Friday, November 5, 2010
Final Words & Acknowledgement
Through this short 4-day attachment, I have gained much insight from my colleagues in ETD.I am also deeply humbled by the ETOs' generosity of their time as well as their generosity in sharing their knowledge. It made me realise that I have still much to learn in the area of educational technology. The next step for me is to transfer what I have learnt and observed back to my school.
The attachment programme was well -planned. The programme has been comprehensive and there was a good balance of briefings, hands-on activities and reflection slots. Another important take away from this attachment was the new network formed with ETD colleagues. It was reassuring to know that help is only an email or a call away should I need any advice in the course of my work.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the following people who have made this TWA a wonderful experience for me :
Firstly, to Mr Lak Yau Hui, Senior Head, PDC, ETD, MOE HQ for planning a great programme for me. He was constantly ensuring that I was well taken care of and he would made time to dialogue with me on the segments which I have gone through . I am indeed very impressed by Mr Lak's high level of professionalism and dedication.
Secondly, to all the ETOs ,Seryne, Ghee Han, Jimmy,Audrea,Kent, Chuan Leong, Bradon,Marcia, Loo Kang and Yuh Huann for taking time off to walk me through the respective projects they are involved in.
Thirdly, to my ex-colleagues , Ser Wee and Miriam from TWA Unit, Academy of Singapore Teachers for arranging this attachment.
Last but not least, my Principal, Mr Clifford Chua for his strong support in my professional development.
The attachment programme was well -planned. The programme has been comprehensive and there was a good balance of briefings, hands-on activities and reflection slots. Another important take away from this attachment was the new network formed with ETD colleagues. It was reassuring to know that help is only an email or a call away should I need any advice in the course of my work.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the following people who have made this TWA a wonderful experience for me :
Firstly, to Mr Lak Yau Hui, Senior Head, PDC, ETD, MOE HQ for planning a great programme for me. He was constantly ensuring that I was well taken care of and he would made time to dialogue with me on the segments which I have gone through . I am indeed very impressed by Mr Lak's high level of professionalism and dedication.
Secondly, to all the ETOs ,Seryne, Ghee Han, Jimmy,Audrea,Kent, Chuan Leong, Bradon,Marcia, Loo Kang and Yuh Huann for taking time off to walk me through the respective projects they are involved in.
Thirdly, to my ex-colleagues , Ser Wee and Miriam from TWA Unit, Academy of Singapore Teachers for arranging this attachment.
Last but not least, my Principal, Mr Clifford Chua for his strong support in my professional development.
Day 4 Reflection
The morning started with an onsite visit with Ghee Han to St Hilda's Primary School to prepare for the launch of the SEED rooms and SEED guide next week. The launch which will be officiated by DOS will be simultaneoulsy broadcasted to 3 schools which are involved in the launch. Ghee Han was there to ensure that the technical set-up was ok and ready to go on that day.
In the afternoon, I attended the Cyberwellness Ambassador Programme meeting with Yishun Junior College students. Facilitated by Marcia and Mary, the purpose of the meeting was to allow these YJC students ( aka Cyberwellness Ambassadors) to present their proposal in introducing cyberwellness to their college. I was impressed that these young people were dedicated in their cause to reach out to their peers. While the students were presenting, I got inspired and jotted down many ideas which I could bring back to enhance my school's cyberwellness programme. One thing for sure that I would do is to incorporate the concepts of students' voice and service learning to my school's programme.
In the afternoon, I attended the Cyberwellness Ambassador Programme meeting with Yishun Junior College students. Facilitated by Marcia and Mary, the purpose of the meeting was to allow these YJC students ( aka Cyberwellness Ambassadors) to present their proposal in introducing cyberwellness to their college. I was impressed that these young people were dedicated in their cause to reach out to their peers. While the students were presenting, I got inspired and jotted down many ideas which I could bring back to enhance my school's cyberwellness programme. One thing for sure that I would do is to incorporate the concepts of students' voice and service learning to my school's programme.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Day 3 Reflection
The morning , I had the privilege to meet Mr Lak Yau Hui,Senior Head PDC and the person in charge of the attachment as well as the AD, Siew Lian. Shortly after, I had a short dialogue with Mr Lak on a range of topics which include the cyberwellness programme in school, HQ culture as well as staff training and upgrading, particularly how ETOs keep abreast of their knowledge base in order to serve schools effectively. In a way, this dialogue session brought back fond memories of the things that I used to do when I myself was still an HQ Officer not long ago.
The morning's programme also include a briefing by Audrea ,who ran me through the Baseline ICT Standards Online Assessment system. I also had an opportunity to try out the system and to give input to the list of questions to be incorporated into it. I feel that the questions are well set as they are tasked based which mirrors very closely what pupils would do in their day to day use of technology. Moreover, another plus point of this system is that it provides instant feedback on whether the pupils have performed a task correctly or incorrectly. At the planning level, this system can also be used as a proxy indicator of whether a school's ICT baseline standard training programme is adequate in addressing the equipping of our pupils.
In the afternoon, Ghee Han walked me through lesson designs by incorporating ICT,SDL & CoL into Maths lessons. Reading from the ICT connection about SDL and CoL was one thing but nothing was more valuable than getting hands-on practice on designing such lessons. That 2 hours with Ghee Han really opened up my eyes to see lesson design with a new perspective.
The morning's programme also include a briefing by Audrea ,who ran me through the Baseline ICT Standards Online Assessment system. I also had an opportunity to try out the system and to give input to the list of questions to be incorporated into it. I feel that the questions are well set as they are tasked based which mirrors very closely what pupils would do in their day to day use of technology. Moreover, another plus point of this system is that it provides instant feedback on whether the pupils have performed a task correctly or incorrectly. At the planning level, this system can also be used as a proxy indicator of whether a school's ICT baseline standard training programme is adequate in addressing the equipping of our pupils.
In the afternoon, Ghee Han walked me through lesson designs by incorporating ICT,SDL & CoL into Maths lessons. Reading from the ICT connection about SDL and CoL was one thing but nothing was more valuable than getting hands-on practice on designing such lessons. That 2 hours with Ghee Han really opened up my eyes to see lesson design with a new perspective.
Day 2 Reflection
Just into the second day of the attachment, I must say that the journey has been fruitful so far . ETD colleagues have been very generous in their time and their sharing.Once again, I deeply appreciate their hospitality.
This morning, Yuh Huann and Loo Kang from TDL shared on the ICT connection portal. I must admit that I did not fully explore the functions inside ICT connection when it was launched earlier this year. During the briefing , I was given a detailed walk through on every single component inside the portal. I particularly like the Learning Team forum where teachers from all over Singapore can converge into a single portal to engage in professional dialogues online. The concept of collaboration in PLC is not just limited within the 4 walls of schools but to a wider audience. Another thing I feel is good about ICT Connection is that the ETOs are personally involved in giving their comments for every lesson plan submitted. For instance, Loo Kang shared how he would look through a lesson plan, suggest some IT resources or links and repost them for everyone to see. Moving forward, I would want my staff to fully utilize the ICT connection. Already, I am working on a set of comms plan on how I could effectively create buy-in among my staff to encourage them to use this portal on a regularly basis.
In the afternoon, I was pleasantly surprise when Jimmy, my ex colleague and ex boss came to me and offered to walk me through his project on Second Life. Together with Chuan Leong and Kent, they showed me various examples on how SL was being integrated into curriculum and tried at the various pilot schools. Prior to this , I have tried to find examples on the Internet on how schools use SL to engage their students, however, many of these examples were from overseas and many were from tertiary institutions.I needed local examples and that was when Jimmy's presentation came just in time .Within the short 2- hour presentation and dialogue, I was able to see for myself how SL could be used to engage students in perspective thinking, scenario-based instruction as well as inquiry-based learning, just to name a few. I have always wanted to pilot an SL project in my school, in fact, a few KPs and I have met a vendor two months back to discuss on the possibility of creating a virtual world portal integrating Maths and Science. I am convinced that this platform would provide a powerful learning experience for our children and I look forward to tapping the expertise of ETD colleagues in this area when we launch our vw next year.
This morning, Yuh Huann and Loo Kang from TDL shared on the ICT connection portal. I must admit that I did not fully explore the functions inside ICT connection when it was launched earlier this year. During the briefing , I was given a detailed walk through on every single component inside the portal. I particularly like the Learning Team forum where teachers from all over Singapore can converge into a single portal to engage in professional dialogues online. The concept of collaboration in PLC is not just limited within the 4 walls of schools but to a wider audience. Another thing I feel is good about ICT Connection is that the ETOs are personally involved in giving their comments for every lesson plan submitted. For instance, Loo Kang shared how he would look through a lesson plan, suggest some IT resources or links and repost them for everyone to see. Moving forward, I would want my staff to fully utilize the ICT connection. Already, I am working on a set of comms plan on how I could effectively create buy-in among my staff to encourage them to use this portal on a regularly basis.
In the afternoon, I was pleasantly surprise when Jimmy, my ex colleague and ex boss came to me and offered to walk me through his project on Second Life. Together with Chuan Leong and Kent, they showed me various examples on how SL was being integrated into curriculum and tried at the various pilot schools. Prior to this , I have tried to find examples on the Internet on how schools use SL to engage their students, however, many of these examples were from overseas and many were from tertiary institutions.I needed local examples and that was when Jimmy's presentation came just in time .Within the short 2- hour presentation and dialogue, I was able to see for myself how SL could be used to engage students in perspective thinking, scenario-based instruction as well as inquiry-based learning, just to name a few. I have always wanted to pilot an SL project in my school, in fact, a few KPs and I have met a vendor two months back to discuss on the possibility of creating a virtual world portal integrating Maths and Science. I am convinced that this platform would provide a powerful learning experience for our children and I look forward to tapping the expertise of ETD colleagues in this area when we launch our vw next year.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Day 1 Reflection
While browsing through the TWA website some months back,I was thrilled to see an opportunity being attached to ETD. Being a newly appointed KP , I thought it would be good to apply for attachment and to learn as much as I could. Hopefully,I would translate what I have learnt back to my school and to the cluster. I am fortunate to have the blessings of my Principal for this attachment.
It was great seeing a familiar face on my first day of attachment. Seryne, my cluster ETO was there to receive me. After settling down, Seryne walked me through the new Byites that would be launched soon. Personally , I feel that the new Byites is more comprehensive and offers more clarity than the earlier versions .Particularly useful are the authentic examples that are tagged to each domain. Examples of CoL and SDL are clearly stated. While not prescriptive in nature, it does, in one document , highlights what are some of the best practices that schools are doing.
In the afternoon, Bradon, an Education Policy Analyst, walked me through the cyberwellness education which includes the implementation strategy, ambassador programme as well as the ICSC. It is indeed encouraging to see that HQ is placing a lot of emphasis on Cyberwellness especially with the rise of new media tools. Equally encouraging is the fact that HQ has put in many resources that are available to schools for their use. I will be looking at how I can incorporate some of these resources for our current cyberwellness training programme for next year. I am also thinking of how as a school, we can partner parents and activating student leaders in bringing cyberwellness messages to the rest of the student body. It is also reassuring to know that I could always give a phone call to my new found friend, Brandon, if ever I need any advice on this.
We also had an interesting discussion on whether it is ok for primary school pupils to use facebook to communicate with their teachers considering the fact that facebook does have an age limit for children.
I am glad that the first day of the attachment has been off to a good start. Just by talking to Seryne and Brandon, I have gained much in perspective. Besides talking about educational technology matters, we also spoke about school practices related to teachers' professional development. For instance, Seryne shared with me that in her former school at Ngee Ann Primary, teachers would write weekly reflections on their lessons (soft copy) instead of submitting weekly lesson plans. This reflection would include strategies been used, own observations and follow-up actions. The ROs would then read the reflections and pen down their comments. I thought this is something useful as this would encourage a more reflective teaching staff. This brings to mind an article entitled, "Reflection as a Critical Component of the Technology Adoption" which I read months back.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2005-2/reflection.html
Quoting from the article,the following paragraph sums up the role of reflection in IT integration.
"Reflection that increasingly challenges educators to consider changes in their practices as part of adopting new innovations helps educators devised technology integration strategies that lend themselves to the to configuration of the classroom, enlist support to help develop necessary skills, and use technology-based resources that are accessible and appropriate to the classroom (Medeiros, 1999). "
I look forward to another exciting day ahead.
It was great seeing a familiar face on my first day of attachment. Seryne, my cluster ETO was there to receive me. After settling down, Seryne walked me through the new Byites that would be launched soon. Personally , I feel that the new Byites is more comprehensive and offers more clarity than the earlier versions .Particularly useful are the authentic examples that are tagged to each domain. Examples of CoL and SDL are clearly stated. While not prescriptive in nature, it does, in one document , highlights what are some of the best practices that schools are doing.
In the afternoon, Bradon, an Education Policy Analyst, walked me through the cyberwellness education which includes the implementation strategy, ambassador programme as well as the ICSC. It is indeed encouraging to see that HQ is placing a lot of emphasis on Cyberwellness especially with the rise of new media tools. Equally encouraging is the fact that HQ has put in many resources that are available to schools for their use. I will be looking at how I can incorporate some of these resources for our current cyberwellness training programme for next year. I am also thinking of how as a school, we can partner parents and activating student leaders in bringing cyberwellness messages to the rest of the student body. It is also reassuring to know that I could always give a phone call to my new found friend, Brandon, if ever I need any advice on this.
We also had an interesting discussion on whether it is ok for primary school pupils to use facebook to communicate with their teachers considering the fact that facebook does have an age limit for children.
I am glad that the first day of the attachment has been off to a good start. Just by talking to Seryne and Brandon, I have gained much in perspective. Besides talking about educational technology matters, we also spoke about school practices related to teachers' professional development. For instance, Seryne shared with me that in her former school at Ngee Ann Primary, teachers would write weekly reflections on their lessons (soft copy) instead of submitting weekly lesson plans. This reflection would include strategies been used, own observations and follow-up actions. The ROs would then read the reflections and pen down their comments. I thought this is something useful as this would encourage a more reflective teaching staff. This brings to mind an article entitled, "Reflection as a Critical Component of the Technology Adoption" which I read months back.
http://www.ericdigests.org/2005-2/reflection.html
Quoting from the article,the following paragraph sums up the role of reflection in IT integration.
"Reflection that increasingly challenges educators to consider changes in their practices as part of adopting new innovations helps educators devised technology integration strategies that lend themselves to the to configuration of the classroom, enlist support to help develop necessary skills, and use technology-based resources that are accessible and appropriate to the classroom (Medeiros, 1999). "
I look forward to another exciting day ahead.
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