Sunday, March 22, 2009
sad to end
when we first began this ICT course, I was overwhelmed with the workload.. tiny updates on Pbwiki, weekly blogging, etc. but we gradually got used to it, and upon looking back, I'm actually thankful for all of that cos it helped me learn alot! there's truth in the saying that one must do before one can learn, I guess? :)
it's been a great term with ICT! the games we played, the various collaboration softwares we were exposed to, the critical thinking we were pushed to explore, etc. the most useful tool will probably be Pbwiki -- I'm using it for soooo many of my other projects! strangely, other trainees (not in our ICT class) are not the least bit familiar with Pbwiki at all. hmmmm.
Dr Ashley has been actively engaging us in the course by involving us in the lessons through the use of games, Mindmeister, Pbwiki, etc. exposure to these and Second Life, as an educational tool has allowed us to explore and 'experience' what our students will be involved in in future. such experential learning on our part allows us to better know the benefits and limitations of each tool. at the end of every lesson, reflection takes place is various forms... blogs, concept maps, critiquing others' Pbwiki. all these pushes us to engage in critical thinking! I guess if all these weren't instructed, I wouldn't think critically by myself. it seems to me like it's a 'skill' that must be slowly built up?
amazing, eye-catching presentations such as that done by Prezi.com were used to grasp our attention during a lecture-style lesson last friday. that's something I found really refreshing; away from microsoft ppt. which we're all so bored with. I feel such innovations will be important to grab students' attention in future, and once we've gotten them "on the hook", it'll be easier to facilitate their learning and promote reflective ideas.
the strategy that I'd use for my students will probably to actively engage them in doing reflections. by assessing what they've personally obtained from the lesson, it can always lead to further queries and expansion of ideas.... which is good, cos if they actually went one step further to research for answers, such independent learning will enable them to retain information which they found were meaningful. we should try to move away from the usual "spoon-feeding" cirriculum in schools as I find that one will learn more effectively by self-exploration. I will also introduce online collaboration tools such as google docs and Cmap as I believe in teaching them "soft" skills like social interaction skills, and what better way than to get them to cooperate together? peer-teaching as a result, will also be beneficial.
we're nearing the end of the course and I really would like to thank Dr Ashley for all his efforts in coming up with such creative and engaging lessons each time! :) the exposure to the various tools has really been useful, and this course has been a fantastic training ground for us to be IT-savvy teachers. now I'm more confident of entering into the school and suggesting ways on how to "use ICT for engaged learning"! :)
it's been a great term with ICT! the games we played, the various collaboration softwares we were exposed to, the critical thinking we were pushed to explore, etc. the most useful tool will probably be Pbwiki -- I'm using it for soooo many of my other projects! strangely, other trainees (not in our ICT class) are not the least bit familiar with Pbwiki at all. hmmmm.
Dr Ashley has been actively engaging us in the course by involving us in the lessons through the use of games, Mindmeister, Pbwiki, etc. exposure to these and Second Life, as an educational tool has allowed us to explore and 'experience' what our students will be involved in in future. such experential learning on our part allows us to better know the benefits and limitations of each tool. at the end of every lesson, reflection takes place is various forms... blogs, concept maps, critiquing others' Pbwiki. all these pushes us to engage in critical thinking! I guess if all these weren't instructed, I wouldn't think critically by myself. it seems to me like it's a 'skill' that must be slowly built up?
amazing, eye-catching presentations such as that done by Prezi.com were used to grasp our attention during a lecture-style lesson last friday. that's something I found really refreshing; away from microsoft ppt. which we're all so bored with. I feel such innovations will be important to grab students' attention in future, and once we've gotten them "on the hook", it'll be easier to facilitate their learning and promote reflective ideas.
the strategy that I'd use for my students will probably to actively engage them in doing reflections. by assessing what they've personally obtained from the lesson, it can always lead to further queries and expansion of ideas.... which is good, cos if they actually went one step further to research for answers, such independent learning will enable them to retain information which they found were meaningful. we should try to move away from the usual "spoon-feeding" cirriculum in schools as I find that one will learn more effectively by self-exploration. I will also introduce online collaboration tools such as google docs and Cmap as I believe in teaching them "soft" skills like social interaction skills, and what better way than to get them to cooperate together? peer-teaching as a result, will also be beneficial.
we're nearing the end of the course and I really would like to thank Dr Ashley for all his efforts in coming up with such creative and engaging lessons each time! :) the exposure to the various tools has really been useful, and this course has been a fantastic training ground for us to be IT-savvy teachers. now I'm more confident of entering into the school and suggesting ways on how to "use ICT for engaged learning"! :)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
iN2015
the visit to COTF was a very cool experience! but i found it to be very futuristic and will be uncomfortable if all the classrooms were to be like that in future -- everything so high-tech and digitalized.
it's useful and convenient for the exchange of data just by tapping one's personal device onto a platform, as well as communications with overseas expertise. the iN2015 video revealed the significant integration of technology into daily lives... and particularly useful and handy for educational fieldtrips.
my concern about having such high-tech environment is the loss of teacher-student interactions, which i feel is important to promote rapport and understanding of the students so as to effectively help them. another issue will be the high usage of electronic products which is contrary to the "Green movement". with such convenient tools to access huge amounts of resources, will our students of the future be made 'lazy' through the usage of these? with minimal need to even hold a pen during learning or practice.
another issue i'm concerned with is the cost of such classrooms. unless the government is paying for all these technologies, how will all students be entitled to a personal device each? will the lower-income students be left out? i personally don't see any justification to put an additional financial burden on their parents.
i appreciate the novelty of the iN2015 idea but think it should only be integrated in only certain parts of education. maybe i'm "traditional"... but i still believe in paper, pen and ICT tools to enable/ enhance. NIE is preparing us by having the ICT course to create awareness of the technologies available for teaching, and its benefits. this, i feel, is a step towards preparing us to embrace the iN2015 movement. well, that's less than 10 yrs from now! if all classrooms of the future were to be really like that.... i'd better start changing my mindset to keep up with times! afterall, change is inevitable for continual improvement right? ;)
it's useful and convenient for the exchange of data just by tapping one's personal device onto a platform, as well as communications with overseas expertise. the iN2015 video revealed the significant integration of technology into daily lives... and particularly useful and handy for educational fieldtrips.
my concern about having such high-tech environment is the loss of teacher-student interactions, which i feel is important to promote rapport and understanding of the students so as to effectively help them. another issue will be the high usage of electronic products which is contrary to the "Green movement". with such convenient tools to access huge amounts of resources, will our students of the future be made 'lazy' through the usage of these? with minimal need to even hold a pen during learning or practice.
another issue i'm concerned with is the cost of such classrooms. unless the government is paying for all these technologies, how will all students be entitled to a personal device each? will the lower-income students be left out? i personally don't see any justification to put an additional financial burden on their parents.
i appreciate the novelty of the iN2015 idea but think it should only be integrated in only certain parts of education. maybe i'm "traditional"... but i still believe in paper, pen and ICT tools to enable/ enhance. NIE is preparing us by having the ICT course to create awareness of the technologies available for teaching, and its benefits. this, i feel, is a step towards preparing us to embrace the iN2015 movement. well, that's less than 10 yrs from now! if all classrooms of the future were to be really like that.... i'd better start changing my mindset to keep up with times! afterall, change is inevitable for continual improvement right? ;)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Second Life
The last lesson was filled with tummy-aching laughter as we played Second Life. The game provided opportunities to experience situations and abilities that would otherwise be impossible or too expensive to carry out in real-life. For example, avatars could fly or teleport from place to place; and physical looks could be customized to suit oneself. I feel that Second Life would benefit low self-esteem individuals as they're able to build their self-confidence in the virtual world and provide opportunities that would seem 'intimidating' for them in reality.
Places could be created in Second Life and this would be a viable resource for virtual fieldtrips as it is inexpensive and not subjected to safety or unpredictable weather conditions. This would help tremendously in teaching as students (in the form of their avatars) could interact with the environment in Second Life and engage in active learning. It'll also be a platform for students to learn 'soft' skills such as interpersonal relationships.
This Youtube video addresses the 'science' aspect of Second Life. I find it particularly useful as 3D images and animations are incorporated, which would aid students in learning. The ability to zoom into details (eg: going into a cell and exploring intracellular components) will raise students' excitement and motivation to learn. Lab and clinical sessions are also useful for hands-on experiences, which would otherwise be impossible in real life due to security and professional reasons (eg: access to surgery room only available to medical personnels). Besides engaging in activities, theory details can be embedded in boards that are located around the island. The presence of an auditorium simulates classroom conditions online, but with the added benefit that collaboration between students of different countries around the world is possible. This will facilitate exchange of ideas and learning strategies that are being taught differently in the various countries; students will be able to gain insights as they interact.
In my free time, I will embark to explore Second Life as I see the potential of it in classroom teaching and learning. It is and innovative way to incorporate the syllabus and I'm sure the tech-savvy students will appreciate it! In addition, they may even be encouraged and motivated to explore Second Life in their homes, and in the process, pick up new information and unconsciously internalize them!
Places could be created in Second Life and this would be a viable resource for virtual fieldtrips as it is inexpensive and not subjected to safety or unpredictable weather conditions. This would help tremendously in teaching as students (in the form of their avatars) could interact with the environment in Second Life and engage in active learning. It'll also be a platform for students to learn 'soft' skills such as interpersonal relationships.
This Youtube video addresses the 'science' aspect of Second Life. I find it particularly useful as 3D images and animations are incorporated, which would aid students in learning. The ability to zoom into details (eg: going into a cell and exploring intracellular components) will raise students' excitement and motivation to learn. Lab and clinical sessions are also useful for hands-on experiences, which would otherwise be impossible in real life due to security and professional reasons (eg: access to surgery room only available to medical personnels). Besides engaging in activities, theory details can be embedded in boards that are located around the island. The presence of an auditorium simulates classroom conditions online, but with the added benefit that collaboration between students of different countries around the world is possible. This will facilitate exchange of ideas and learning strategies that are being taught differently in the various countries; students will be able to gain insights as they interact.
In my free time, I will embark to explore Second Life as I see the potential of it in classroom teaching and learning. It is and innovative way to incorporate the syllabus and I'm sure the tech-savvy students will appreciate it! In addition, they may even be encouraged and motivated to explore Second Life in their homes, and in the process, pick up new information and unconsciously internalize them!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
the fun way of learning
From the James Gee video, I've learnt several things:
It is true. In order to compete with China and India, we'll need to learn creatively. With China and India having such bombastic populations, and if they can thrive with the drill-and-practise style of "learning", how then can we maintain our competitive edge? Just like we must constantly upgrade ourselves to be relevant in the working society, we must also constantly review our methods of learning and teaching to remain relevant in the world today. I do hope to see games being integrated into the system soon, I do believe students will better enjoy learning this way and learn more effectively!
- Gaming allows players to solve problems, collaboratively.
- Gaming assesses the player throughout, and this form of assessment is "fun" - students won't dread it!
- Games don't separate learning and assessment.
- Allows players to experience situations/ places that would otherwise be too expensive to go to in real life.
- Provides "language just in time" whereby information is given that the player will need the very next moment.
- Textbooks and curriculum actually "deprofessionalize" teachers, taking away their creativity in creating what and how students learn in classrooms
- Learning is best when one models and learn together.
It is true. In order to compete with China and India, we'll need to learn creatively. With China and India having such bombastic populations, and if they can thrive with the drill-and-practise style of "learning", how then can we maintain our competitive edge? Just like we must constantly upgrade ourselves to be relevant in the working society, we must also constantly review our methods of learning and teaching to remain relevant in the world today. I do hope to see games being integrated into the system soon, I do believe students will better enjoy learning this way and learn more effectively!
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]