Activity 6&7

Activity 6 was a bit of a challenge for me because I didn't have enough time to read the materials properly. I also found that the course materials were limited and I had to  do extra research in order to complete the tasks. Activity 7 was a lot better because I was able to interact with my colleagues and share ideas. It was refreshing to read the feedback given by them.

Activity 5: Assessment Tools

This activity was challenging for me since it involved creating rubrics and checklists. I had to a lot of reading and researching in order to understand what I was doing. Rubrics are a good way of assessing group work as well as observations made in the classroom. these tools help the teacher to give good feedback to the students

Activity 4:How We assess

I learnt a lot from this activity. It broaden my understanding of self assessment and peer assessment. Self assessment can of great help to students. It helps them to take responsibility for their learning by reflecting on their own work, so that they may improve it in  the future.
Peer assessment can be beneficial or not beneficial depending on the way it is handled by the teacher. Students must have a good relationship with each other in order to take and give good feedback. Some students may be reluctant to give their friends a negative report or grade.

Activity 3: Catering for Diversity

Diversity among students is something that all teachers should pay close attention to.In many cases, the trend of the lesson or assessment method is "one size fits all". This is a mindset that needs to be changed.  I hope to be better equipped to meet the needs of all my students and assess them in a more efficient manner that will be beneficial to their learning.

Activity 2

This activity demonstrated that there are numerous ways we can assess students in numerous areas. Some are so simple to us that we don't even view them as assessment. For example, observing a child at work can gather a lot of information about that child. Assessment does not  only deals with with students' academic progress but also with their social and personal development as well.Teachers are afforded the opportunity to produce well rounded students by using different forms of assessment effectively.

Activity 1

We have started again and activity 1 was an eye opener. It forced me to re-evaluate how I assessed my students. I think I have done fairly well by using a variety of assessment tools.However, I need to improve on the oral assessment

Activity 11

This activity required me to create a personal learning network. This is a new concept for me but i am excited to be involved in it. One good that has occurred is that I was introduced to the twitter world which I had avoided for a long time. This because I always thought that twitter was just a place to chat . This activity showed me otherwise. now I have my own twitter account which will be used as my PLN. It has been very resourceful so far.

Activity 10

This activity asked the question"Can we be smart workers?"Ii say yes we can. I say thus for the simple fact that we need to be if we expect to achieve the maximum of reaching each and every one of our students. Being a smart worker requires  constant research and upgrading of our knowledge and skills. ICT has open the door for us to achieve this. through the avenues of the social network, strategies and resources can be shared. Online studies can be done that will advance pedagogies and make teaching and learning more effective.

Activity 9

This activity was very interesting. It showed me how to evaluate websites to authenticate their trustworthiness in terms of their purpose, credibility, accuracy and bias. However these are not he only criteria on which to evaluate a website. The information on website should also be content appropriate  for the context of the lesson as well as the grade level.It is important to bear in mind that not all information on the internet is useful. or credible.

Activity 8

This activity introduced me to  a variety of ways in which I can use spread sheets in my lessons. This was very useful to me since I do not use spread sheets much in my teaching. My fellow participants did a marvelous job with their lesson plans.I know they won't mind  me borrowing their ideas. My main goal is to upgrade my skills in this area.

Activity 7

This activity reminded me about the Just-in-Time approach which I learnt about in the previous module. My colleagues presented good strategies to handle larg e groups using one computer. These suggestions are very applicable in my situation at present.

Activity 5

This activity was very beneficial to me. It showed me how to use many features in Microsoft programs that I never knew about. My only regret is that I did not have enough time to explore all of the scenarios. I am especially interested to find out how many ways I can use Microsoft Publisher in my teaching. This is my task for the upcoming vacation time.

Activity 4- Spreadsheets for administrative purposes

this activity was a challenge for me since I am not very versed in Microsoft Excel. Still I was able to produce something decent after some help from my colleagues. This program is one that I have to spend some time with in order to use it effectively in my administrative duties. Overall, it was an enjoyable activity.

Activity 3b

This activity was fun for me. I liked looking at the different  lesson plans presented by the group and gathering ideas that I can adapt to my students. Throughout this module I have been pressed for time so I was glad to be able to participate in  this activity well.

Activity 3

This was an extension of activity 2. The focus this time was on the learner instead of the teacher. the drawing tools can be used to create pictures, flow charts, story maps or even brainstorming charts. A word processor has many uses in all subject areas. It can make things easier for the 'bad' spellers too.

Activity 2

This activity showed how to use a word processor for administrative purposes as well as for lesson plans. this is not new to me because I do use Microsoft Word for creating tests , worksheets and record keeping.  However this activity presented new ideas that I could incorporate in my daily routine.

New Module

We started Module 3 today with Gerald and I enjoyed the session immensely.My favourite activity was the brainstorming session.This is definitely an activity that would benefit my students greatly. I was fun working with everyone in a face to face setting. The fact that I was able to put faces to names made it more personal. 
roles of an educator(  Mediator, Designer,  Administrator, Scholar, Pastoral, Assessor,  Specialist) are not new but applying ICT to them is something to think about.

Activity 9

This activity focused on how ready our schools are to integrate ICT. The STaR chart is a very useful tool in assessing school readiness. In my opinion, it can also serve as a reference point for integrating ICT. I think most schools in St.Vincent will fall in the early tech stage.When using it to evaluate my school,it is obvious that we have a long way to go.

Activity 8

This activity dealt with the impact of ICT on schools from two perspectives: teaching spaces and curriculum delivery. The Churchill report looked at redesigning the classroom to make the use of ICT tools more effective. This article made me think about how I can rearrange my classroom to facilitate the use ICT tools better.

The question was asked " Why wait for ICT before examining our teaching methods?" I say teachers do not have to wait. ICT is just a tool that enhances our teaching methods. We evaluate our teaching methods when we assess students' learning. 

Activity 7: Reflections

This activity involved a lot of reading however those readings were quite informative. Constructing the presentation was rewarding. It helped me to focus on where my school should be in terms of ICT integration. Although I shared it with my principal, I was not able to get a response seeing that it was Easter break. I hope that there would be a discussion on it in the next staff meeting.

The feedback from members of the ICT group was tremendous. Everyone made a worthwhile contribution. I was able to see what  other schools were doing and identify similar concerns to mine.

Activity Six: The role of the teacher

The article by Steve Wheeler suggests that the role of the teacher should be a guide or facilitator.This made me reflect on the way I currently teach. I have ask myself whether or not I am a guide to knowledge or an impart-er of knowledge.

The role that teachers will now play in ICT integration will also require  them to rethink the way they plan their lessons and develop new skills in order to adequately fulfill the learning need of their students.

Activity Five

Activity five dealt with the Integrated Approach and its challenges in ICT integration in education. This strategy incorporates different skills into a single learning event For example, students may be given an assignment which will require them to apply knowledge gained in mathematics although the assignment may be in Social Studies. 

In terms of ICT integration,I discovered from  reading the article "Best Practice Approaches to Computer Literacy", that  to use this strategy to help students gain computer literacy, will depend on the ability of educators to set appropriate tasks to suit the needs of the learning environment( as pointed out in the article).

This means that as teachers we should:

• Set learner-centered curriculum related tasks. These tasks should be open-ended in order to support problem solving and critical thinking while making use of a range of  ICT.
• Use  ICT to provide opportunities for knowledge application in real life contexts as much as possible. 

To achieve these objectives careful planning and execution of said plans is crucial. This process will be tedious and frustrating at the beginning but practice will make it  easier in the end.

Assignment 1

I have recently completed my first assignment for this module. I must say it was a bit of a challenge for me. Using excel is not one of my stongpoints but I was able to manage in the end.

This experience brought out the meaning of Just- in-Time learning for me in a very practical way .It also helped me to relate to some of the problems my students may face when given a learning task that may require extra research.

Activity Four: Is There A Need for Teachers?

I have recently finished reading two papers on the theme " Is there a need for teachers?" . The first was about  Vygotsky's concept of "schooled learning" and the second  was Sugata Mitra's "minimally invasive learning". In both papers, the concept of children learning spontaneously was highlighted. Vygotski purports that children learn from their experiences with others before they receive any formal schooling.In school, he states that children are involved in planned or scientific learning.He concludes that teachers can make their lessons more effective by linking spontaneous learning and planned learning by relating content to students'experiences.Dr. Mitra's paper dealt with experiments conducted in India using the computer. Computers were placed in areas where there was not much familiarity with computers. Children were observed to be able to use the computer efficiently within a couple of months. they were able to use the computer to surf the internet, chat and sent e-mails without any assistance. From reading these papers, I can conclude that spontaneous learning and planned learning work best when there is a balance between the two. Inquiry and Discovery learning are two strategies that  help teachers achieve this balance. In my opinion, Dr. Mitra's minimal invasive learning is most appropriate when using internet related activities. However, it must be recognized that the internet also contains unsuitable and inaccurate information. Teachers must still guide students in finding  the appropriate materials.

Collaborative Document
The Mindmaster brainstorming activity was a new concept for me. however I enjoyed it because it allowed me to interact with my colleagues on the issue of learners rights to use ICT in education.It was very enlightening and enjoyable  to read everyone's' comments.

After reading Silvia Ferrero's article entitled "Two generations of teachers Differences in attitudes towards ICT ", I must agree that the division between the use of ICT by  younger and older teachers is not really about knowledge of ICT but more about attitudes towards ICT usage in the classroom.

It can also be concluded that while the younger teachers are usually considered to master technological devices better than their older colleagues, the older teachers are the ones who are more enthusiastic and younger teachers the most fearful in its implementation in the classroom.

Audit of my school’s ICT use (what we have and what we do with it):

ICT use at my school includes:

•  powerpoint presentations
•  reading programs using internet activites and the Jolly Phonics program
• for math and science related activities

Due to a fire that occurred  at my school (Kingstown government) last summer, ICT use has become practically non-existent. Some teachers use their personal computers to gather information and transfer it to the students’ netbooks. This is a tedious task hence many teachers revert to to the old way of using visual aids and the "chalk and talk" method.

We use to have CD players, projectors, speakers and laptops. these were  utilized on a weekly basis by about 60% of the teachers in their daily lessons

Activity 1 – ICT in schools - Introduction

Students’ learning styles have changed with the introduction of ICT in our daily lessons.
ICT integration in developing countries is faced with many challenges such as limited funding, teacher preparation and competencies, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment.
In St.Vincent and the Grenadines, these challenges are also present. However, the government has taken measures to combat these problems. These measures include:
• Implementing the “one laptop per child” initiative.
• Providing internet access in all schools
• Training of teachers in ICT use and integration
These measures mirror the components of the WorLD, Program of the World Bank Institute which are:
• Internet connectivity for secondary schools in developing countries.
• Training in the use of technology to improve teaching and learning.
• School-to-school partnerships, as well as regional and global partnerships with public, private, and non-governmental organizations.
• Telecommunications policy advice for the education sector.
• Monitoring and evaluation.
(source:www.worldbank.org/worldlinks/)
To say that "It is impossible for a developing nation to compete with developed nations in the field of ICT integration in schools" is not correct. Since it is not all about the technology itself, but how effectively it is implemented into the daily lessons that make the difference.
There must be changes to the curriculum to facilitate new pedagogies that will inevitably emerge with ICT integration.

Hello All,
This blog was created for the sole purpose of discussing the integration of ICT in education. Our students are all technologically inclined so let us see how we can use that to their advance.