WEEK 3

After the demonstration of ComicLife by the 1st group, SCL has a new meaning to me. For the past few weeks, I had thought that SCL is how teachers can engage their students in learning by various means. However, after going through the demonstration I found out that its not only engaging the students in their own learnings. It is also about choosing the right tools and equipping them with the right skills for them to make their own learning meaningful. Just like what I have learn last semester, meaningful learning (Ausubul) is the key to effective learning. The tools do not just help the teachers to make the lessons more interesting, they also help the students to make connections between the knowledge and learn on their own.


Just like what Pro Tan has mentioned in the class, ICT is not a "must" for SCL, drawing board and markers can do the same job. Thus, it is important for us to make sure the usefulness of the softwares or whatever technologies in SCL before we are going to use it in the lessons.

Pro Tan also mentioned another important point in the class, which is the importance of the preparations before the class. It is such an important step, but yet I believe that most people would overlook it most of time. It is because we will just "assume" everything should be able to work. However, base on my past experiences in Poly or even now in NIE, there were many times things did not work out the way it supposed to be. eg, connection failure, file corrupted, etc ...

Besides, it is actually quite amazing that they are actually more points need to be taken care off compare to the traditional makers and paper's way. Making sure of wireless network is ready for use is already challenging enough especially when most of us have no idea of how to do it. Of course there should have a technician, but what is he or she happen to be on leave? Guess I am just thinking too much over here.


Lastly, after reading the Modeling with Computers as Mindtools, I agree that the advancement of IT, especially the introduction of internet has changed the way we "should" teach. Teaching should no longer be limited to transmitting of knowledge, because we can easily get the information we want by just typing few keywords on the keyboard. It is much more important to teach the students about critical and creative thinking skills. This is where the computer softwares can be useful, but just like what it mentions in the article, it also has its limitation and disadvantages. It is all up to the user and how he or she wants to use it.

Just remember the 2 key words, "help" and "options" They are just 1 of the options that can help in teaching. That's all.

By the way, I start to wonder how do we choose the right software to help students? Of course they must be easy enough for them to use, but the problem is, how easy is considered easy to students and not too easy that they lose their interests in using that.

Hmm ... that's something I would like to find out in the coming weeks.