ICT in schools Done by: Jonathan Koh Samuel Ng Chua Jie Han Sha Yi Cheng

What is ICT Information and communication technologies All technical means used to handle information and aid communication General term for all kinds of technologies which enable users to create and access information. A combination of information technology and communications technology.

Moving into ICT Second industrial revolution(SIR) 1981 Move from labour-intensive industries to knowledge based industries Develop Singapore into a modern industries economy based on science, techonolgy, skills and knowledge In order to attract high-tech industries

Why? Rising wages due to labour shortage Labour intensive industries were no longer competitive Economies of other countries at that time were moving into labour-intensive industries China, Malaysia, Thailand They had a lot of manpower resulting in lower wages Singapore had limited resources and was unable to compete with others

ICT development in Singapore Plans National Computerisation Plan ( ) National IT Plan ( ) IT2000 ( ) e-Government Action Plan I & Infocomm 21 ( ) e-Government Action Plan II & Connected Singapore ( ) iN2015 ( )

ICT in Schools Core objectives All pupils have the opportunity to achieve computer literacy and to equip themselves for participation in the information society Teachers are supported to develop and renew their professional skills, so as to enable them to utilise ICTs as part of the learning environment.

Environment School-wide network Internet access Teacher– notebook ratio 1:1 At least one techinal assistant per school Computer labs ICT integrated into 30% of our curriculum time

Use of ICT in School 3 Masterplans ( )– Preparing for innovations ( )– Seeding innovations ( )– Teach less, learn more

Masterplan 1 Basic infrastructure(ICT) Add-on to curriculum Mainly CD-ROM based digital learning resources Headquarters driven implementation with centralised provisions Budget: $2 Billion

Masterplan 1 Laid a strong foundation for schools to harness ICT, Especially in the provision of basic ICT infrastructure and in equipping teachers with a basic level of ICT integration competency.

Masterplan 2 Built on this foundation to strive for an effective and pervasive use of ICT in education Strengthen the integration of ICT into the curriculum Establish ICT standards for students Seeding innovative uses of ICT among schools Budget: $600 Million

Masterplan 3 Aim Encourage more self-directed questioning and learning An interactive environment using senses to enhance content transmission and retention Tailor learning experiences according to the way that each student learns best Enable students to learn anywhere

Masterplan 3 A continuation of the vision of the first and second Masterplans, Enrich and transform the learning environments of our students Equip them with the critical skills(IT) to succeed in a knowledge economy.

Masterplan 3 Further improve on Teachers’ ICT skills Upgrade schools' ICT infrastructure to keep up with developments Bandwidth at schools will be increased to 1Gbps -- empower students anywhere and anytime through mobile learning

Masterplan 3 edumall 2.0 Providing a platform for teachers to teach students “wide range of digital resources including full length videos, video clips, interactive websites, multimedia activities, lesson plans and visual, aural and textual archived resources” Quote from: unveils-third-Masterplan-for-ICT-in-Education.aspx unveils-third-Masterplan-for-ICT-in-Education.aspx

Pros Better access to learning resources With ICT, students are able to access educational resources anytime, anywhere with internet access Searching for data will be faster, need not look for books– time consuming Internet provides a large knowledge “pool” to learn from

Pros Collaborative learning With better communications due to the internet, students are able to communicate and discuss over long distance (MSN, Skype) Google documents– everyone can contribute to a document at the same time Improve project work-- efficiency

Pros Interactive learning environment ICT allows students to access information through videos, podcasts and other interactive media Engages and make students interested in learning Enjoyable learning experience Retention of information will be greater

Pros Prepare students for work The working world is using IT As processing and compiling data would be faster– Higher work efficiency Students with IT skills would have higher value to companies Better job opportunities

Cons High costs Even though computers are becoming cheaper with time, it is still expensive One notebook= AVG $1000 ICT needs frequent updating and maintenance of existing infrastructure Not everyone is able to afford Unable to implement throughout all schools

Cons Teacher training Many teachers are not used to using ICT in teaching Lack IT skills Resistant to the use of IT Use IT in class for the sake of complying with school curriculum Require to go for ICT training which would take time and resources

Cons DISTRACTIONS! Internet has brought many distractions such as social networking sites, online streaming of videos(youtube) and music Students would spend more time on entertainment than studies Without discipline, students’ grade could suffer

References 55/day1Session2_Thiam%20Seng%20Koh.pdf 55/day1Session2_Thiam%20Seng%20Koh.pdf third-Masterplan-for-ICT-in-Education.aspx third-Masterplan-for-ICT-in-Education.aspx munication_technologies munication_technologies i.whitton/Advantages%20&%20disadvantages.htm i.whitton/Advantages%20&%20disadvantages.htm development-in-singapore/ development-in-singapore/

IP schools

Introduction Started in 2005 Aimed at giving the best students in Singapore more time to explore their interests

IP Schools (A Levels) HCI RI RGS NYGH Dunman High River Valley High NJC

IP Schools (IB) ACS (I) SOTA

New IP Schools Victoria School Cedar Girls' Secondary Methodist Girls' School St Joseph's Institution Catholic High School CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School Singapore Chinese Girls' School

Pros frees up about 6 months of time that would have been spent studying for O levels Subjects in JC can be brought forward to upper sec more flexibility in choice of subjects IP schools are generally given more freedom and funds which allows them to implement new policies to enhance learning greater breadth and non-academics curriculum

Cons elitism unnecessary stress for primary school students Certain primary schools are affiliated with IP secondary schools, making it much easier to enter the sec school after PSLE. Entrance into primary schools goes firstly to children in close proximity to schools. Property close to top-end schools are expensive. Rich people get a better education. O levels are no longer a good standard to judge students because the supposed "best" are excluded IP students have nothing to fall back on if they fail the A levels Is IP another "stream"?

What happens if there are more IP schools? IP is no longer that exclusive Less people taking O Levels - sense of inferiority O levels would lose its purpose Another “ stream ” might emerge

So should we have more IP Schools? NO

Different types of meritocracy Talent meritocracy Exam meriotocracy

Talent meritocracy Employed in the Western countries Based on individual’s different talents Works under the belief each individual is unique in his/her own way and should be given different opportunities to explore and develop Classes are not restricted by grades

Exam meritocracy Employed in Singapore and other asian countries Based on test scores derived from standardized tests Works under the belief that Standardized test are sufficient to gauge out the cream of the crop and that developing the best will yield the most desirable results Classes are restricted by the test scores that the individual recieves

Advantages of talent meritocracy Everyone is allowed to pursue their passion No one is discriminated against regardless of grades Talented individuals in areas like the arts can be identified

Advantages of exam meritocracy Individuals are developed based on their academic strength There is a motivation to work harder due to the competitive nature of exam meritocracy Research have shown that countries which employ exam meritocracy score better on standardized tests compared to countries which employs talent meritocracy

Disadvantages of talent meritocracy Interest does not always equal to talent Many parents all feel their child is gifted,as such,would get their child to opt for a class which is not suitable for them Significantly lower scores on standardized tests compared to other countries which employ exam meritocracy

Disadvantages of exam meritocracy Interest is secondary to ability Lacks the ability to test for areas such as creativity Fails to train qualities like spontaneity Weaker students are discriminated against and only the better students get better standards of education along with more options and opportunities