AED 104 - Week 1 Reflection

Before starting the first ICT class, I had thought this class is going to teach us on how to use the softwares, like Photopshops, Powerpoint, to help us on our future teaching careers. Thus, I hoped that I would be able to learn how to create flash and use Photoshop before starting of the module. Besides, my impressions with ICT is just about conducting the lessons with Powerpoint slides and videos.


However, after the first lesson, everything seemed to be almost completely different from what I had known. According to my tutor, there will not be anything lesson on any of the program, instead I was introduced to the term of "Student Centered Learning" where teachers no longer teach instead they facilitate and "Master Plan II" which aims to enhance educational processes and structures through the use of ICT. (http://www.moe.gov.sg/edumall/mp2/mp2.htm)

Personally, I think the Student Centered Learning concept is a bit like the "teach less, learn more" (http://www.moe.gov.sg/bluesky/tllm.htm) concept by MOE in 1997. The teachers are asked to spend less time on teaching and more time to guide the students in their own researches and engage them in self learning. This is to help the students to develop their critical and creative thinking skills as these are the 2 of the most important skills that educators want hope to equip the future generations with in the world today.

Thus, ICT is not about using sophisticated IT tools, it is more about using the most appropriate IT tools to assist you inside and outside the classes to allow students to get the information correctly and easily, and simulate the interests of the students at the same time. That is why it is called "Student Centered Learning" rather than "IT Centered Learning". After all, IT is just a tool, a tool to help the students in their learning.

Besides of SCL and MPII, the word "referencing" has been mentioned quite a few times in the class too. Well, it is not a new term for me as my lecturers in poly always asked for that, but still that is still a headache for me to do citations especially when the length of the essays have increased many many times in NIE compare to poly time.

It is just the first week of the school and I already started to feel stress !!!