Here are my views:
Teacher roles (rating = 8): I felt the teacher was succesful in using IT to engage her pupils, especially knowing that the class is near-expert level in IT. I agree that using the forum for discussions supports learner-centred environment, as students are able to share and learnt from each other. In addition, the teacher acts as the facilitator, intefering only when discussions went haywire or out of track.
However the teacher has stuffed too many activities in too little time. Towards the end of the class, pupils are just rushing to submit their work on time. Hence I believe cognitive guidance is needed beforehand.
Student roles (rating = 8): The lesson, i believe has always centred around the students. Hunting for information in the internet for their presentation gave them the freedom to learn at their own pace, on top of critically selecting which information is needed from a wide variety of sources.
Nevertheless, when the presentation was going on, are the rest of the class really listening and understanding or are they merely putting words to the screen blindly?
Curriculum characteristics (rating = 7): It should be applauded that the lessons were planned in a manner that not only allow the students to tap on their IT skills, but also taking advantage of IT to enhance their understanding of the topic, through mind mapping using Inspiration. Presentation skills of the students were sharpened along the way, even though not the whole class presented. Perhaps in the future, a swop of roles is required.
Learning goals (rating = 7): Why I believe the learning goals were mostly met is because instead of the traditional method of accepting information from the teacher, here, the students can critically comment and question their classmates on the topic. Decision making skills, based on what they had learnt, was apt.
On the other hand, I agree on Daphne’s reflection that in the first lesson, the students were more engrossed in the IT, instead of the content presented to them.
Type of activities (rating = 7): Variety was present. The initial PowerPoint slides for the 2 groups, which requires them to act as investigators to the problem stated, was laid out in a manner that grips their attention and arouse their interest right from the start. The forum was good as it allows communication and views were exchanged.
The only drawback was the time shortage factor and it resulted in the students merely wrapping up their work in order to submit it before class ends. Perhaps, a refresher and recap of what tey had learnt should also be done in the next class.
Assesment strategies (rating = 7): It should be noted that tests, quizzes and marks were absent here. Forum discussions/questions posted was an indication on how well they had understood the topic. The presentations showed that the students were able to learn from selective searching, and this is another assesment method when ICT is present.
Despite that, I disagree that written exams and tests should be deleted away. Different topics in different subjects may need different ways of assesment.
Use of ICT (rating = 8): Usage of ICT was quite intensive in this lesson, a good way to foster a student-centred learning environment. I believe this allows students to build their own conceptualization like when using the Inspiration software. But of course, knowing how to use it to their advantage in understanding the topic, is needed first. The forum allows students to learn from their peers and at the same time share what they already know, seen or heard, thus taking the limelight away from the teacher and textbook.
