Blog 2

The emergence of ICT in the world as an unstoppable force has lead to the MOE creating the ICT Masterplans to help our country deal with the issue both in the present and for the future.

The Masterplans are geared towards equipping all citizens of Singapore with the skill and knowledge to utilist ICT tools, which is essential in maintaining our workforce competitiveness, as then our workforce will be more efficient and productive.

Although it is never too late to teach an old dog new tricks, such ICT skills should be taught in schools as soon as possible to naturalise the students with ICT. Through this, the students are able to feel extremely comfortable and explore ICT tools, allowing them to be creative and find better ways to utilise ICT, rather than just learning how to use it.

Many years ago, while I was a student, the impact of ICT hit me somewhere in secondary schools. I remembered computer lab lessons that nobody seems to cared about, because we didn't think it was important and the teachers failed to emphasis that enough. Or rather, maybe they did but being rebellious teenagers, we ignored them, or couldn't grasp the concept of anything serious. Anyhow, computer lab lessons were of us sneaking a game here and there. Looking back, I am unable to recall the exact time, or how I learned to use a computer. Perhaps, introducting ICT to people when they are of adoloscence age is good as they will automatically learn from their surroundings. Just look around at how many 3-5 year old toddlers are already using Ipads!

Unlike people like me, students have been naturalised already. THey were born into ICT. Thus, ICT Masterplan 3 is geared towards connecting students and learning, through the ICT medium. The Masterplan aims to change the classroom setting to something the students have been brought up in - a ICT-filled environment. How does this affect me as a beginning teacher?

Firstly, I am different from the students of today. ICT was a small part of my own education. Powerpoint was a 1 hour workshop that even the teachers were not sure of themselves. Now, the use of ICT is widespread and has developed tremendously, providing many different softwares to illustrate different ideas and concepts. For example, animated drawings are better able to explain the meandering river than any chalk-blackboard drawing will ever be able to. A clip from "Dante's Peak" will also be able to capture interest of the students. They may be interested to go online and learn about geography themselves.

Secondly, as a PE teacher, it is important for me to understand that the lifestyles of students are more sedentary than before. It is important to ensure Physcial Education is not alien to the students, by using ICT tools to capture their interest (see Blog 1).

Thirdly, in a ICT-filled environment, where ICT improves productivity, and can be products themselves, it is important to expose students to more ICT tools. This will arm them with a wider arsenal of skills and knowledge, which they can use to create new products, and exercise greater level of creativity, initiative and efficiency in their work. It will also give them a more holistic education, to prepare them for the ICT-filled economy in the future. As a beginning teacher, it is important to understand this and incorporate this into lessons.