However there are several limitations to this method. 

1. It can lead to student boredom.

2. Does not allow students to use their own experiences as a tool for learning. This can lead to demotivated students.

3 .Students may not retain knowledge in the long term.

4. It can be time consuming for the teacher to prepare content.

Didactic instruction may have been used to cater for large class sizes  especially since class time for instruction is limited. It can deliver a large volume of content in a short time. It also can be used to build foundation knowledge. But it is up to the teacher to use stimulus in their presentations that would appeal to students. For example textbooks readings and video clips that our West Indian children can understand. In addition properly prepared teacher notes and lectures can be shared with other teachers and could especially be useful to novice teachers. Many students and teachers are familiar and comfortable with the didactic teaching so it is likely to continue being used. Technology though can be used to enhance the learning experience of students.

The introduction of technology in the classroom can have significant impact on didactic instruction. Teachers can use interactiv power point presentations to capture the attention of students when delivering content. Students can tailor presentations to specific classes and cater to the specific culture of their students.  These can also be shared with other teachers in the same subject area within a country.

In addition video clips etc can be used to enhance learning.

Technology however can be used by teachers to encourage socratic learning by having students interact with teachers on educational platforms to answer questions or solve problems. In this way technology can encourage interactive learning outside of the classroom. 

Effective teaching though means that learning has taken place. Therefore teachers can also use technology to evaluate the scores of students to determine which areas of delivery need to be improved.

Some schools in Trinidad have large class sizes and limited contact hours with students. E-testing allows for learning to take place beyond the traditional classroom setting. Students can take quizzes at their convenience such as at home or in the library. In addition e-testing provides immediate feedback to students which enhances their learning experience.

E-testing also stimulates our students as certain stimulus material such as video clips etc can be used. This may engage their attention more than traditional tests. Also since students would have been exposed to digital lessons during class time it is only fitting that their assessment be digital as well.

Our school system is supposed to be preparing students who are 21st century learners for the world of work. Therefore e-testing in schools will equip them with IT skills that will make them competitive even in the international job market that is technologically advanced.

Topic: Tourism in the Caribbean

Level: Form Five

Enhancement level –. They can also use internet to research tourism destinations in each Caribbean countries and produce powerpoint presentations on findings.

Transformational level – Students can use Google Earth to explore the location of the Caribbean. Students can produce a video  with interviews of persons who have visited these sites and their reviews.

Social Studies topic - Culture and ethnicity in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Power point presentation on various ethnic groups containing facts about each group including religion, festivals, food, dress, utensils etc.

 

The inclusion of pictures of persons who belong to the various ethnic groups.

 

Include hyperlinks to voice recordings, video clips of persons who can tell about the contributions that each group has made to T&T.

 

Students use powtoon and other animation apps to create cartoons of each ethnic group depicting their journey to T&T and settlements and contributions made to the country.

 

The following is an analysis of the outcome of that project.

1.       Students’ level of understanding of the key concepts.

Students were very excited for this project. Everyone understood that the country was imaginary so that they were free to be creative. Students were all familiar with the difference between a physical and a political map, therefore they were capable of creating their own maps.

 

2.       This project could have been done without ICT however the kids would not have been as creative. For example in creating the national anthem students could have written the lyrics but ICT allowed them to put a beat to their lyrics. Also by doing power point presentations students were able to include videos of the national animal selected instead of simple drawings. The PowerPoint presentations captured the attention of the class more than if the students were to simply present their project in a folder.

 

3.       The students chose power point presentations. This was quite effective and added value to their class presentations. However, in future I believe it would be helpful for students to use apps such as “trello” that allow for group collaboration.  This would allow students to do group work even when they are not in school. It also makes collaboration easier.

 

 

4.       Various obstacles were encountered in using ICT for this project. 

Some students had limited computer literacy skills. To compensate for this they were placed in groups with persons who were more skilled in using computers. 

Some students did not have their own devices. They had to do their work in the library during lunchtime.

In order for students to present we had to borrow a projector from another department.

 

5.       Students did not use excel to create charts to show various information. For example:

- Variations in temperature throughout the year in their imaginary countries.

-Variations in population such as crude birth rate, crude death rates and natural increase or natural decrease.

This should be included in future classes.

Form Three

Lesson plan.

 

Topic:

 Interpreting Election Results (First Past the Post System)

 

Objectives: 

Identify which candidate won each of the constituencies.

Identify which political party won the most seats.

Identify those who will form the opposition.

Identify the ruling party.

 

Previous Knowledge:

Students will know how an election is conducted. They will know how voting takes place.

 

Teacher strategy:

(Teacher addresses students with mathematical/logistical and kinesthetic intelligences.)

The election results of a particular country is presented to the class. It is presented in the form of a table and bar charts (for each constituency).

Class discussions take place on the data shown including who won each constituency, the political party with the most seats and those candidates that will belong to the opposition.

 

Student Activities:

Students construct charts to show political parties and the seats won.

Students re-enact a mock election and analyse the results obtained.

 

 

 

 

The linguistic learners can use ICT tools to create brochures, write interactive stories, write scripts and make videos. Animation sites such as Pow Toon can help in this regard. Students can also use group work sites such as Trello to collaborate in writing their stories and scripts.

The visual spatial learner can use ICT to create charts, draw diagrams and illustrate their presentations. Power point, microsoft excel and other tools such as wix, for building websites can be used to help the visual spatial learner.

Some students are kinesthetic learners. They can use computer programs to help them create models of buildings, bridges and to create their own videos, games etc.

The musical learners can use computer programs to add music to their slide shows. Other programs such as hammerhead helps them create beats on topics of their choice.

Interpersonal learners can be encouraged into group work projects. They can use site such as Trello to collaborate on assignments. Other programs such as Skype can help these interpersonal learners.

Intrapersonal learners can use online diaries and journals such as Penzu to write their thoughts on subject matter. They can develop Blogs and even their own e-portfolios on individual class assignments.

The naturalistic learners can benefit from virtual tours of places of interest. Tools such as interactive maps and satellite imaging , Google Earth etc.

The logical mathematical learners can develop surveys on particular topics and chart their findings. Microsoft excel is an excellent tool for this type of learner.

At the end of this lesson students should be able to identify different species of flora and fauna found in the country.

The teaching strategy here would be to allow students to work in groups to compile a presentation to the class on the different species of flora and fauna. Students can use Trello to work on the project even at home. This will appeal to interpersonal learners.

Students can go out in the field and take pictures and put together a slideshow or power point presentation for the class. They can hyperlink videos to their slides to give more information on each species presented. This will appeal visual spatial learners.

Web 2.0 tools require internet access. This means that schools must have a reliable internet supply. Students must ideally have internet access at home also to maximize use of office 365 because a lot of their collaboration on group projects will be done at home.

This also means that a reliable electricity supply is needed at school and at home as well.

Of course students must also possess a level of computer literacy skills in order to navigate web 2.0 tools.Some students are computer savvy while others would have to be brought up to sped. However in the 21st century all students should be computer literate.

The school though would have to provide computers for those children who can't afford them. Not all kids would have their own devices. Those kids without a device though would not be able to use web 2.0 programs at home for collaboration and group work. All their work would have to be in school. This defeats the purpose of using web 2.0 tools.

Finally, if the school is providing devices for students this could be costly. Devices have to be properly stored and would also require maintenance work. 

 It has exposed me to different functions of programs that I already use such as Excel and Powerpoint. I have learnt that excel can be used to generate statistics on the performance of my students which can help me determine the areas that require improvement.I have also learnt about other features of powerpoint such as hyperlinks that can make my presentation more effective. It was also useful to learn about animation tools such as powtoon which I intend to use in future.

The different programs in Office 365 also will make delivering lessons more effective. Office 365 is a very versatile tool.  I think the use of sway by both teachers and students will make learning more fun and effective. It is very easy to use. 

One note is also quite exciting as it can connect a class and make it easier to deliver notes assignments and other communication to students.

It was also interesting to learn about other collaboration tools such as Trello and Padlet. These will definitely come in handy for group work in the future.

The section on pedagogy was also exciting as it inspired me to motivate students to use the ICT tools to achieve redefinition; that is create something that would not have been possible without the use of technology.

Therefore, moving forward to the 21st century and beyond I think this course is an absolute necessity for teachers if we are to produce successful students.

By enforcing this BYOD policy students will be able to fully incorporate ICT in their learning and teachers can use ICT for effective teaching. Students are able to use computer collaboration and group work as well as their individual assignments. Teachers can also deliver content to students more effectively. This does not only include notes but also assignments , quizzes and feedback that is speedy.

This of course means that the Ministry has to provide the necessary framework for the effective implementation of this policy. Schools must have reliable internet and electricity supplies. There must also be proper storage for students' devices during times when not in use.

Therefore as long as proper framework exists for implementation of this policy then teachers and students stand to benefit alot from the use of ICT .