introduction and interaction.
My contract school also offered animation, and 3-D modelling in school. This gave an avenue for students to explore expressions through the medium of an animation program.
Most singaporean students now also have exposure to technology just like Justin. Most children have their playstations and Nintendo DS-es by the time they are in Primary school. If we could incorporate technology and educational game play into curriculum, this would be an advantage for we could be 'speaking' their language. We cannot use linear ways of teaching or front loading anymore. We have to start using interactive ways to depart knowledge and engage our digital native students. Whether this has to take place on a gaming platform, or gaming methodologies.
And yes i'm guilty of being addicted to World Of Warcraft too in my earlier years fresh out of University. Just like Justin i spent a night or two playing it without sleep.....
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Games Games Games!!!! (I know this is a bit late, apologies)
Frankly i've enjoyed every bit of the last 3 weeks, because i guess computer games have always been a pertinent part of my life since i was a wee little lad. I grew up playing Coleco - a console game made in about 1982? I was able to play games like the Dukes Of Hazard, donkey kong, to name a few. I was in Primary 2.
Upper Primary saw Nintendo come into my life, with games like Super Mario Brothers and the Legend Of Lynx partaking my leisure time. We received our first PC when i was in Primary 5. We had our first PC, running on DOS. My first computer game was Alley Cats, and Ultima, and there was no such thing as Windows. You basically had to type commands to run games like C:\alleycats\alleycat.bat. We had to learn how to edit Autoexec.bat files and config.sys files to enable your computer to boot properly.
What's my point? My point is that games and computers have always been a part of my life. And what it afforded me was that it afforded me to fail in my exploits, and to reinforce and build on my identity of who i am. I have been playing World Of Warcraft since 2005. For the last 4 years, on and off, i've been playing the role of a healer.
I've healed various dungeons, raids, and group missions. That's my character and that's what i do best. My nurturing and healing instincts of wanting to help others and keeping others alive is what fuels me to keep playing. When i die, i know all is not lost, and i can resurrect and try again. I foster relationships with real people. I confide in them. When my girlfriend of 9 years dumped me, i played WOW. My online family grieved with me and took my side. There was no facade. Everyone accepted everyone as they were. I went on msn. I grieved. Online messengers have been part of my life since 1991 when we had Teleview and chat forums. Then came ICQ. And Msn messenger.
I saw Paul Gee's learning principals embedded in what i was engaged in.
1) I take risks - "Psychosocial Moratorium" Principle. If i fail, i just say sorry and we try again.
2) Identity Principle - i reinforce my character in game play.
3) Self-knowledge principle - I learnt to adapt to the environment, what my limitations were and how much potential i had.
4) Achievement principle - the more i quested, the more gold i had, the more raids i cooperated with people in, the better chances i had in getting better loot and rare items to don myself and upgrade myself in.
And so on and so forth. I could go on and write a whole paper on this. Which i did for my final project thesis at university.
It would be most interesting if we could go beyond the 'front-loading' principle and try to embed 'game play' principles in our teaching methodologies.
Even more so if we could design games that would have content and sufficient fun and play factors embedded so that students can be engaged and subconsciously learn concepts, theories or historical facts. A new game about the History of Singapore is due for release in the near future. I wonder whether this will be sustainable? How long can students stay engaged before they lose interest and move on?
Realistically, how can a game engage students long enough for them to acquire the knowledge and content that the teacher would like to depart. For most students, at this point of time it would be a 'one-off' experience. Yes Dafur is dying. I played it once, but that's all i was going to do. Game play was too simple, and although the content was noble, i wasn't going to re-visit it during my spare time. Would others do so?
The McDonalds game was an eye-opener. Yes we were aware of the atrocities (rumors) that were swirling around the capitalistic giants, and this had enough challenge for students to want to revisit. What do they learn subconsciously? Heaps! Micro management? Economics? And real life politic-ing.
The Wii Stations were absolutely engaging. It can teach students how to play sports, which encompasses the rules and regulations, and also the surgery station was awesome. Students can be inspired to even try a career in medicine.
I can't wait to see the day computer games take the leap into the classroom. I wonder if i can even start a CCA - Computer game play , or a WOW club, fully funded by the school, with the premise that it would help students learn to be motivated, intellectually challenged, and also learn how to EQ with one another?
I know one school has successfully won that battle. I wonder what it would take for us to win this one and change old conventional teaching stereotypes?
Upper Primary saw Nintendo come into my life, with games like Super Mario Brothers and the Legend Of Lynx partaking my leisure time. We received our first PC when i was in Primary 5. We had our first PC, running on DOS. My first computer game was Alley Cats, and Ultima, and there was no such thing as Windows. You basically had to type commands to run games like C:\alleycats\alleycat.bat. We had to learn how to edit Autoexec.bat files and config.sys files to enable your computer to boot properly.
What's my point? My point is that games and computers have always been a part of my life. And what it afforded me was that it afforded me to fail in my exploits, and to reinforce and build on my identity of who i am. I have been playing World Of Warcraft since 2005. For the last 4 years, on and off, i've been playing the role of a healer.
I've healed various dungeons, raids, and group missions. That's my character and that's what i do best. My nurturing and healing instincts of wanting to help others and keeping others alive is what fuels me to keep playing. When i die, i know all is not lost, and i can resurrect and try again. I foster relationships with real people. I confide in them. When my girlfriend of 9 years dumped me, i played WOW. My online family grieved with me and took my side. There was no facade. Everyone accepted everyone as they were. I went on msn. I grieved. Online messengers have been part of my life since 1991 when we had Teleview and chat forums. Then came ICQ. And Msn messenger.
I saw Paul Gee's learning principals embedded in what i was engaged in.
1) I take risks - "Psychosocial Moratorium" Principle. If i fail, i just say sorry and we try again.
2) Identity Principle - i reinforce my character in game play.
3) Self-knowledge principle - I learnt to adapt to the environment, what my limitations were and how much potential i had.
4) Achievement principle - the more i quested, the more gold i had, the more raids i cooperated with people in, the better chances i had in getting better loot and rare items to don myself and upgrade myself in.
And so on and so forth. I could go on and write a whole paper on this. Which i did for my final project thesis at university.
It would be most interesting if we could go beyond the 'front-loading' principle and try to embed 'game play' principles in our teaching methodologies.
Even more so if we could design games that would have content and sufficient fun and play factors embedded so that students can be engaged and subconsciously learn concepts, theories or historical facts. A new game about the History of Singapore is due for release in the near future. I wonder whether this will be sustainable? How long can students stay engaged before they lose interest and move on?
Realistically, how can a game engage students long enough for them to acquire the knowledge and content that the teacher would like to depart. For most students, at this point of time it would be a 'one-off' experience. Yes Dafur is dying. I played it once, but that's all i was going to do. Game play was too simple, and although the content was noble, i wasn't going to re-visit it during my spare time. Would others do so?
The McDonalds game was an eye-opener. Yes we were aware of the atrocities (rumors) that were swirling around the capitalistic giants, and this had enough challenge for students to want to revisit. What do they learn subconsciously? Heaps! Micro management? Economics? And real life politic-ing.
The Wii Stations were absolutely engaging. It can teach students how to play sports, which encompasses the rules and regulations, and also the surgery station was awesome. Students can be inspired to even try a career in medicine.
I can't wait to see the day computer games take the leap into the classroom. I wonder if i can even start a CCA - Computer game play , or a WOW club, fully funded by the school, with the premise that it would help students learn to be motivated, intellectually challenged, and also learn how to EQ with one another?
I know one school has successfully won that battle. I wonder what it would take for us to win this one and change old conventional teaching stereotypes?
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Elearning2_PartB
The future? This reminds me of art works we used to draw in primary school. 'Imagine you are in year 2000.' or 2010. And often enough we'd see pictures of people travelling (flying more specifically) in UFO-like vehicles. now we are in 2009, and we are still stuck in jams on the roads.
The future can indeed bring many new possibilities, most of which I will attempt to embrace. I saw the concept of smarthomes in a module during my undergraduate years and I admit that I would love to have that in my future home (though it will probably burn a hole in my pocket). It can be really convenient if you have the lights switched on when you enter, music choosen according to my mood, and have items automatically added to my shopping list.
But the pervasive reach of technology can be disconcerting. While getting an sms notification that a shop is selling my shampoo at a discounted rate (yes that can be possible in the future) can be a boon, where do we draw the line between being informed, and bombarded unnecessary information. Online shopping for example can suggest items based on our initial selections. Yes, that gorgeous dress (which we do not need) may not have been found since it was the 199th item on the list. But since it conveniently appeared under 'you might like this too' and you add it to your shopping cart and have yet another item in your already overflowing wardrobe.
This module has been useful in preparing us to prepare our students for the possible future. The indiv assignment being a case in point. One way to prepare for the future and its many possibilities is to know how to use them effectively. Users need to be aware of the benefits of technology as well as its possible detriments.
Overall, I will honestly admit that I do not feel adequately prepared for what teaching will bring. I think we have not been exposed to schools and students enough and are merely absorbing theories without seeing its applicability in actual lessons. But I do believe that we will learn more on the job (:
To prepare myself, I shall attempt to play more games during the holidays. I am tempted to buy myself a wii set :D I admit it will take time before I will be convinced that games can deliver proper lessons, but I do hope that that day will eventually come.
I liked the design and layout of the COTF. Having the space segmented will definitely aid the learning of a mixed ability class. As Kapp shared, having a large space allows students to work on different tasks at the same time and in the same place. Technology can indeed help teachers cater to the varied needs of their students.
The future can indeed bring many new possibilities, most of which I will attempt to embrace. I saw the concept of smarthomes in a module during my undergraduate years and I admit that I would love to have that in my future home (though it will probably burn a hole in my pocket). It can be really convenient if you have the lights switched on when you enter, music choosen according to my mood, and have items automatically added to my shopping list.
But the pervasive reach of technology can be disconcerting. While getting an sms notification that a shop is selling my shampoo at a discounted rate (yes that can be possible in the future) can be a boon, where do we draw the line between being informed, and bombarded unnecessary information. Online shopping for example can suggest items based on our initial selections. Yes, that gorgeous dress (which we do not need) may not have been found since it was the 199th item on the list. But since it conveniently appeared under 'you might like this too' and you add it to your shopping cart and have yet another item in your already overflowing wardrobe.
This module has been useful in preparing us to prepare our students for the possible future. The indiv assignment being a case in point. One way to prepare for the future and its many possibilities is to know how to use them effectively. Users need to be aware of the benefits of technology as well as its possible detriments.
Overall, I will honestly admit that I do not feel adequately prepared for what teaching will bring. I think we have not been exposed to schools and students enough and are merely absorbing theories without seeing its applicability in actual lessons. But I do believe that we will learn more on the job (:
To prepare myself, I shall attempt to play more games during the holidays. I am tempted to buy myself a wii set :D I admit it will take time before I will be convinced that games can deliver proper lessons, but I do hope that that day will eventually come.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Elearning2_PartA
Thoughts on Prensky's article:
'Digital natives' have hypertext minds; it is not linear or sequential. For example when you are reading a text, you may wander off to certain issues along the way, and then (hopefully) return to your initial text/task.
Attention spans are apparently short but definitely not for games, or anything that interests them. Well, not different from so-called non-digital natives. If I am disinterested I tend to switch off. Regardless of whether or not I am considered to be a digital native or a digital immigrant, I believe this trait is applicable to everyone. I would consider it human nature to not pay attention when the subject/issue is not appealing.
The research for Sesame Street came up with an interesting observation: children as young as 5 can apparently strategically distribute their attention between toys and television. This suggests that even with 'distractions' they can learn as much.
I hate to be skeptical, but indeed I am. It would be of course be wonderful to have students smsing/reading a book and whatever else during lessons, yet able to absorb all the critical content/skills. But does this happen?
Come to think of it, the experiment can be seen as a similar situation in classrooms. A lesson without 'distractions' and another where students are allowed to use their mobile phones, use the internet etc. while a class is ongoing. Will they absorb the same amount of content and skills?
I suppose it brings us back to the point above - if the television (and lessons) are interesting and engaging, audience will give their full attention, even with distractions abound. How many of us refuse to pick up the phone/reply an sms during soccer? Certainly myself. Turn away from the screen and you may miss a spectacular goal (of course there are replays but the excitement comes from seeing it 'live').
So what does this mean? If students are distracted and choose to sneak an sms during our lessons or prefer to watch cars go by outside, we ought to reflect on our lessons and try to make it more engaging. It's not them. It's us.
Badly designed games?
We need real games with real content. But what content? To teach students values? E.g. they should not give up. Or content as required in the syllabus? I do think games can teach analytical skills which is useful for any subject. But delivering content/information via games for subjects like history can be difficult.
Digital Youths
Finding out about Olivia set me thinking about a few things.
I make the assumption that students without computer and internet access would find it a chore if they are to get assignments that requires them to get access. Olivia however seems to relish such activities and even uses technology for her own leisure (and I have to say going to stores to use computer and internet on the sly is indeed VERY street smart.). How many of our students are like her? Well I have no idea.
Singstat reveals that as of 2005 74% of Singaporean hh have computer access, and 66% have internet access. So in a class of 40, about a quarter will not have computer access, and a bit more will not have internet access.
How many of these students will be motivated enough to head to the school library to do their work and pick up new skills? Being my skeptical self, I'd say 50-50. In addition, they may not have the motivation but do not have the time. After all, those without computer and/or internet are likely to be from families of low SES. These students may be working part-time after school hours to earn extra incoem for themselves or their family.
I find it surprising that Olivia can personalize MySpace page because I know a lot of my peers who have computer and internet access at home do not how a hoot about CSS and HTML. It has always been my assumption that those without access would have less knowledge and skill, but she has proven me wrong. I wonder how many Olivias there are out there though. Hmmm
Application to our teaching?
To engage our digital natives, it becomes imperative that our lessons are not too structured or linear. Allow students to explore the concepts and issues in any manner they are comfortable with. Provide students with the end goal/skill which they have to acquire.
Using game techniques in lessons can also attract and appeal our students.
'Digital natives' have hypertext minds; it is not linear or sequential. For example when you are reading a text, you may wander off to certain issues along the way, and then (hopefully) return to your initial text/task.
Attention spans are apparently short but definitely not for games, or anything that interests them. Well, not different from so-called non-digital natives. If I am disinterested I tend to switch off. Regardless of whether or not I am considered to be a digital native or a digital immigrant, I believe this trait is applicable to everyone. I would consider it human nature to not pay attention when the subject/issue is not appealing.
The research for Sesame Street came up with an interesting observation: children as young as 5 can apparently strategically distribute their attention between toys and television. This suggests that even with 'distractions' they can learn as much.
I hate to be skeptical, but indeed I am. It would be of course be wonderful to have students smsing/reading a book and whatever else during lessons, yet able to absorb all the critical content/skills. But does this happen?
Come to think of it, the experiment can be seen as a similar situation in classrooms. A lesson without 'distractions' and another where students are allowed to use their mobile phones, use the internet etc. while a class is ongoing. Will they absorb the same amount of content and skills?
I suppose it brings us back to the point above - if the television (and lessons) are interesting and engaging, audience will give their full attention, even with distractions abound. How many of us refuse to pick up the phone/reply an sms during soccer? Certainly myself. Turn away from the screen and you may miss a spectacular goal (of course there are replays but the excitement comes from seeing it 'live').
So what does this mean? If students are distracted and choose to sneak an sms during our lessons or prefer to watch cars go by outside, we ought to reflect on our lessons and try to make it more engaging. It's not them. It's us.
Badly designed games?
We need real games with real content. But what content? To teach students values? E.g. they should not give up. Or content as required in the syllabus? I do think games can teach analytical skills which is useful for any subject. But delivering content/information via games for subjects like history can be difficult.
Digital Youths
Finding out about Olivia set me thinking about a few things.
I make the assumption that students without computer and internet access would find it a chore if they are to get assignments that requires them to get access. Olivia however seems to relish such activities and even uses technology for her own leisure (and I have to say going to stores to use computer and internet on the sly is indeed VERY street smart.). How many of our students are like her? Well I have no idea.
Singstat reveals that as of 2005 74% of Singaporean hh have computer access, and 66% have internet access. So in a class of 40, about a quarter will not have computer access, and a bit more will not have internet access.
How many of these students will be motivated enough to head to the school library to do their work and pick up new skills? Being my skeptical self, I'd say 50-50. In addition, they may not have the motivation but do not have the time. After all, those without computer and/or internet are likely to be from families of low SES. These students may be working part-time after school hours to earn extra incoem for themselves or their family.
I find it surprising that Olivia can personalize MySpace page because I know a lot of my peers who have computer and internet access at home do not how a hoot about CSS and HTML. It has always been my assumption that those without access would have less knowledge and skill, but she has proven me wrong. I wonder how many Olivias there are out there though. Hmmm
Application to our teaching?
To engage our digital natives, it becomes imperative that our lessons are not too structured or linear. Allow students to explore the concepts and issues in any manner they are comfortable with. Provide students with the end goal/skill which they have to acquire.
Using game techniques in lessons can also attract and appeal our students.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Some thoughts on Game Based Learning
My group had tried all the stations except the Wii Sports station. The station which left the most impression was the Wii Trauma Centre. It requires two players to operate on a patient who was attacked by a bear and in the next stage, a patient with stomach tumor. For this game, the more you play the better you will get the hang of it. This game is also collaborative in nature in which two players collaborate to perform the operation. It tests the coordination and the chemistry of the team and I think that it would make a good team bonding game. Overall, the "gaming" experience was fun and I had a totally new perspective on gaming. Gaming when utilised in a proper way can bring about more meaningful and experiential learning to the students.
I do agree with Dr Tan that most of the time, the games played would not be linked directly to the contents taught in the curriculum. It would be difficult to find a game that fits totally with the contents of the syllabus unless it is specially created for content related purposes (e.g. The World of Temasek which explores early Singapore history developed by Magma Studios). So, how can we utilise game based learning when it is not directly link to the content in the curriculum?
In this aspect, I agree with Fatma that game based learning can be used to teach students values. I think that game based learning can also be utilised to teach skills. For example, the Macdonald game which we played can be used to teach and inculcate economic and financial literacy. By playing the game, students would better appreciate the concepts of running an enterprise, bankruptcy, profit as they experience it themselves by playing the game. This is better than just giving them a lecture and handouts on what is brankruptcy, what is profit making and how to run a business. This traditional approach may bored them and they would not absorb a lot.
At the end of the day, we should not adopt game based learning for the sake of fun and entertainment in the classroom. It is also important to mitigate the negative aspect of gaming when used for education. More importantly, there should be some key take aways and these games should be beneficial to student learning. A sharing session with the students at the end of the lessons could help reinforce the key take aways.
I do agree with Dr Tan that most of the time, the games played would not be linked directly to the contents taught in the curriculum. It would be difficult to find a game that fits totally with the contents of the syllabus unless it is specially created for content related purposes (e.g. The World of Temasek which explores early Singapore history developed by Magma Studios). So, how can we utilise game based learning when it is not directly link to the content in the curriculum?
In this aspect, I agree with Fatma that game based learning can be used to teach students values. I think that game based learning can also be utilised to teach skills. For example, the Macdonald game which we played can be used to teach and inculcate economic and financial literacy. By playing the game, students would better appreciate the concepts of running an enterprise, bankruptcy, profit as they experience it themselves by playing the game. This is better than just giving them a lecture and handouts on what is brankruptcy, what is profit making and how to run a business. This traditional approach may bored them and they would not absorb a lot.
At the end of the day, we should not adopt game based learning for the sake of fun and entertainment in the classroom. It is also important to mitigate the negative aspect of gaming when used for education. More importantly, there should be some key take aways and these games should be beneficial to student learning. A sharing session with the students at the end of the lessons could help reinforce the key take aways.
Friday, September 18, 2009
reflect on what you learned from the activities
This week my grp played Trauma Center on Wii and (attempted) some flash games in station 3.
Trauma Center was fun, but wish we mastered it earlier so we can move on! anyway, I belatedly realized (after observing another grp) that we could have collaborated further by getting all 4 members involved! But i suppose we were 'by the book' and followed instructions (i.e. one on right hand, the other left). Or we are just not creative enough ;)
The next station was a little frustrating because the games we picked either had to be downloaded, came with a worksheet (!!), or didn't make much sense to us. After the initial tries, we opened a few games in separate tabs, and ended up with a Forensics game, and one about Conquests. We ended up not achieving much since we could not figure out how to advance for the second game (we only got to far as sending our army to invade another country, but couldn't figure out if we won or lost!, and didn't download the accompanying worksheet for the first.
I think game-based learning can be beneficial provided students can see the link between the games and their curriculum content. Will definitely have to scout around for games relevant for History (fellow HY teachers, we can look forward to one which will be released in a year's time!) if I were to incorporate games in my lessons. But for now, I will probably leave it to teach values to students. Highlight how losing should motivate them to try harder instead of giving up, etc.
The report regarding the use of games in learning is an interesting read reinforced what we learnt in class. It looks at incorporating computer and video games more commonly associated for entertainment and recreation (as opposed to games created for learning in lessons as highlighted in the article highlighted by Dr. Tan).
As Dr. Tan mentioned during the debrief, the report highlights the pertinent need to highlight the link(s) between the games, lessons learnt, and its application to the students' daily lives. One way to do this would be to get students to share their experiences after playing the games, and pick out learning points which are applicable to the real-world.
As we all know, there are always two sides to a coin. While I found the idea that games affect students' thinking most compelling in advocating for the use of games in classrooms, I realize that the subtle messages that students get from games (and generally the media) may be negative ones. Hence it becomes imperative to teach them to be critical thinkers and one way to do this would be to get them to articulate what they see/notice in the games, and question how are those issues/portrayals applicable to the world around them.
This week my grp played Trauma Center on Wii and (attempted) some flash games in station 3.
Trauma Center was fun, but wish we mastered it earlier so we can move on! anyway, I belatedly realized (after observing another grp) that we could have collaborated further by getting all 4 members involved! But i suppose we were 'by the book' and followed instructions (i.e. one on right hand, the other left). Or we are just not creative enough ;)
The next station was a little frustrating because the games we picked either had to be downloaded, came with a worksheet (!!), or didn't make much sense to us. After the initial tries, we opened a few games in separate tabs, and ended up with a Forensics game, and one about Conquests. We ended up not achieving much since we could not figure out how to advance for the second game (we only got to far as sending our army to invade another country, but couldn't figure out if we won or lost!, and didn't download the accompanying worksheet for the first.
I think game-based learning can be beneficial provided students can see the link between the games and their curriculum content. Will definitely have to scout around for games relevant for History (fellow HY teachers, we can look forward to one which will be released in a year's time!) if I were to incorporate games in my lessons. But for now, I will probably leave it to teach values to students. Highlight how losing should motivate them to try harder instead of giving up, etc.
The report regarding the use of games in learning is an interesting read reinforced what we learnt in class. It looks at incorporating computer and video games more commonly associated for entertainment and recreation (as opposed to games created for learning in lessons as highlighted in the article highlighted by Dr. Tan).
As Dr. Tan mentioned during the debrief, the report highlights the pertinent need to highlight the link(s) between the games, lessons learnt, and its application to the students' daily lives. One way to do this would be to get students to share their experiences after playing the games, and pick out learning points which are applicable to the real-world.
As we all know, there are always two sides to a coin. While I found the idea that games affect students' thinking most compelling in advocating for the use of games in classrooms, I realize that the subtle messages that students get from games (and generally the media) may be negative ones. Hence it becomes imperative to teach them to be critical thinkers and one way to do this would be to get them to articulate what they see/notice in the games, and question how are those issues/portrayals applicable to the world around them.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
COTF
First up was the presentation where the group used Facebook as the ICT tool. I liked how we thought of how to use the distractions in FB to our advantage in lessons. But of course, monitoring by teachers to ensure they use these tools productively is imperative to ensure they are focused on their task and not using lesson time to surf their friends' pages. After all, we adults lapse into that at times too! ;)
Which brings me to something I heard on Class95 a couple of days ago. Two girls were trapped in a drain and used their handphones to update their FB status, caught the attention of a friend who alerted the police. (read news article here) A case showing how useful FB is? Yeah maybe. But why didn't they use their use their hps to call the police instead?
I remember reading that some of the hostages of the Mumbai terrorist attacks used their Blackberries to update their families and friends about their predicament. But that makes sense as they probably wanted to remain as quiet as possible to avoid detection.
But updating FB status instead of calling the police when you are stuck in a drain? hmmmm
Playing games during ICT class was fun. What did I learn?
The first station my group visited reinforced what we already know: technology can be really unreliable. We stood there, trying to login to the class Wiki to edit the page but to no avail. In addition, the touchscreen wasn't responsive (or we were really lousy!) and that was frustrating. But good ol laptop came to the rescue and we managed to type in some of our thoughts. Yes, MUST always have a Plan B.
Next, we played flash games and Shobi and myself bankrupted McD twice -_- tsk. shame on us! First up, we weren't sure how to play (i.e. how to win), and that was frustrating as we clicked around without knowing why/how/what. We could have been more patient and wait and observe instead of frantically trying to make our cows and crops grow asap. Further, we were distracted and did not notice that our money was depleting. I suppose we were too fixated on the end but not the means?
Which brings me to something I heard on Class95 a couple of days ago. Two girls were trapped in a drain and used their handphones to update their FB status, caught the attention of a friend who alerted the police. (read news article here) A case showing how useful FB is? Yeah maybe. But why didn't they use their use their hps to call the police instead?
I remember reading that some of the hostages of the Mumbai terrorist attacks used their Blackberries to update their families and friends about their predicament. But that makes sense as they probably wanted to remain as quiet as possible to avoid detection.
But updating FB status instead of calling the police when you are stuck in a drain? hmmmm
Playing games during ICT class was fun. What did I learn?
The first station my group visited reinforced what we already know: technology can be really unreliable. We stood there, trying to login to the class Wiki to edit the page but to no avail. In addition, the touchscreen wasn't responsive (or we were really lousy!) and that was frustrating. But good ol laptop came to the rescue and we managed to type in some of our thoughts. Yes, MUST always have a Plan B.
Next, we played flash games and Shobi and myself bankrupted McD twice -_- tsk. shame on us! First up, we weren't sure how to play (i.e. how to win), and that was frustrating as we clicked around without knowing why/how/what. We could have been more patient and wait and observe instead of frantically trying to make our cows and crops grow asap. Further, we were distracted and did not notice that our money was depleting. I suppose we were too fixated on the end but not the means?
Friday, September 11, 2009
Singapore's Obsession
When school officials from across the world come here to learn why Singapore's students score so well on international science and math tests, it doesn't take them long to discover the secret -- a national obsession with education.
It even shows up on its dollar bills. While U.S. and Latin American currencies portray images of national independence heroes, Singapore's 2-dollar bill -- the most widely circulated since there is no smaller denomination -- shows students in a classroom listening to a professor, with a university in the background. Underneath, there is just one word, ``Education.''This is a piece from the Miami Herald about Singapore's education system. Despite the positive light shown on our public education system, I find myself troubled by some of the opinions given.
At the Rulang Primary School, a 2,100-student public elementary school specializing in robotics teaching, teachers looked at me somewhat puzzled when I asked whether letting a 7-year-old child know that she is the worse of her class isn't putting too much pressure on her too early in life.
``No,'' school principal Cheryl Lim shrugged. ``We rank them in a way to tell them that this is their ranking at this point in time, and that they can do better next year. It's not to tell them that they are the worst in their class.''
...
``By the time you are 10, you are put on a stream,'' says Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and one of the country's best-known intellectuals. ``No brain is wasted in Singapore.''If I was in a race and my results were open for the world to see. And it showed "Adam Chan. Last out of 40 in Division 3". How deep within must I search myself to find motivation to win the next race? Honestly, if I wanted to protect my self-worth, I'd just quit and find some other activities that I'll be better at. Now that's from a 26 year-old but what about a 7 or 10 year old kid? Would they quit even faster? And what options of other 'competitions' do they have but the PSLE?
No brain is wasted in Singapore. Is the human brain's only function to pass exams? I think not. And I think we are wasting our most precious resource doing things this way.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
"You have been captured by the militia..."
For today's lesson, we did game-based learning at NIE's Classroom of the Future. One of the games I played was called 'Darfur is Dying'. In this Flash-based computer game, players took on a role of a Darfur child who had to bring back water to his village. The challenge was not to get caught by the militias through running and hiding. It's basically a Pacman game. Pacman runs around trying not to get eaten by the Ghosts. Darfur kid darts around trying not to get kidnapped and abused. Some of my friends could be heard shouting and screaming while playing it as though they really got run over by the militia's evil evil jeep. I think that is where game-based learning is most powerful. It allows a person to be drawn into a world which he or she may never step into if not for the power of games. A good book or a movie also does the same thing but a game requires that you interact. A two-ways street where you participate and be a part of that world, even for just a few minutes. This I feel makes learning much more personal and intimate. If you wanted your students to learn what life is like in a war-stricken country, and you had to choose between a reading material, a video and a game, which would you pick?
Monday, September 7, 2009
E learning summary: before, during, after
After reading the blog posts, I came to realise that in order for effective learning in an ICT-mediated environment to occur, the teacher should consider what happens before, during and after the lesson.
The following are the questions the teacher may consider when it comes to planning, executing and following up on an ICT-based lesson:
How do I plan an ICT-based lesson? Fatma has aptly pointed out that prior detailed planning is essential. This involves preliminary work. For example, Mrs Xing was unaware that some of her students did not know how to surf the internet. As Eugene suggested, she could have surveyed her students prior to her lessons on their computer literacy levels.
What am I trying to teach? The teacher has to keep in mind the SIOs set out for the lesson. ICT should only be incorporated insofar as it benefits the teaching of a particular subject. If the topic is something new for students, the n it would make sense to provide hard copy instructions or articles for the students to browse through before the lesson.
What do I look out for? As Adam mentioned, it is also important to understand repercussions of an ICT-based lesson. For a lesson that requires students to do research online for example, it would be wise to highlight the issues of Cyberwellness to the students face to face. According to Adam, relevant websites can also be given to the students to reinforce the concept of Cyberwellness.
Who are my students? Are they familiar with ICT? Will they be receptive towards a lesson that involves contributing to an online mind map for example? How about something more ambitious such as maintaining a website? The teacher has to be aware of the attitude and aptitude of his/her students. Perhaps it is useful here to adopt the ABDC approach when it comes to crafting tasks during the ICT-based lesson. This can help in the crafting of an appropriate lesson plan, as well as class room management during the lesson itself.
Why integrate ICT? Would this benefit my students? Would this help in the learning process? Do the students know how to use the online application needed for the lesson? If not how will I teach them? It is important not to allow oneself be carried away by the use of ICT in a lesson. The teacher has to consider the importance of non-ICT tools as well in helping with classroom management and the teaching of any subject. This was clearly shown in the Secondary school e-learning video we were tasked to watch.
Finally, how do I ensure that my students have benefited from an ICT based lesson? Once again, I liked Adam’s suggestion of doing reflections using the 3-2-1 method or the KWLQ framework. A good lesson necessitates following up on what the students have learnt. It also helps if the teacher himself or herself does a bit of self-reflection and ponder over what went wrong or right during the ICT-based lesson.
Jin Xun
The following are the questions the teacher may consider when it comes to planning, executing and following up on an ICT-based lesson:
How do I plan an ICT-based lesson? Fatma has aptly pointed out that prior detailed planning is essential. This involves preliminary work. For example, Mrs Xing was unaware that some of her students did not know how to surf the internet. As Eugene suggested, she could have surveyed her students prior to her lessons on their computer literacy levels.
What am I trying to teach? The teacher has to keep in mind the SIOs set out for the lesson. ICT should only be incorporated insofar as it benefits the teaching of a particular subject. If the topic is something new for students, the n it would make sense to provide hard copy instructions or articles for the students to browse through before the lesson.
What do I look out for? As Adam mentioned, it is also important to understand repercussions of an ICT-based lesson. For a lesson that requires students to do research online for example, it would be wise to highlight the issues of Cyberwellness to the students face to face. According to Adam, relevant websites can also be given to the students to reinforce the concept of Cyberwellness.
Who are my students? Are they familiar with ICT? Will they be receptive towards a lesson that involves contributing to an online mind map for example? How about something more ambitious such as maintaining a website? The teacher has to be aware of the attitude and aptitude of his/her students. Perhaps it is useful here to adopt the ABDC approach when it comes to crafting tasks during the ICT-based lesson. This can help in the crafting of an appropriate lesson plan, as well as class room management during the lesson itself.
Why integrate ICT? Would this benefit my students? Would this help in the learning process? Do the students know how to use the online application needed for the lesson? If not how will I teach them? It is important not to allow oneself be carried away by the use of ICT in a lesson. The teacher has to consider the importance of non-ICT tools as well in helping with classroom management and the teaching of any subject. This was clearly shown in the Secondary school e-learning video we were tasked to watch.
Finally, how do I ensure that my students have benefited from an ICT based lesson? Once again, I liked Adam’s suggestion of doing reflections using the 3-2-1 method or the KWLQ framework. A good lesson necessitates following up on what the students have learnt. It also helps if the teacher himself or herself does a bit of self-reflection and ponder over what went wrong or right during the ICT-based lesson.
Jin Xun
My Reflection
This course has changed my initial notions of ‘integrating ICT into lessons’ and ‘engaging the students’. I had thought that a well-prepared PowerPoint presentation with videos or a CD-Rom to guide students through their learning process would make great examples of ICT-integrated lessons that engage students, in the sense of capturing their attention. However, I have come to realize that there are numerous ICT tools that can be exploited to deliver effective lessons and engaging the students means more than to merely capture their attention. As teachers, we have to encourage them to be active learners who take responsibility for their own learning.
When choosing an ICT tool to plan a lesson, it is essential to ensure that the ICT tool is appropriate for teaching and learning. The ICT tool should not be chosen for the sake of incorporating ICT but it should genuinely enhance the teaching and learning process. The teacher should also bear in mind the capabilities of the students, the facilities available in the school and the limited time of the lesson when designing ICT-integrated lessons. Apart from ensuring that the students are able to understand the lesson well, are able to do the assignments and handle the tools properly, it is also the responsibility of the teacher to educate the students on social responsibility and cyberwellness along the learning journey. Infusing ICT into the notions of self-directed and collaborative learning and pedagogical approaches such as resource-based learning can result in effective lessons. However, proper classroom management and good lesson preparation is crucial for making it a success.
E-learning is a good example of an effective lesson that infuses ICT into self-directed, collaborated and resource-based learning that engages students by requiring their active participation. The benefits of e-learning include students taking the initiative in their own learning and students actively participating in the online platform to share their knowledge and improvise on their work. With e-learning, students are able to learn at their own pace as students can take their own time to understand the lesson and learning is not confined to the classroom. Moreover, students can learn much from each others’ work or can clarify their doubts and improvise their work from looking at the work of others. The disadvantage of e-learning is that it can become a chore if there are too many tasks to be done as some students might not be motivated to work on it and can be a huge problem if students do not have easy access to the Internet.
When choosing an ICT tool to plan a lesson, it is essential to ensure that the ICT tool is appropriate for teaching and learning. The ICT tool should not be chosen for the sake of incorporating ICT but it should genuinely enhance the teaching and learning process. The teacher should also bear in mind the capabilities of the students, the facilities available in the school and the limited time of the lesson when designing ICT-integrated lessons. Apart from ensuring that the students are able to understand the lesson well, are able to do the assignments and handle the tools properly, it is also the responsibility of the teacher to educate the students on social responsibility and cyberwellness along the learning journey. Infusing ICT into the notions of self-directed and collaborative learning and pedagogical approaches such as resource-based learning can result in effective lessons. However, proper classroom management and good lesson preparation is crucial for making it a success.
E-learning is a good example of an effective lesson that infuses ICT into self-directed, collaborated and resource-based learning that engages students by requiring their active participation. The benefits of e-learning include students taking the initiative in their own learning and students actively participating in the online platform to share their knowledge and improvise on their work. With e-learning, students are able to learn at their own pace as students can take their own time to understand the lesson and learning is not confined to the classroom. Moreover, students can learn much from each others’ work or can clarify their doubts and improvise their work from looking at the work of others. The disadvantage of e-learning is that it can become a chore if there are too many tasks to be done as some students might not be motivated to work on it and can be a huge problem if students do not have easy access to the Internet.
Scenario 1, Activity B
Adapting lesson ideas from other teachers
Mrs. Xing should ensure that she modifies the lesson ideas to meet the needs and interests of her own students. She should also take note that not all of her students would be familiar with using the computer and choose an ICT tool that is easy to use or has already been exposed to the students.
Students surfing the Internet without paying attention to the lesson
She should introduce strict guidelines, such as prohibiting students from accessing the Internet without teacher’s permission, before the start of the lesson. Moreover, Mrs. Xing could have made use of management software that enables her to view her students’ screen via the Internet. If students are made aware of this prior to the lesson, they would refrain from surfing the Internet and be more focused on their assigned task.
Students needing help to get started
A big group of students were in need of help from the teacher and time would be wasted if Mrs. Xing had to attend to each student individually. For this, she should have assigned seats in such a way that the more IT-savvy kids were seated beside the less IT-savvy ones to help them. She could also have employed an IT representative in the class to do minor troubleshooting or sought the help of the IT staff in the school to be present during the lesson.
Lab arrangement
Since Mrs. Xing could not see the faces of some students due to the lab arrangement, she could have made use of the forty new tablet PCs acquired by the school to create a one-to-one notebook environment in class or even mobile computing.
Submission of work to teacher
Instead of getting all the students to submit their work to her for checking, she could have employed strategies such as peer-marking for the first round and then check their improvised second draft. In order to keep the students who finish faster than the others occupied, Mrs. Xing should have come prepared with post-assignment activities or could also have paired them up with weaker students to help them. The students’ work did not meet her expectations as she did not inform the students of her expectations. She could have set some guidelines for the writing assignment or given them additional materials such as model essays or links to websites that would help them to improve their writing skills.
Incomplete lesson
Mrs. Xing was also unable to complete the lesson she had planned. She should have set reasonable SIOs during her lesson preparation that takes into account her students’ capabilities, the time they have for the lesson and the time taken to get started.
Mrs. Xing should ensure that she modifies the lesson ideas to meet the needs and interests of her own students. She should also take note that not all of her students would be familiar with using the computer and choose an ICT tool that is easy to use or has already been exposed to the students.
Students surfing the Internet without paying attention to the lesson
She should introduce strict guidelines, such as prohibiting students from accessing the Internet without teacher’s permission, before the start of the lesson. Moreover, Mrs. Xing could have made use of management software that enables her to view her students’ screen via the Internet. If students are made aware of this prior to the lesson, they would refrain from surfing the Internet and be more focused on their assigned task.
Students needing help to get started
A big group of students were in need of help from the teacher and time would be wasted if Mrs. Xing had to attend to each student individually. For this, she should have assigned seats in such a way that the more IT-savvy kids were seated beside the less IT-savvy ones to help them. She could also have employed an IT representative in the class to do minor troubleshooting or sought the help of the IT staff in the school to be present during the lesson.
Lab arrangement
Since Mrs. Xing could not see the faces of some students due to the lab arrangement, she could have made use of the forty new tablet PCs acquired by the school to create a one-to-one notebook environment in class or even mobile computing.
Submission of work to teacher
Instead of getting all the students to submit their work to her for checking, she could have employed strategies such as peer-marking for the first round and then check their improvised second draft. In order to keep the students who finish faster than the others occupied, Mrs. Xing should have come prepared with post-assignment activities or could also have paired them up with weaker students to help them. The students’ work did not meet her expectations as she did not inform the students of her expectations. She could have set some guidelines for the writing assignment or given them additional materials such as model essays or links to websites that would help them to improve their writing skills.
Incomplete lesson
Mrs. Xing was also unable to complete the lesson she had planned. She should have set reasonable SIOs during her lesson preparation that takes into account her students’ capabilities, the time they have for the lesson and the time taken to get started.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
My thoughts on e-learning
Reflections
I think all of us here would have done at least two E-Learning tasks this week. One for ICT and the other for Education Psychology. I do agree with Kelvin that e learning is very demanding on students as we need to have deliverables of tasks by a stipulated deadline. And these tasks would need some research for information to deliver the tasks.
Although e learning is really demanding but I think it do benefits us. At the very least, it makes as work, makes us use our brains to write our thoughts on issues. It also turns students into active learner. I would say that e learning is a student centred activity whereby students are participating while the teacher acts as a facilitator. This is in contrast to a lecture in a traditional classroom setting whereby it is a very teacher centred activity and the students are more passive in their learning. Students just take down notes and would not have much deliverables of tasks.
Through e learning, collaborative learning is practised. We could comment on each other posting via this group blog and also on the discussion board on Blackboard for the Education Psychology module.
I guess that in the future as teachers, we can introduce collaborative learning more into the curriculum. Well, it may not necessary be in the form of e learning to achieve this aim. The idea is to design lessons where it is student centred, have them take an active role in their learning and have collaborative learning to learn how to work with each other in an effective manner.
I think all of us here would have done at least two E-Learning tasks this week. One for ICT and the other for Education Psychology. I do agree with Kelvin that e learning is very demanding on students as we need to have deliverables of tasks by a stipulated deadline. And these tasks would need some research for information to deliver the tasks.
Although e learning is really demanding but I think it do benefits us. At the very least, it makes as work, makes us use our brains to write our thoughts on issues. It also turns students into active learner. I would say that e learning is a student centred activity whereby students are participating while the teacher acts as a facilitator. This is in contrast to a lecture in a traditional classroom setting whereby it is a very teacher centred activity and the students are more passive in their learning. Students just take down notes and would not have much deliverables of tasks.
Through e learning, collaborative learning is practised. We could comment on each other posting via this group blog and also on the discussion board on Blackboard for the Education Psychology module.
I guess that in the future as teachers, we can introduce collaborative learning more into the curriculum. Well, it may not necessary be in the form of e learning to achieve this aim. The idea is to design lessons where it is student centred, have them take an active role in their learning and have collaborative learning to learn how to work with each other in an effective manner.
ICT E-Learning Scenario 1 Activity B
From the scenario, we can see that Mrs Xing’s ICT lessons ended in a disaster and not having met the objectives she had set out before the lesson. I agree with Jin Xun that the learning objectives were not met due to Mrs Xing poor classroom management. As in any classroom setting, lessons conducted in a computer lab will also need good classroom management to ensure that learning can take place effectively. In her case, she had failed to manage her class effectively to ensure that lessons were conducted smoothly.
Based on the posts I read, many agreed that Mrs Xing should have set firm ground rules before the start of the lesson. I agree with this point as in a computer lab, firm ground rules like not switching on the computer and logging on to the internet until told to do so by the teacher will help Mrs Xing to manage her class. When these ground rules are set out as pre-emptive measures, the computer lab will not turn into a rowdy place. Moreover, Mrs Xing should have a seating plan for her students to conform (Chai and Wan eds, 2010). A seating plan will allow the teacher to have a control of students sitting arrangement and minimize talking and disruption. I think Mrs Xing can place the more talkative and weaker students in the front rows of the computer lab to give them close supervision.
I like Jin Xun’s idea of suggesting Mrs Xing to bring in additional laptops for the students whose workstations are not working properly. To ask those students whose workstations are not working properly to pair up with their classmates should be the last resort as this disrupts the learning of the two students and the other two who had to share the workstations with them. The students will not be able to get the fullest experience they could have when compared to using their own workstation.
Mrs Xing can bring in collaborative learning in this ICT lesson to help lessen her load and to manage the class properly. Many of us have suggested that the students can do peer editing to lessen Mrs Xing load and by doing peer editing, the students will be able to spot their peers mistakes and critique their essay. This is a good way to improve one’s writing skills. I would also like to suggest that for those students who finished faster than other students, a reward such as allowing them to surf the internet to research on more information for their essay would keep them occupied and not let them disturb the other students. Of course, the ground rule on not surfing on unrelated stuffs and gaming should be enforced.
I guess with better classroom management and clearer instructions, Mrs Xing would be able to make the essay edits lesson using ICT tools to its fullest potential and the students will be able to benefit from it.
References:
1. Chai, C.S. & Wang, Q.Y. Eds. (2002). ICT for self-directed and collaborative learning. Singapore: Pearson.
2. Video Clip on Secondary School level
Based on the posts I read, many agreed that Mrs Xing should have set firm ground rules before the start of the lesson. I agree with this point as in a computer lab, firm ground rules like not switching on the computer and logging on to the internet until told to do so by the teacher will help Mrs Xing to manage her class. When these ground rules are set out as pre-emptive measures, the computer lab will not turn into a rowdy place. Moreover, Mrs Xing should have a seating plan for her students to conform (Chai and Wan eds, 2010). A seating plan will allow the teacher to have a control of students sitting arrangement and minimize talking and disruption. I think Mrs Xing can place the more talkative and weaker students in the front rows of the computer lab to give them close supervision.
I like Jin Xun’s idea of suggesting Mrs Xing to bring in additional laptops for the students whose workstations are not working properly. To ask those students whose workstations are not working properly to pair up with their classmates should be the last resort as this disrupts the learning of the two students and the other two who had to share the workstations with them. The students will not be able to get the fullest experience they could have when compared to using their own workstation.
Mrs Xing can bring in collaborative learning in this ICT lesson to help lessen her load and to manage the class properly. Many of us have suggested that the students can do peer editing to lessen Mrs Xing load and by doing peer editing, the students will be able to spot their peers mistakes and critique their essay. This is a good way to improve one’s writing skills. I would also like to suggest that for those students who finished faster than other students, a reward such as allowing them to surf the internet to research on more information for their essay would keep them occupied and not let them disturb the other students. Of course, the ground rule on not surfing on unrelated stuffs and gaming should be enforced.
I guess with better classroom management and clearer instructions, Mrs Xing would be able to make the essay edits lesson using ICT tools to its fullest potential and the students will be able to benefit from it.
References:
1. Chai, C.S. & Wang, Q.Y. Eds. (2002). ICT for self-directed and collaborative learning. Singapore: Pearson.
2. Video Clip on Secondary School level
what jin xun learnt from the past few weeks.
ICT can work—the challenge comes from within
I read an article online about how the integration of ICT in lessons is dependent on what happens on the ground. Major obstacles include the mentality of schools and teachers alike with regards to a technology-based lesson and their willingness to adopt this teaching approach. To date, the success of the three master plans (MP I, II and III) has yet been witnessed except in a few schools.
Like all major undertakings, perhaps it is best to take it one step at a time. The first few lessons were pretty mind boggling for me. Nevertheless, at the most basic level I learnt that online applications are very useful for the teacher. For example, the online stopwatch makes sure that the lesson proceeds efficiently. The teacher does not have to make constant reminders to the class to “hurry up and finish your work!”
I no longer have to nag till my voice is hoarse!
ICT means more than nifty online applications
This class has reformed my impression of what integrating ICT in lessons really mean. In the past, I used to think that ICT meant students looking at PowerPoint presentations, watching video clips and clicking on the internet explorer icon to surf the net. However, I learnt that ICT has to go beyond that—students need to actively participate in the use of ICT in classrooms. Applications such as the Mindmeister concept map ensure a more interactive and open-ended lesson.
Also, I learnt that it is always essential to follow up after a lesson. This can be in the form of online quizzes, a mini project, or merely a general discussion that can take place online, mediated by me.
Treading the thin line: employing ICT in a way that benefits the students
Then again, ICT is useful insofar as it benefits the students. I endeavour not to make the same mistakes as Mrs Xing did in scenario A. From that assignment I learnt that a good lesson plan and effective classroom management is more important than the use of ICT tools per se. Ultimately, I have to make sure that my students actually learn from an ICT-based lesson. True enough, encouraging the use of computers/laptops and the vast range of information available via the internet ensures that lessons do not follow the run-of-the-mill didactic style of the past. However, the teacher should also get to know the needs of his/her students. What kind of pedagogy to adopt? What kind of ICT tools to use? How should the lesson be planned? These should be considered with the students in mind.
The various pedagogical approaches (Inquiry based, project based, case based and game based learning) can be enhanced through the use of self-made YouTube videos, group or class blogs and podcasts. Certainly I will take these into account and be reminded that the internet has a lot to offer when it comes to making my lessons more interesting or comprehensive. However, the bottom line is that the use of ICT cannot hinder the learning process and should only be used if it can enhance learning.
Alright, that's all for now :) might post more if i can think of more ideas!
I read an article online about how the integration of ICT in lessons is dependent on what happens on the ground. Major obstacles include the mentality of schools and teachers alike with regards to a technology-based lesson and their willingness to adopt this teaching approach. To date, the success of the three master plans (MP I, II and III) has yet been witnessed except in a few schools.
Like all major undertakings, perhaps it is best to take it one step at a time. The first few lessons were pretty mind boggling for me. Nevertheless, at the most basic level I learnt that online applications are very useful for the teacher. For example, the online stopwatch makes sure that the lesson proceeds efficiently. The teacher does not have to make constant reminders to the class to “hurry up and finish your work!”
I no longer have to nag till my voice is hoarse!
ICT means more than nifty online applications
This class has reformed my impression of what integrating ICT in lessons really mean. In the past, I used to think that ICT meant students looking at PowerPoint presentations, watching video clips and clicking on the internet explorer icon to surf the net. However, I learnt that ICT has to go beyond that—students need to actively participate in the use of ICT in classrooms. Applications such as the Mindmeister concept map ensure a more interactive and open-ended lesson.
Also, I learnt that it is always essential to follow up after a lesson. This can be in the form of online quizzes, a mini project, or merely a general discussion that can take place online, mediated by me.
Treading the thin line: employing ICT in a way that benefits the students
Then again, ICT is useful insofar as it benefits the students. I endeavour not to make the same mistakes as Mrs Xing did in scenario A. From that assignment I learnt that a good lesson plan and effective classroom management is more important than the use of ICT tools per se. Ultimately, I have to make sure that my students actually learn from an ICT-based lesson. True enough, encouraging the use of computers/laptops and the vast range of information available via the internet ensures that lessons do not follow the run-of-the-mill didactic style of the past. However, the teacher should also get to know the needs of his/her students. What kind of pedagogy to adopt? What kind of ICT tools to use? How should the lesson be planned? These should be considered with the students in mind.
The various pedagogical approaches (Inquiry based, project based, case based and game based learning) can be enhanced through the use of self-made YouTube videos, group or class blogs and podcasts. Certainly I will take these into account and be reminded that the internet has a lot to offer when it comes to making my lessons more interesting or comprehensive. However, the bottom line is that the use of ICT cannot hinder the learning process and should only be used if it can enhance learning.
Alright, that's all for now :) might post more if i can think of more ideas!
Kelvin's reflection
Reflection:
Honestly, I think that e learning is very demanding on student. It is almost like a project for every single subject that has e learning. I really do not like e learning, I think my student will have the same sentiment as me. I hope that by saying so, I will not get a "F" grade.
However, if you were to look at the other side of the same coin, you will be surprised how much you have learned as compared to normal lesson. As e learning focus intensively on self directed learning and collaborative learning, it is really a test of student’s patience and determination for some- especially if the topic given is not of your interest. Therefore, in future before I design one, I will put myself into student’s shoe, to come out with something that they were motivated to do (or at least most of the student were interested in)…. Maybe game based learning might be a good idea to start off with, put lots of interesting ideas into it- edumall is a great resource centre to start with.
Until now, this is my first or second reflections. Have been very busy lately with my new born kid! If not for this e learning, I might not have even start writing my reflection! See the power of e learning. I personally think that ICT is one of my favorite subjects; it teaches us tools that link us to future classroom. Lots of ICT tools were quite foreign to me, but were all introduced to me here... great! Many pedagogies were introduced here, which some might have learned through the hard way or by guessing during our contract teaching before NIE, so it is good that not only we learn here but with in-depth.
Honestly, I think that e learning is very demanding on student. It is almost like a project for every single subject that has e learning. I really do not like e learning, I think my student will have the same sentiment as me. I hope that by saying so, I will not get a "F" grade.
However, if you were to look at the other side of the same coin, you will be surprised how much you have learned as compared to normal lesson. As e learning focus intensively on self directed learning and collaborative learning, it is really a test of student’s patience and determination for some- especially if the topic given is not of your interest. Therefore, in future before I design one, I will put myself into student’s shoe, to come out with something that they were motivated to do (or at least most of the student were interested in)…. Maybe game based learning might be a good idea to start off with, put lots of interesting ideas into it- edumall is a great resource centre to start with.
Until now, this is my first or second reflections. Have been very busy lately with my new born kid! If not for this e learning, I might not have even start writing my reflection! See the power of e learning. I personally think that ICT is one of my favorite subjects; it teaches us tools that link us to future classroom. Lots of ICT tools were quite foreign to me, but were all introduced to me here... great! Many pedagogies were introduced here, which some might have learned through the hard way or by guessing during our contract teaching before NIE, so it is good that not only we learn here but with in-depth.
Round-up of my e-learning week
A summary of what I got out of e-learning week.
I have a deeper appreciation for the power of lesson planning now. Previously, based on my own educational journey and contract teaching experience, my idea of e-learning was: upload Powerpoint slides and online quiz, then sit back and check the access rate and scores. This is in sharp contrast to what I have learned from attempting the activities and reading what my other classmates have written in their assessments. I would say that e-learning should not be disjointed from the usual lessons and its usefulness can be harnessed by aligning post e-learning lessons to what was covered in e-learning week. Planning how the online lesson would be executed is also crucial to minimize any problems that could arise.
I realize that sometimes the default ICT tools used by schools may not be the right tools for the job. Different activities calls for different tools and finding the right ones and learning how to harness its affordances goes a long way in making e-learning much more meaningful and fun.
Another aspect of teaching which should not be forgotten is the involvement of parents in their child's learning. This is especially when the learning involves the use of the Internet, which can bring with it a different set of risks and problems. Involving parents in educating their child is safer, brings intangible benefits to the child and bonds them closer together.
In conclusion, I feel that I can make my online lessons much more effective now and a lot more fun for my students and not forgetting, me.
Summary & Reflection
Summary: Incorporating ICT in Class
Based on the posts I have read, it is clear that classroom management plays a critical role in ensuring that lessons will proceed smoothly. This is especially more pertinent in computer laboratories where the setting makes it harder for the teacher to monitor what the students are doing (e.g. they are hidden behind their computer screens).
I agree with Jing Xun that Mrs. Xing became too preoccupied with her lesson plan and did not improvise on the spot. For example, when students who have completed their work earlier started to disrupt the rest in class, she should have given them another task. In this case, she could have provided a peer editing task to free herself from editing the students’ work and assist students who are not too familiar with working with computers.
Based on the problems she faced, it is clear that prior detailed planning is essential, and there is a need to preempt difficulties that can arise in class. As highlighted in numerous posts including my own, she could have assigned seats according to familiarity with computers so students can help each other. If this sounds too ideal (students may not want to assist), using the paper cup system was shown in the Secondary Class video will be useful.
I also like Adam’s idea of having a Wiki Page where students can refer to instructions. This is an alternative to showing it on the screen in front of class as I suggested. Either way, it helps students keep on track, and will have no excuses when they hand in assignments which do not adhere to the requirements.
..............................
Reflection
Doubts - Can anyone please clarify?
We have established in the first lesson that ICT needs to be two-way. Hence, documentaries are not considered as ICT tools while youtube videos are. However, while reading the text (pp.143-5) I came across the one-PC per classroom scenario and the example provided was one which used a powerpoint presentation, showing video clips etc. The example explained that the teacher would show slides/video and get responses from the students. I suppose that is a two-way communication, but done offline? If that is the case, then the examples of non-ICT tools we thought of in week one would then be considered ICT? Hmmmm confusing stuff indeed. What are your thoughts on this?
After doing e-learning for two modules, I learnt that it is an effective method to get tangible work from students. While we usually sit in class, discuss certain issues and then head home, we now have to read up, think, and produce something at the end of the week. However, I do not think this is very significant change in secondary schools as students usually do get worksheets to complete anyway. It is different in tertiary institutes as we usually only need to produce one paper per module at the end of the semester (and those which require more than one will be termed ‘killer mods’ and students will hesitate before picking those).
What do I think of e-learning? It is definitely useful for SDL as the teacher will not be around to guide them every step of the way. This autonomy also givess the students a sense of responsibility for their learning as they have after all chosen to move in that particular direction. Also, their peers can learn from their work.
I learnt that it is useful to delineate the deliverables at the end of the e-learning session clearly as students can easily refer to the list and check whether they have completed the required tasks. Providing a choice for the activities (all related to a fixed theme/topic) is also useful in facilitating CL as students can learn from their peers the issues they have decided not to concentrate on.
Based on the posts I have read, it is clear that classroom management plays a critical role in ensuring that lessons will proceed smoothly. This is especially more pertinent in computer laboratories where the setting makes it harder for the teacher to monitor what the students are doing (e.g. they are hidden behind their computer screens).
I agree with Jing Xun that Mrs. Xing became too preoccupied with her lesson plan and did not improvise on the spot. For example, when students who have completed their work earlier started to disrupt the rest in class, she should have given them another task. In this case, she could have provided a peer editing task to free herself from editing the students’ work and assist students who are not too familiar with working with computers.
Based on the problems she faced, it is clear that prior detailed planning is essential, and there is a need to preempt difficulties that can arise in class. As highlighted in numerous posts including my own, she could have assigned seats according to familiarity with computers so students can help each other. If this sounds too ideal (students may not want to assist), using the paper cup system was shown in the Secondary Class video will be useful.
I also like Adam’s idea of having a Wiki Page where students can refer to instructions. This is an alternative to showing it on the screen in front of class as I suggested. Either way, it helps students keep on track, and will have no excuses when they hand in assignments which do not adhere to the requirements.
..............................
Reflection
Doubts - Can anyone please clarify?
We have established in the first lesson that ICT needs to be two-way. Hence, documentaries are not considered as ICT tools while youtube videos are. However, while reading the text (pp.143-5) I came across the one-PC per classroom scenario and the example provided was one which used a powerpoint presentation, showing video clips etc. The example explained that the teacher would show slides/video and get responses from the students. I suppose that is a two-way communication, but done offline? If that is the case, then the examples of non-ICT tools we thought of in week one would then be considered ICT? Hmmmm confusing stuff indeed. What are your thoughts on this?
After doing e-learning for two modules, I learnt that it is an effective method to get tangible work from students. While we usually sit in class, discuss certain issues and then head home, we now have to read up, think, and produce something at the end of the week. However, I do not think this is very significant change in secondary schools as students usually do get worksheets to complete anyway. It is different in tertiary institutes as we usually only need to produce one paper per module at the end of the semester (and those which require more than one will be termed ‘killer mods’ and students will hesitate before picking those).
What do I think of e-learning? It is definitely useful for SDL as the teacher will not be around to guide them every step of the way. This autonomy also givess the students a sense of responsibility for their learning as they have after all chosen to move in that particular direction. Also, their peers can learn from their work.
I learnt that it is useful to delineate the deliverables at the end of the e-learning session clearly as students can easily refer to the list and check whether they have completed the required tasks. Providing a choice for the activities (all related to a fixed theme/topic) is also useful in facilitating CL as students can learn from their peers the issues they have decided not to concentrate on.
Scenario One, activity B: pre-emptive/ intervention strategies
The computer lab became an unfavourable learning environment for the students in Mrs Xing’s class due to poor classroom management on her part.
Mrs Xing faced a class of mixed abilities—some know how to use the internet, others did not. She could have given out a set of instructions of what to do before the lesson started. The class was also distracted. She should have set firm ground rules, such as disallowing her students to log on to the internet unless she gave the go-ahead (Chai and Wang eds., 2010).
In addition, since the school recently acquired tablet PCs, Mrs Xing could have brought a few extra tablet PCs to class in case any of the computers failed to work. During our QED 527 lessons, I noticed whenever we had lessons in the MXL lab, Dr Tan would make sure to bring extra laptops for those who did not have laptops.
An ICT lesson must be coupled with non-ICT tools, effective classroom management skills and organization skills (Chai and Wang eds. 2010). Mrs Xing was too concerned about her task to integrate ICT in her lessons. In the secondary video, the teacher utilized non-ICT tools to manage the class, i.e.: Blue and Red cups to signal for help and classroom lights to signal attention. Furthermore, Mrs Xing neglected to account for those who finished their work early. Once again, she should have pre-empted it by preparing lesson fillers (crossword puzzles) to occupy them. Once again, an ICT lesson does not have to solely rely on ICT tools.
Mrs Xing did not make full use of what an ICT lesson could provide. The lesson was too teacher-oriented; she could have gotten the class to collaborate in marking each other’s assignments through putting their essays up on Google documents.
With regards to the poor quality of assignments handed in, Mrs Xing overestimated her students’ ability to made effective use of the internet to produce good essays. She could have provided starting or supporting resources so that students would not waste time researching or finding the wrong material—this prevents the submitting of poor quality assignments (Chai and Wang eds. 2010).
We also learnt that Mrs Xing’s lesson plan was not even one-third complete—perhaps it was too tedious with too many SIOs. Breaking down the lesson into mini tasks, with timelines and milestones and coming up with a more detailed and less tedious lesson plan with less SIOs could have made for a more effective lesson and less distracted students (Chai and Wang eds. 2010).
Jin Xun
References
Mrs Xing faced a class of mixed abilities—some know how to use the internet, others did not. She could have given out a set of instructions of what to do before the lesson started. The class was also distracted. She should have set firm ground rules, such as disallowing her students to log on to the internet unless she gave the go-ahead (Chai and Wang eds., 2010).
In addition, since the school recently acquired tablet PCs, Mrs Xing could have brought a few extra tablet PCs to class in case any of the computers failed to work. During our QED 527 lessons, I noticed whenever we had lessons in the MXL lab, Dr Tan would make sure to bring extra laptops for those who did not have laptops.
An ICT lesson must be coupled with non-ICT tools, effective classroom management skills and organization skills (Chai and Wang eds. 2010). Mrs Xing was too concerned about her task to integrate ICT in her lessons. In the secondary video, the teacher utilized non-ICT tools to manage the class, i.e.: Blue and Red cups to signal for help and classroom lights to signal attention. Furthermore, Mrs Xing neglected to account for those who finished their work early. Once again, she should have pre-empted it by preparing lesson fillers (crossword puzzles) to occupy them. Once again, an ICT lesson does not have to solely rely on ICT tools.
Mrs Xing did not make full use of what an ICT lesson could provide. The lesson was too teacher-oriented; she could have gotten the class to collaborate in marking each other’s assignments through putting their essays up on Google documents.
With regards to the poor quality of assignments handed in, Mrs Xing overestimated her students’ ability to made effective use of the internet to produce good essays. She could have provided starting or supporting resources so that students would not waste time researching or finding the wrong material—this prevents the submitting of poor quality assignments (Chai and Wang eds. 2010).
We also learnt that Mrs Xing’s lesson plan was not even one-third complete—perhaps it was too tedious with too many SIOs. Breaking down the lesson into mini tasks, with timelines and milestones and coming up with a more detailed and less tedious lesson plan with less SIOs could have made for a more effective lesson and less distracted students (Chai and Wang eds. 2010).
Jin Xun
References
- Video clip (Secondary)
- Lim, Cher Ping; Pek, Meow Sien; Chai, Ching Sing. (2005). Classroom management issues in information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated learning environments: back to the basics. Retrieved September 03, 2009, from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-142339826/classroom-management-issues-information.html
- Lim, Cher Ping. (2007). Effective Integration of ICT in Singapore Schools: Pedagogical and Policy Implications. Retrieved September 03, 2009, from http://www.redorbit.com/news/education/970275/effective_integration_of_ict_in_singapore_schools_pedagogical_and_policy/index.html
- Chai, C.S. & Wang, Q.Y. Eds. (2002). ICT for self-directed and collaborative learning. Singapore: Pearson.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Re: Gene's lesson! Summarizing what i've learnt from ICT E learning week
Mrs Xing's dilemma for her English lesson resonates with my own personal experience, for i had been trying to figure out how to incorporate English lessons in the computer lab. This E learning lesson had been invaluable, for through tackling the implementation issues in the case study, i have also realised that it's possible to have a solid and effective English lesson in the computer lab.
This requires :
1) Planning ahead of time
- Finding out student's competencies in computer usage.
- Planning the seating arrangements
- Strategically seat competent computer usage student around those less competent.
- Appoint the more 'IT SAVVY' students as computer reps.
2) Computer lab - class management system
- Using coloured cups to signal problems.
- Nearest computer reps to tackle the easier computer issues that the classmate
is having. If it's a complex issue then the teacher will go handle the issue.
- Denote that switching the lights off or dimming the lights signal that
attention is to be given to the teacher in front.
- Having a master programme that is able to freeze student's screen to take
control of their system so as to grab their attention.
3) Using a Wiki based system instead of Microsoft Word
- Students can be asked to input their essays into a wiki instead of writing it
in word.
- Students who finish ahead of time, can assist in editing the allocated
classmate's essay in wiki. Or they could download the allocated classmate's
work and do the track changes in word, before uploading it back to the wiki.
By using these implementations, i realise that it's possible to have an efficient and productive ICT based lesson. It just requires planning ahead of time and making sure each student has something to do. Tasks should be kept short so as to keep the students in control. And a master switch programme will help heaps in keeping them in check.
There's so much possibilities. I can't wait to go out to my attached school to try the implementations out!
This requires :
1) Planning ahead of time
- Finding out student's competencies in computer usage.
- Planning the seating arrangements
- Strategically seat competent computer usage student around those less competent.
- Appoint the more 'IT SAVVY' students as computer reps.
2) Computer lab - class management system
- Using coloured cups to signal problems.
- Nearest computer reps to tackle the easier computer issues that the classmate
is having. If it's a complex issue then the teacher will go handle the issue.
- Denote that switching the lights off or dimming the lights signal that
attention is to be given to the teacher in front.
- Having a master programme that is able to freeze student's screen to take
control of their system so as to grab their attention.
3) Using a Wiki based system instead of Microsoft Word
- Students can be asked to input their essays into a wiki instead of writing it
in word.
- Students who finish ahead of time, can assist in editing the allocated
classmate's essay in wiki. Or they could download the allocated classmate's
work and do the track changes in word, before uploading it back to the wiki.
By using these implementations, i realise that it's possible to have an efficient and productive ICT based lesson. It just requires planning ahead of time and making sure each student has something to do. Tasks should be kept short so as to keep the students in control. And a master switch programme will help heaps in keeping them in check.
There's so much possibilities. I can't wait to go out to my attached school to try the implementations out!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Question:
When you think you are ready to show how much you have gained, you will write a summary of not more than 250 words on what you learned. Post this summary in your group blog.
I have learned that online implementation required a lot of preparation and the ability to anticipate implementation issues will greatly determine the outcome of the lesson.
Face to face learning is important in my opinion and it is a pre-requisition as it gives opportunity to states the basic rules and acceptable behavior for students to behave in a lab; and also act as an platform for teacher to conclude on the researched topic should the teacher decided to do face to face in the last lesson.
Through this e learning package, it actually prepares me for all possible online and face to face implementation issues. We shall discuss some of the implementation issues and possible solutions that I had put up in the group blog based on the given scenario. Issue & solution 1: Computers not in proper working condition can be solve if the lab TA has a proper preventive maintenance on all the equipments in the lab and teacher must report equipment breakdown to TA immediately so as not to affect the next class. Issue & solution 2: There should be a face to face lesson to talk about basic lab behavior and rules, so as the students know what they were expected when they step into the computer lab. Issue & solution 3: Student should have completed their write up before lesson rather than to start writing during lesson. Issue & solution 4: Teacher must cater additional work for students that are faster in pace or assigned them with additional admin duties to occupy them.
When you think you are ready to show how much you have gained, you will write a summary of not more than 250 words on what you learned. Post this summary in your group blog.
I have learned that online implementation required a lot of preparation and the ability to anticipate implementation issues will greatly determine the outcome of the lesson.
Face to face learning is important in my opinion and it is a pre-requisition as it gives opportunity to states the basic rules and acceptable behavior for students to behave in a lab; and also act as an platform for teacher to conclude on the researched topic should the teacher decided to do face to face in the last lesson.
Through this e learning package, it actually prepares me for all possible online and face to face implementation issues. We shall discuss some of the implementation issues and possible solutions that I had put up in the group blog based on the given scenario. Issue & solution 1: Computers not in proper working condition can be solve if the lab TA has a proper preventive maintenance on all the equipments in the lab and teacher must report equipment breakdown to TA immediately so as not to affect the next class. Issue & solution 2: There should be a face to face lesson to talk about basic lab behavior and rules, so as the students know what they were expected when they step into the computer lab. Issue & solution 3: Student should have completed their write up before lesson rather than to start writing during lesson. Issue & solution 4: Teacher must cater additional work for students that are faster in pace or assigned them with additional admin duties to occupy them.
TGIF
I love Indexed. It's simple but oh so smart and I just had to share this neat graph. It's so straightforward right? As a student, the more attention my teacher gives me, the more things I'll want to learn. Maybe because I know that my teacher cares enough about me and that makes me want to care too about what I'm learning. Question is, in a class of 40 students how do we give our undivided attention? Multiply 40 children by say, 5 classes and you have 200 students in a week to pay attention to. No wonder, teachers are so drained by Friday.
Adam vs Mrs Xing (What I would have done different)
This post is for ICT e-learning task Scenario 2, Activity D.
1. Wikis!
Set-up a wiki page that acts as a depository for instructions, information, links, resources, etc. The wiki page would be accessible to anyone but administrative privileges would still belong to me (the teacher). I believe this is a more efficient way to disseminate information compared to uploading Powerpoint slides on the school's Learning Management System (LMS).
It will help to sidestep the problem of students being unable to access the Powerpoint slides which could be caused by various factors such as software incompatibility; lack of bandwidth since the whole school population will be accessing the LMS during that week; navigation issues on less user-friendly LMS model; and just plain logging in issues like incorrect user identification or password.
With the lesson activity posted for all to see, Mrs Xing would also have 'protected' herself from accusations that surfing undesirable websites were part of her e-learning lesson.
2. Reflections
Having the wiki platform in place, I would then require that my students post their reflections of the activity on their group's wiki page. The reflections would act as a counter to the all too easy copy-and-paste method of some of the less industrious students. Students may not be so prone to plagiarism if they know that they have to think about and share their thoughts on what they are doing. Some forms of reflection employed could be the 3-2-1 method or the KWLQ framework. As a deterrent, any forms of plagiarism will be dealt with strictly ranging from being ungraded to detention depending on the extent of the copying.
3. Cyberwellness education
Before the start of e-learning week, I would take a session to highlight the issues of Cyberwellness to the students face to face. The session would touch on the two principles of Cyberwellness: 'Respect for Others' and 'Safe and Responsible Use'. Relevant links would also be put up on the wiki page to reinforce the concept of Cyberwellness.
4. Involving parents
Prior to e-learning week, if the school has not already done so, I would inform parents through e-mail or letter about the nature of e-learning week and some of the precautions that they can take in their child's online learning journey. I would include advice such as use of family-safe internet filters, location of the family computer and appropriate parental supervision.
Sources:
Chai, Ching Sing; ICT for self-directed and collaborative learning; Chapter 8
1. Wikis!
Set-up a wiki page that acts as a depository for instructions, information, links, resources, etc. The wiki page would be accessible to anyone but administrative privileges would still belong to me (the teacher). I believe this is a more efficient way to disseminate information compared to uploading Powerpoint slides on the school's Learning Management System (LMS).
It will help to sidestep the problem of students being unable to access the Powerpoint slides which could be caused by various factors such as software incompatibility; lack of bandwidth since the whole school population will be accessing the LMS during that week; navigation issues on less user-friendly LMS model; and just plain logging in issues like incorrect user identification or password.
With the lesson activity posted for all to see, Mrs Xing would also have 'protected' herself from accusations that surfing undesirable websites were part of her e-learning lesson.
2. Reflections
Having the wiki platform in place, I would then require that my students post their reflections of the activity on their group's wiki page. The reflections would act as a counter to the all too easy copy-and-paste method of some of the less industrious students. Students may not be so prone to plagiarism if they know that they have to think about and share their thoughts on what they are doing. Some forms of reflection employed could be the 3-2-1 method or the KWLQ framework. As a deterrent, any forms of plagiarism will be dealt with strictly ranging from being ungraded to detention depending on the extent of the copying.
3. Cyberwellness education
Before the start of e-learning week, I would take a session to highlight the issues of Cyberwellness to the students face to face. The session would touch on the two principles of Cyberwellness: 'Respect for Others' and 'Safe and Responsible Use'. Relevant links would also be put up on the wiki page to reinforce the concept of Cyberwellness.
4. Involving parents
Prior to e-learning week, if the school has not already done so, I would inform parents through e-mail or letter about the nature of e-learning week and some of the precautions that they can take in their child's online learning journey. I would include advice such as use of family-safe internet filters, location of the family computer and appropriate parental supervision.
Sources:
Chai, Ching Sing; ICT for self-directed and collaborative learning; Chapter 8
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Eugene's response to E-learning activity, Scenario 1-Activity B
Scenario 1, Activity B
Survey on Computer Literacy
Mrs Xing has several implementation issues which could be avoided. First and foremost, Mrs Xing could have asked prior to the lesson, as to how many of the students had prior computer knowledge before the actual lesson in the lab. This could be in the form of a survey for example, which asks for computer literacy levels.
Assignment of Computer Literate Students
If her class has a size of 40, Mrs Xing should then assign 1computer literate student to 3 students, and if there are any extra computer literate students or (appointed computer reps), they can help out any other student who needs help. This is to be done beforehand.
Establishment of Rules and Regulations
Mrs Xing then has to establish rules and regulations before classes start. 1) She could establish that no computers are to be switched on until she instructs so. 2) The computer reps are then to sit with a non-computer literate student. Once Mrs Xing instructs students to switch on their computers, computer reps are to start their own computers, show the other 3 attachees how to start and load up the computer. Following that the students will try it on their own.
Signalling attention or for help
Mrs Xing then could use colored cups as highlighted in the video. Blue signals everything’s ok, and red signaling that help is required. Students could put the red cups up once they have problems, and the nearest computer rep is to attend to the student requiring help.
Signalling for students' attention
She could establish that should she require student’s attention she will dim the lights (as per the video). Another alternative is for Mrs Xing to see if the school has a master software which controls the computers in the lab.
Editing Of Work and submission
Mrs Xing could assign each student to another, so that students are able to edit each other’s work and offer opinions and criticism. They are to use the track changes tool for this. This will allow better use of student’s time, especially when they finish all about the same time. The students are then to revise their narratives and then submit it to Mrs Xing’s shared folder for her action after class. This will also allow students a chance to ‘manage their time and conduct self-check on their progress...’ (textbook)
Hopefully with these implementations in place, her english lesson using ict could run more effectively.
Survey on Computer Literacy
Mrs Xing has several implementation issues which could be avoided. First and foremost, Mrs Xing could have asked prior to the lesson, as to how many of the students had prior computer knowledge before the actual lesson in the lab. This could be in the form of a survey for example, which asks for computer literacy levels.
Assignment of Computer Literate Students
If her class has a size of 40, Mrs Xing should then assign 1computer literate student to 3 students, and if there are any extra computer literate students or (appointed computer reps), they can help out any other student who needs help. This is to be done beforehand.
Establishment of Rules and Regulations
Mrs Xing then has to establish rules and regulations before classes start. 1) She could establish that no computers are to be switched on until she instructs so. 2) The computer reps are then to sit with a non-computer literate student. Once Mrs Xing instructs students to switch on their computers, computer reps are to start their own computers, show the other 3 attachees how to start and load up the computer. Following that the students will try it on their own.
Signalling attention or for help
Mrs Xing then could use colored cups as highlighted in the video. Blue signals everything’s ok, and red signaling that help is required. Students could put the red cups up once they have problems, and the nearest computer rep is to attend to the student requiring help.
Signalling for students' attention
She could establish that should she require student’s attention she will dim the lights (as per the video). Another alternative is for Mrs Xing to see if the school has a master software which controls the computers in the lab.
Editing Of Work and submission
Mrs Xing could assign each student to another, so that students are able to edit each other’s work and offer opinions and criticism. They are to use the track changes tool for this. This will allow better use of student’s time, especially when they finish all about the same time. The students are then to revise their narratives and then submit it to Mrs Xing’s shared folder for her action after class. This will also allow students a chance to ‘manage their time and conduct self-check on their progress...’ (textbook)
Hopefully with these implementations in place, her english lesson using ict could run more effectively.
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