MAKING CONNECTION BETWEEN MY ESE AND MASTERPLANS FOR ICT IN EDUCATION

During my ESE programme, fortunately I got the chance to experience the school e-learning days, it lasted for 2 days, student are required to accomplish their lessons and assignments through school’s ‘Ask and Learn’ e-learning portal, so they didn’t have to come to school for 2 days.

From my observation of the e-learning, I found those students are quite independent in the whole e-learning process. Most of them are able to complete the work on their own after the instructions are given and without much pushing. In that sense, for teacher, teaching becomes much easier and efficient; for students, learning becomes more interesting and effective. According to the students’ participation statistic upon this e-learning programme, students responded actively in the whole learning process. From here we see that the use of ICT are actually helping the students in moulding a self-directed learning habit, they are manage to discipline themselves without anyone looking after. To mould a self-directed learner is also one of the desired outcomes from 21^st century competencies; this could happen with the use of ICT.

Other than students’ improvement, the achievement of infrastructure has also stepped forward in these years; I believe that most of the schools are fully equipped with ICT facilities. This improvement enables students and teachers enjoy teaching and learning by making good use of those facilities.

MASTERPLANS FOR ICT IN EDUCATION

· In your opinion, why do you think it is important for MOE to develop the three Master plans for ICT in education?

In my opinion, there are 3 important factors that MOE develops the three Master plans for ICT in education:

Ø Tendency- Globalization of the media brings students closer to the world outside, they have more contact and linkages without the classroom, school, even go beyond the nation. Besides, the rapid evolution of technologies creates much opportunity for the youngster to build connection with others, to grip information and to discover knowledge easily with different tools and platforms. So, as an educator, MOE plays a very important role to have a sense of this tendency, and take action on innovating effective teaching and learning strategies to suit young generation nowadays.

Ø Competency- The world now is a technologically advanced society; lots of information and communication conducted and managed relying on technology, so ICT play a very important role and as a tool, in mastering information and knowledge worldwide. The ability of mastering ICT is as important as holding information and knowledge, because to be able to use ICT is a precondition of effective learning. Therefore, with these 3 Master plans in education, it would be an advantage for Singapore students to go further in their learning field.

Ø Efficiency- Self-directed learning is also one of the 21^st century competencies under MOE guideline, to attain this goal, it’s not only about moulding a self-directed learning habit, but it also requires effective and efficient learning methods and strategies especially in this rapid growing world. In that sense, manage to master ICT can actually accelerate the learning process and progress. So, I think this is why ICT was being introduced into education field since 90’s in Singapore.

· Based on your enhanced school experience, how do you think the current Master plan 3 may affect your role(s) as a beginning teacher?

The 3^rd Master plan emphasizes on developing competencies for self-directed and collaborative learning of every student through the effective use of ICT. So, as a teacher, our roles are not only designing the lessons with ICT elements to engage students’ interests in particular subject, but to orient them to self-directed and collaborative learning and to guide them the appropriate way of using ICT. Therefore, as beginning teachers, we have to recognize the Master plan’s goals, students’ way of learning, and the ICT infrastructure of schools, so that we can have the capacity of the teaching and learning possibility in mind to do further planning.

MY ENHANCED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

Straight after graduation trip, I have been put into a pre-NIE enhanced school experience (ESE). Yuan Ching Secondary School (YCSS) was the one I have been posted to. My teaching subject is Chinese Language. I was arranged to observe 4 classes during my 4-weeks attachment. And very fortunately, I had the opportunity to experience the school e-learning. Students are required to accomplish their work on certain time through the school e-learning portal called ‘Ask and Learn Portal’. By the time, they no need to come to school for 2 days.

During my secondary school time, I didn’t have opportunity to experience such thing. Then, I was very itching to get on with this e-learning. Thank to my mentor and the school ICT HOD, I was given an account to access the ‘Ask and Learn Portal’, so that I can observe the process and progress of students’ e-learning.

My mentor has designed a Chinese idioms lesson for her 3E1 class. Those selected idioms are not from their textbook, the reason of selecting materials out of syllabus for e-learning lesson is because 3E1 has already completed the certain syllabus at that time, and my mentor wanted them to go beyond their text and gripped some resources about Chinese Idioms from internet. In that senses, the objectives of this e-learning lesson are not only to teach Chinese idioms, but to let students know that there are much more materials and resources out there on the internet for reference and also to encourage them to do their own learning.

The outline of the lesson is students were instructed to browse certain related videos with URL link provided; those videos are the background information, such as the history or the origin of the Chinese Idioms. The stories and explanations are presented using animation; this is one of the ways to engage students’ attention and interest. After finish viewing the videos, they are required to do a worksheet to test whether they are fully understand the meaning of those idioms and to consolidate what they have learnt. The worksheet consists of MCQs; fill in the blanks, and sentence-makings. Students were required to submit the worksheet online on time as the participation of their e-learning lesson.

Although the lessons were not conducted in class but on internet platform, from the result of their worksheet can tell that they are manage to catch something new on their own. In what I have seen, this is also a way to apply ‘Teach less, learn more’ concept and it really attains the goal under this concept. Teacher is to provide the tools for students to catch their own fish but not feeding them the fish, so I think this also meets the target of ICT too!

However, during the 2-days e-learning, teachers are still busy around in the office, sometimes even busier because they have to work on those students who failed to log in the portal, and the busy network system. I saw my mentor stayed in front of the computer for most of the time to keep track of her students’ participation. She told me that the use of ICT is a tendency of now a day teaching and learning method, it accords with the habit of the internet user which our students are now. She also said that not every lesson is suited to be conducted using ICT method, especially language subject, because too much reliance on technologies students will lose the basic abilities, and she stressed that ICT is a very powerful tool for those who use it appropriately.