Tuesday, 30 July 2013
INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD
When you sit at a computer and want to control the cursor you might use a mouse; a human interface device that is designed to allow you to activate icons and other features of the software running on your machine. An interactive whiteboard is exactly the same thing. It is simply a giant mouse that allows you to control the computer connected to it through a large image projected from the front of the classroom. The board itself is not a computer, it does not have a CDRom slot on the side (no matter how hard you look) it relies completely on having a computer or laptop and a data projector working with it. This means that whatever you would normally run from your computer can work with the interactive whiteboard. All of the software that you might run from the comfort of your desk can now be run from the front of the classroom. The left mouse button becomes your finger on the SMART or other touch sensitive/camera based boards or the nib of the digital pen on the Promethean board.
Instructional video in teaching and learning
INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching makes acquisition of knowledge and skills possible through systematic interaction between teachers and learners. It happens everyday and involves teacher, learner, methodology and materials interaction. Part of these materials are known as instructional resources.
The use of instructional materials in teaching process provide the basis for improved teaching and learning of a subject. They are designed, produced and use to achieve specific instructional goal. Ayinde (1997) opined that an intelligent use of audio-visual aids will save time and stimulate students’ interest. It increase the retention of knowledge and stimulate understanding and attitude.
They help students to recognize a problem. Provide solution and summarize discussion. Moreso, they facilitate independent study, aid communication, create a variety of sensory and makes instruction more powerful and immediate.
Alaku (1998) stated that teachers’ effectiveness depends on his use of appropriate instructional strategies and audiovisual aids. Appropriate instructional strategies portray good teaching techniques and successful learning. They assist students to enjoy and understand lessons easily especially when they are attached with appropriate methodology.
Video is a very important example of instructional materials. Oguntuase (2008) defined it as a record on any medium through which a moving image may by any means be produced. They are derivative works which are usually based on original literacy, dramatic, musical and artistic works.
Teachers are now expected to make use of video for mass media teaching or learning. A good instrument towards achieving this is television which possess seeing and hearing qualities that makes more effective teaching and learning. According to Alaku (1998) video play vital role in teaching and learning. When used effectively, it stimulates interest among the pupils and induces longer retention of factual ideas as the children come into contact with what is being taught.
Kindler (2006) as quoted by Fakunle (2008) declared that people generally remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, 50% of what they hear and see, 70% of what they say and 90% of what they say as they do a thing. Also, National Teacher Institute (2006) stated that Chinese concluded that: I hear; I forget, I see; I remember, I do; I understand. Hence from the illustration above, since video has to do with hearing and seeing it could be suggested that it is a vital tool of learning and teaching.
However, for video to be effective, it must be available, easy to use, well maintained, adequately funded and experts must be available. It is alarming to note that virtually all r teacher do not make use of instructional materials to deliver lessons.
Reflection of learning 2
MY SECOND REFLECTION
It had been 3 weeks, since we started the class. Dr.Siti had been very helpful to me in terms of providing help when i didn't understand certain parts in the lecture that she gave.
Although i am the only student, she kept on the spirit to give me the input that i needed on the learning content. Every Wednesday and Thursday there will be a 3 hours class per day with her at her office. Those 3 hours will be fully utilized to provide the input that i need and she makes sure that i had questions at the end of the session.
One of the lesson that she taught me is about the interactive whiteboard skills. Although i had learnt about the skills earlier, Dr.Siti insist on teaching me again just to make sure that i had not forgotten it.
Although the interactive whiteboard in the faculty is out of order, we learnt the lesson through the simulations in it's software and through online resources. I enjoyed the session very much as i am able to practice something that is very innovative.
Reflection Of Learning
The class had been going on since the 1st of July 2013 and this was the first class that i attended in this semester after my long break from studies. At first, i was afraid to attend the class because i had no idea who the lecturer was and how the course will be conducted as i am the only student taking the course!!!
My fear was gone after i met the lecturer; Dr. Siti, she had been very supportive and a very good guide for me in this course. She handled the class professionally and i had enjoyed my learning sessions with her.
The first week was about topic that we need to cover, the assignments and also the class dates and timetables. I had an insight of the course and although it seems to be a lot of topic to be covered within a short period of time but my lecturer gave me an assurance that i can do it if i am hardworking enough.
The first thing that i had to do was to start blogging as it will be my first ongoing assessment. i started to blog about the topics that she taught me such as integration of technology in the primary classroom, classroom management, instructional design, personalized learning and so on.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PRINCIPLE
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PRINCIPLE
There are many instruction design principle or models that can be discussed and debated. Many of them are linear model and provide substantial guide for the teacher. To name a few, you might want to take a look at Robert Mager, Benjamin Bloom (Bloom Taxonomy), Ruth Clark, Dick & Carey and David Merrill.
Although the instructional design principles created and authenticated by the above names are as good as any other but i had decided to discuss on one instructional design principles that are different from the stated above.
The instructional design that we are going to focus is Gagne's Nine Events by Robert Gagne.
There are nine events or steps you might say in this principle and let me explain one after another.
1. Gain Attention- this step is important as it will make the learners excited to learn and it will help to calm down the normal jitters in the class and prepare the students for the lesson.
2. Inform Learner Of Objective- this step will ensure that the students will have the knowledge about what they are going to learn and what is important in the subject matter.
3.Stimulate Recall Of Prior Learning- Prior knowledge is essential in any learning topic as the students should be able to relate the lesson with their experience and the knowledge they already had so that they can build and fossilize the new input.
4.Present Information- this is a step in which the teacher will play a pivotal role in providing new information and new knowledge to the students about the learning area.
5.Provide Guidance- The teacher should facilitate the learning session whereby he or she should be able to guide the students to make sure that every single student in the class is able to grasp the knowledge.
6.Elicit Performance- Once the students are able to understand and digest the knowledge, the teacher should test them with asking random questions and let the students explain what they had learned to make sure they really knew what they had got from the teacher today.
7.Provide Feedback- the teacher should provide feedback to the students either as encouragement or as correction to make sure that the students get the concept right.
8.Assess Performance- Worksheet or any other assessment is needed to assess the students understanding towards the topic and to test their ability to relate and respond to the new input given.
9.Enhance Retention and Transfer- This step is about making sure the students are able to put their learnt knowledge on a performance or on a piece of paper such as essay.
Friday, 12 July 2013
INTEGRATION OF ICT IN THE
PRIMARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM
Over the past 30 years, many governments had been emphasizing in integration of ICT in schools, few of the prominent and successful ones are countries like Ireland and United Kingdom. In the local context, Malaysian government had also started to emphasize on it through various initiatives such as the smart school system, technology classes and most recently in terengganu, the state government provided E-book for it's students.
So looking at the informations above, we can say that integration of ICT had started decades ago. The major ambition behind this moves are that to enhance the quality of teaching and learning and to better prepare the students for participation in the emerging knowledge economy and information based society. Where a famous quote says that in the 20th century the difference between illiterate and literate is the ability to recognize and read words but in the 21st century the difference between illiterate and literate is the ability to use ICT.
So, what are the key ideas behind integration of ICT in primary school curriculum?
- The integration of ICT in the Primary School Curriculum should be directed toward enhancing teaching and learning
- The development of ICT skills should be embedded in learning objectives in the Primary School Curriculum
- Planning for ICT use should be at school level and should address key issues including the use of ICT for children with special needs, equality of ICT access for all children, and health and safety when using ICT
- The role of the teacher in planning, supporting, and assessing children’s learning with ICT is central to the effective integration of ICT across the Primary School Curriculum
- Co-operation between home and school can facilitate the development of a common understanding about the use of ICT as a tool for lifelong learning.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
TEACHERS' BELIEF AND READINESS IN DEALING WITH DIGITAL CITIZENS
The world has radically changed, and technology is driving much of the change that we see. When many of today’s teachers were still in school as schoolchildren, the primary sources of information for them were encyclopedias and libraries. Today the Internet is the major source of information. With the Internet and other new technologies,many questions can be answered in just a matter of seconds. Today’s students visit Google more often than the library. Just as modern technology has already altered our world drastically, it is certain that there are many more changes to come in the future. These changes have major implications for the teaching profession. Current educational practices and strategies must keep up with our evolving world.
So how a teacher carries out his or her teaching and learning session must adapt to the current generation. The teacher could not rely on teacher centred sessions such as 'chalk and talk' or by preparing various teaching aids which is used to assist the process. A teacher should believe in the power of technology, the teacher should integrate technology in his or her classroom. Many teachers' across the world are not familiar with the process of integrating technology in their teaching and learning. This is due to the following reasons:
1. Didn't know how to integrate technology
2. Doesn't believe that it is useful
3. Limited teaching time
4. Does not have the infrastructure or access to do so
5. Students are hard to control
6. Does not suit the topic of teaching
Although some of the reasons given makes sense such as limited teaching time and access but the others are lame excuses. There are many softwares, websites and video's that can be used in the classroom and i am sure the teachers' can find those e-learning tools for any topics that they teach as long as they make a effort to search for it.
Today’s learners are often referred to as “digital citizens.” Digital citizens process and deal with information differently from how previous generations do. Rather than having a linear thought process, they tend to piece information together from different sources in a “hypertext” fashion, jumping around between multiple sources. Digital citizens also tend to be more visual and interpret and develop images with ease. Their visual–spatial skills seem to be well developed because of experience with video and virtual games. Digital citizens learn better through discovery than simply being told information. Other key characteristics of digital citizens are their ability to shift their attention rapidly from one task to another and how they often choose not to pay attention to things that don’t interest them.
In order to deal with today's digital citizens, a teacher should have the following characteristics;
1. The Adaptor
2. The Communicator
3. The Learner
4. The Visionary
5. The Leader
6. The Model
7. The Collaborater
8. The Risk taker
1. The Adaptor
The teacher is an adaptor. Harnessed as we are to an assessment focused
education model, the teacher must be able to adapt the curriculum and the
requirements to teach to the curriculum in imaginative ways. They must also
be able to adapt software and hardware designed for a business mode into
tools utilizable by a variety of age groups and abilities.They must also be
able to adapt to a dynamic teaching experience. When it all goes wrong in
the middle of a class, when the technologies fail, the show must go on.
As an educator, they must understand and apply different learning styles.
They must have the ability to adapt their teaching style to be inclusive of
different modes of learning
education model, the teacher must be able to adapt the curriculum and the
requirements to teach to the curriculum in imaginative ways. They must also
be able to adapt software and hardware designed for a business mode into
tools utilizable by a variety of age groups and abilities.They must also be
able to adapt to a dynamic teaching experience. When it all goes wrong in
the middle of a class, when the technologies fail, the show must go on.
As an educator, they must understand and apply different learning styles.
They must have the ability to adapt their teaching style to be inclusive of
different modes of learning
2. The Communicator
“Anywhere, anytime” learning is a catchphrase we hear often. Usually it is
paired with“life learner”. To have anywhere anytime learning, the teacher to
must be anywhere and anytime. It does not have to be the same teacher,
but the teacher is a communicator. They are fluent in tools and technologies
that enable communication and collaboration. They go beyond learning just
how to do it, they also know how to facilitate it, stimulate and control it,
moderate and manage it
3. The Learner
Teachers expect their students to be lifelong learners. How many schools
have the phrase “lifelong learners” in their mission statements and
objectives? Teachers must continue to absorb experiences and
knowledge. Teachers must endeavor to stay current. How many people
are still using their lesson and unit plans from 5 years ago?
Information technology and certainly in many of the sciences, especially
the life sciences; knowledge, understanding and technology are fluid and
dynamic, they are evolving and changing. To be a teacher here you must
change and learn as the horizons and landscape changes.
The 21st Century teacher or educator must learn and adapt.
4. The Visionary
Imagination, a key component of adaptability, is a crucial component
of the educator of today and tomorrow. They must see the potential
in the emerging tools and web technologies, grasp these and
manipulate them to serve their needs. If we look at the technologies
we currently see emerging, how many are developed for education?
The visionary teacher can look at other ideas and envisage how they
would use these in their class. The visionary also looks across the
disciplines and through the curricula. They can make links that reinforce
and value learning in other areas, and leverage other fields to reinforce
their own teaching and the learning of their students.
5. The Leader
Whether they are a champion of the process of ICT integration or
the quiet technology coach, the ICT Trainer and a teacher leading
by example; a maverick or early adopter, the 21st Century
Educator is a leader. Leadership, like clear goals and objectives
crucial to the success or failure of any project.
6. The Model
Teachers must model the behaviors that we expect from their students.
Today and tomorrow more so, there is an expectation that teachers
will teach values. Teachers are often the most consistent part of their
students’ life. Teachers will see the students more often, for longer and
more reliably than their parents. This is not a criticism of the parents rather
a reflection. The 21st Century educator also models reflective practice,
whether it is the quiet, personal inspection of their teaching and learning,
or through reflective practice via blogs, twitter and other medium, these
educators look both inwards and outwards. These teachers also model a
number of other characteristics. These are not necessarily associated with
ICT or the curriculum, but are of equal importance
7. The Collaborater
Educators must have the ability to lever age these collaborative tools
to enhance and captivate their students. They must be collaborators;
sharing, contributing, adapting and inventing.
8. The Risk taker
How can teachers know all these things? How can you teach
them how to use them? There are so many, so much to learn.
You must take risks and sometimes surrender yourself to the
students’ knowledge. Have a vision of what you want and what
the technology can achieve, identify the goals and facilitate the
learning. Use the strengths of the digital students to understand
and navigate new products, have the students teach each other.
The learning pyramid shows that the highest retention of knowledge
comes from teaching others. Trust your students.
Bibliography:
1. Article 'The future teacher' retrieved from
http://www.tncdsb.on.ca/new/resources/
2. PDF file 21st Century Learner by schools of hope www.ntca.ie
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