I’m honestly not IT savvy, I prefer the pencil and paper rather than staring down a computer screen. While using the computer, I sometimes feel disconnected from appreciating the things around me. I was from a generation of students, whose teachers used the chalkboard and different colours of chalk to illustrate ionic bonding between the sodium ion and chloride ion. The closest interaction with technology was the overhead projector. I am not complaining though, lessons were fun and the classroom was lively. We always felt engaged and learning did not feel like a chore.
As we move into the 21st century, we are constantly evolving. We seek means to adapt to the changing landscape. Just as animals have evolved to survive the ice age, humans or homo sapiens have evolved from using stone tools in 50,000 B.C. to using technology for solving their problems. For instance, banks employ the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) daily. From automated-teller machines to internet banking, where users can make financial decisions at home. Other examples would be the internet, allowing for easy access to information to make critical decisions, online-shopping, online-delivery, EZ-link cards, Light rapid transit system, sending e-mails, creating databases, registration, storing information, SMS-ing and etc… etc… We have become immersed in technology. Our lives and lifestyle has evolved with technology, so much so, that most people cannot survive without technology.
Failure to evolve, as seen in nature, means extinction. The dodo bird, native to Mauritius
Prem - I agree with you too Praga. I too (me abit older lah) came from an era of chalk board and chalk dust. My teacher used to throw the duster at my face when i kept on talking only to later me wiping off the chalk on my face. Those were the times when the OHP was used and i used to marval at the speed the fan (radiator) used to spin and would put my hand on the edge to feel the warmth. IT has changed alot and we need to embrace it or we lose it. I better get a facebookie...
ReplyDeleteHi :) I'm nt IT savvy as well :P I signed up for a bunch of courses next week, conducted by the IT dept haha Its available on our NIE portal come join me if u like :) will forward you my dates, join if ur timetable allows ya :)
ReplyDeleteI think I’m also of the generation that got stuck in the middle of nowhere. We are born in the era where computers were expensive and internet connection is slow and disrupts our landline calls. As the world introduces more technological advancements, we are swept away and now here we are, better than our fathers but worse than our children. So this is the time where we learn to upgrade and improve ourselves to give us the capacity to teach our younger generation the spirit of learning and the importance of ICT in the ‘Global Village’. Indeed, many elderly who have yet to reach retirement age were laid off due to their inability to use the ‘system’. To avoid this situation, it is important that our students start young and inculcate the spirit of self-directed learning.
ReplyDeleteI was reading your post :) I realize you're quite right. I love teaching with a chalkboard if there still is one :) haha Lecturers from MIT Still use a chalkboard to teach. They use ICT as a means of communication instead of a teaching tool. They present test-dates, lecture venues and things like that.
ReplyDeleteI also think it depends on the subject... certain subjects/topic can be taught via ICT but others still require didactic teaching. I guess its a belief. I also think the student demographics matter.
Everything is digitized nowadays. There must be a threshold level of IT knowledge. As in everyone should be able to use... maybe X, Y and Z part of a computer... :) sorry my description not so good :)
All in all,
1. Everything is digitized or becoming digitized therefore there must be a threshold level of IT knowledge in every student ( Where are we gg to set the benchmark at?)
2. Subject content/ the subject/topic matter when you are planning an ICT lesson.
3. Beliefs of the teacher is another factor :)
Thanks for reading :)
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ReplyDeleteHang Chai-
ReplyDeleteI think we are talking about one basic question. How much is the incrementatl benefit of ICT teaching in class as compare to using blackboard and chalk?
I agree with Aulis that it is a dilemma that we know that IT is necessary and need to equip students with the skills. On the other hand, we did not let the students understand the requirement or the objectives. As the subject content/syllabus is still not focusing on IT teaching, we can see that different schools implemented and used IT differently. We have future school with high tech classrooms, some neighbourhood school with the basic visualiser and old PC on the other end, I think teachers are trying to adapt their lesson to the expectation of MOE.
End of the day, students are concerned with scoring well in "O" level, and not so much on the hand-on skill that they only touched few times in a year.
Just like any lesson, the level of engagement is very important. Does ICT help to improve the engagement level? I have no answer to this since there are many factors involved and not just ICT, eg teacher's ability, infrastructure, student's self motivation, the computer program and/or worksheet, the syllabus that really need ICT to explain, etc. But I would say that with one more tool(ICT) on hand, it means to teacher, we have another method to teach.