ICT Vision: Every BBSSian a responsible digital learner who is future-ready

ICT mission: To nurture BBSSians to be self-directed learners who are discerning and responsible digital users

Based on the school vision, what are the competencies and skills the school would like to develop in students by harnessing technology?

Competencies:

1. Use of SLS for learning:

• Stage 1 : To be familiarised with SLS
• Stage 2: To be accustomed to SLS for their learning
• Stage 3: To be competent with SLS

2. Cultivate an interest of future innovation:

• Stage 1: To be aware of and participate in school based innovations
• Stage 2: To be proactive contributors to school based innovations
• Stage 3: To share their innovations with others and actively influence others to promote an innovation culture in the school using ICT

3. Nurture Responsible Digital learner:

• Stage 1: To have content knowledge of the Cyber Wellness(CW) syllabus and programme
• Stage 2: To be able to discern and apply the knowledge of the CW syllabus and programme
• Stage 3: To be able to influence and share the knowledge of CW syllabus and programme with others

Skills:

• self-directed learner with abundance mentality
• Discerning and responsible digital users

Our Strategies

What is a practice in harnessing technology for teaching and learning that made an impact on the development of skills and competencies in your students?

(1) Promote the use of SLS in teaching and Learning:

Student:

(a) Briefing to students by Form Teachers on the login and reset passwords

(b) Created student friendly target setting platform via SLS where students login to do reflection at least twice a year. This platform serves as a check to ensure 100% students’ login every semester

Teacher:

• IP HODs to appoint ICT Champions for their respective departments
• IP HODs work closely with ICT Champions to guide teachers in designing lessons using SLS
• ICT Champions leverage on department meetings and Staff Contact Time to:
  • Conduct sharing of best practices on SLS
  • Conduct familiarisation of the use of SLS
  • Provide troubleshooting and support for teachers
  • Conduct survey on SLS to enhance support for the teachers

Platform for teachers to seek advice/assistance on designing SLS Lessons

ICT Champions :

• promote SG Learning Designers Circle via Facebook to teachers during CC Time and encourage them to use this platform as an ICT affordance to get advice/ ideas on the use of SLS
• encourage teachers to share lessons/seek assistance via this platform

Sharing of Lesson design via Open Classroom

• EL department selected a team to work with ETD to design the lesson packages and invite teachers to observe the open classroom
• Encourage teachers to sign up as observers for open classroom session via email and SG Learning Designers Circle
• Moving forward (in 2020), EL IP HODs with work closely with ICT team to promote open classroom to all departments so that the target to achieve one open classroom per department will be met.

Sharing of lesson packages via SLS

• IP HODs will ensure all lesson packages for the Learning Festival ( in Nov ) are being :
  • uploaded on SLS platform by end of the year
  • Shared to all teachers in their respective department

Impact: This will ensure the use of SLS will be more pervasive in the school as students and teachers will be competent in using SLS for teaching and learning.

(2) Cultivate an interest of future innovation:

• A space for innovations which known as Enterprise & Innovation Core (EIC) was set up this year.
• The key function is a maker space where teachers will harness ICT for innovative projects for students
• Teachers collaborated with students with the following projects to promote innovation :

(i) Upcycling workshop used PVC banners to make keychains with laser engraving where they used software to design the engraving.

(ii) Startathon Competition where students designed a game to promote recycling and they came in 5^th placing.

• Moving forward, teachers are working collaboratively with students and the neighbourhood community to design informative poster using editing software (eg: messages to prevent the spread of dengue, haze mitigation strategies )

Impact: This will encourage the students to be proactive contributors to school based innovations and share their innovations with others, so that they can actively influence others to promote an innovation culture in the school using ICT.

(3) Nurture Responsible Digital learner:

Provide quality implementation of Cyber wellness (CW) education

• CCE teachers teach CW explicitly to students using lesson packages from MOE
• CW Ambassadors:

(i) spread the awareness via medias using videos on the theme of the years during Form Teacher Time and morning assemblies.

(ii) conducted CW pledge/reading CW messages based on the annual global theme

(iii) organised CW competitions

• Provide various trainings, such as CW conference, workshops and sharings, for CW ambassadors to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge needed for outreach programmes, to both the student body and the school stakeholders, such as parents.
• Ambassadors work closely with CCE reps to come out with CW articles and CW coordinator will vet the articles before the sharing
• CW Coordinator:

(i) work closely with HODs in the planning, implementation and review of the CW education in school

(ii) collaborated with PSG and organised FGD to updates parents on CW issues and share Cyber wellness tips.

(iii) conducted a survey for the Lower Sec on CW to identify high-risk students. These high-risk students were referred to the school counselor for assistance

Impact: This will ensure that the CW curriculum is being conducted and aligned to MOE requirements, so that students are able to discern and apply the knowledge of the CW syllabus and programme. As such, they are able to influence and share the knowledge of CW syllabus and programme with others

Changed Practices

Impact of harnessing technology in teaching and learning

Shifts in Teachers' Practice

Teachers' Practice:

How are teachers designing and enacting lessons differently with technology? Describe what teachers are doing.

• Teachers are able to conduct ICT infused lessons based on the 4 learning experiences more readily using SLS as platform. They are guided by the templates available on the SLS. As such, there will be more student-centric lessons happening in the classrooms which promote joy of learning.

Teacher's Reflection:

Reflection Question for Teacher: How has my understanding of the role of technology in supporting learning changed?

• The role of technology has provided a platform for teachers to be a better lesson package designer to design learning tasks to get students to connect, challenge, deepen or extend students’ thinking and discussion.

Shifts in Students' Learning

Students' Practice

How are students learning differently with technology?

Describe what students are doing.

• The role of technology has provided a platform for students to be empowered to self-directed learning where they can learn at their own pace and at anytime, anywhere.

• The Problem

Briefly explain why the team chose to address this issue and what the team hoped to achieve.

Problem related to SLS:

(1) Teachers encounter hindrances when designing lesson packages using SLS as they are not familiar with some of the new features/4 learning experiences

• Current Solution:
  • The team promotes SG Learning Designers Circle via Facebook to teachers during CC Time and encourage them to use this platform as an ICT affordance to get advice/ ideas on the use of SLS
  • encourage teachers to share lessons/seek assistance via this platform

(2) Teachers feel that the current method of using messaging platform (WhatsApp) sharing teaching resources (eg: slides/reading notes are easier than using SLS. Restriction of learning resources to be uploaded on SLS (eg: certain websites/online videos

• Current Solution:
  • The team encourages teachers to have work life balance so teachers are advised against giving their personal mobile numbers to students and parents. As such, SLS will be a better platform for sharing of resources. In addition, SLS will also help safeguard on copyright issues which might restrict the uploading/downloading of resources.

(3) Currently, the school is working very hard to use SLS as the main Learning management system (LMS) for teaching and learning. The previous subscription based LMS are more ready to guide /facilitate student’s demonstration of learning using ICT in relation to success criteria (student friendly learning target). Hence, we encounter challenge in getting the buy-in from teachers to use SLS.

Problem related to Cyber wellness:

(1) Cyber wellness related issues are not promptly reported which caused delays in preventive measures

• Current Solution:
  • The team has worked with SLs to create an online platform (Form SG) for students to report Cyber Wellness issues where their identities are kept confidential.

(2) The teaching of CW is mainly based on theoretical using scenarios and some real world contexts but they are still insufficient in providing students with more authentic experiences to handle CW issues.

Problem related to New media literacies

• Insufficient resources and information for school to embark on the New media literacies from MOE
  • Current Solution:
    • The team has asked IP HODs of various departments to study the lesson packages and sieve out relevant practices from the New Media literacies booklet.
    • The team also worked closely with vendor to design New media literacies enrichment programme for the Sec 1 students

Problem related to cultivation of interest of future innovation:

There is a challenge to encourage more teachers to be proactive in design thinking facilitation. As such, it hinders the rate of participation of using ICT for innovation in the school.

Our Challenges

What are some challenges faced by the team when designing for active learning with technology?

Challenges using SLS for Active Learning

• Activate Learning
  • Eg: Videos from SLS : Some of the videos are very large so school network is unable to support in class
• Promote Thinking and Discussion :
  • Eg: SLS features: Online quizzes, Thinking Routine: Can only be edited a limited number of time.
• Facilitate Demonstration of Learning
  • Eg: SLS Features: Notes
• Monitor and Provide Feedback
  • Eg: Teachers always encounter issues in editing comments for students using the SLS Feedback system.
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Challenges using technology for Active Learning

• To guide /facilitate students demonstration of learning using ICT in relation to success criteria ( student friendly learning target)

Lee Chin Hock Andy - ICT HOD