Impact of ICT Masterplans

As a local student till 2005, my education journey had witnessed the implementation of Masterplans 1 and 2. I could still remember the fascination I had felt when I stepped into my primary school’s air-conditioned computer lab for the very first time. Back then, I was wishing how it would be perfect if every single lesson was conducted there so I could use those amazing machines all the time. Fast forwarding to my days as a university student, that wish seemed to have fulfilled when it dawned on me that all my lecture notes were presented on PowerPoint slides and every assignment was type-written. For that, I am thankful for the smooth transition facilitated by my solid foundation built upon the past decade of ICT training in MOE schools.

Skills aside, I have unknowingly become a technophile, always excited to read about the latest developments and tech toys in Straits Times’ Digital Life and other online news feeds. Unlike the older generation, I am not afraid to embrace new technology. A week before entering the National Institute of Education (NIE), I bought myself a Macbook Air to use as a portable laptop during lessons. Prior to this, I have been a Windows user all my life. Some schools, e.g. Maris Stella High are completely Mac converted and nowadays, more students are owning Macbooks. Thus as a teacher-to-be, I aim to spend my one year in NIE to familiarize myself with the Mac operating system (Mac OS) and pick up the many tips and tricks of the OS.

As a beginning teacher embarking on Masterplan 3, I am no longer a direct beneficiary of ICT curriculum, as now I play a more crucial role in endeavoring to integrate ICT into lesson delivery. ICT is no longer and should not be perceived as a separate entity from subject studies. Not only does ICT go in accordance with the Teach Less, Learn More (TLLM) approach, my efforts to advocate self-directed learning (SDL) and collaborative learning (CoL) via ICT-enriched lessons will go a long way in developing students’ competencies and preparing them for their future professions. With this end goal in mind, I should seek to consistently upgrade and update myself with the necessary ICT skills in this rapidly transforming computer age, so as to be a capable ICT facilitator and advocator in the school environment. 

Importance of ICT Masterplans in Education

From 1997 to 2014, Singapore’s education system would have seen a transition through three Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Masterplans. In this globalized age, the importance of integrating ICT into our students’ syllabus has never been more recognized. Nowadays, the younger generation is adopting computers at a much earlier age and is able to access a whole lot more information than before. The Ministry of Education’s (MOE) crucial role in the ICT Masterplans ensures that our students are reminded and guided on how to be knowledgeable, discerning and more importantly, responsible IT users.

            Equipped with comprehensive ICT facilities, every school is the most conducive place for students to either begin their journey of IT literacy or hone their skills. Unlike conventional subjects, computer and IT skills are not what parents or private tutors can coach their children on at home. Furthermore, as highlighted before, our children are very likely to be more experienced IT users than their parents. Although all students are currently encouraged to have a personal computer at home, the reality is that there are still some financial strapped families who cannot afford such a ‘luxury item’. Thus the school becomes the ideal place for these students to keep up with the computer age

The role of the ICT teachers is to instill the much required passion and interest in students to keep up with ICT through continuous learning. As a result, students should be able recognize that these skills are not only essential at their current stage of studies and project work, but also later on in life when they embark on their professional career. It is usually in schools where students become aware about cybercrime and learn to be able to sieve out useful information for themselves, in so doing grow up to be proper users of the Internet. Teaching responsible usage of the World Wide Web facilitates students in going beyond the four walls of the classroom and gaining access to knowledge that teachers and textbooks cannot impart.

These fourteen years of implementing ICT in the curriculum have witnessed much progress. One notable achievement is that students from all schools can now embark on e-learning or i-learning in the comfort of their own homes. During the school holidays, this provides a lot of convenience for students and teachers alike in the dissemination of homework. Such a self-learning mode also teaches our students to take ownership for their own learning, thus encouraging them to be independent learners. In 2003, the SARS outbreak put e-learning in schools to test, as all lessons were disrupted indefinitely. At the end of the day, this daunting crisis proved not only the success of ICT integration but also the foresight of MOE in introducing ICT in the first place.