After experiencing my school attachment at Yishun Secondary School back in 2009 and the recent ESE at Northbrooks Secondary School, I duly conclude that MOE is moving in the right direction for ICT.
The plans are crucial in taking the education sector towards an age where technology is going to be very pervasive, permeating through almost every area of daily life. In today's world where social media is easily accessible through gadgets such as laptops, notebooks, Ipads and smart phones, learning and education is going through its own evolution.
In order to engage students these days, we have to change and evolve accordingly. It was certainly not easy getting to where we are today but thanks to the MOE master plans and the continuous provision of resources and funding, schools today are more adequately equipped to take on the technological progressions around the globe. As the world around children these days evolve, teachers must too as do the education system if we were to continue to engage students and help them to adapt to a world of technology.
When I was a student, ICT was not as pervasive as today. However, I did witness the beginnings of the process as teachers began using projectors and power point slides. Students began using power point slides in their presentations as well. Lessons on the internet and computers were only starting out but the progress and pace were good. They probably set the foundations for further improvements to be built upon, which eventually led to today's stage of ICT. It was something relatively new then and students were more than interested in the way lessons were carried out then. However, while ICT was a new thing back then, it isn't as novel as before today. As such, constant variations and improvements must be implemented in accordance to the pace and direction technology is shifting around the globe these days. Our education system must move along simultaneously.
However, I do believe that the focus on honing and shaping the character of each individual student is still vital from an educational viewpoint. Even as a beginning teacher, I do believe that this is something which the ICT can greatly facilitate and contribute but not necessarily achieve. At the end of the day, ICT does make progress in leaps and bounds when it comes to teaching content mastery and skills or tackling the examinations. Yet values, character traits and principles must still be translated in traditional platforms such as personal interaction, teacher-centred lessons and outdoor activities such as co-curricular activities.
It is easy to keep up at the beginning. This is especially so when I am still able to be technologically savvy with the 'ins' and the 'outs' of the technological industry and market. Yet one would have to make more effort as technology and ICT moves along. I believe as a beginning teacher, I will certainly infuse more ICT in the way I teach so as to engage the students of this generation and beyond. As the world around the students change, teachers must adapt accordingly to continuously guide and steer our students in the right direction.
While the focus on ICT is good, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. ICT encourages students to use modern technology to learn and interact. However, too much of it, while it makes students and teachers technologically savvy, may result in a subconscious negligence in inter personal skills which are indispensable. As such, while using ICT to facilitate and boost the variety of teaching media, it is vital that we remain grounded on certain traditional platforms that help us in shaping the character development of students.
All in all, the progress made by ICT by the master plans thus far have been phenomenal. While keeping up with this progress, it is still crucial to stay grounded on character development for students.
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