3rd Blog Entry: Making Connection Between your ESE and the Masterplans for ICT in Education

From what I have gathered from all the 3 Masterplans in ICT in education, the key dimensions of the Masterplans have all been explored, and that both the teachers and the students have achieved the goals effectively. In my Enhanced School Experience, I analysed that the 1^st Masterplan has set good foundation for further opportunities to tap into the info-communications area. Due to the stable and sturdy foundation, teachers are trained to incorporate ICT into their teaching. This also led to a shift towards better balance between acquisition of factual knowledge and mastery of concepts and skills. Teachers would use ICT tools to construct the subjects’ curriculum and assessment, in turn, the students would have to learn the relevant skills to apply their knowledge to answer the challenging problems. I have seen this situation in Bedok Town Secondary where the students are already equipped with prior IT knowledge due to the strong foundation of ICT usage in primary school educational level. Also, on the teachers’ side, they have acquired the basic competencies in integrating ICT into the curriculum, and also accepted ICT as a pedagogical tool in the classroom. 


Masterplan 2 is a notch above Masterplan 1 in integrating ICT in education. With more research and development done during Masterplan1, Masterplan 2 had a more structured direction for ICT in education. In Bedok Town Secondary School, I saw that the staff support encourages the usage of ICT in many areas – the school even installed computers at the canteen as a form of encouragement to students to actively use ICT to enhance their knowledge. From this aspect, I could see that schools are supportive using ICT as a form of pedagogical tool to learn and to teach. In my school, we even have an ICT department that helps to facilitate the Interactive White Board system – with adequate IT staff support and the constantly upgraded software for the ICT development in education. 


In my perspective, I think Bedok Town Secondary School exhibits many of activities in accordance to Masterplan 3. As mentioned in my 1^st blog entry, Bedok Town Secondary emphasizes on the use of ICT for class teaching. My mentor, Miss Lim, frequently uses the IWB to teach comprehension and summary writing. She incorporated the important concept of Self-Directed Learning together with Collaborative Learning concept of Masterplan 3. In Miss Lim’s class, she often requires her students to engage in ‘Think-Pair-Share’ method in doing class assignments. Using the ‘Think-Pair-Share’ method together with ICT, the students are required to discuss the questions in pairs, and share with the class by writing their answers on the IWB. In this way, the students take pride in ownership of their work by sharing with their fellow peers. Using the IWB as a platform to share is beneficial as every student can focus on 1 main wide screen and discuss together either in pairs or as a class. In this manner, Bedok Town Secondary School has achieved in attaining the key concepts of Masterplan 3 as the students are very much engaged in Self-Directed Learning and Collaborative Learning.  As for the teachers, they are often required to attend IT workshops to upgrade on the IT skills and the usage of technological software and hardware. For example, one of the lower secondary school teachers in Bedok Town used the software, Hot Potatoes, as a form of assessment in the English Language class. Using Hot Potatoes is a fun and innovative way to engage the lower secondary school students as it is a more hands-on approach to learning instead of pure reading from the textbook. Also, the teachers in Bedok Town often encourage the lower secondary school students to use IT during the lessons, for example, Facebook. The students also created Facebook groups for their classes as a form of cohesive bonding among themselves. The teacher’s role in this activity is to facilitate the Internet movement of the students, and also as a form of proper guidance so as to prevent the students from falling into the traps of piracy and abusive content on the Internet. The English Department teachers also encourage ICT as a pedagogical tool – they promote blogging as one of the learning activities for students. Students in Bedok Town Secondary are encouraged to blog on their activities, and this is considered as part of the English curriculum.

Overall, my ESE in Bedok Town Secondary School was a very meaningful one because the teachers are very encouraging and cohesive. In regards to using ICT, I was definitely more exposed to what both students and teachers can benefit from using ICT in the educational system. Also, through the advice and exposure given by my mentor and teachers, I have learnt the importance of using ICT and how the IWB is beneficial in teaching the students to be more engaged and hence will actively participate in the subject learning. It is also via my ESE that I realized MOE has put in a lot of effort into researching better technologies for our nation’s future in building a more interconnected network, so as to ensure that our nation always stays relevant in face of the constant competition from other countries. 

2nd Blog entry: Masterplans for ICT in Education

For your second post, share what you think about the following:

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

- Has any of the Masterplans impacted you as a student? Share your experience of how ICT had been used in the classes you attended as a student (if applicable).

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

In my perspective, it is pertinent that MOE directs it growth towards the development of the three Masterplans for ICT in education. In face of the constant growth of all cities in the world, it is important for our nation to grow together as well. The answer to growing stronger in face of the aggressive competition against other nations is educating all citizens of Singapore in the area of technology and the Internet. I agree with the concept of ‘ICT for all’ as it will mean that all Singaporeans, regardless of age, ethnicity or religion, will get to learn how to cope with the constant changing technological advancement. With all citizens being well equipped with technological skills, the nation is then able to move forward and towards a more developed literacy for all.

Taking a step back, I shall touch on the foundation years of ICT in education of Singapore. When MOE first launched its vision “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation”, it encompassed 4 overarching goals it hoped to attain. The 1^st goal is to enhance linkages between the school and the world around it, so as to expand and enrich the learning environment. As mentioned, the world is in constant changes in the IT arena, and that our world has gradually become a global village, hence this sense of connectedness and connectivity is very pertinent to staying relevant. The 2^nd goal is to encourage creative thinking, lifelong learning and social responsibility. This goal allowed students to engage in a sort of self-directed learning where they are given the ICT tools/mediums to explore on their own so as to be engaged in higher-order thinking. The 3^rd goal is to generate innovation in education – by using ICT effectively, teachers could further explore other uses of ICT to actively engage the students in the classroom. The last goal is to promote administrative and management excellence in the education system. Masterplan 1 was very crucial, especially as a foundation level for Masterplan 2, which was launched in year 2003. The important ICT infrastructure set up in Masterplan 1 allowed Masterplan 2 to engage both students and teachers even more effectively. From the video presentation, I gather that Masterplan 2 allowed more active participation to both mainstream and elite schools (ICT for All), and that all schools could enjoy greater autonomy in deciding on the ICT provisions for the students. This also meant that the schools could enjoy greater sense of ownership of their learning. Masterplan 2 was very successful as all students have learnt some of the ICT skills by acquiring them in school. This has attained the aim of having “ICT for All”. Masterplan 3 is equally pertinent as ICT usage is a continuous process for Singapore’s educational system – by wanting to learn more at a comfortable pace. Masterplan 3 particularly highlights on 2 learning aspects – Self-Directed Learning and Collaborative Learning. In this new arena of technological advancements, students can now go on to the Internet to search for additional resources, or even ask for aid online. This self-directed learning process of going online to search for additional resources can be attributed to the attainment goals of Masterplan 1 and Masterplan 2. These 2 new learning aspects also coincided with MOE’s concept of “Teach Less, Learn More” under the “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” vision. With the emphasis on Self-Directed Learning and Collaborative Learning, students learn more about ownership of learning. Personally, I feel that ICT should encompass a huge portion of both the teachers and students’ learning of knowledge. With the emphasis on ICT, MOE’s vision is more clearly directed towards a conducive learning in face of the competitive market in the global village. As ICT is continuously upgraded with new social platforms or mediums, or even new innovative methods to teach and learn, all schools should, in accordance with MOE’s vision, build a good ICT infrastructure and have holistic support for students and teachers in ICT learning.

At the age of 24, my student years have been impacted greatly by both Masterplan 1 and Masterplan 2 during my pre-university years. I remember vividly that my primary school teachers used CD-ROMs to cultivate our understanding towards Music and other subjects as well. Besides using the CD-ROMs, I also remember that the national television would broadcast several educational programmes on certain channels and that all of us watched during our school time. We were also given some videos to watch during school time, which I thought it was very interesting. In my secondary school days, a different set of ICT tools were used for our learning. I remember going up to the Over Head Projector (OHP) to answer my teachers’ questions on the transparency sheets. Much later, my teachers started using the visualizer, together with the projector to flash their materials on the screen that was shone on the whiteboard. The latter technological tool was a better one because all my friends and I could focus on 1 particular big screen. Sometimes, my teacher would use her/his personal laptop to connect with the screen and visualizer. When I was a student, I was very interested whenever my teacher used her laptop to screen her materials. We would watch videos and discuss about the videos. I was even more attentive when materials were prepared visually for me to study. Also, I learnt to use the scientific calculator during Science lessons, and had to key in the coordinates to get the right values and the final results. Though ICT was already used in classroom, my normal school lessons were still very much driven by hardcore drilling doing examination papers.

Based on my Enhanced School Experience in Bedok Town Secondary, I believe the current Masterplan 3 has a great impact on me as a beginning teacher. In Bedok Town Secondary, the beginning teachers are more impactful in their delivery of lessons. They often utilise the ICT tools to engage their students in active participation. The current Masterplan 3 works on the foundation of Masterplans 1 and 2 to deliver an innovative use of ICT in the Singapore educational system. From what I have gathered from Masterplan 3, teachers should be well equipped in mastering ICT. With the skills and knowledge in ICT, the teachers are now facilitators of the students’ learning. Instead of spoon-feeding the students, teachers should facilitate the students in concepts like Self-Directed Learning and Collaborative Learning. In Self-Directed Learning, teachers must first build a rapport with the students, then he/she can faciliatate the learning by the students. Under the Collaborative Learning concept, I believe beginning teachers can use various platforms to promote collaboration among students. In this way, students can learn from one another when they discuss. Also, beginning teachers can use various assessment method to test the students and also to provide feedback on individual and group learning, and performance. This in turn, can help the students to develop communication skill and interpersonal skills more effectively. 

1st Blog Entry: Classroom Observations of ICT Use

ENHANCED SCHOOL EXPERIENCE: PREPARATORY TASK FOR ICT FOR MEANINGFUL LEARNING

Enhanced School Experience: Classroom Observations of ICT Use

(I)         Specific Observations

School Name: Bedok Town Secondary School

Class: 3NA1

Profile of the class: The students were very responsive to the related ICT equipment – the Interactive White Board (IWB). Though they are streamed in the Normal Academic, their standard of English exceeds the Express Stream classes’. The students of 3NA1 are always able to instantaneously answer the teacher’s questions.

Subject: English

What ICT tools are used in the lesson: Interactive White Board and ActiveStudio software

Describe how ICT is used for teaching and learning in the lesson.

General Observation: My teacher, Miss Lim, used the Interactive White Board (IWB) as a good tool of learning for the students. IWB is one of the most utilized ICT tool in Bedok Town Secondary. The teachers there are often encouraged to use the IWB to further tap into the students’ potential in learning particular subjects. As IWB looks like a typical whiteboard in its appearance, students are not afraid to use the IWB when they come up to the board to pen down their answers. Before going for classes, she prepared the slides for IWB as the comprehension had to be re-typed into paragraphs so that the words would appear bigger and clearer to the students. ICT is especially useful for English Language teaching because using tools like the IWB can retain the students’ focus on the screen, not by pure reading their own scripts/questions. By gathering the participation of all the students in the class, the teacher is able to teach efficiently as she/he is able to capture the attention of the students.

In this particular lesson, class 3NA1 was doing their English comprehension work where the students had to exchange papers with their classmates and to check the answers of their friends’. Thereafter, the students had to write their points on the IWB. As the marking scheme was provided for the teacher, the students had to number their points to see if they had missed out any point. ICT can go hand-in-hand with conventional teaching. For example, exchanging papers with fellow classmates is a good approach as the students would know their mistakes and be corrected on the spot when the teacher points out the mistakes and correct answers on the IWB. Hence, by utilizing the IWB, it helps the students to rectify their mistakes instantaneously as the teacher goes through the papers. The ActiveStudio software which is the software that works in collaboration with the Interactive White Board system. ActiveStudio has various tools like highlighting, underlining, numbering, enlarging, zooming, drag-and-drop – all these are effective tools for the teachers to emphasize on the important points, and the students can also participate in the learning. Also, the collaboration between IWB and ActiveStudio allows both teachers and students to edit the work on the screen, and the edited work can be saved for reference. Unlike the conventional white board, the IWB is able to store and save the edited versions of work (passages, worksheets, students’ answers, etc). In addition, the IWB is a more student-centered approach in learning. My teacher gave very clear sets of Specific Instructional Objectives (SIO) at the start of the lesson. She instructed specifically to the class that they had to exchange papers with their fellow classmates, and to mark the papers. Thereafter, the students were randomly picked up to write the answers on the IWB. The students were very responsive in answering the questions. My teacher then demonstrated in answering one question as an example for the students. Generally, the students were able to follow the instructions and highlighted the important points, and they then discussed with their peers in the given 10 minutes. This collaboration of ICT with conventional teaching is very useful as the students are exposed to various answers and explanations offered by their classmates.

How do teachers in the school feel about the use of ICT for teaching and learning? (For this question, you may want to speak to the HOD/ICT and other teachers you know in the school.)

The teachers in the school feel that using the IWB is an extremely good tool for teaching and learning. Bedok Town Secondary also sets up this ICT sharing among the teachers where the teachers come together and plan their lesson plans with ICT collaboration. The teachers in the school are very much encouraged by the HOD to use IWB as IWB is able to thread towards a more student-centered approach in the students’ learning where they can further explore their potential in learning. Although the IWB is very beneficial, it has many problems as well. Usually, the teachers have to ask one of the students in the class to set up and calibrate the board first. Sometimes when the projector is not well aligned or adjusted to the screen, then the IWB will have difficulties in calibration to get it started. Also, as the software may not support the full copy-and-paste version from the powerpoint slides, it means teachers have to go type word by word to rearrange their teaching materials. In addition, the glaring sunlight outside the classroom may make the students squint their eyes to focus on the IWB. 

1st blog

1st blog