Using Electronic Whiteboards in Your Classroom: Benefits

1. The interactive electronic whiteboard is great for demonstrations....
2. The interactive electronic whiteboard is a colorful tool. Research indicates that students respond to displays where color is employed...
3. The board can accommodate different learning styles...
4. All ages of students respond favorably to board use...
5. Distance learning is an excellent setting for interactive whiteboard use...
6. One-computer classrooms can maximize the use of limited computer access...
7. The interactive whiteboard is an excellent tool for the constructivist educator...
8. The boards are clean and attractive tools...
9. Students with limited motor skills can enjoy board use...
10. It is interactive...
11. It can interface well with other peripherals....
12. The board is great for meetings are lessons where the participants need printed copies...
13. It is a kid magnet! ...

Secondary site on the use of Information Learning Technologies provides anecdotal evidence of the impact of electronic whiteboards

• Learners show increased motivation and enjoy the interaction the technology offers 
• It makes the subject come alive 
• It captures the attention of learners 
• It encourages the involvement of learners in the subject 
• It enables tutors to use multimedia resources and the internet with a whole class

What is Smart School?

     The Smart School is an educational institution with emphasis on thinking-enabled learning, student-centered, using technology and multimedia wisely, applying teaching-learning strategies appropriately and effective school management in order to create a meaningful as well as effective schooling and learning environment.

     To jump-start the establishment of smart schools, the Ministry of Education appointed the Telekom Smart School consortium to design, develop and prepare a smart school solution package. The smart school solution package includes ICT-enabled learning courseware for Bahasa Malaysia, English, Science and Mathematics. The first series of courseware was used in 90 primary and secondary smart schools in 2000. Presently, the whole courseware package has been distributed to all Smart Schools in Malaysia.

    The Smart School Projects is one of the Flagship Applications of the Multimedia Super Corridor. This school is created based on several objectives based on Malaysia’s National Philosophy of Education. The objectives are as follows:

1. To produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce. It means, our government would like to have young generations who have ability to think creatively and critically.
2. To democratize education.
3. To increase participation of stakeholders.
4. To provide all-round development of the individual.
5. To provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities.

     The efforts made by our government should be appreciated but at the same time, there are several barriers found in implementing technology use in Smart School.
1. Computer Problems.
The number of computers is limited and some of the computers are old-fashioned. The teachers always complain about this matter and sometimes, this situation hampers the teaching and learning process? Can we afford to lose hours in order to overcome this problem? Let’s think about it.

2. Internet Problems.

Smart School requires a high speed internet connection and some of the students complained about the condition of the internet connection in Smart School. Sometimes, ‘it was fast’, ‘it was so slow’ and even worst ‘it jammed’. What would happen if there is no electricity? How can the students use the computer? Next question is; what would happen if there are thunderstorms? Of course, the teachers will instruct the students to turn off the computer for their own safety later.

3. Time constraints and time consumption
The students only have 1 hour and 10 minutes to use a computer in school. The teachers must be there at least 10 minutes earlier in order to make sure everything in prepared to be used in the classroom. The students always take their own sweet time to move from one class to another class. These scenarios consume a lot of time and of course, it wastes the teacher as well as the students’ time.

Apart from these three, what are the other problems in terms of implementation technology use in Smart School? What are the recommendations in order to overcome these barriers?

STELLA (story of Pendulum)

REPORT STELLA (Story of Pendulum)

Slide MOMENTUM

Overall Reflection of ICT

Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), is a subject that exposed the students to the ICT which are common used in our daily life. However, there are some of the ICT that are very new to me for instance the used of the Interactive Whiteboard, Simulation by using STELLA Software, editing picture by using PAINT, create a simple video by using Video Maker. Apart from that, I also learn how to make the blog and utilize it well. In this subject, I used the blog to upload the assignments, reflections, and also the link that showed that I followed my friends.

Besides, there are many other things that I can do with the blog and this allowed me to explore the blog and make it fully function throughout this subject. Throughout this subject, I also learnt how to used the data logger which are actually make our life much more easier to get the data used especially in the experiment. I feel fun and enjoy the used of data logger since it give the accurate and automatically save the data record during the experiment.

Moreover, this subject also introduced me to the simulation and modelling which are sometimes I think that are common to me since I take minor Physics so there are a lot of simulation and modelling used to explain some of the process involved, however, when I do some finding on what are actually the simulation and modelling there are some different and now I understand it much better.

So, as the conclusion, throughout this subject there are many of ICT applications that are some new and some are common to me. Therefore, this subject are very beneficial to me since I can apply all the ICT applications when I posting to the school and start my work as a teacher.

Reflection Interactive Whiteboard

Smart board

Smart board is a type of ICT application which are fun and enjoy when using it. Sometimes, we also called the smart board as the Interactive Whiteboard. Actually, I ever used this smart board when I was in semester 1, in Mathematics subject. The lecturer introduced this smart board to the class but we do not fully utilize the used of the smart board except when we were presenting the assignment.

Therefore, when I was told that throughout this subject I will used the smart board and have to fully utilize it function, I feel so excited and eager to used it. From my point of view, I noticed that, this smart board are beneficial since there are so many thing that we can do including playing the game but it is still the game that based on knowledge.

When the whole class were asked to make used of the smart board every time we do the presentation, myself, I feel like I had help myself to build in or to inculcate the confident much higher when using the smart board. Since, this smart board is new to me to utilize and get used to it make me feel that my confident level is low, thus throughout this subject I can help myself to increase my confident level when facing with the new thing or new environment,

As the closure, the used of this Interactive Smart board is very fun and give a lot of beneficial to me. Indirectly, I may able to increase my confident level during my presentation.

Modeling & Simulation

STELLA

Data Logging