Experience, is the best gift... and the biggest takeaway in the 3 years @ ETD. 2 things that I refer to... Experience - the process; Experience - the end-product.
Experience, the process... everyone contributed to it, every entity around me, including myself. It's the everyday experience (it's environmental) - big or small: The nod acknowledging good work, the reassuring smile that relieves anxiety, the little notes that warm the heart, a casual
Hi... to the draining and (sometimes) heated discussion,
those footsteps that tell the change of
weather, and even those "killer looks", etc... Some of them sound funny :D but all these made up the colourful experience I have @ Level 14. Yes, without them, it would be a boring 3-year stay! Hahaha....
It's an intensive 3-year 'course' - like a roller coaster ride. There are smooth and rocky times; there are ups and downs; not forgetting the happy times and
turbulence too! (hahaha) Yes, it's the contrasts that made life more interesting and (sometimes) unpredictable here. That's part of
growing up! All these made up the memorable chapter in my learning journey.
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Baseline ICT Standards accompanied me since Day 1 when I joined ETD... I was privileged to be involved in the project in its early stage - From piloting the standards in Primary schools till today, when it's eventually roll-out to all secondary schools & implemented the Support Package in schools this year. Indeed, I'm one of those few 'archives' who knew that the name evolved from "Minimum Standards"... Hahaha...
Oh yes!!! I am sure I'll miss the times when I could rattle off the BSL codes so confidently before my workshop participants! Hahaha...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Behind the scene... oh yes, because of the way the photo were taken, I have to apply my Baseline ICT skills to do some touching up before uploading them in the blog (hahaha!!!)
PK1: Navigate in a GUI
PK2: Use application software & work with files
PH1: Use digital resources from specific sources
PT1: Type short sentences or paragraphs
PT2: Edit & format short sentences
PM1: Combine text with drawings or pictures in a presentation
PC1: Send a message
PC2: Send an attachment
PD1: Record pictures, sound, video or data using ICT tools
SC1: Communicate online
SD1: Export data collected
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Critique sessions: One's experience @ PD section would be incomplete if he/she has not gone through any critique session. It's the
highlight here! Hahaha... Sometimes, it could be
traumatic, too! when ideas were tore into pieces! Sometimes, it really tested our
patience... when there are so many revisions! But, this was also when we learnt and grew! Guess the Chinese saying
置之于死地而后生applies here - if we were to compare what we produced now with our very first piece of work here. Sometimes the experience could be painful (at that point of time or during that particular period) but it could be blessing in disguise, sometimes. It's also through some of these critique sessions that we learnt things that we didn't know that we didn't know! This is really, one of the biggest takeaway from here - Don't assume, never presume - even though we might bring with us a wealth of experiences. Be humble, be open and listen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Our "Bread & Butter": That is, building capacity of teachers through professional development programmes. This
capacity refers to the ability to use ICT and integrate the use of ICT in teaching and learning meaningfully.
While it seemed like we value-add others through PD, I guess, we, being the trainer, gained the most out of the whole exercise. It's through the hard work and countless hours of preparation - that we equipped ourselves with enough substance to deliver confidently before the participants. It's the thought processes that shape our beliefs before we could speak with conviction and
sell our ideas to the participants. Indeed, the knowledge and skills acquired through this process is one of the best experiences that I could
pack and bring with me.
Though it's a
taboo @ PD section to talk about learning/teaching
technical skills... (hahaha!!! someone would flip when we talk about technical skills!), I found my other new passion here -
Blogging! Hahaha... and the wonderful
Blog Queen title, thanks to my peers here :D Of course, also thanks to my peers who introduced me to other wonders like wiki, facebook, googleapps, chat and Geometer's Sketchpad. I was inspired by your enthusiasms! Well, I hope my enthusiasm has done like-wise to you! (though sometimes I might have driven you up the walls! Hahaha...) :D
The little joy derived from PD sessions that were well carried out, the excitement in the participants' voices when they described the implementation experiences, their taste of successes! The feeling is as good as hearing students scoring distinctions for your subjects when the national exam results released!
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Something Unforgetable: August 2006 - once, with another colleague, "lost" in work, lost track of time - stayed up to 2 am to work on a presentation and report at the office.
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People around: Thanks to everyone around... be it you came and went, be it you came and are still around, be it you were there before I came and still there when I go... be it I worked closely with or not... be it just a "Hi"-and-"Bye"... It's been great working with all of you... Thanks for making me feel at (my second) home here... Heartfelt thanks to all of you...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~十四楼之旅，不枉此行 Lazhimbe jon... Tashi Delek...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...See, 1 minute is certainly not enough for my 肺腑之言... ^.^
Creating Community
