QLK 501 E-Learning 2 Assignment

Through this course, I have come to realise that I really need to work on my intonation whenever I communicate to my audience. Initially, I thought that my biggest problem was voice projection as I'm naturally a soft-spoken person. However, this course has created the awareness that there are actually more areas that I need to improve on.

It is definitely beneficial to have the techniques required to overcome my weak points and this course has provided substantial amount of solutions for that. With time and practice, I really hope that I will emerge a better communicator during practicum and in general as well.

How ICT has impacted me?

As seen from my own personal experience, the use of ICT tools in conducting lessons in the classroom has definitely brought about a positive impact. It has made the process even more feasible, and more efficient.

Initially, before using those tools in class, I had been quite skeptical in the sense that I always thought it would be troublesome to set the laptop and visualizer up, and I foresee myself to panic if any technical problems were to occur. However, luck has been on my side thankfully. I would definitely support the use of ICT to enhance my teaching methods and to allow my students to learn better.

3 ICT Masterplans

Masterplan 1 has already been successfully implemented by 2002. With the aims of enhancing linkages between schools and the world around, generating innovative processes in education, and enhancing creative thinking, lifelong learning and social responsibility, Singapore has established a platform for all its schools to incorporate ICT into their curriculum.

With a solid foundation already laid from the first masterplan, Masterplan 2 was implemented right after. Some of the desired outcomes include teachers using ICT effectively for professional and personal growth and students use ICT effectively for active learning. Indeed by 2008, both teachers and students alike were noted to be competent in using ICT tools namely the internet and email, with some schools exceeding the expectation of the masterplan's outcome.

In 2009, Masterplan 3 was crafted to continue this legacy up till 2014. It aims to continue the visions of the first and second Masterplans.

I believe that it is crucial and essential for Singapore to develop and implement these 3 Masterplans so that our education system - teachers and students - can sustain an edge above others. It has been proven that the first two Masterplans created a positive impact on the two groups mentioned. Therefore, the third one should be developed further to value add them in terms of improving the teachers' teaching methodology and the students' ability to acquire as much knowledge as possible in a very interactive and interesting medium.

Enhanced School Experience: Classroom Observation of ICT Use

Part 1: Specific Observations

School Name: Jing Shan Primary School
Class: 3-5

Profile:

Jan 2011 - This was my first time being a Primary Three form teacher. During the first briefing by the level head, I was told that the dynamics of my form class is such that the students are of mixed abilities namely the middle-ability and the low-ability. In terms of the academic performance ranking within the level, 3-5 belongs to the second lowest. While the majority of the students are locals, there are a few international students - 3 from China, 1 from Philippines and another from Myanmar. Being their English and Maths teacher, I anticipated that one of my biggest challenges would be communication where language is concerned. The delivery of lesson should be kept simple and easy enough for everyone to understand. In addition, adhering to the saying that "A picture speaks a thousand words", I keep in mind that visual teaching can help these students to understand a new concept better.

During an English lesson, while we were going through one of the STELLAR exercises, I introduced the students to the word "domino". The students had to form a "simile" sentence to describe how a building collapses. While some students could roughly explain what a "domino" is, there were several who seemed to be clueless. It was actually an impromptu thing from my part to introduce this word to them. Since there was still ample time left after we completed the exercise, I decided to show the class a YouTube video on falling dominoes, using the classroom PC.

Having a classroom PC to get access to the video and having a projector to project it on a big screen has definitely helped in the teaching and learning of the word, both for the teacher myself and the students respectively. Due to the availability of these ICT tools in the classroom, I was able to present a visually enhanced explanation of the word to the whole class, which in my opinion was very convenient. I could just adopt a verbal approach to put across the same message. However, there are students who may not be able to grasp it wholesomely. When the students were watching the video on falling dominoes on YouTube, I heard some "ohh", "ahh" and "wah" from them. I took that as an indication that they have understood what they have seen and what I was trying to teach them.

Although this may seem to be a minute example, I believe it has proven to a certain extent that ICT can possibly assist the teacher to provide a clearer explanation to students, especially for a class with mixed abilities and a language barrier.

Part 2: General Observation

Through a couple of sit-ins and random observation, I noticed that several teachers have utilised ICT tools in their lessons, especially for Maths and Science. I remembered a Primary Four form teacher was casually sharing her experience teaching Maths with her class. Her class academic performance is ranked the lowest in the level, therefore she adopts a more fun, visually appealing and interactive way to conduct her lessons. For an exercise on mental multiplication, she used an interactive software found in "www.matheletics.com". Her students were very much engrossed in answering the multiplication questions as it is presented in a form of a racing car game, whereby a correct answer allows "their car" to move ahead. She knows that her students tend to have a short attention span, hence the interactive software proved to be an effective way of conducting the particular lesson. In her own words, she concluded that she "sees so much possibilities for (her) class when it comes to online learning".