Final post

Summing up what I have learn for the whole course and practical and also my life in BECH!

For the past 5 semester it has been a big and huge learning experience for me. I have actually benefited a lot from the program. I came to understand children better day by day, a better view and understanding of how they learn and how they act. Each professional practice that I gone through, gives new experiences that are beyond expectation. The previous EDC3100 professional experience was rather a good exposure to use ICT in classroom, a preview of how futuristic education might be.

ICT and pedagogy has opened up my eyes to see the wonders technology can do in the classroom and yet not replacing the main role of the teacher. This little pieces of machines could evolve and be a better machine for better learning process. Children now and the future will benefit more from this. For example, 20 books cramped in an Ipad is such a convenience!

My Professional Portfolio

Looking at my peers beginning preparing for their teaching practice just gets me anxious regarding my own preparation. I had been thinking through what to teach for the past 2 weeks for the next 3 weeks. There and then I was reminded by both Jess and Vicky on the need to prepare a professional portfolio within the 3 weeks professional practice. 

Looking at the amount of workload that is in the next assignment 3 as well as the professional practice, I began to think how am I supposed to organize the teaching and preparation process, to start things early and to get everything into the portfolio on daily basis or probably weekly basis. I thank David for preparing sufficient materials for us on the study desk that we could prepare based on what he wants us to. 

Being with USQ and studying online, we are highly dependent on the study desk, and it was delightful that there is tons of information online that we can just extract at any time of the day. 

Now the big question, where do I find more information regarding ICT rich teaching and lessons. I was thinking of implementing some simple ICT and thinking of it over again, that would actually limit the children's learning and I am sure that they are more capable that the simple use of ICT. So for this weekend and next week, it's gotta be "thinking days"!

A day without Technology

We are the generation that touch, with one touch.

Image Source: MSF Technology Team

We are getting more and more dependent on technologies in our daily living. From telecommunications to entertainment, we are highly dependent on a range of technology. What about one day when all these are taken away from us, how are we going to function? Humans have the tendency to be able to move forward but not backward. 

Image Source: What if Technology was gone

I myself is quite dependent on technology. Somethings too much that I think I could die. My daily dose of technology would be as follow;

1. smartphone
2. internet banking
3. studydesk
4. laptop
5. internet connection
6. printer
7. car
8. watch
9. elevator & lift
10. ordering machine
11. automated gates

These are the basic necessity in my life that I would be needing greatly to get through each day. As I was reading this site, I realize that indeed without the internet many of us are as good as doomed. Young people under the age of 40 are highly dependent on the internet in all aspects of work and study. I would not be able to continue my BECH if the internet was cut off. 

Image Source: Don't feed the geek

However, I think technology is suppose to be there to help us in learning and living better and not destroying us. There are people who are trying to live without being too dependent on the use of technology as well. Have you thought what would happen to you one day when all these are taken away from you? I was experiencing this when I entered the jungle for 2 days. However, life is still good! So can you carry out lessons without the use of technology in the classroom still? 

Professional Practice School

Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance

As we prepare for the assignment of the course of planning unit plan as well as preparing ourselves for professional practice. Many things come to mind. How do I teach? what do I teach?Why do I use ICT? How much of ICT to use? and so on. As I recall the video from module 5, it reminds me that I should be planning lesson that doesn't bore child, lessons that are useful for the and to prepare them for the future. As teachers of the 21st century, our task is no longer to construct their knowledge only, but to prepare them for the world and jobs that doesn't exist just yet. This thoughts were playing in my head over and over again as I tour around the school this morning.

Image source: TSC

The 10 of us from BECH had been called in for a briefing and to check on the ICT facilities that the school has. I think that was indeed a good move of the principal in getting us prepared earlier in order for us to prepare our lessons based on the facilities they have or perhaps what we can add on to that. Let's take a look at the equipment well prepared for our use in this coming practicum.

Image Source: Google Image

Smart-board is definitely used. It was my first personal encounter with it. Well being quite amazed by the works can be done with the smart-board, I am at the point of thinking how lessons can be carried out using this amazing tool. 

Image Source: Google Image

I am pretty amaze with their audio system. Pictures are not allowed of anything that is associated with the kindergarten due to copyright. However, with 10 output to one source, the children can share and listen to the same thing. Furthermore this could be used in class to encourage harmonious learning that the children will not feel biased out discriminate teachers for being not fair. 

Image Source: Google Image & Skype

Wifi is available for the teaching and learning use. Now now, I was thinking of organizing Skype call at the end of each week so that the students can discuss with the other school what they had learn. Since it's part of their language development too. 

Image Source: Google Image

Or perhaps when the internet line is down, the alternative for communication is there. Well it is one of the ICT device, did you not know?

The '+' & '-' Effects of ICT

With all the encouragement and positive post from all the students of EDC3100 regarding on the benefits of integrating ICT within the classroom setting. I now present to you the negative effects of implementation. As I was reading this article in someone's blog, I began to see some of the reality that is happening to me as well. Lets take a stroll down the list of negativity. This is rather too negative to start of Easter with but yeah I guess it will do no more justice than sharing the ugly truth. 

Nonetheless, all great things will definitely have a flaw. In contrast to the benefits of ICT such as an easy access to information and learning, increased interactivity and multiple opportunities and resources for learning, ICT can be a bad influence to a child if not well controlled. Let's take a look at the first ugly truth of ICT.

Jobless in future

• Machine replacement of manual labor taking over 
• those who are not technology savvy will probably lose their job or won't get a job placement.

Reduced Personal interaction

• Individuals losing touch in interacting face to face as they are growing more dependant on social networking site for interaction
• Individuals lose out sense of emotions and communication skills.

Reduced Physical activity

• High danger of ICT, people start to become lazy. Everything is just a click away.
• Increase risk of healthy diseases

High Cost

• in terms of education, some families could not afford to purchase high tech and expensive gadget for th child and hence the child is not able to experience those gadgets that might be used for learning or working
• inbalance in society as some are tech savvy and some are not, and in a large picture resulting in a unharmonious development for the nation

Exposure

• The wrong use of the internet resulting in the destruction of morality in individual
• Personal security and etc

How bad can things be with ICT? So what do you educators think we should do about this? or probably would like to add on to the list of horror? However, there is always a bright side, I believe that if we as educators use them well and teach them well and with boundaries, ICT would be utilize in the right way without the need to be that disastrous. 

Planning the Lesson

Now that it has been a month since we started EDC3100, and another month to go before we head out for Professional practices. I am beginning to think what should I be teaching? Sometimes there are so many limitation in the workplace that hinders you from carrying out lessons. Therefore before even starting my practical, I am gonna make a critical analysis and proper planning to avoid the unwanted and to be prepared to use ICT in teaching the children. 

Image from GoogleImage

I gotta start thinking how the class is gonna be. Should I allow ICT usage to be 100%, 70% or what. What pedagogical approach should I be underlying my practice to. How many children are there, how many are ICT users for the first time or perhaps not so keen or new to ICT. How well would the lesson go,would it bore the child if they are not able to use the ICT.

Image from GoogleImage

Then it comes to the second part of it, I just realize my school has a standardized curriculum and I am not able to cut through much but implementations can be done. Apparently there is good internet connection, a smart board in each classroom and nonetheless a computer lab. Awesome! that is all the basics I would need to carry out lessons. Now what should I do to make things more spiced up or perhaps better. 

Image source: google

Images source: google

Image source: google

Image source: google

Well well well, some of the equipment that I will be bringing to the school yet I myself am not quite sure what to teach just yet. Well I am gonna plan early and compare with my coursemates to seek feedback from one another. What do you guys think I should do for my lesson? Since it would centered around Science as well as language. I know I have rich ICT sources but are lessons gonna be ICT worthwhile and beneficial to the child's learning? or perhaps I might have rich ICT but I can't even use it well. What say you?

ICT in assisting Special Education

I came across this video as I was going through some materials I received from a forum I attended 2 weeks ago regarding special needs education. We tend to focus too much on how to integrate ICT within a classroom, but if we do look at the special needs classroom, we could see how much ICT has benefited the learners.

Image from GoogleImage

For example, the most profound one would be students with hearing impairment are now able to hear better with the use of assistive device. I would really categorize this as one of the device used in education. well partly because if it is not used the child won't be able to hear clearly.

Image from GoogleImage

Reading Pen is not something new to most educators. Children facing difficulty in reading could actually use the aid of reading pen in reading. It does help the child in the absence of the teacher. More and more children are using this, those who are facing difficulty as well as those who is not. Reading pen is good start for reading for children, when they come across some word they don't know, all they need to do is just swipe the pen and voila!

Image from GoogleImage

Another device or rather application that seem to be helpful would be the voice to text application. This is especially useful for children with physical disability or children who can't write just yet. Applications and devices like this would allow children to go through assessment in a different way. 

What other devices are there out there for aiding special needs learning? or perhaps just to use for aiding day to day lesson to make it easier for the child to learn? I await your replies peep!