ICT Post 2

It is important for MOE to develop the Masterplans for ICT in education for several reasons. Firstly, there is a need to help Singapore find its role in the world economy. The IT revolution is well underway, and ever more platforms for communication and collaboration present themselves. In order to maintain its edge, Singapore needs workers who are IT savvy and can collaborate and work using the opportunities and possibilities these new technologies provide.
The Masterplans are also important in creating variety in the delivery of lessons. No longer will students have to settle for a more or less typical lesson delivery involving the whiteboard and the marker, with the occasional inclusion of the overhead projectors. Teachers now have a variety of aids to engage the students in order to enhance their understanding. Moreover, teachers are trained to incorporate aspects of ICT in their lessons. The creation of teaching staff willing and able to use ICT in their lessons and assessment can only open the eyes of the students to the opportunities ICT provides.
The Masterplans are also useful because they allow the possibility of collaborative learning. One of the biggest advantages is in spreading good lesson outlines and plans. These good practices can be possible experiments for various teachers to adopt and adapt according to their circumstances. This can only raise pedagogical standards as a community of teachers are able to feedback and refine upon lesson plans based on sound pedagogical principles.

When I was a student, Masterplan 1 was in effect. Yet even then, the great infrastructure shift was clearly underway. Most noticeably, the amount of time devoted to IT lessons in secondary school was increased. What had been simple typing lessons in primary school gave way to projects and research during curriculum hours. IT lessons included how to make a powerpoint and how to create flash animations. Physics lessons included learning how to write simple computer codes to allow robots with sensors to move in a maze.
More importantly, I felt, was the increased use of videos in lessons. Movies dealing with history were screened, and I was asked to reflect on the feelings they provoked. Moreover, these lessons would have guiding questions such that my mind was attuned to enquire in a certain manner.

As a beginning teacher, I feel that Masterplan 3 will affect the way I function as an educator. Firstly, the types of lesson preparation will be different. Sourcing for material would not be confined to written work, but would include videos and short clips available on certain databases. Secondly, modes of assessment will be more varied. The use of rubrics in grading will become more widespread as assessments will include more projects, especially collaborative ones. Thirdly, I will have to attend more upgrading courses to keep pace with the changing IT landscape. Cloud computing is a wonderful tool right now, but keeping up with the many opportunities this provides is hard. I also feel that as an educator, there is the responsibility to ensure that students are provided with a safe environment for using ICT. Issues like cyber-bullying may become more widespread, while the dangers and allure of other areas of the internet will pose a less tractable problem. It will be my role as an educator to guide the students while I can on the possibilities and dangers of ICT.