TEACH WEB 2.0
Got to know this great wiki from Day 9 of K12Online Conference 2008. It contains links and reviews of Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning. Highly recommended.
Singapore: Classrooms to be fully IT-wired by 2014
Source: The Straits Times 7 August 2008
I know this is a little late. Nevertheless, I think it is a useful piece of article for educators who are interested to find out more about ed tech in Singapore :)
ScreenToaster – Nice toast!
I just activated the ScreenToaster Beta account and started playing with it. Wow, it is really easy to use! It is great to have a tool which does not require download and installation. My first try: Using Google Pinyin to input Chinese characters.
http://www.screentoaster.com/watch/stVUpSQ0ZLQFhaR1teWVtb
My only hope is that it remains free! 
Or the Macbook Pro?!
The new Macbook decides to abandon Firewire 
Should I turn to the big Prother? 
The new Macbook Pro
K12 Online Conference starts TODAY
Preconference Keynote is tonight at 8pm Singapore Time!
Update: Watch Preconference Keynote by Professor Stephen Heppell with subtitles here.
Common Craft inspired students’ video
I am a big fan of Common Craft‘s stop motion instructional/explanatory videos. I find them very engaging and easy to understand.
In June, I worked with 3 pupils to produce a video for National Day Students’ Video Competition. I decided to show them a few Common Craft productions because I thought they may like them. Suddenly, we all decided do our very own Common Craft inspired video!
Instead of the usual filming of role playing, the pupils did something like what Common Craft is really good at – using self-drawn images to tell a story. The theme is “Celebrating Singapore’s Heroes”.
The pupils studied a war heroine, Elizabeth Choy last year, hence it was an easy choice. The pupils started storyboarding, drawing, scripting and narrating. The process was tedious but fun.
My role is to facilitate the technical part – how to do a Common Craft! I tried out some positions with a tripod/camcorder setup but they turned out to be less than perfect. Lightings were dim and I could not get a good top-down vertical angle. In the end, the video seemed like a C grade Common Craft video. 
Some photos taken during the production:
The final product:
Now the good news: The pupils won the 3rd Prize!
Focus Group Discussion for the Standard Operating ICT Environment (SOE) for Schools
I am pleased to write to you to request for a nomination of 15 P6 students with a deep interest in computing — either avid users, students in Infocomm Club or have taken part in IT competitions to participate in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
I came up with the following questions for the selected pupils to think through before attending this FGD.
1. How can you describe your day-to-day use of ICT? What is your take on the relationship between technology and education?
2. What are the software and applications you used in the school computer laboratory? How proficient are you in Microsoft Office applications?
3. How do your make use of the school LMS in everyday learning? Is it a useful platform to do asynchronous (self-directed) learning?
4. What do you think of gaming (online and offline)? How does it impact learning?
5. Do you know what is Web 2.0? If yes, how do you make use of it in research and learning? If no, what do you think of Internet as a learning tool?
6. How does ICT help you in Project Work? How does PowerPoint, Web design, video editing add value to your learning?
7. What do you think of Robotics in education? Does Robotics add value and fun to learning?
8. How much do you understand in Cyberwellness? What are the social and moral impacts if it is not emphasized?
9. What do you envision in a primary school in terms of technology in 2015? What do you think of the current future schools in Singapore? Is technology EVERYTHING in education? Is the availability of the latest and fastest computers and hardware important for learning to take place?
10. Do you know what are the 21st Century skills? If yes, do you think schools are teaching these skills to students? If no, what are important skills you need to learn in school in order to meet future challenges?
Update: Check out pupils’ answers to these questons in this wiki!
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