Our SCLP went through many transformations in a span of a month. These are the changes I remember.
Scenario: Terrorism --> Gang Fight in a Local School
The change in scenario was suggested by Dr Tan. A gang fight in a school is more relevant and authentic for students. Terrorism, while a pressing concern in the real-world, is less of an immediate concern to Secondary School students. Perhaps using terrorism as a topic would be more appropriate for Junior College students.
Method: Every student does all four sources individually --> Each student does one source, get together in a group of four to collaborate --> Each pair of student does two sources, get together in a group of four to collaborate
It was a bit of an eureka moment actually, when Dr Tan prodded us to the realisation that we could get students to do different sources and get together to collaborate. It challenged my presumption that every student has to learn the exact same thing in every single class. Although splitting the sources up meant that not every student will access the audio or the video, arranging it this way meant that each student would have a different piece of the puzzle, forcing them to collaborate to write the email. A stroke of genius, I say. :)
Patricia and I later decided to do pair work so that one partner can type in the note-taker, while the other views the video. The task also becomes less intimidating for students when they work in pairs.
Platform: Flash --> Powerpoint --> Wiki
Creating a button in the the new Flash CS3 threw me off big-time. It is so different in the new flash! So Flash went out of the window and we settled for the safer Powerpoint instead. Then Patricia suggested using wiki. At first I was a little confused about how to use a wiki, but after a little discussion, we realised that wiki may be ideal: it allows us to launch everything from a single platform, and it is perfect for the creation of note-takers.
So, as you can tell, we have changed just about everything from what we first imagined our SCLP to be. :)
Our SCLP: Preventing Gang Violence in Schools
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Thoughts on the ICT course
This ICT course has firmly embedded the words "Student-centred learning" in my brain. It has given me a theory on how students learn, i.e. Constructivist theory. I learnt that teaching is so much more than presenting information. That it requires priming the students by activating their prior knowledge, setting up a learning environment that is safe, and creating opportunities for students to discover things on their own through collaborative learning.
And I learnt how ICT can play a role in Student-centred learning. It supports both indepedent learning and collaboration, and is an engaging medium for students. I picked up a few tools for my ICT tool-kit: Comic Life, Hot Potatoes, Digital Storyboarding, Wikis, etc. Read my thoughts last week.
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How does the future look?
In our last class, we watched a video in2015. It's kinda crazy the things they imagine can be done in 2015. Part of me worries about the separation between the virtual and the non-virtual life. I mean, to navigate inside shopping centre, you actually bury your nose in the screen of a little gadget to tell you when to turn left! We have to live in the "real world" sometimes, if you know what I mean. I worry that we will need more Psychiatrists.
But on the other hand, I'm excited. I realise that this means that the world can be in my classroom: it is only a matter of harnessing the power of technology.
The world in my classroom... oh, the possibilities!
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Dr Tan,
Thank you for your guidance in this journey. I wish you the best in your research on Web 2.0. I am always open to the idea of doing further research.
Best regards,
Faith
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