ICT e-learning 2 reflections part B

After watching the video on Singapore’s iN2015 vision, I can imagine Singaporeans no longer using cash (as in coins & dollar notes) in transactions, going through the hassle of travelling to & fro just to get paperwork done, having to worry about the availability of parking lots, taking the trouble to visit the library etc… with all the information and functions available in one small handheld gadget. I see the possibility of Singapore going increasingly digital in these essential day-to-day communication processes. With all these further technological advances, it may possibly reduce paper usage and hopefully help to alleviate environmental problems caused by deforestation (for paper manufacturing). In fact, with more and more Singaporeans possessing iPhones and Blackberry devices that allow access to the internet, newsgroups and emails while on the move, as a nation I believe we are somewhat heading there.

With such further advances in technology, I can picture ICT being incorporated as a very important tool in classroom lessons. Sure, students would be wowed by the frills in accessing information with just a click on the handheld device but over time, will they become jaded as such tools become more common? Will their attention span decrease during lessons & teachers would then have to again go through the vicious cycle of brainstorming even more interesting lesson ideas just to captivate the students’ attention after having exhausted all the possible ICT tools? What if technology breaks down? Will teachers & students be prepared to revert back to the old approach of using the whiteboard, markers and worksheets?

To a certain extent, I think NIE is preparing me by training me in the necessary to develop a balance between a teacher-centred and student-centred approach in lessons. Unlike the days of old, teachers would no longer function as the ‘information bank’ for students, with information now being readily available through the internet and other ICT tools. Nonetheless it is of utmost importance that we keep abreast with what’s happening in the world to remain relevant to our students and be well-read in the subjects we are teaching.

ICT e-learning 2 reflections part A

Digital natives are those whose time is vastly spent on technology-related activities, so much so to the point that their lives can be considered to be pretty much revolved around technology. Their brain process and cognitive abilities are very much shaped by repeated exposure to video games and digital media that they come in contact with day in and day out. Albeit their much shorter attention span than previous generations, they are better able to visualize graphical representations, reason inductively, multi-task and respond to both expected/unexpected stimuli. With the much faster pace of life that comes with technology, digital natives tend not to slow down and reflect, which is crucial before meaningful learning actually takes place.

In my review, I have chosen to compare Virginia (http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-virginia-video) against a typical Singaporean secondary school student. There are some similarities I noticed between her and the latter, in that both spend quite a substantial amount of time on social networking websites such as Facebook, Youtube and even blogging while still keeping up with school commitments. I’m not too sure whether teachers actually teach their students how to blog or even create blogs for classroom discussions at that level here in Singapore though. One thing that struck me was that Virginia was already playing a role in educating the younger ones about cyberwellness at a young, tender age of 14, which is something I hardly see back home; or at least happens at a slightly older age. Like her, Singaporean youths need to learn to exercise self-control in internet usage lest it does more harm than good to them.

As teachers, we face very real challenges in capturing the attention of digital natives. To hold their attention it would be of great importance to vary our teaching pedagogies with ICT tools being incorporated into lessons. This would include choosing the right games (where appropriate) to use during lessons which would enhance the educational value for the students. For students to better make sense of what they are learning, it would be good to present the facts/theories to them in graphic form since digital natives learn better through visualizations. At the same time, it is of great importance that students are educated in cyberwellness since they use the internet for quite a fair amount of time and it can affect them negatively if certain boundaries aren’t drawn.

E-learning 2 (Part B) (Han Kiong)

Having read through the articles and watched the videos, it is alarming how technologies have progressed and evolved. The extension of digital technologies has crept into the educational landscape or is still in the process of increasing its presence.

I am looking forward to changes yet fearful of how well prepared I am to these changes. With students having more autonomy of their learning, it will no doubt drive greater learning as they might be intrinsically motivated. However, at the same time, I fear teachers are rendered obsolete. This is particularly true for teachers not able to adapt to the changing educational landscape.

With the immense amount of information available for the students, they might be at a loss on how to search for relevant information. Teachers could guide the students to their desired learning acting as a facilitator. In this respect, teachers are still very much important. Teachers are no longer regarded a wealth of knowledge but their experience in pursuing knowledge is still helpful to the students. I will no doubt be attempting to assume the role of a guide and let students do the bulk of their own learning.

Living, learning and working will no doubt be taking place in a more dynamic environment. The pace of life will become faster. Beware, those people craving a more serene lifestyle. I strongly believe we have to keep pace with the changing environment or risk being an outcast.

NIE has tried to sway us to in planning a more student centric learning and I believe it is paying dividends slowly or will pay dividends eventually though not manifested explicitly. I have been persuaded to let students have more autonomy in their learning. I will no doubt get the students to realize that teachers are no longer the wealth of knowledge and they are the ones to drive their own learning. I will take on the role of a guide as in the case of a lighthouse, steering the students to their desired course of learning.

E-learning 2 (Part A) (Han Kiong)

What are some characteristics of digital natives? (What are they good at? What are they poor at?)

Pictures speak more than a thousand words. You can basically figure out the differences between a Digital Native and a Digital Immigrant from the picture above. Digital natives are those who were born in an age of digital technologies and raised with these digital technologies pervading their lives. We on the other hand are the Digital Immigrants who are left gasping for breath in a digital laden environment (I’m referring to the likes of me).

Based on research and studies, we know conclusively that Digital Natives’ brains are physiologically different from ours due largely to huge exposure to digital media. They would naturally have expertise or competences that are different from us. Digital Natives may be contrasted with the Digital Immigrants in terms of the following:

• Parallel versus linear processing: Digital Natives have parallel cognitive structures while Digital Immigrants have linear processing. While we focus on one task at a time, Digital Natives are comfortable multi-tasking; they could listen to music, talk on mobiles and surf the net at the same time. This no doubts enable them to complete multiple tasks in a shorter time. I question the quality of work done though.

• Graphics first versus text first: Digital Natives are primarily visual learners as the exposure to computer games and other digital media has enhanced their visual spatial skills and texts are subsidiary aids for these visuals. We on the other hand rely more on texts which may then be reinforced with visuals.

• Connected versus stand-alone: the development of internets and other digital media has resulted Digital Natives to be connected even over far distances and it is even extended to the popular LAN gaming. The Digital Natives may then collaborate actively with others over these channels. They thus adopt the slogan “Think globally, Act globally” in contrast with the Digital Immigrants; traditional approach of “Think globally, Act locally”.

The contrast of Digital Natives with Digital Immigrants has highlighted what these Digital Natives are good at but they too have areas they need to address and improve. Digital Natives are weak in reflections which involves learning from experience. Reflections are essential as it enables us to generalize with the formation of mental models.

Which portrait did you select? (In your blog, create a link to the portrait.) In terms of their digital background, how similar was that student compared to a Singapore student?

Dylan is an interesting subject that I have chosen to review. Dylan is a typical Digital Native who uses a wide array of digital technologies ranging from educational tools to learn phonics, websites to showcase his projects, online forums, chats and conferences to collaborate with others for his projects to making video and publishing them on YouTube. This sounds familiar to what most students in Singapore are using. Singapore children with access to computers, the internet, mobile phones made possible by the affluence of the nation have learnt or are learning to apply these tools in daily life. The pervasiveness of these digital technologies is alarming, you could just observe the people around you one early morning and you are bound to see multiple digital tools used by those people. I, labelled as a Digital immigrant have social networking accounts; rely primarily on the internet to search for information, blog occasionally much less students who are Digital Natives.

How might teachers in Singapore today engage and teach our digital natives?

Teachers in Singapore may start by recognising that students or the Digital Natives’ brains are physiologically different from us backed by evidence from neurobiology and social psychology.

From this fact stems the need to innovate the teaching approach to engage students. Knowing that students have parallel cognitive structures, teachers can no longer teach in linear or sequential fashion. They must attempt to create interactive lessons with frequent feedbacks. They can also use text sparingly and have more visuals in their lessons since students use text as subsidiary aids to learn. The use of concept maps may be helpful as it reinforces mental maps in the students. Teachers can pose challenging problems to students to motivate students as they may be bored easily.

It is hard for most teachers including me to move away from traditional approaches to teaching that emphasises linear thinking but knowing that students are vastly different now and learning can only be achieved by revising our teaching approach, we must make an effort to bring about changes.

Sakinah's Elearning 2 Part B

The first impression that came across my mind after watching iN2015 is honestly something like this: Is this for real? I don’t think it’s going to happen so soon. That will be like 6 more years so how can things move that fast?

Oops! I know it’s a very pessimistic view and very shallow. I’m very guilty of that. The thing is I failed to see the big picture of the whole thing. The thing is I failed to realize that things HAVE been moving very fast. Technology has been changing and advancing at a speed never before occurs in history of mankind.

Technological advances have caused a change in many aspects of life. From the way people communicate and connect to each other to the way people learn and observe from the surroundings. I think the way students learn will be very different as compared to 10 years ago. The students craved for other things. They want it fast, exciting, thought-provoking and relevant. The same goes to their learning in school. They don’t want it to be linear and one –way. They want it to be interactive and energetic; like how fast everything is changing. If they don’t see the relevance in it, they simply would not be interested in it.

NIE is doing a fine job in preparing future teachers. Maybe not fully but hopefully the teachers get the gist and CHANGE the way they teach. It may be very hard even for me, since we’ve been brought up in a different kind of technological advances. It may be hard because it has been hard-wired in our minds that there is only certain typical ways to teach. I hope as a teacher I will make my class more interactive and thought-provoking. They want immediate feedback. So hopefully I can incorporate that in my teaching. I shall respect their different ways of learning and not see it as a problem.

I hope I can understand their different ways of learning and adapt towards it.

Sakinah's Elearning 2 Part A

Good at: Problem solving. They think differently and process information differently. They develop hypertext minds and think in a parallel manner and not in sequence. They possess multi-dimensional visual-spatial skills and they are able to respond faster.
Bad at: Reflecting. Reflecting is very important since reflection let us realize and acknowledge our mistakes. How do we learn from our mistakes if we did not acknowledge them first? Are we forever going to live in denial? Reflection also let us realizes what to learn from the environment.


Justin. 16. Very similar to Singapore students. Similar to Singapore students, they are exposed to technology, gaming and internet at a very young age. They utilize technology as a way to express themselves. One of the problems he managed to avoid is game addiction. Like most Singapore students who are gamers, they suffer from addiction. They miss the thrill of adventure and the world of fantasy. Fortunately, he learnt to balance his time. Justin managed to play his games and at the same time, carry out his normal everyday life.
Teachers cannot use the linear way to teach. We must let the students explore and relate the topics learnt to real life. There should be immediate response like how the games do. Classroom activities should include interactivity. Must let them ask questions. Let them enquire. Let them do their own problem-solving.

E-learning 2 (Part B)

It looks "cool" to have the future portrayed by the Singapore's iN2015 vision. Everything seem to be made so much easier and faster. Though it has many benefits which we expect to come, a negative possibility crossed my mind. Teachers are going to lose their jobs! Perhaps, we may require teachers to be around, we no longer need so many! I wonder if it is a good or bad thing...

Things are made far too easy. Are we going to cherish things around us? Since, we do not necessary need help from others (Technology can help us instead)...Are we going to feel grateful upon receiving help from others?

Personally, I am those who still prefer hand-write letters than electronic typed emails. There is always a lack of humane and emotions when we typed things out and send through electronic emails. I do not know about others, that is my feel. In the 2015 vision, it seems everything is made electronic. Did you see any papers and pen ink? Similarly, I do not like the presents given by the kids to their mother- Lack of feelings... Again, that is my feel.

In the whole new world, the working environment will change too. Tasks will will be completed in a much shorter time. Perhaps, we do not need any more face to face meetings. We can all do it online. We need not go around and seek help from our colleagues as information can easily be found. Again, does it reduce social interactions?

In NIE, I can only see my ICT module being relevant to the possible future. Under Dr Tan's supervision, we need do constant reflections and think critically about various issues. Through this module, I learnt that we need to adjust our lessons to cater to our students. Hence, in future, teachers will face a even greater challenge to educate the future generations who are proficient in the technologies. NIE cannot teach us the things we use to teach our kids in the future, it mentally prepares us in dealing with possible situations in future.

To cope with the possible future, we need to equip ourselves with the necessary IT skills. Hence, I will consistently upgrade myself to the new technologies, attend relevant courses and etc. Most importantly, we need to abandon old teaching strategies and devise new ones to appropriate learning environment for students.