E Learning Part B

As you look into the possible future of the educational landscape, what sort of impressions, fears, or possibilities crossed your mind?

Teachers in the future have to be very up to date with the current technologies and trends in order to connect and build a rapport with their students. They will also think differently since technology wasn't so rampant in the 80s and 90s. A possibility might be more oppurtunities for teachers to conduct SDL and CBL experiences for their students. Students interact freely in cyberspace although I fear that they will tend to be withdrawn during physical meet ups.

What might living, learning and working be like in the future?

It is certainly very exciting to ponder about what living, learning and working in the future will be like. Probably, people will be expected to be more tech savvy and be able to conduct more instant and global research with the aid of internet. New problems such as more serious cases of cyberbullying and cyber-terrorism might become more frequent. It is inevitable that we will all tend to be more and more dependent on technology.

It will definitely be a future that is very different from what we have now.

E Learning II Part A

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

Digital natives are made up of youth from the younger generation who grew up being heavily exposed to modern technology like computers. Typically, they play alot of computer games and develop in a very different way as compared to the older generation.
One of the striking characteristics of digital natives is that they develop "hypertext minds" - think in a parallel fashion as compared to others who are more likely to think in a sequential way.
As a result of their "alternative upbringing", digital natives develop differently and can be good at representational competence, multidimensional spatial skills, mental maps, inductive discovery and attentional deployment.
However, one major drawback from receiving this digital native style development is that they tend to have shorter attention spans. They also tend to be less adept at reflecting.


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?
I selected Luis. He is similar to a Singaporean student who is quite proficient in the use of technology. He relies heavily on technology and seems addicted to checking email and facebook.
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-luis

How might teachers in Singapore today engage and teach our digital natives?
The easiest and most direct way to engage our digital natives is perhaps to incorporate technoogy and game-based learning in our lessons.

Digital native

Characteristics of Digital Natives
· Enjoy the use of technology
· Find reading mundane and boring
· They are good in researching for information using technology
· They think differently from the older generation. Their brain is structured differently
· Their sense of logic is excellent. (3D thinking)
· Higher responsiveness due to playing games
· Their brain lacks of the ability to reflect


http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-virginia-video
I chose Virginia as she is a 14 year old girl, which is a Secondary 2 student in Singapore context. In terms of technology, she is very much similar to a typical Secondary 2 playing facebook, Wii, Handphone.
However, I noticed that her class incorporates secondlife into their lessons. This is something Singapore education system has not done yet. Her lesson has become more self directed with more technology while Singapore is still in a situation where teachers are trying to break free from the traditional teaching.
How might teachers in Singapore today engage and teach our digital natives?
Teachers will have to use technologies in their lesson to engage our students. We will have to explore all sorts of pedagogical approaches instead of relying on one to teach our lessons.


Part B
As I look into the future, many uncertainties appeared in my mind. Will the future generations exploit those high technologies and do something harmful? Look at the movie ‘Gamers’ for instance. Human controlling humans. What will happen if something like that happen in the future?
Frankly, I am afraid that I will not be able to catch up with the new technologies that I have to bring to the class. Also, with new technology means more preparation in providing students with the technologies. I will have to try hard to keep up to be able to relate to the younger generation.
There will definitely be advantages in teaching. Teachers will not be required to stand in front of the classroom with a whiteboard marker teaching theories to the class. Instead, students will be actively searching for the information and increasing their knowledge of the subject and daily life on their own.
I predict in the future, humans no longer have to do manual work. For example, housework will be done with machines that do not require man to work so hard. Reading new without paper (online or digital newspaper). Learning will be done using new technology such as secondLife. It will interesting and I predict students will find more interest in learning. As quoted from the 15 year old Nicole, “I can see value to what I am doing”. I believe it will be what the new generations will think if ‘old fashioned teaching’ is eradicated.

e-Learning II

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

Good Points:
They have different perspective from us, especially when coming to technologies.
They can multi-task.
They can learn something by just picking out the main/important points of it, without having to focus throughout the whole process.

Bad Points:
They might be too indulge in technologies.
They will believe everything that they learn online, which some might not be true.


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?

I have chosen Sam. She is just a 13 year old student in high school. However, due to her exposure in technologies, she tends to think differently from her other classmates. Also, she will tend to have more creativity than others, with her knowledge of multimedia.

She surfs the net just like a Singapore student, and the websites or games she surfs are quite similar to what Singapore students surf [e.g., Facebook, World of War Craft etc.] One similiarity she has with a Singapore student is that they will explore the online world themselves, always trying to find something new. Another would be that they sms heavily. In the video, Sam says that no one calls anymore. In order to find someone, she will text them. This is one thing which I find similar to a Singapore student in the present.

Sam will always try to learn something out of games, or websites that she explores. She has a trait which is she picks up a new technology easier than others, which might be due to her long hours in contact with technologies at all times.


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

I feel that teachers in Singapore today can first start teaching our digital natives through Game-based learning, as this approach is familiar to them. Also, teachers in Singapore today can also incoporate technologies into their teaching as we cannot deny the fact that the importance of technologies have a big impact in our lives. However, that can work as a starting point to gain students' attention. After students are comfortable with the pedagogy, teachers can start to move students out of purely technologies, but also start bringing students out for field trips so as students have exposure to real-life experiences.


As you look into the possible future of the educational landscape, what sort of impressions, fears, or possibilities crossed your mind?

It creates a fear in me after watching the few videos of the predictment of the future, as it is quite a shock to see the figures rising so quickly in the advancement of technologies. The future that I foresee in the future should be a society relying on technologies heavily, and manual work might all be reduced, or might not even exist by then. The impression I get after watching the few videos are that the society is upgrading faster and alot more due to the advancement of technologies, but meanwhile, authentic real-life experiences might be reduced along the way.


What might living, learning and working be like in the future?

As the future I foresee will rely on technogies heavily, living in the future might cut down alot of outdoor activities as the advancement of technologies by then should be able to provide all information outside the four walls of the classroom. Students in the future might no longer have to be in the classroom to learn content from textbook, but learning content through online information posted by teachers or even researchers. Working in the future might not require staffs to be present at office as all information might be accessible through online, which then staffs might be able to work at home instead.


How is NIE preparing you to prepare your students for this possible future? How might you prepare yourself?

NIE is always encouraging me to keep myself up to date, regardless of technology wise or content based wise. Even lesson plans now, are all presented through IT tools such as ppt, or even blogs. This will help when I teach in the future to relate to my students as they will be familiarize with such technologies.

I prepare myself by surfing on the net at times to find out what are the latest sites that students go to or surf, or find out what students recently are using. These information will help me to understand the mindsets of students better.

ICT E-learning 2

Digital Natives Part A

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

• Students who live in this era are far more IT savvy compared to the last generation of people. i.e. our parents. They are more versatile in handling up-to-date equiptments and softwares and it is undoubtedly effective for this fast developing world that we are living in currently. Children these days explore and learn each time they surf the internet and are constantly striving to improve themselves each time. Especially when it involves games that they are engaged in. However, it can also be a set back as children can get easily distracted and may even be addicted to things like gaming and get distracted from their school work.

2. 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?

LINK: http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-olivia-video

• For this part of the assignment, I have chosen to watch Olivia's video. Olivia's story was really inspirational for me as I felt what she was going through. Olivia comes from an average class family with many other siblings. Her family is not wealthy and it is difficult for them to afford things like a computer or even a mobile phone. Olivia had to save up by herself for a simple mobile phone. However, inspite all this, she turned out to be very IT-savvy and she is able to work well with new items online, such as the MySpace webpage for uploading her photos and even creating template backgrounds.

Relating to the Singapore context, I believe that there are many students who are like
Olivia as well. Singapore is a well developed country and it is fast moving as well. People are
constantly upgrading themselves to keep up with this pace. Similarly, students are also
equipping themselves with new-age items such as the 'iPhone' or 'Ipod' so that they will be
be able to keep track of their surroundings. However, there are many students out in our
schools who come from families who are not well to do. They cannot afford luxuries like a
home computer or a laptop for their kids to do their school assignments on. In these
scenarios, students will try their ways and means to check their e-mails or 'facebook' by
using the school computers or at cyber cafes outside, just as how Olivia did. She uses the
computer at her friend's house or at the lobby of her apartment building.

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

• Teachers in Singapore can plan more lessons with the use of IT in it. Apart from the cliche thing of bringing students to a computer lab to work on a cd-rom which I personally feel is overrated, teachers can try exploring other forms of IT, such as the digital camera. As how Olivia likes to take photos of her friends and herself with the use of her very own mobile phone camera. Students in school can use their own mobile phones with cameras for activities and dont need to buy a new one for school. This teaches them how to use their everyday objects educationally. For example, for an art lesson where students learn the animation of clay (Claymation), they get to use digital cameras (either their mobile phones or DSLRs) to take photos of the figurines moving to create like a stopmotion film. Subsequently, they are supposed to compile their shots together and edit them and then place them either in Microsoft powerpoint or windows movie maker to create the animation. In this scenario, there is a progression and a variety of ICT tools used here.

Part B: The Digital Native's Future

1. As you look into the possible future of the educational landscape, what sort of impressions, fears, or possibilities crossed your mind?

• I think the world would be moving at a very fast pace. Faster than it is today. Every student maybe in primary schools would own a laptop and would have to bring them to school for their assignments. It is a bit scary seeing how developed everything is in Singapore and how much we are pushing ourselves to keep up with everything. Development is a challenging and stressful thing at the same time. Education in schools would be tougher and more IT savvy for sure.
  
  I would like to highlight what Junaidah mentioned in her blog, "in the video it also states that "for students starting a 4year degree this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study". Isn't it overwhelming that we all have to keep on progressing..and whatever we have learnt before, will it be a waste in the future? ?"
  
  This is sure an interesting point I would like to highlight. The world is moving so fast that even whatever that we learn in the first year are getting outdated by the time we reach our final year. So as we go on further in life, we have to upgrade ourselves constantly so that all this info will not get outdated. I am a bit fearful of what awaits me in the future. I am a sort of person who would try to avoid IT things as much as I feel more comfortable using manual things. However, it is tough living like this especially when you see a laptop on at ever nook and cranny of the school or on the MRT. That is the reason why I feel a bit intimidated by the future, however, what can be done really? I have to adapt to everything that changes worldwide at any cause.

2. What might living, learning and working be like in the future?

• I watched the video on Singapore in 2015. Frankly, I find the video a bit ridiculous. 2015 is not that far away from now and I really doubt that Singapore would be really that advanced. People suggested 'flying' cars when we were moving into the new millenium in the year 2000 but nothing of that sort actually happened. Yes, the country is progressing fast to keep up with the rest of the world's standards but i highly doubt that it will be really that advanced.
  However, I really enjoyed watching the 'Did You Know' video online. It captured my attention and gave out really interesting facts about life and the ever changing world. Living, learning and working will evidently be ten times more hectic and stressful as compared to the lifestyles that we are going through now. I really wonder if our children are really up to it as they will be the ones leading the world and our generation will have to take a step back.

Digital Natives Part A

Definition of Digital Native

What are they good at?
Learn faster through IT.
Explore new 'stuffs' and discover new stuffs by surfing.
They get attached to it fast, and keep improvising on what they are doing.
Interact with many people in the world (keeping in contacts and update each other)
Creative
They are a group of people that influence learning beyond classroom (game based learning).

What are they poor at?
They are addicted to any forms of IT.
Sometimes they may too obsessed with IT that their illusion world affect the way they are.


I selected Olivia. It is interesting to see how IT affect students regardless of their academic performance, family background and characters. For Olivia, she came from not so wealthy family, and she does not perform well in academic initially. However throughout, she is keen in IT such as myspace. It is quite similar to some Singapore students whereby they do not have computers at home but are interested to learn more about IT. The way they are engaged to forms of IT are stronger than learning 'traditionally' through books based. Their lives are affected by IT and this acts as a tool for them to know what is happening in other parts of the world. They are more concern about their 'IT world' then their daily lives. Like Olivia, even she has no computer at home, she would find a way to have access to computers be it at her friend's or Appple store.

For students like her, teachers should use teaching methods such as game based learning or any form of lesson which requires surfing for information. These lessons objectives should be able to make them relate. By using IT also, it will increase their motivation in studies. Teachers will be able to show them that IT can and should be used for proper and useful reasons and learning to improve oneself is not only restricted to reading by books.

Part B
Technology is advancing way faster than we can imagine. New discoveries are found in any aspects; medical field etc. Looking at the videos provided, they already show what are the possibilities or in other words, nothing is impossible. We have to keep on learning and update ourselves with new advanced technologies and knowledge to teach students and motivate them to keep improvising. The words in the video "we are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist" explains the fact that there are more unknown and fantastic tools coming up.

I did asked myself before, knowledge is so wide. I can't possibly know everything throughout my entire life. And in the video it also states that "for students starting a 4year degree this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study". Isn't it overwhelming that we all have to keep on progressing..and whatever we have learnt before, will it be a waste in the future?

The future is unknown, but I am sure that things full of possibilities may happen. Movies such as minority reports and i-robots, I believed people (researches) are working towards that direction. People will be so dependent on technologies that they are no longer obsessed. It is in their lives. When these possibilities happened, is it a good thing? I am indeed excited if I can experience them, but on further note, everything that we do, there are chances that we are being 'tied' to the government. We are tracked with all our movements and such, so where is the individual freedom in the first place? Or is it already gone without we realising?

Hence, I believed technologies are great itself. What makes them desirable or bad are depending on what humans used them for. Whatver it is, learning itself has a new different wonderful meaning, and it able to show us the wonders of thinking processess. Oh, and there's a video on Pomegranate Phone posted by our classmate, Atika. For those who have not seen it, here's the link. It is wonderful, yet I am still doubting how a phone can create coffee? Oh well, technology has its own secrets. (: enjoy!

Reflection - Session 5

3 things I want to know more about:
I want to know more about using ICT in music lesson.
I want to know if game-based learning is considered ICT?
I want to know more about different ways of managing the class when integrating ICT to music lesson.

2 THings I've learn:
I've learn how to write a better SIO with the help of the ABCD framework.
I've learn to plan a more effective lesson plan.

1 thing applied:
Applying ABCD framework in writing SIO.