MP3 Briefing Reflections

Having gone through a briefing on mp3. I must say it has given me much clarity into what mp3 is all about and the thinking behind it.

Having moved from mp1 to mp2, we have come a long way in ensuring our pupils are well equipped to take on the information age. However, we are still not seeing the results as desired.

I believe the main problem lies with us, teachers. We are not digital natives and so it is not our natural inclination to be using IT. Thus the main crux of mp3 is to push the use of cutting age pedagogy through ICT. It is interesting to note that we are not pushing for the latest technology, rather we are pushing for the best way to teach using ICT.

Thus the conception of IT mentors who will be trained to be the gurus of how to develop or enhance pedagogy of teaching using ICT. These mentors will be very strong in their pedagogy first and not necessarily the most tech savvy.

Cyberwellness is another main strand in mp3 because without the proper use of ICT, pupils will only put themselves in grave danger.

Finally, to top it all, ICT Connection. This is a platform where teachers get to share all their best practices so that everyone can benefit.

I'm excited because this will really shape the way we teach. It is my dream that every pupil will be a confident user of ICT who uses ICT to learn independently and collaboratively with other students from all over the world.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hospital Window

A friend mentioned this video clip yesterday and I went to take a look at it. It really touched my heart. I want to share it with my class to inspire them to always look on the bright side of life.

Online reflections

First question that will be asked, "why online reflections?". I say, "why not?". I believe we have to keep up with the times, blogging is so common nowadays, almost every child owns a blog. So since the platform is there, why not use it to our advantage. This helps us understand our children better too.

Having said that, let me explore the advantages and disadvantages of using blogs to submit reflections.

Advantages

• Paperless. Save the trees
• There will be a record of past reflections.
• It is secure, I can allow only authorized persons to view it.
• Ability to post comments. So this allows for two way communication between JH and RO.
• Very much in line with BY(i)TES where teachers use IT in collaboration and sharing.

Disadvantages

• Less tech savvy teachers will have problems using it (can overcome with training)
• Fear of breach of security. (but blogger has capability to set blogs to be private)

In conclusion, it seems like using online blogs as a way of doing reflections has much more advantages than disadvantages. I believe some NIE lecturers have already been doing that with their trainees so why not us trained teachers?

Reflections: Term 1 Week 5

Another eventful week has passed. It has been five weeks since school started and I am still as busy as ever. It's a challenge to juggle between teaching and my duties as a HOD. It's a constant tug-of-wall within me, should I focus more on my teaching and neglect my duties as a HOD? Or should I do well as a HOD but allow my pupils to suffer? It's really not an easy question to answer. To sway either way is not right. The best answer is, of course, to strike a balance, but it is easier said than done. I learned to purposely set aside time for both. Like on Mondays and Tuesdays, I would dedicate the majority of my time to my teaching duties. Since it is the start of the week, it is a good time to prepare for my lessons, mark and set assessments for my pupils. The rest of the week would be devoted more towards planning and creating structures for my department.

Though it has been a busy first month, it is really exciting to think of the possibilities I can set in place for the pupils to benefit from. The introduction of iPad means a whole host of possibilities and innovative ways of learning. Meeting with Lead's sales executive today showed me a possibility of using iPhones on their TRAILS. This got me very excited as pupils are all really excited about the iPhone since its the "in thing" now. So if we can allow them to use it as part of their learning. I am sure they would take it seriously and benefit much from it. Some teachers were concerned however, that the lower ability pupils might not be able to use it properly and effectively. I choose to disagree with this view point. I firmly believe our pupils are all "digital natives" and when you leave technology in their hands, they would know how to use it. We need to move away from that mental model and believe that our pupils can achieve their best. But what they say about weaker students having difficulties using technology to learn holds some weight still. So how do we balance it all?