E-learning week: Managing technology integration

A) Face to face learning environments:

Full Computer Laboratory ,Half Computer Laboratory, Learning Centres,Single Computer classroom, using Notebook.
1) Time management
Issues:
1. Teacher unable to finish lesson within a fixed time period.
2. Students unable to complete task assigned in given period of time.
Strategies:
• Plan lessons wisely by not inserting too many activities and anticipate some technical problems.
• Give constant reminders of the time left for certain activities at various points to alert students and keep them task oriented.

2) Resource planning
Issues:
1. Teachers have insufficient time preparing ICT-mediated lessons.
Strategies:
• Hold monthly sharing sessions where collaboration among teachers in lesson planning, ICT resources and professional development takes place.


Full Computer Laboratory,Half Computer Laboratory, Learning centres
1) Nature of learning activities and class management.
Issues:
1. Smoothness of lesson pacing and transition between different activities interrupted when students distracted either disruption from technical problems or deviant behaviours (Learning centres).
2. Different group of students doing different activities at the same time (Full and half computer lab).
Strategies:
• Clear instructions regarding the objective of the lesson and a general overview of all the activities must be explained before start of lesson.
• Incorporate routines that promote efficiency when changing activities such as giving a short deadline to save work to log off or letting students enter or exit computer lab in ordered groups.
• Use designated signals to stop students working on certain activities and switch to a new activity.
• Explain rules to students before using the computer lab such as no eating and drinking.
• Keep students attention by asking stimulating questions to students from different corners of classroom and constantly brief on various activities.



Full Computer Laboratory , Half Computer Laboratory
1) Student and teacher ICT literacy.
Issues:
1. Students who cannot work proficiently with ICT tool are turned off when overwhelmed.
2. Some teachers don’t have adequate knowledge creating ICT-mediated lessons.
3. Teachers unable to solve technical difficulties due to poor ICT knowledge causing disruption during lesson.
Strategies:
• Provide step-by-step printed handouts containing instructions for students and include a demonstration.
• Assign students who are ICT-trained to provide technical assistance to other students facing difficulties.
• Assign a technical assistant in the classroom can aid both teacher and students by imparting ICT knowledge.
• Schools should set up ICT-committee made up of teachers who are ICT-savvy to help other teachers.


2) Teacher monitoring and physical settings in school.
Issues:
1. The computer monitors block students view causing students unable to see demonstrations on projector screens.
2. Unable to be certain whether students are listening to instructions as teacher unable to see students face behind monitors.
Strategies:
• In a demo, ask the students to fold their arms and move away from monitors to maintain eye-contact with them. This is to keep students from doing unrelated tasks.
• Teacher should station in a location where can see all students (with-it-ness) at the same time monitor the class (overlapping).


B) Online learning:

1) Cyberbullying
Issues:
1. Students are unlikely to report cyberbullying to school and parents because fear of loss online privileges.
2. Students are unaware of strategies in request of removal of objectionable websites.
3. Students don’t respond as helpful bystanders when witnessing cruel online behavior.
Strategies:
• Make parents and students read and sign the school’s policies regarding acceptable use of technology accompanying these policies with literature on cyberbullying.
• Design classroom lessons on cyber bullying to ensure that students understand that targeting classmates through negative messages or images online is a form of bullying.
• Educate students never give out personal information such as passwords, P.I.N. numbers, be polite to others when online.
• Setting up a website for parents, students and teachers on cyber- bullying and its consequences both for the victims and the perpetrators.


2) Internet pronography
Issues:
1. Exposed to pornography when surfing internet in forms of pop-ups.
2. Students are “mousetrapped" into another sex site while trying to get out of the one they were in.
Strategies:
• Educate students to switch web browser to “safe search” mode, don’t click on pop-ups or hyperlinks from suspicious email and delete suspicious email.
• Parents should install filtering software such as McAfee Parental Controls to monitor the sites child visits, set time limit for online and block inappropriate sites.



References:

Lim, C. P., Pek, M. S., & Chai, C. S. (2005). Classroom Management Issues in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-Mediated Learning Environments: Back to the Basics. Journal of Educaional Multimedia and Hypermedia , 4 (14), 391-414.

Lim, C. P., & Khine, M. S. (2006). Managing teachers’ barriers to ICT integration in Singapore schools. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 14(1), 97-125.

Patricia W. Agatston, Ph.D., Robin Kowalski, Ph.D., & Susan Limber, Ph.D. (2007). Students’ Perspectives on Cyber Bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6), S59-S60.

http://www.cyberbullying.ca/
http://www3.moe.edu.sg/edumall/tl/cyberwellness.htm
http://www.saferinternet.org/ww/en/pub/insafe/safety_issues/faqs/bullying.htm
http://www.netsmartz.org/news/Mar03-03.htm