E Learning Scenario 1 Activity A

Implementation Issues That Mrs Xing Faced

• Computers that were not functioning - This is a tricky issue as there was nothing much that Mrs Xing could have done anyway if any of the computers broke down halfway through the lesson. However, she could have prevented some inconvenience by ensuring before the lessons starts that all the computers were working well although this might turn out to be a mammoth task.

• Students were being disruptive and making unnecessary noise - This is an issue related to classroom management and is made more complicated with the introduction of computers. Naturally, some students would be quite tech-savvy and be able to operate a computer on their own. These students could potentially get distracted by surfing the Internet on their own during class and not sticking to the tasks as directed by the teacher. Also, students that do not own a computer might be overwhelmed by unfamiliarity. Competing for the teacher's attention will inevitably disrupt the lesson and cause excessive noise.

• Punctuality - This might be a problem because students would be coming to the computer lab from their classrooms and during the journey to and fro the computer lab, there will most probably be no teacher supervision.

• Lack of time - Generally, and IT infused lesson would require a longer time as students need to be briefed on the instructions and most of the time, they also need to finish the intended tasks during the class itself as it might not be possible to continue the work at home.

• Lack of a "plan B" - Mrs Xing is obviously not very experienced in conducting an IT infused lesson. She did not have a back up plan in case undesirable scenarios cropped up and she also failed to foresee potential probelms that she might encounter. However, to be fair to her, it is certainly not easy to plan and conduct such lessons and she should be applauded for trying it out in the first place. She could have asked for advice from her collegues who have tried such lessons before and ask for tips or advice. She could have also requested for IT technicians to assist her. It certainly must have been quite frustrating for her to try to solve all the problems that were cropping up while trying to keep on track for the lesson.

• Uncooperative class - This is something perhaps all teachers dread. Students might have not been given regular access to the computer lab and when they finally get to enjoy the air-con, comfortable seats and tempting Internet connection on the computers, some might be less interested in cooperating with the teacher who is already having a hard time conducting the lesson.

• Lack of knowledge or expertise in IT - This is perhaps the most common yet unavoidable problem that teachers face. Most teachers might be very good at the subjects they teach like English, Math or Geography, but many would not have received adequate training in IT. This problem is further complicated by the fact that different schools might have set up different systems and a teacher who knows how to operate the system in a computer lab might have to relearn when he is posted to a new school. Plus the fact that schools rarely conduct IT lessons for their staff, the teacher is pretty much on his own.