Pre ESE Blog 2

Masterplan for ICT in Education

With the emergence of the use of IT, it is now important for MOE to develop the 3 Master Plan for ICT in education. Gone are the days where everything are written on paper and sent through mail. The world is now connected through IT. As such, students and teachers must now be equipped with IT skills so as to stay connected with the world.

In the past, students used to memorise facts and not bringing what they have learnt into daily life. However, things have changed. Students can no longer depend on factual applications. Rather, the educational system now requires them to apply what they have learnt into daily life activities – conceptual application. Schools now require the students to make use of IT to present what they have learnt or done. In the 1990s, presentations of students’ work were mostly done on vanguard sheets or mahjong papers. Teachers used blackboard and overhead projector to teach students. In the 2000s, with the emergence of IT, students present their work using multimedia resource such as powerpoint slides and videos. Teachers become more IT savvy in which they started using computers, visualizer, interactive board, tablet laptop, touch screen desktop and phone to carry out their lessons. This has a great impact on learning as learning has been made more interactive and interesting.

With the introduction of the master plan for ICT in education, there is a need now for educators to transform students into self- directed learners and collaborative learners. No longer should the teachers provide detailed information to the students, like what the teachers do in the past. Now, students are given examples of where information can be found and using IT, the students will have to source for their own information. With the Internet so easily accessible, the students have to be trained to be self- directed learners whereby they will be the one solving the problem, looking for answers and solely responsible for their learning and progression. Secondly, students must also be trained into collaborative learners. As such, there is the need for more project work whereby the challenge is to cultivate these students into collaborative learners. The students will have to learn on how to ensure that as an individual, they are progressing. And at the same time, they must not leave their group mates behind. This will help to shape and develop their individual characters. They will have to ensure the progression of their group. Students who have been trained to be collaborative learners will gain to benefit when they step into the society as they are both a good team player as well as independent workers.