I believe technology should be used to help students in learning. Being digital natives, students are surrounded by technologies around them. They are exposed to all kinds of gadgets and media. Technology excites students. Videos and animations are captivating and attract the attention of the students. Music excites students. Sounds excite young people, so why not use them? Pictures have the same effects. Technology is so exciting and engaging with its multimedia capabilities and offer multitude of possibilities in teaching students and getting students to participate in their learning. Teachers should embrace technology and use it for educational purposes. Every teacher must play their part in this matter.
I believe every student should have every opportunity to learn how to use technology. The Internet has a lot of excellent materials and tools that will enrich students’ learning. Teachers of any subjects can do this. Teachers are in the position to get the students ready for the future. The world is going global. I believe students’ learning should be beyond the classroom walls. It is not enough to teach students the contents in the textbooks. They need to learn to access and use information. They also need to learn to create and share information. These can be done by students by using blogs and wikis. Through these activities they will learn how to cooperate, collaborate and take responsibility of their own learning. In this way they will develop self-learning, be creative, able to think, organize and share their ideas through writing or by creating multimedia presentations.
I believe that all students should have a level playing field. All students should know and be familiar with technology. Even for students without internet access at home, I will make sure that they will have the opportunity to learn what Internet is. HTTrack Website Copier program can be used to download the websites and show the webpages as if they are surfing the website in real-time. As a teacher I do not want them to miss out on what is available on the Internet. Students should have opportunity to get to know technology. Teachers need to look for solutions in this matter. Other than downloading the websites, I will download materials such as videos, animations, interactive exercises and et cetera from the Internet to help them to learn. In this way, I could ensure students would not lose the opportunity to learn using technology.
I believe that students learn better with technology. We should let students discover and explore the Internet. Let them find knowledge for themselves. I believe that one’s best learning is through self-exploration. When one starts exploring to learn things on his own, it promotes intrinsic self-motivation. This is very important for his success in life. Every student has the right to be successful in his studies. I, as a teacher will play my part in guiding and helping my students to be successful. In the course of using technology to help them in their studies, I will teach them to use technology as good digital citizens should such as using technology responsibly, respecting the rights of others, be aware of privacy issues, respecting intellectual properties and other tenets of good digital citizenship.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Focus on Technology or Teaching?
I would say both. Of course teachers should be teachers first in actually teaching their students. But hey, use technology also to support their students. Let your students enjoy learning using available technological tools. The problem is teachers only think that they are the only source where students should learn from. Technology can help students learn as well. You can also use technology to teach. The important thing is that the students are able to learn. Technology can help students to learn by doing activities through web tools. It provides an alternative way of learning. It is an interesting approach in learning and should be looked at positively. Technology should be explored and students should be given the chance to learn on that platform. Teachers, keep your minds open to students' learning via technology!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Checklists
Getting the Computer Lab Ready For New School Year
a. Make sure the computer lab is clean.
b. Make sure all tables and chairs are clean.
c. keyboards, mice, monitors, CPU towers are clean.
d. Make sure there is no waterleakage in the computer lab.
b. Check all computers to make sure that all are working. drives on all computers
c. Make sure that CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives in working condition.
d. Test printers could print.
e. Fix networking cables if printers could not print or no Internet connectivity
f. Troubleshoot and repair faulty computers
g. Make a report on hardware problem and other problems to administrators so that they would be fixed before school reopens.
h. Install new software if they are needed.
i. Put up new information/ posters on the information board.
j. Take down old information from the information board.
http://www.laramie1.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/120925/File/procedures/technology/WhenSomethingsNotWorking?.pdf?sessionid=cf223362c9ac555e07f23342f5ef8815
TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST FOR TEACHERS
How To Do Troubleshooting?
ALWAYS CHECK FIRST:
. Is the power cable plugged into a live outlet and into the proper place on the device that won't work?
. Is the device's power switch on?
. Are there other cables that need to be plugged in? And are they in the right place?
. Try restarting your computer and any device which is not working.
MONITOR ISSUES:
NO IMAGE ON MONITOR
. Are the contrast and brightness controls adjusted properly?
MONITOR APPEARANCE HAS CHANGED
1. Check and adjust monitor settings such as screen resolution, desktop background, screensaver, and appearance.
2. Right click on an empty space on the desktop and go to Properties and then the Settings tab.
PRINTING PROBLEMS
How to:
1. Click on Start/Printers and Faxes
2. Right Click on the printer you would like to use most and choose Set as Default
. Is the correct printer chosen in the Printer Settings?
. Have you turned the printer off and restarted?
. Have you tried restarting your computer?
NETWORK PRINTER PROBLEMS
. Are you logged in?
. Is the Cat 5 cable plugged into the printer and the wall?
. Check to see if it is offline
How to:
1. Click on Start/ Printers and Faxes
2. If it is offline, right click to put it online and restart your computer before reprinting.
PRINTER PROBLEMS
. Is the printer out of ink?
. Are your print cartridges properly installed?
. Did you remove the transparent tape from the print cartridge?
. Is the printer set on the proper Paper Orientation (landscape/portrait)
PAPER DOES NOT FEED
. Is there paper in the printer?
. Is there too much paper in the printer?
How to:
1. Remove most of the paper
2. Do not push the paper down; lightly set the paper on the printer.
3. The left paper guide should be against the side of the paper.
MOUSE DOESN’T WORK PROPERLY
. Is it plugged in? If not, shut your computer down before plugging it in.
. Are the contacts on the mouse clean? (Check "Maintaing Your Computer for instructions.)
KEYBOARD DOESN’T WORK PROPERLY
. Is it plugged in?
. Is the Caps Lock or Num Lock key on?
CD/DVD DRIVE IS NOT WORKING
. Make sure the CD/DVD is inserted writing side up.
. Clean the CD/DVD with a soft cloth.
. To see if it is the drive, try using a different CD/DVD.
. Check to see if the light comes on when you go to "My Computer" and CD/DVD Rom Drive.
http://my.woodbury.edu/Staff/IT/Labs%20Public%20Documents/techresp_v1-0-5_nrc.pdf
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
Ongoing Computers / Computer Configuration
Hardware and software:
1. Installing, configuring and troubleshooting operating systems, system software and application software in the computer labs.
2. Troubleshooting hardware/software problems on lab computers.
3. Replacing broken components on problematic-hardware.
4. Backing up computers - reimaging hard disks
5. Cleaning viruses, trojans and malwares - make sure virus signatures are updated.
6. Defagmenting computers.
Fulfilling requests from faculty and staff
a. Network Connections
i. Troubleshoot network connections for lab computers if they are not working.
Check to make sure the cable is connected to the device.
If it doesn’t work, trace the port number and report it to a lab supervisor or a network manager.
b. Projectors
i. Change the projector lamp/bulbs when they burn out.
ii. Re-focus and alter settings for best possible viewing experience.
c. Printers
i. Clear paper jams on lab copiers and printers.
ii. Change plotter paper.
iii. Refill paper, ink, toner on lab printers and copiers.
iv. Troubleshoot lab printer/copier problems.
vi. Routinely check the ink/printhead levels and replace empty/defective units.
a. Make sure the computer lab is clean.
b. Make sure all tables and chairs are clean.
c. keyboards, mice, monitors, CPU towers are clean.
d. Make sure there is no waterleakage in the computer lab.
b. Check all computers to make sure that all are working. drives on all computers
c. Make sure that CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives in working condition.
d. Test printers could print.
e. Fix networking cables if printers could not print or no Internet connectivity
f. Troubleshoot and repair faulty computers
g. Make a report on hardware problem and other problems to administrators so that they would be fixed before school reopens.
h. Install new software if they are needed.
i. Put up new information/ posters on the information board.
j. Take down old information from the information board.
http://www.laramie1.org/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/120925/File/procedures/technology/WhenSomethingsNotWorking?.pdf?sessionid=cf223362c9ac555e07f23342f5ef8815
TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST FOR TEACHERS
How To Do Troubleshooting?
ALWAYS CHECK FIRST:
. Is the power cable plugged into a live outlet and into the proper place on the device that won't work?
. Is the device's power switch on?
. Are there other cables that need to be plugged in? And are they in the right place?
. Try restarting your computer and any device which is not working.
MONITOR ISSUES:
NO IMAGE ON MONITOR
. Are the contrast and brightness controls adjusted properly?
MONITOR APPEARANCE HAS CHANGED
1. Check and adjust monitor settings such as screen resolution, desktop background, screensaver, and appearance.
2. Right click on an empty space on the desktop and go to Properties and then the Settings tab.
PRINTING PROBLEMS
How to:
1. Click on Start/Printers and Faxes
2. Right Click on the printer you would like to use most and choose Set as Default
. Is the correct printer chosen in the Printer Settings?
. Have you turned the printer off and restarted?
. Have you tried restarting your computer?
NETWORK PRINTER PROBLEMS
. Are you logged in?
. Is the Cat 5 cable plugged into the printer and the wall?
. Check to see if it is offline
How to:
1. Click on Start/ Printers and Faxes
2. If it is offline, right click to put it online and restart your computer before reprinting.
PRINTER PROBLEMS
. Is the printer out of ink?
. Are your print cartridges properly installed?
. Did you remove the transparent tape from the print cartridge?
. Is the printer set on the proper Paper Orientation (landscape/portrait)
PAPER DOES NOT FEED
. Is there paper in the printer?
. Is there too much paper in the printer?
How to:
1. Remove most of the paper
2. Do not push the paper down; lightly set the paper on the printer.
3. The left paper guide should be against the side of the paper.
MOUSE DOESN’T WORK PROPERLY
. Is it plugged in? If not, shut your computer down before plugging it in.
. Are the contacts on the mouse clean? (Check "Maintaing Your Computer for instructions.)
KEYBOARD DOESN’T WORK PROPERLY
. Is it plugged in?
. Is the Caps Lock or Num Lock key on?
CD/DVD DRIVE IS NOT WORKING
. Make sure the CD/DVD is inserted writing side up.
. Clean the CD/DVD with a soft cloth.
. To see if it is the drive, try using a different CD/DVD.
. Check to see if the light comes on when you go to "My Computer" and CD/DVD Rom Drive.
http://my.woodbury.edu/Staff/IT/Labs%20Public%20Documents/techresp_v1-0-5_nrc.pdf
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST
Ongoing Computers / Computer Configuration
Hardware and software:
1. Installing, configuring and troubleshooting operating systems, system software and application software in the computer labs.
2. Troubleshooting hardware/software problems on lab computers.
3. Replacing broken components on problematic-hardware.
4. Backing up computers - reimaging hard disks
5. Cleaning viruses, trojans and malwares - make sure virus signatures are updated.
6. Defagmenting computers.
Fulfilling requests from faculty and staff
a. Network Connections
i. Troubleshoot network connections for lab computers if they are not working.
Check to make sure the cable is connected to the device.
If it doesn’t work, trace the port number and report it to a lab supervisor or a network manager.
b. Projectors
i. Change the projector lamp/bulbs when they burn out.
ii. Re-focus and alter settings for best possible viewing experience.
c. Printers
i. Clear paper jams on lab copiers and printers.
ii. Change plotter paper.
iii. Refill paper, ink, toner on lab printers and copiers.
iv. Troubleshoot lab printer/copier problems.
vi. Routinely check the ink/printhead levels and replace empty/defective units.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Reflection on revised lesson plan_Webquest
I have revised the previous lesson plan to make the lesson to be more student-centered. To do that I have created a webquest on the human digestive system to give my students a new approach in learning. Although my previous lesson was interactive but I felt by using webquests, it would allow students to take the initiative to discover knowledge on their own. By using the webquest, lesson activities are centered around the materials in the webquest. In the webquest, there were instructions for the students to read and website links for them to get the information that they needed to accomplish the activities.
Some instructions were given at the beginning of the lesson to get them ready to participate in the webquest. After listening to the instructions, the students booted up their computers and went to the Webquest site to start their learning. All the steps of learning were there on the Webquest site. They were truly learning on their own. I was in the class just to facilitate their learning. They learned to read and followed the instructions. The preselected websites allowed students to elicit information from the Internet productively. They used the time for learning within their limited lesson time.
The webquest approach is an interesting way to learn. The information on their subject matter was available in various forms such as a YouTube video, an animation movie, interactive exercises, webpages, and an online Google Docs application document. Students were exposed to a wide range of information. It was great to let them realize that the Internet has a lot interesting sites where they could get knowledge and have fun in the process. These made the students to be interested in learning.
The webquest also helped students to think and to understand what they were reading. They had to extract the relevant information from their readings. In the process they had to compare and decide the best information to be used for their assignments. In this way students had the opportunity to practise their higher order thinking. It was also an exercise where students were given the opportunity to learn on their own. For me that gave them precious realization that they could learn on their own. They also learned to be self-reliant as they explored to learn in order to be able to accomplish their tasks.
Another plus point was my students learned about teamwork along the way. They helped one another to accomplish their tasks. I have added another activity which is making a short video presentation. Each group was provided a Flip camcorder to do the assignment. This activity was designed to reinforce their learning. It was also to get them to work together to make their group video presentation. The activities in this webquest have helped to learned to work together to solve problems. They also enabled students to practise the skills of utilizing the available information which were important to help them to become the 21st Century learners. I believe using webquests can help in preparing our students for the future by developing students’ thinking skills and increasing their knowledge.
Some instructions were given at the beginning of the lesson to get them ready to participate in the webquest. After listening to the instructions, the students booted up their computers and went to the Webquest site to start their learning. All the steps of learning were there on the Webquest site. They were truly learning on their own. I was in the class just to facilitate their learning. They learned to read and followed the instructions. The preselected websites allowed students to elicit information from the Internet productively. They used the time for learning within their limited lesson time.
The webquest approach is an interesting way to learn. The information on their subject matter was available in various forms such as a YouTube video, an animation movie, interactive exercises, webpages, and an online Google Docs application document. Students were exposed to a wide range of information. It was great to let them realize that the Internet has a lot interesting sites where they could get knowledge and have fun in the process. These made the students to be interested in learning.
The webquest also helped students to think and to understand what they were reading. They had to extract the relevant information from their readings. In the process they had to compare and decide the best information to be used for their assignments. In this way students had the opportunity to practise their higher order thinking. It was also an exercise where students were given the opportunity to learn on their own. For me that gave them precious realization that they could learn on their own. They also learned to be self-reliant as they explored to learn in order to be able to accomplish their tasks.
Another plus point was my students learned about teamwork along the way. They helped one another to accomplish their tasks. I have added another activity which is making a short video presentation. Each group was provided a Flip camcorder to do the assignment. This activity was designed to reinforce their learning. It was also to get them to work together to make their group video presentation. The activities in this webquest have helped to learned to work together to solve problems. They also enabled students to practise the skills of utilizing the available information which were important to help them to become the 21st Century learners. I believe using webquests can help in preparing our students for the future by developing students’ thinking skills and increasing their knowledge.
Me as an educational technologist
As Malaysia races to join the world to master technology in new digital world, almost all schools in Malaysia have been equipped with the necessary ICT infrastructure. Malaysian government has invested billions of dollars to do this. Among these are the buildings of computer labs, hardware purchases such laptops for teachers, projectors and audio speakers and a host of other equipment. Besides these, teachers throughout the country were sent for technology integration courses. Internet connectivity in schools was also made available in the Government’s endeavor in implementing ICT technology in schools.
Having the necessary ICT infrastructure in schools is not enough in making them technology enabled schools. An educational technologist would also need to be a strong advocate of technology use in schools. He would need to convince the administrators and teachers to use technology widely in schools. Presently there are no educational technologists per se in Malaysian schools. Teachers who have computer knowledge are enlisted to be the IT teachers in schools. These teachers are the ones who assume the roles of educational technologists. Educational technologists will play the key role in helping teachers to adopt new teaching practices which are technology based. They will play important role to get teachers in school to get to know the available technologies for educational purposes, the benefits in using them and how to use those technologies in teaching and learning process.
In schools, I enjoyed my role as an educational technologist. I enjoyed helping my schools and colleagues with their IT needs. This role required more of my time but I was happy to do this job although my teaching hours are as many as other teachers in all my previous schools. So, this was a plus point. I enjoyed doing the job. Apart from this I enjoyed doing my own learning. I kept myself updated with the latest trends in technology and tools that useful for teaching and increasing productivity. I am not adverse in learning new technological tools and in using them in schools.
I also had good rapport with my superiors and fellow colleagues. I was responsive to their needs and did not hesitate in helping them. I would like to consider myself as an approachable person who was there to teach them how to use and navigate certain programs, using the projectors and helping them to solve computer related problems. I did not mind to share what I knew when my opinions were sought. In the process I earned their trust and confidence. Considering all the things that I have mentioned, I would like to think that I was able to the job well.
I would very much like to learn more about e-learning as I think it will be the future platform in learning. Singapore is already actively implementing e-learning in schools. Malaysia by its close proximity to Singapore will no doubt be following them soon. Some private schools and smart schools in Malaysia are already into it. Almost all schools in Malaysia have been equipped with ICT infrastructure. I am quite sure e-learning will be the next big thing in Malaysian schools. So, learning everything about online learning, Web 2.0 tools, online applications, and collaborative learning intrigues and interests me very much.
In addition, I have much to learn about e-learning platform. I find that it is a very interesting new way of learning. I am interested in learning how to construct high quality and interactive content to engage learners for e-learning. I would also like to learn about e-learning environment and how to design online courses which I am not sure whether they are covered in my Master’s program. If they are not in the program, I might consider taking a course on them somewhere. At the moment I am learning about them on my own through the Internet. I would also like to learn about project-based or problem-based learning. I am quite fascinated about this approach in educating students. So I need some coaching in this area as well so that I could share it with other teachers after I have completed my studies. If I should teach next at a teachers training college in Malaysia, I would like to pass on all the things that I learned here in the United States to my students.
Affective Questions -> Affective Questions -> Re: Affective Questions
by Sieng Chong Ling - Thursday, 23 September 2010, 04:02 PM
Yesterday as part of my Program Evaluation course, two ladies, LouAnn Pioli and Laurie Snell came to our class to present their 'Banish Bullying' program so that it could be evaluated by us. They shared with us some of the activities of the program. Among them were:
Receiving:
1)Students were asked to define what are violence and bullying
2)Knowing various form of bullying (brainstorming activity)
Responding:
1)Students did journal writing on their learning.
2)Sharing on what they have learnt.
3)Role-play activities (including puppet show)
4)'Fake it Till You Make' activity
- To heighten students' ability to exhibit confidence, assertive body language and responses in order to avoid being bullied
- Students practise being confident and assertive person ie. facial expression, eye contact, posture, and stride.
5)Overcoming fears from being bystanders into caring allies
Characterizing by Value:
1) Choose to be caring allies to targets of bullying. Among things that a caring ally is able to do are:
a) be friends to a target of bullying.
b) walk with him (reduce chances of bullying)
c) interrupting a bullying situation
-walking up to the target and making an excuse to get him/her away from the bully
d) Tell a trusted adult about a bullying incident
2)Filling in bullying report
The two presenters also shared that over the years, students have demonstrated a decreasing sense of empathy towards others. Therefore we need to teach the hearts and not only to the heads. This is where the affective domain is so important. Sometimes we neglect this domain when we teach the syllabus instead of the student persons.
Affective Questions -> Affective Questions
by Sieng Chong Ling - Monday, 20 September 2010, 11:19 PM
In our process in teaching our students, it is also important that we equip or inculcate in students important values. This is to ensure that they will become a positive and balanced individuals. This means that they must not only be knowledgeable academically. They should also be developed emotionally who have the ability to reflect and appreciate their learning.
The Affective Taxonomy
The Affective Taxonomy has five levels. These levels are:
Level 1 - Receiving / Attending - willingness to become aware
Level 2 - Responding - appreciating or internalizing
Level 3 - Valuing - accepting, preferring, becoming committed to
Level 4 - Conceptualizing / Organizing - incorporating into a value system
Level 5 - Characterizing by value - orientation toward / identification with.
Examples of affective questions:
Level 2 - Can you tell me why do you agree with the points raised in the essay?
Level 3 - Would you react the same way if you face the similar situation? What would you do?
Level 5 - Do you think it is better to lie to keep the peace or to tell the truth? Why?
Week 6
by Sieng Chong Ling - Saturday, 7 August 2010, 10:03 PM
Anyone on this site
It has been a great course. I thoroughly enjoyed this course. This course has opened my eyes to many things. I have learned much about technology through this course. It has been a great discovery. I am glad that through the discussions in the forums, we have learned a lot from each other. It was wonderful to see how we shared our knowledge. Thanks for all your insights and supportive comments. And yes, all the wonderful links too.
The contents of this course have been excellent in guiding us to discover various areas of educational technology. This course has helped me to learn how other teachers are using technology in their class. I also found out the common problems that we are facing such limited funding for technology, resistance of some teachers in using technology and etc. How much longer before schools start seriously using technology in teaching and learning process? Only time will tell, I guess.
We still have much work to do in trying to get more teachers to use technology. Until then on our part, we have to keep on learning and using technology to teach our students. We have to remember that to start a fire, it only takes a spark.
Adios, I will miss our interactions in this course. All the best to all!
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[ Modified: Saturday, 7 August 2010, 10:05 PM ]
Week 5 - Technology and the 10,000-Hour Rule
by Sieng Chong Ling - Sunday, 1 August 2010, 06:56 PM
Anyone on this site
This week we learned about the evolution of technology. What might be the latest gadgets or today’s technological tools will be artifacts in the future. This goes to show that technology is dynamic and ever changing with times. This is the most interesting and exciting part about technology. It is hard to imagine what the inventions of the future would be like. Time and again, we are awed by creative inventions of men. This phenomenon also tells us that there are multitude possibilities in the world of educational technology. This week I learned about Siftables, a collection of cookie-sized mini computers that shows its potential for educational purposes. It would be interesting to see how David Merril and his team are going to further develop this amazing product. I am interested to see how this gadget would bring forth a new pedagogical approach of teachers’ in the classrooms and how effective this gadget in bettering the learning of students.
While technological tools can help students to learn better, another important factor is the teachers’ success in using them in classrooms. I want to share with you what Malcolm Gladwell, the author of the book, ‘Outliers’ said about attaining competence. He said that the key to success in any field is simply a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of 10,000 hours. Gladwell called it the “10,000-Hour Rule”. He gave some examples of some successful people who became so good in what they did:
1.The Beatles performed live in Hamburg, Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964, amassing more than 10,000 hours of playing time, therefore meeting the 10,000-Hour Rule.
2. Bill Gates met the 10,000-Hour Rule when he gained access to a high school computer in 1968 at the age of 13, and spent 10,000 hours programming it.
So, this brings to the question, have we spent 10,000 hours in learning and using technology yet? We have to ask ourselves this question and see whether we have achieved the level of competence required in our field. Having said that, we should always strive to improve ourselves to learn and keep up with the ever evolving technology. Today’s knowledge is not good enough for tomorrow. So keep on learning, guys.
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[ Modified: Sunday, 1 August 2010, 06:57 PM ]
Week 4
by Sieng Chong Ling - Sunday, 25 July 2010, 05:37 PM
Anyone on this site
Week 4 saw discussions on the use of Internet for learning through online communities, blogs and wikis and restrictions of its usage when it comes to social networking sites, chat rooms, YouTube and et cetera. From discussions, it looks like generally teachers are disappointed over those restrictions as those sites can be very useful in helping students to learn. YouTube, for example is a good website where students can obtain all kinds of informative factual videos which they can use. It is a real pity when you block sites that can be so useful for the education of students today. I think schools and relevant authorities need to move forward in enabling teachers and teachers to fully maximize technology use in education. Decision makers need to be open to the use of technology. Everybody needs to keep up with technology. If we want to keep up with our students, we need to keep up with technology as well. We need to know and use technology in education. This is the part where relevant authorities need to give their support. Teachers need to be invited to sit on the boards to give their views on the use of technology in classrooms. Often times, teachers’ views are not sought when authorities make decisions on matters pertaining to education. On why this phenomenon happens, I do not know. Many teachers, I think also feel the same.
One thing that I feel that will encourage the implementation of use of technology in education is to change the assessment process. Right now, there is no need to use technology simply because the assessment of students’ academic achievement is largely through paper and pencil examinations. I believe that assessment play a big part on how teachers would teach. If the assessment does not require students’ use of technology in their learning, then teachers will tend not to use technology in education. Therefore, technology use in education by students should be a requirement in the assessment process. Only then, the use of technology will be taken seriously by schools and teachers. And hopefully, technology will be then used widely in the teaching and learning process by teachers in schools.
Technology helps students to develop learning skills that enable them to think critically, analyze information, communicate, collaborate, organize their ideas and promote problem-solving skills. The importance of technology use and knowledge cannot be underestimated and is essential for the success of our students as pointed below.
Representative of the ICT literacy skills are the following six arenas critical to students' success in the workplace (Kay and Honey, 2005):
• Communicate Effectively:
Students must have a range of skills to express themselves not only through paper and pencil, but also audio, video, animation, design software as well as a host of new environments (e-mail, Web sites, message boards, blogs, streaming media, etc.).
• Analyze and Interpret Data:
Students must have the ability to crunch, compare, and choose among the glut of data now available Web-based and other electronic formats.
• Understand Computational Modeling:
Students must possess an understanding of the power, limitations, and underlying assumptions of various data representation systems, such as computational models and simulations, which are increasingly driving a wide-range of disciplines.
• Manage and Prioritize Tasks:
Students must be able to manage the multi-tasking, selection, and prioritizing across technology applications that allow them to move fluidly among teams, assignments and communities of practice.
• Engage in Problem Solving:
Students must have an understanding of how to apply what they know and can do to new situations.
• Ensure Security and Safety:
Students must know and use strategies to acknowledge, identify, and negotiate 21st century risks.
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[ Modified: Sunday, 25 July 2010, 05:41 PM ]
Week 3
by Sieng Chong Ling - Sunday, 18 July 2010, 11:40 PM
Anyone on this site
I am really happy with this course which has been an eye opener for me. I have learned even more things this week as I surfed the Net to find things that are related to Week 3 assignments. I came across a very interesting video entitled, “Little Kids…Big Potential”. This video shows how an amazing Grade One pupils in an elementary school in Saskatchewan, Canada. The pupils under their teacher, Miss Kathy Cassidy use various technological tools in their learning. They learn how to blog, navigate their class webpage, use wikis, make video, use Skype and Nintendo DS to share, collaborate and learn in their classroom. You can watch this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvPZtTej0jQ&feature=player_embedded.
I was and am still really astonished and also heartened to see those kids utilizing those tools. It is absolutely amazing to see how those kids learn in their school. Miss Kathy Cassidy is truly a wonderful and creative teacher. For her fantastic work, Miss Cassidy bagged the Microsoft-MindShare Learning Award. Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog is located at http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337&show=all. The success of her class should be commended and emulated. Kudos to Miss Cassidy and her class! I am glad to have found their inspiring video on the Net and learn something from watching the video.
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[ Modified: Sunday, 18 July 2010, 11:45 PM ]
Week 2
by Sieng Chong Ling - Saturday, 10 July 2010, 07:45 PM
Anyone on this site
Today marks the end of another week of an exciting course. The first activity was on sharing our application of learning theories in teaching vocabulary. It took me a while to share as it had been quite a while since I taught English. The last time I taught English was in 2001. So that it was like eight years ago. Since then I have been teaching Science and ICT Literacy. Anyway I managed to recall the strategies that I used to use to teach my students. My first posting was to a rural school in Terengganu, Malaysia back in 1992. The students there were from economic disadvantaged backgrounds and were children of either farmers or fishermen. Needless to say they were also disadvantaged academically as well. However, the teachers there were dedicated and determined to see that the students got their education. It was a great challenge for me as well as English was a foreign language to them. I used a lot of songs to get them interested in learning. I wanted them to have fun and to have no fear for the subject. Of course I also used other methods to get them to read and to be at ease with the language. Ladybird books were excellent in helping them to read. Flash cards were also used to drill them to be able to read. It took time to teach them reading. All my students were taught to read Dolch basic words list ( http://www.english-zone.com/reading/dolch.html ) to help them to read. Of course there were matching activities and lots of writing exercises. They were also exposed to rhymes, jazz chants and drama. I believe I did make a difference in that school in teaching and making them not to fear English. Those were my fond memories as a teacher in that school.
I also enjoyed doing the timeline activity. I learned about the history of e-books which was very interesting. Initially I faced some problems doing the timeline as I did not quite understand how to go about it. However, I managed to produce my timeline. I am glad that I am now able to make timelines. Now that I know how to do it I am able to teach other people in the future. It is interesting also to see my course mates’ timelines. This is what great about online classes because one gets learn from each other all the time.
Another interesting activity this week was on learning about various technology’s leaders and innovators. I did a write up on Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com. His biography on his life and how he set up his company was amazing. He saw the great potential of the Internet and had the foresight to venture into e-commerce and build his company in the then unknown territory. What a visionary and how it paid off. Today Amazon.com has become one of the largest online retail websites in the world.
I look forward to learning even more things next week. I hope everyone will continue to share their experience. We can really learn a lot from each other. Thanks for all of your links. Keep well and keep learning. See you guys next week!
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[ Modified: Saturday, 10 July 2010, 08:09 PM ]
First Week
by Sieng Chong Ling - Saturday, 3 July 2010, 02:45 PM
Anyone on this site
Hmm.....What is the first week for me?
Well, this the first time I am learning online using the Moodle system. I must say that learning via Moodle is a new experience for me. This online class is pretty interactive and I am loving it. The Scavenger Hunt activity is a good way to learn about the evolution of technology. I enjoyed searching for the answers and images. Along the way, I learned quite a bit.
I am glad that I am in the midst of like-minded people who love technology. In school, I always feel I am alone on this technology thing. In my school, there are not many kindred spirits. Here, I feel at home with my kind. There is much to learn from this course and from one another. I am excited to see how this course unfolds. Hopefully at the end of this course, I will gain deeper insights on educational technology and make me a better teacher. I look forward to learn new things in the coming weeks.
Having the necessary ICT infrastructure in schools is not enough in making them technology enabled schools. An educational technologist would also need to be a strong advocate of technology use in schools. He would need to convince the administrators and teachers to use technology widely in schools. Presently there are no educational technologists per se in Malaysian schools. Teachers who have computer knowledge are enlisted to be the IT teachers in schools. These teachers are the ones who assume the roles of educational technologists. Educational technologists will play the key role in helping teachers to adopt new teaching practices which are technology based. They will play important role to get teachers in school to get to know the available technologies for educational purposes, the benefits in using them and how to use those technologies in teaching and learning process.
In schools, I enjoyed my role as an educational technologist. I enjoyed helping my schools and colleagues with their IT needs. This role required more of my time but I was happy to do this job although my teaching hours are as many as other teachers in all my previous schools. So, this was a plus point. I enjoyed doing the job. Apart from this I enjoyed doing my own learning. I kept myself updated with the latest trends in technology and tools that useful for teaching and increasing productivity. I am not adverse in learning new technological tools and in using them in schools.
I also had good rapport with my superiors and fellow colleagues. I was responsive to their needs and did not hesitate in helping them. I would like to consider myself as an approachable person who was there to teach them how to use and navigate certain programs, using the projectors and helping them to solve computer related problems. I did not mind to share what I knew when my opinions were sought. In the process I earned their trust and confidence. Considering all the things that I have mentioned, I would like to think that I was able to the job well.
I would very much like to learn more about e-learning as I think it will be the future platform in learning. Singapore is already actively implementing e-learning in schools. Malaysia by its close proximity to Singapore will no doubt be following them soon. Some private schools and smart schools in Malaysia are already into it. Almost all schools in Malaysia have been equipped with ICT infrastructure. I am quite sure e-learning will be the next big thing in Malaysian schools. So, learning everything about online learning, Web 2.0 tools, online applications, and collaborative learning intrigues and interests me very much.
In addition, I have much to learn about e-learning platform. I find that it is a very interesting new way of learning. I am interested in learning how to construct high quality and interactive content to engage learners for e-learning. I would also like to learn about e-learning environment and how to design online courses which I am not sure whether they are covered in my Master’s program. If they are not in the program, I might consider taking a course on them somewhere. At the moment I am learning about them on my own through the Internet. I would also like to learn about project-based or problem-based learning. I am quite fascinated about this approach in educating students. So I need some coaching in this area as well so that I could share it with other teachers after I have completed my studies. If I should teach next at a teachers training college in Malaysia, I would like to pass on all the things that I learned here in the United States to my students.
Affective Questions -> Affective Questions -> Re: Affective Questions
by Sieng Chong Ling - Thursday, 23 September 2010, 04:02 PM
Yesterday as part of my Program Evaluation course, two ladies, LouAnn Pioli and Laurie Snell came to our class to present their 'Banish Bullying' program so that it could be evaluated by us. They shared with us some of the activities of the program. Among them were:
Receiving:
1)Students were asked to define what are violence and bullying
2)Knowing various form of bullying (brainstorming activity)
Responding:
1)Students did journal writing on their learning.
2)Sharing on what they have learnt.
3)Role-play activities (including puppet show)
4)'Fake it Till You Make' activity
- To heighten students' ability to exhibit confidence, assertive body language and responses in order to avoid being bullied
- Students practise being confident and assertive person ie. facial expression, eye contact, posture, and stride.
5)Overcoming fears from being bystanders into caring allies
Characterizing by Value:
1) Choose to be caring allies to targets of bullying. Among things that a caring ally is able to do are:
a) be friends to a target of bullying.
b) walk with him (reduce chances of bullying)
c) interrupting a bullying situation
-walking up to the target and making an excuse to get him/her away from the bully
d) Tell a trusted adult about a bullying incident
2)Filling in bullying report
The two presenters also shared that over the years, students have demonstrated a decreasing sense of empathy towards others. Therefore we need to teach the hearts and not only to the heads. This is where the affective domain is so important. Sometimes we neglect this domain when we teach the syllabus instead of the student persons.
Affective Questions -> Affective Questions
by Sieng Chong Ling - Monday, 20 September 2010, 11:19 PM
In our process in teaching our students, it is also important that we equip or inculcate in students important values. This is to ensure that they will become a positive and balanced individuals. This means that they must not only be knowledgeable academically. They should also be developed emotionally who have the ability to reflect and appreciate their learning.
The Affective Taxonomy
The Affective Taxonomy has five levels. These levels are:
Level 1 - Receiving / Attending - willingness to become aware
Level 2 - Responding - appreciating or internalizing
Level 3 - Valuing - accepting, preferring, becoming committed to
Level 4 - Conceptualizing / Organizing - incorporating into a value system
Level 5 - Characterizing by value - orientation toward / identification with.
Examples of affective questions:
Level 2 - Can you tell me why do you agree with the points raised in the essay?
Level 3 - Would you react the same way if you face the similar situation? What would you do?
Level 5 - Do you think it is better to lie to keep the peace or to tell the truth? Why?
Week 6
by Sieng Chong Ling - Saturday, 7 August 2010, 10:03 PM
Anyone on this site
It has been a great course. I thoroughly enjoyed this course. This course has opened my eyes to many things. I have learned much about technology through this course. It has been a great discovery. I am glad that through the discussions in the forums, we have learned a lot from each other. It was wonderful to see how we shared our knowledge. Thanks for all your insights and supportive comments. And yes, all the wonderful links too.
The contents of this course have been excellent in guiding us to discover various areas of educational technology. This course has helped me to learn how other teachers are using technology in their class. I also found out the common problems that we are facing such limited funding for technology, resistance of some teachers in using technology and etc. How much longer before schools start seriously using technology in teaching and learning process? Only time will tell, I guess.
We still have much work to do in trying to get more teachers to use technology. Until then on our part, we have to keep on learning and using technology to teach our students. We have to remember that to start a fire, it only takes a spark.
Adios, I will miss our interactions in this course. All the best to all!
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[ Modified: Saturday, 7 August 2010, 10:05 PM ]
Week 5 - Technology and the 10,000-Hour Rule
by Sieng Chong Ling - Sunday, 1 August 2010, 06:56 PM
Anyone on this site
This week we learned about the evolution of technology. What might be the latest gadgets or today’s technological tools will be artifacts in the future. This goes to show that technology is dynamic and ever changing with times. This is the most interesting and exciting part about technology. It is hard to imagine what the inventions of the future would be like. Time and again, we are awed by creative inventions of men. This phenomenon also tells us that there are multitude possibilities in the world of educational technology. This week I learned about Siftables, a collection of cookie-sized mini computers that shows its potential for educational purposes. It would be interesting to see how David Merril and his team are going to further develop this amazing product. I am interested to see how this gadget would bring forth a new pedagogical approach of teachers’ in the classrooms and how effective this gadget in bettering the learning of students.
While technological tools can help students to learn better, another important factor is the teachers’ success in using them in classrooms. I want to share with you what Malcolm Gladwell, the author of the book, ‘Outliers’ said about attaining competence. He said that the key to success in any field is simply a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of 10,000 hours. Gladwell called it the “10,000-Hour Rule”. He gave some examples of some successful people who became so good in what they did:
1.The Beatles performed live in Hamburg, Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964, amassing more than 10,000 hours of playing time, therefore meeting the 10,000-Hour Rule.
2. Bill Gates met the 10,000-Hour Rule when he gained access to a high school computer in 1968 at the age of 13, and spent 10,000 hours programming it.
So, this brings to the question, have we spent 10,000 hours in learning and using technology yet? We have to ask ourselves this question and see whether we have achieved the level of competence required in our field. Having said that, we should always strive to improve ourselves to learn and keep up with the ever evolving technology. Today’s knowledge is not good enough for tomorrow. So keep on learning, guys.
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[ Modified: Sunday, 1 August 2010, 06:57 PM ]
Week 4
by Sieng Chong Ling - Sunday, 25 July 2010, 05:37 PM
Anyone on this site
Week 4 saw discussions on the use of Internet for learning through online communities, blogs and wikis and restrictions of its usage when it comes to social networking sites, chat rooms, YouTube and et cetera. From discussions, it looks like generally teachers are disappointed over those restrictions as those sites can be very useful in helping students to learn. YouTube, for example is a good website where students can obtain all kinds of informative factual videos which they can use. It is a real pity when you block sites that can be so useful for the education of students today. I think schools and relevant authorities need to move forward in enabling teachers and teachers to fully maximize technology use in education. Decision makers need to be open to the use of technology. Everybody needs to keep up with technology. If we want to keep up with our students, we need to keep up with technology as well. We need to know and use technology in education. This is the part where relevant authorities need to give their support. Teachers need to be invited to sit on the boards to give their views on the use of technology in classrooms. Often times, teachers’ views are not sought when authorities make decisions on matters pertaining to education. On why this phenomenon happens, I do not know. Many teachers, I think also feel the same.
One thing that I feel that will encourage the implementation of use of technology in education is to change the assessment process. Right now, there is no need to use technology simply because the assessment of students’ academic achievement is largely through paper and pencil examinations. I believe that assessment play a big part on how teachers would teach. If the assessment does not require students’ use of technology in their learning, then teachers will tend not to use technology in education. Therefore, technology use in education by students should be a requirement in the assessment process. Only then, the use of technology will be taken seriously by schools and teachers. And hopefully, technology will be then used widely in the teaching and learning process by teachers in schools.
Technology helps students to develop learning skills that enable them to think critically, analyze information, communicate, collaborate, organize their ideas and promote problem-solving skills. The importance of technology use and knowledge cannot be underestimated and is essential for the success of our students as pointed below.
Representative of the ICT literacy skills are the following six arenas critical to students' success in the workplace (Kay and Honey, 2005):
• Communicate Effectively:
Students must have a range of skills to express themselves not only through paper and pencil, but also audio, video, animation, design software as well as a host of new environments (e-mail, Web sites, message boards, blogs, streaming media, etc.).
• Analyze and Interpret Data:
Students must have the ability to crunch, compare, and choose among the glut of data now available Web-based and other electronic formats.
• Understand Computational Modeling:
Students must possess an understanding of the power, limitations, and underlying assumptions of various data representation systems, such as computational models and simulations, which are increasingly driving a wide-range of disciplines.
• Manage and Prioritize Tasks:
Students must be able to manage the multi-tasking, selection, and prioritizing across technology applications that allow them to move fluidly among teams, assignments and communities of practice.
• Engage in Problem Solving:
Students must have an understanding of how to apply what they know and can do to new situations.
• Ensure Security and Safety:
Students must know and use strategies to acknowledge, identify, and negotiate 21st century risks.
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[ Modified: Sunday, 25 July 2010, 05:41 PM ]
Week 3
by Sieng Chong Ling - Sunday, 18 July 2010, 11:40 PM
Anyone on this site
I am really happy with this course which has been an eye opener for me. I have learned even more things this week as I surfed the Net to find things that are related to Week 3 assignments. I came across a very interesting video entitled, “Little Kids…Big Potential”. This video shows how an amazing Grade One pupils in an elementary school in Saskatchewan, Canada. The pupils under their teacher, Miss Kathy Cassidy use various technological tools in their learning. They learn how to blog, navigate their class webpage, use wikis, make video, use Skype and Nintendo DS to share, collaborate and learn in their classroom. You can watch this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvPZtTej0jQ&feature=player_embedded.
I was and am still really astonished and also heartened to see those kids utilizing those tools. It is absolutely amazing to see how those kids learn in their school. Miss Kathy Cassidy is truly a wonderful and creative teacher. For her fantastic work, Miss Cassidy bagged the Microsoft-MindShare Learning Award. Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog is located at http://classblogmeister.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1337&show=all. The success of her class should be commended and emulated. Kudos to Miss Cassidy and her class! I am glad to have found their inspiring video on the Net and learn something from watching the video.
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[ Modified: Sunday, 18 July 2010, 11:45 PM ]
Week 2
by Sieng Chong Ling - Saturday, 10 July 2010, 07:45 PM
Anyone on this site
Today marks the end of another week of an exciting course. The first activity was on sharing our application of learning theories in teaching vocabulary. It took me a while to share as it had been quite a while since I taught English. The last time I taught English was in 2001. So that it was like eight years ago. Since then I have been teaching Science and ICT Literacy. Anyway I managed to recall the strategies that I used to use to teach my students. My first posting was to a rural school in Terengganu, Malaysia back in 1992. The students there were from economic disadvantaged backgrounds and were children of either farmers or fishermen. Needless to say they were also disadvantaged academically as well. However, the teachers there were dedicated and determined to see that the students got their education. It was a great challenge for me as well as English was a foreign language to them. I used a lot of songs to get them interested in learning. I wanted them to have fun and to have no fear for the subject. Of course I also used other methods to get them to read and to be at ease with the language. Ladybird books were excellent in helping them to read. Flash cards were also used to drill them to be able to read. It took time to teach them reading. All my students were taught to read Dolch basic words list ( http://www.english-zone.com/reading/dolch.html ) to help them to read. Of course there were matching activities and lots of writing exercises. They were also exposed to rhymes, jazz chants and drama. I believe I did make a difference in that school in teaching and making them not to fear English. Those were my fond memories as a teacher in that school.
I also enjoyed doing the timeline activity. I learned about the history of e-books which was very interesting. Initially I faced some problems doing the timeline as I did not quite understand how to go about it. However, I managed to produce my timeline. I am glad that I am now able to make timelines. Now that I know how to do it I am able to teach other people in the future. It is interesting also to see my course mates’ timelines. This is what great about online classes because one gets learn from each other all the time.
Another interesting activity this week was on learning about various technology’s leaders and innovators. I did a write up on Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com. His biography on his life and how he set up his company was amazing. He saw the great potential of the Internet and had the foresight to venture into e-commerce and build his company in the then unknown territory. What a visionary and how it paid off. Today Amazon.com has become one of the largest online retail websites in the world.
I look forward to learning even more things next week. I hope everyone will continue to share their experience. We can really learn a lot from each other. Thanks for all of your links. Keep well and keep learning. See you guys next week!
Edit | Delete | Permalink
[ Modified: Saturday, 10 July 2010, 08:09 PM ]
First Week
by Sieng Chong Ling - Saturday, 3 July 2010, 02:45 PM
Anyone on this site
Hmm.....What is the first week for me?
Well, this the first time I am learning online using the Moodle system. I must say that learning via Moodle is a new experience for me. This online class is pretty interactive and I am loving it. The Scavenger Hunt activity is a good way to learn about the evolution of technology. I enjoyed searching for the answers and images. Along the way, I learned quite a bit.
I am glad that I am in the midst of like-minded people who love technology. In school, I always feel I am alone on this technology thing. In my school, there are not many kindred spirits. Here, I feel at home with my kind. There is much to learn from this course and from one another. I am excited to see how this course unfolds. Hopefully at the end of this course, I will gain deeper insights on educational technology and make me a better teacher. I look forward to learn new things in the coming weeks.
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