LEARNING JOURNEY: The underlying driving force... Satisfaction... generated from... Positive Impact on Others... through the course of actions and interactions...
This was shared by the Group 9 - to conclude the day of presentation (that lasted for 5 solid hours today. The topics revolved no other than topics on Identity & Multiculturalism.
This clip was an interesting one... which I think, it clearly illustrates what's going through in our youths' minds today. In fact, it touches on what another group talked about "Assimilation" vs "Multiculturalism" - what's happening today?
In the advertisement, the 4 young men actually 'adopted' what they considered as "hip". And that included creatively 'adopted' a new name "Andy" and "Sam". However, they were spotted by grandma who brought them back to reality!
Well, initially, I thought "Andy" would either run away or rudely replied his grandma to 'mind her own business'... haha... that's how I would stereotype those 'hip-hop' guys! Nevertheless, the storyline has proven me wrong! And grandma has no fear to correct "Sam"! (not anticipating any rude responses from him?), and she added "What a divine name!" hahaha....
There's hidden and deeper values to a seemingly entertaining advertisement.
ME: have a good breakfast... that helps :) er... not a too heavy one... else zzzzz monster will visit u
ACE: my breakfast is coming later....
ME: Have a cup of beverage that wakes u up :) into my 2nd cup of coffee this morning :)
ACE: O_O i tot it's not too good to have so much coffee O_O
ME: hehehe.... hm... proportional to age (I guess) hahaha.... it follows a linear graph hahahahhaahha
ACE: hahaha.. linear graph O_O eeek i wonder if i still rmb the way to do it ==
ME: oh... understanding what it means (esp the equation) helps :)
ACE: hmm
ME: hm.... y = mx + c. So, imagine the equation that represents number of cups of coffee we drink per day is.... y = 0.005 x where x is the age. oops! one could only drink a cup of coffee when reach the age of .... 200!!!! hahahaha..... oops! hope that's not confusing to you :)
ACE: O_O ooh i think i understand
Loh: hahah... Hm... maybe a more realistic equation would be y = 0.05 x (where y represents the number of cups of coffee) and x is the age
ACE: we must make y = 1. Is it O_O
ME: ah... then at what age, theoretically speaking when one is eligible for 1 cup of coffee
ACE: according to the equation or...
ME: .... (waiting for the "age') hehehe.....
ACE: 20
ME: :)
ACE: ooh i see...
ME: hahah... pretty easy hor
ACE: hmm then while drawing the graph i know c is the y-intercept and m is the gradient.. but what is y and x?
ME: x and y are any items that we want to create a relationship... ok... it sounds a bit vague. Use the earlier example, u notice we want to describe a relationship between age and no. of cups of coffee?
ACE: yup
Loh: so, we let y represents no. of cups and x represents age. So, to describe how x and y are related there are some 'facts' (that could be discovered through research). So, people realised that when one gets older, the number of cups of coffee also increases so it becomes y (no. of cups) = a description times x (age)
ACE: hmm..
Loh: the description is 'how fast'
ACE:i see.
ME: so, maybe research shows that it's 0.05 times the age then we describe it as y = 0.05 x
ACE: so the relationship is the when y increases x also increases.
ME: yes....
GRACE: ooh
Loh: remember the graph of y = 0.05x is moving upwards (from left to right of the graph paper) so, it's a positive relationship hm... we can also describe something else like...
ACE: oh
ME: amount of hair one has... as one ages.... ok... this case, we'll have something like from the age of 40 to 100 so guess how the graph would look like if y represents the amount of hair and x represents the age (age starting from 40) hahahah.....
ACE: hm... what is m ?
ME: :) of course, we are not talking about exceptional cases like those who shave their head.... hm... m is to describe how fast the hair drops... hahahhha.... or the rate that hair grows?
ACE: ...... so i can replace it with any number?
ME: 'cos as one gets older... the rate of hair growth also significantly reduced :) ah... u can place it with any number... then test out to see if it's logical
ACE: hmm... y=20x ?
ME: but before that, we'll have to ask ourselves... is the number going to increase or decrease as age increases
ACE: ok
ME: hm... so, if you look at y = 20x. it means as one grows older, the amount of hair would increase? (this is true when we look at... starting from baby to around the age of 40?)
ACE: ok. So if we change 20 to -20?
ME: good suggestion :) - implies getting lesser and lesser... however we can't have negative number of hair on the head. Hahahha..... the most we could go to is zero hair
ACE: so decrease the number? oh
ME: :) so... hm... here, the y-intercept might come in useful
ACE: O_O then now what O_O
ME: use what you have... maybe we can try something like y = -20x + 400. we add the y-intercept to make the relationship more realistic so, if one is 10 years old, does he have any hair?
ACE: hmm yeah 200
ME: :)
ACE: oohhh
ME: so, by the age of 40.... haha... nothing's left.
ACE: yup
ME: so it could be a special scenario whereby someone was struck with some sickness and the equation could be used to describe the hair loss... which is, y = -20x + 400 well... this is a very simplistic way of describing relationships
ACE: i see thanks xD
ME: in real world... more complex... that's why we move into quadratic equations, etc.... :) Enjoy :)
The 2 invited speakers for the forum were Dr Larry Johnson and Dr Stephen Breslin
Some things that the 2 experts shared: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Larry Johnson, CEO, New Media Consortium
7 Patterns of Technology
1. Computing in 3 Dimensions
e.g. Models that are generated and only possible to create 'virtually' and not realisatic in real world.
2. Games in Reality
Learning moves through games (this has been adopted in some countries for military training).
3. Keyboards are for Old People
Observation of more youths are using sms than email to send messages.
Communication is no longer limited to devices that come with keyboards.
Speech-to-text is one technology that is likely to take off in the very near future.
Touch technology has become more ubiquitous - e.g. use of multi-touch surfaces as well as iPad.
On the other hand, I agree with what Larry shared: The choice of device really depends on the purpose and/ or the kind of activity one carries out. For instance, the iPad could be an ideal device for reading because of its portability and storage. On the other hand, a decent device like a tablet or a laptop would still be the more appropriate device when keying in lots of text (e.g. preparing a report) despite the fact that iPad comes with a (virtual) keyboard. Every device has its natural fit. Another example: While a phone would allow one to access pages of text or read information from the websites, however, when it comes to reading books of hundreds of pages, the iPad would probably be the choice.
4. The Machine is US
The latest development was showcased in the 2009 TED show (Sixth Sense Technology)
Personally, I think the Sixth Sense technology is amazing, and it definitely possesses lots of potential mobile (or outdoor) learning. In particular, the ease to access information and the 'portability' of 'devices'.
5. Collective Intelligence is the new knowledge
The example given was about citizen journalism - when news is no longer dependent on one source, but people become participative and contributes to the virtual community via various means and platforms (e.g. twitter, facebook).
Moreover the latest news does not necessary come from the news station or reporters, but could be reported by anyone out there. Especially first hand footages (videoclips, photos, etc)
6. The Network is Everywhere
Networks are created in multiple platforms; serving different purposes.
The point I gather from this point is, information is embedded everywhere; it's really up to one's creativity and resourcefulness to tap on the information around and turn them into knowledge.
This is clearly illustrated in the example about the use of the photos posted in Flickr to help 'define' the boundary of the country.
On the other hand, by analysing the photos posted at the various locations, and using the timestamps, experts could analyse the photos to study certain migration patterns.
Well, the examples are amazing, isn't it?
7. The People are the Network
It's about social networking, if I remember correctly.
Using Facebook as an example, again, it's about teasing useful related information from the network of responses. Hm... unfortunately but still, can't quite make out the link between the advantage of the looking through those who share the common interest (through the 'like' button') to teaching and learning yet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen Breslin, CEO of FutureLab
(a) Emerging Technology Trends
1. Continuation of Moore's Law
Massive decrease in cost and massive increase in computing power
2. Once per decade disruption
shift from networked to ubiquitous computing
3. Computing as BioScience
4. Cosmetic psycho-pharmacology
Smart drugs and cognitive enhancement
5. Invasive and non-invasive brain/machine interfaces
6. 3D printing and printable electronics
the capacity to print bespoke mechatronic devices
7. Artificial intelligence remains hard
Semantic web technology augments capacity of intelligent analysis and synthesis of information
8. Large scale systems of systems
complex system less well-understood, cost of failure increases
(b) Beyond Current Horizon (BCH)
Stephen also shared some of the implications of the findings from the research:
1. Education is a futures facing activity
assumptions about the future underpin all levels of education activity
2. Challenging Existing Assumptions
e.g. continued progress towards a universal technology-rich, global knowledge economy.
3. Explore alternative Future
Possible - what could be
Probable - what is likely to be
Preferable - what ought to be
4. Education futures work should aim to challenge assumptions rather than present defintive predictions
5. The future is not determined by its technology
6. Thinking about the future involves politics
7. Education has a range of responsibilities that need to be reflected in visions of its future.
In a way, I fully agree with the point that we need to challenge the assumptions - the assumptions of how future looks like, and what is needed in the future - in terms of the skill sets that's needed for survival in the future. When the set of 21st century skills were drawn up, it's based on the trends and the 'extraplotted' 'predications' which are based on our experiences. So, how close is it going to be?
On the other hand, Stephen also reminded us that "We are the Agents of our Own Future". So, we determine how the future looks like, what the future needs... and then we engineer it accordingly.
Haha... well, both points seem to contradict each other a little, but also complement each other!
Another important reminder from him... I thought it was very useful: The emphasis should be "What makes good learning" rather than looking at technology. Fully agree! We could have the best technology in hand, however, without sound pedagogy, it would not be able to put to good use to bring about the desirable change or impact. So, its success still lies in the hands of the curriculum designer!
He also gently shared the UK government's effort in building schools of the future - the key to the entire exercise is... People Matters - Practice and Mindset determine what changes and eventually unfolds - in terms of the learning experiences of the learners.
3 challenges were posted:
Should education continue to be organised around the unit of the individual learner?
Should schools retain its dominant position in assumptions about educational futures?
Should preparation for competition within a knowledge economy remain a primary goal for education?
Quote directly from Wikipedia: The digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalance both in physical access to technology and the resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen. knowledge divide, both reflecting the access of various social groupings to information and knowledge, typically gender, income, race, and by location.
"Digital Divide" was first used to describe the gap, the difference in terms of accessibility to technology. I think it started off as a comparison between countries where technology - in terms of availability and accessibility to computing devices; and it's more often than not, between developed and developing countries.
Lots of effort have been put in to narrow the digital divide - philanthropic organisations and even technology companies to come up with solutions for countries that face issues like electricity so that children are not deprived from access to technology and the world wide web.
On the other hand, today, digital divide no longer just refers to the provision and accessibility of the devices or internet, it's looking at how technology is deployed and how it is used!
Indeed, I think we are now at a juncture - to widen or to narrow the "digital divide". At least 2 things to look into, in terms of addressing to today's "digital divide" - How we use technology, in particular, our learners; and What devices are we using?
To remain ahead of the rest... I guess, one has no choice, but to create the "digital divide"...
2 leading experts in educational technology were invited to give talk about their views on the progress and direction of future technology use in teaching and learning.
Well, I guess many of us are hoping that they could share with us what they glaze through the crystal ball. Hm... somehow, personally, I could not quite get the answer... maybe we are at the 'future' technological world?
Indeed, about 20 years ago, client-based application was the emerging 'technology', and we looked for innovative ways to use them in schools - as productivity tool, primarily in the early years before a more important 'role' came clear - to benefit the learners' experience.
When IT was first introduced to school (ok... let's put the subject "Computer Applications" aside), it's a novelty, especially when introduced to the academic staff. (Apart from the senior management) The administrative dept was the first to have access, the first to use the email system. When email was first introduced to the academic staff , only the selected few (think no more than 5) were given the email account. Ha! Still remember that kind of "privileged" look my colleague wore on her face. The rest of us? Hm... that envy look. Oh, I only received my email account almost together with the rest. That was when IT was first introduced to the academic staff - through email.
Then through the 1st Masterplan, when internet use was still at the infancy stage (at schools), client-based applications was at the centre-stage. "Teacher-centred" way of using technology was encouraged and the 'trailblazers' were the one who took the lead to use in classrooms. By then, LCD projectors started to make their way to every classroom.
The "Client-based applications" reign lasted for long, and it faced a challenge - to cope with the need for widespread accessibility; and eventually we turned to networked technology. The internet suddenly became so accessible to everybody in the school (but... not quite yet for students). Of course, a handful of schools also started experimenting 1-to-1 computing environment. There were successful cases, there were those who decided to return to the where most schools were, due to challenges.
It was almost a 10 good years before Web 2.0 applications to take centre-stage. I think, there are lots of push factors for this is due to global changes. It's a recogition of the way today's learners learn, and what they are prepared for. Now, in many schools, it's not difficult to hear about web 2.0 technologies playing a role in classrooms. While we are now immersing, 'enjoying' and leveraging on the features and capabilities of web 2.0 environment, the question is... What's next?
Networked technology is here to stay. No matter what. Even if we are moving away from the computer. It's about "CONNECTEDNESS"... whether via the computer, the mobile phone... or any devices. It's so powerful.
Somehow, from the talk, "Social Network" seems to be the next wave... OK, we know that social networking platforms like Facebook, Ning, MySpace have made their presence felt and they are growing in an unimaginable rate. But, really, how to leverage such a platform for learning... When I say learning, I'm referring to we are able to capture that process and learners can revisit, to recap what they go through and apply the content generated to their tests or exams. OK, I might sound 'narrow'... there's so much to learn from, learn with and learn through the social network. The benefits is a whole long list... well, back on 'earth', back in 'school', at the end of the day, we want something that is also tangible... er... 'concrete' in some sense.
So, are we expecting to see "Social Network" going to be the predominant technology in the learning environment in the next couple of years to come?
Hm... I think, it would be nice to see examples of lessons leveraging on this environment to value-add the learning experience... I think I'm looking at 'direct benefits'...
Chanced upon this website: http://www.projectlive3d.com/ I think it's a research tool. To participate, one just need a Google Account.
Pretty interesting... and definitely exciting for the user because we know that we are contributing to the construction of the 3-dimensional look of the map!
To do this, one needs a photo of a building/ structure. Then identify area to be 'mapped' onto the googlemap. Pretty easy to do.
As for teaching and learning, it's still quite obvious for meaningful integration, although we would usually thought of Geogaphy (because of GoogeMap/Earth) and Mathematisc (because it deals with shapes).
The next step is... to find a natural fit into the subject topic...
Got this idea when attended a ICT-related session in the Hongkong University, where the speaker shared the use of some simple tools for language learning.
I can't quite remember the actual activity being shared... but certainly, it's got to do with Mac applications like Photo Booth or iPhoto's album.
Anyway, a few ideas generated from this... that I thought would be useful for Language learning, for obvious reasons...
Activity 1: Building Vocabulary List
Possible subject implementation: Any subjects that could have a list of new words that students should master (the use of the subject language).
E.g. English Language, Mother Tongue Language, History, Geography, Science, ADMT and Mathematics.
In this activity, each student would learn a new word/ phrase/ idiom/ proverbs, etc (that could be related to a topic or a genre).
He/She would find out the meaning of the word, figure out the pronunication of the word and an example how this word could be used in (various) contexts.
He/She would also find a picture that could depict the meaning of the word.
Using KeyNote (or something equivalent), student could add text (i.e. the explanation of word) to the picture. Convert the final picture (with text) to an image.
Using QuickTime Player, he/she could record the following: Pronunication of the word, read out the meaning (which is already added to the image) and verbally describe an example how the word could be used.
Using iMovie, the end product (clips) from all students could be compiled to become a "thematic vocabulary" book. Alternatively, each clip could be uploaded into a blog which is delicated for this topic. Hence it could be a compilation.
When the end product is posted online or compiled as a final movie clip, it could be shared so that everyone could have access learn from each other (coooperative learning).
An added advantage of posting in the blog is where they could also further explain the words (when need to) or add examples to the help each other understand even better.
Activity 2: Reading/Oral Activity
The activity gets students to describe pictures, which is one component in the language oral examination.
Possible Subject Implementation: English Language, Mother Tongue Languages
Given a picture (e.g. a postcard), students to describe it according to the key areas outlined by the teacher (the scaffold).
Students to identify 5 key words (e.g. adjectives or verbs) that are significant in the description.
Using KeyNote (or something equivalent), student could add text (i.e. the explanation of word) to the picture. Convert the final picture (with text) into an image.
Using QuickTime Player, he/she could record the description of the postcard.
Using iMovie, the end product (clips) from all students could be compiled to become a 'talking' picture book. Alternatively, each clip could be uploaded into a blog which is delicated for this topic. Hence it could be a compilation.
When the end product is posted online or compiled as a final movie clip, it could be shared so that everyone could have access learn from each other (coooperative learning).
An added advantage of posting in the blog is where they could also further explain the words (when need to) or add examples to the help each other understand even better.
Received a circular on the databases that NLB recently rolled out nationwide. What I like was, it's so generous that it doesn't even require any login at all!
The resources are very rich (as I mentioned to my colleagues)... and we could get something for almost all the subjects.
What I marvel was the archives of newspapers articles, dated back to the 1800s! Wow! Way before Singapore's independence.
In fact, I think, the newspapers archive would definitely set a very authentic stage/ context for our students as they go through what happened in THOSE SIGNIFICANT dates!
For instance, I pull out 2 articles on the day just after Singapore declared independent! The emotions, the reactions from the different parties. Hey, our learners could really immerse in the emotions! And at the same time, 'hear' the different perspectives.
Also, with the exact date of significant events happening in Singapore, we could read and have a good picture of the day! An example could be the riots that happen in Singapore!
The generous sharing of the images/ pictures are definitely going to benefit the Humanities learning - not just history, but also geography - the changes in the landscapes, etc.
For English
Think about the recent topic on "Advertisement"! Let's compare what was the 'style' of advertisement as compared to what we have nowadays!
Of course, also the use of Headlines... to reflect emotions in writing, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's so hard to find good information about Singapore on the Internet!
NLB's eResources offer access to an impressive collection of eDatabases and eBooks covering every possible subject area from a global perspective. NLB eResources are available FREE to all who register at http://www.eresources.nlb.gov.sg/
Reference Point: NLB's remote reference enquiry service provides answers to queries, suggest search strategies and guide you to relevant and useful resources.
A couple of weeks ago, in one of the presentations to the group of visitors, I was asked, "How do your students manage so many blogs that they created or they needed to access for learning?"
Well, it's a good question. Especially for those of us find it challenging to keep track of the many webpages out there. Oh, what's more we are talking about managing information related to learning! So, simple bookmarking the pages is no longer enough to help manage the information generated.
Let's recall how do we manage information in those good old days:
Information is organised as chapters in books.
Within the chapter there are pages.
We can also insert physical bookmarks to indicate where we stop 'halfway'.
In the early days when we start using computers:
Information is organised in files (be it word document, spreadsheet, powerpoint presentation, PDF Files, etc)
Then we organise related files in folders (which is equivalent to assembling as a book).
Even when it comes to webpages, we tend to organise with the Site Map which goes by "Chapters" (i.e. sections).
When it comes to web 2.0 technology, the use of tags and labels has started to replace specific pages to organise information. For instance, when it comes to blogs, one good way to organise related posts would be using labels.
Indeed, we discussed about this in our subject preparation time because the subject uses the blog regularly for learning activities throughout the year. Posts of various natures are put up - exercise, quizzes, information, students' work. As the posts are arranged in chronological order, so it is kind of challenging to adopt the conventional way of grouping the different kinds of posts.
So, labeling comes in very handy! Each post could be labelled with the topic first. In this case, when we filter, we would be able to surface all the posts related to the particular topic. This would be quite similar to what we 'traditionally' get :) Apart from this, we could also label students' work differently (e.g. eLearning Activity 1). In this way, we could easily siever out those work we are looking out for - for checking or discussion :)
