Chester's e-Learning Summary

I started with activity B and eventually saw a few of my friends doing the same activity too. Despite coming from the same class and going through the same e-learning resources, we had some varying responses. It was interesting because I initially thought all the strategies would be similar.

There were fruitful discussions on the various strategies suggested. Some strategies were idealistic and required “reality checks”. Some were creative ideas which we would like to try, but not too sure if it is going to work. Through the discussions, we also talk about the mindset and behaviour of students, which is useful information, even for other courses.
Among all suggestions, I think preparation is the most important. Be it an ICT lesson or not, it starts with preparation and without it, nothing flows. I guess that is why we are “drilled” on lesson plans in almost every module.

We are already in the third Masterplan for ICT, but new teachers like us were taught through “old school teaching” methods. Therefore, it takes “great courage” to step out of the comfort zone. Nonetheless, I think most of us are receptive to ICT and probably use it to facilitate our teaching in the near future.

"Before the lesson, Mrs Xing should approach the lab technician for help in ensuring that all the computers are in working condition. Since she is a beginning teacher, she should request the lab technician to be around during the lesson, or at least for the first period. An instruction guide for simple troubleshooting (if any) will also come in handy.
From the start of the lesson, disciplinary rules and activity procedures should be communicated clearly and enforced. Students should also be assigned seats (Chai & Wang, 2009). The class can be split into groups and group leaders help to maintain discipline and do simple troubleshooting. Mrs Xing should have a “Master Control Programme” such as LabCommander, to maintain full control of students' operations. Some even includes functions such as electronic hand-raising and private chat. If such software is not available, Mrs Xing would have to adopt other strategies such as the colour cup alert, dimming of lights, turning over of mouse, etc.
A more thorough lesson plan is required to ensure the flow of the lessons. Scaffolding tools in the form of worksheets and checklist should be used to guide the students to complete their task (Pek, 2003). Students should also be reminded of the time allocation for each activity with an electronic countdown timer. The first draft should be peer edited to expose students to different styles of writing and common mistakes. It saves time too."