Comments for Innopower and ITE6310 --by Cissy

Innpower: Every group member post for group assessment per week, and their clear sections for each session. It's easy for teacher and other classmates to read. What's more, we can find mang resources related to education and innovation.I suggest that video and audio resources can add to their blog.

ITE6310: I can see mang audios and videos related to the cases have been uploaded, and these resources made their case study vivid.The backgroud of their group is colourful.I think maybe more comments will make their blog better.

Making a Difference in Programme Editing

Pui Ching Middle School is now actively developing information and technology. Apart from constructing network of school, they are also putting effort on knowledge innovation strategy these years. To improve students’ interest in computer science and solving problems, the most effective way is to help develop their computer programme editing. Thus, some computer teachers added elements of this programme in the class, and enhance students’ ability by Online Judge System.

During the teaching process, group teachers would watch students’ technique of programme editing, then picked up the students with the 10th most potential, and offered specific training after the class and during the holidays, in order to improve their professional skills. Besides, teachers took the students to take part in regular national and regional open competition. Facing professional programme editing competitors from other countries and regions, students’ field of vision was widened, which could motivate them in better studying and developing.

Recent years, four teachers in this school taught students by a new function “Online Quiz” by Google, which was seen to be in a good result. Professor Marr explained that “this kind of teaching could change the traditional teaching mode single-way to an in-time interaction between teachers and students, and analysing problems and answers together. Meanwhile, students were motivated to discuss online, which could be better directed by teachers after the class.

(Professor Leung helps cultivate students’ ability of problem solving by interactively in-time practice.)

Now it is a Web 2.0 time, when the information and technology in education focus on involvement from people to people. Then, online discussion become a perfect platform for people to speak and share ideas. Based on this background, teachers in Pui Ching School built an “Electronic Community” for students and there parents to be a virtual teaching and learning platform, which was a breakthrough in the traditional education system. Professor Lo Yin Ming said that  students today can actively discuss and share their ideas, and can upload or download useful teaching materials. Their successful mode of teaching and learning have attracted schools from China and Singapore, which promoted and expanded their good experience of information technology in education.

Since the year 2007, school has started the use of Google Apps and Online Tables for school communication system, and created a new learning scheme “Mobile Learning”, through which PDA and Smart Phone are commonly used for a faster distribution of test and exercise. Every students are also teachers in the same time, as then actively play a role in “Online Judgement”, and then can better overcome difficulties in programmes one by one. 

(Online Testing leads to a better sharing of students’ work in time, which can help in the further discussion.)

To conclude, the computer department of Pui Ching School keeps on supporting the ICT teaching, and share their successful experience all over the countries. Besides, they also promotes and helps improve the examination system, computer courses, and some new teaching system among schools in Hong Kong. Teachers in Pui Ching School said that “We feel proud that we can share and make a difference.”

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Post by Ricky CHAN KWOON KAY

Exploring Institutional contexts on the innovation – An innovative case from Spain

Written by Liu, Feifei

Ø  Case Background

The case chosen is ES001 which focused on the innovation practice inside a primary school in Spain, called Lavinia School.

The case happened in 1996 and in this case, 6^th grade pupils from four different schools participated in an innovative co-operative project with ICT. Every week, students from the four schools share meteorological date in the internet with partner schools. They then finally carried out comparative research on weather variables. Specifically, in Lavinia School, teachers provided suggestions and guidance for students learning, whereas students working in groups made the final decision of what they wanted to learn and how they were going to do.

Ø  Case Analysis

Overall speaking, this case is a well designed innovative one as shown in the 7-point likert scale below.  The case achieved a high score in all the six dimensions of understanding innovativeness. With a broad community support, the school successfully achieved its curricular and methodological goals. Along the process, students took charge of their learning, contributing to knowledge building, while teachers only coached for building a learning community. Additionally, the project involved specific ICT use to facilitate the collaborative project.

The table below shows the institutional contexts on innovativeness at school level analysis.



Ø  Conclusion

The successfulness of this innovative case is not happened by accident, but with detailed design, well support and facilitator. At the national level, the government education policy encouraged the innovation and provided sufficient support which made the fundamental basis for the implementation of the innovation.

At the school level, as analyzed above, the principal and school policy highly supported the innovation, which created a collaborative and innovative working environment for teachers to carry out the innovative practice. The teachers had done and were willing to do the necessary effort of time and training to implement the innovation.  

In addition, even seemed old fashion and not advanced enough, the ICT and technological support were enough to carry out the innovation at that time in 1996.

Resource: http://sitesdatabase.cite.hku.hk/M2/case2/ES001/Index.asp?case_ID=ES001

Written by Liu, Feifei (2011882300)

Explore roles of curriculum innovative practices using IPPUT

I choose CN003 to explore roles of curriculum innovative practices using IPPUT. CN003 is a catholic primary school, which aimed at educating students with a good moral standard and a compassion for the society.

                                                             photo 1

The topic of the innovative pedagogical practice is “Cyber Art”. The project implemented this ‘Cyber Art’ innovation in the Art lessons in the three upper primary levels as well as  in the extracurricular activities organized by the Computer Art Club. The curriculum includes 25% of the formal curriculum time allocated to Art and 2 extension activities which are drawing activities within campus and drawing trips outside campus.

The goals of this project were:

a.To develop students’ aesthetic sense and vision and to help students understand the language of art.

b.To develop students’ creativity in producing visual art work.

c. To realize the vision of extending computer art from classroom to daily life.

There were three innovations in this case:

1. In this project, there were a variety of activities, including formal teaching periods, extra curriculum activities of the Computer Art Club and the collaboration with a primary school in Beijing. In such curriculum building,

the role of teachers and students changed. They worked together as a team in preparing their lessons and the activities. They shared their workload in this project. Peer lesson observations for teachers were also involved. Besides, co-operations with parents also took place in this practice. The concept of curriculum is “learning experience” instead of “document”.

                                                         photo 2

2. ICT was used as Teachers’ presentation tool as well as students’ productivity and information search tool. In the view of student, ICT enabled students to experience the uses of different art tools, and to broader their horizons in art form and media. It made outdoor sketching more accessible, increased the students’ mobility and helped break down the classroom wall. Besides, in teachers’ point of view, ICT allows teachers to show case, share and discuss the work of different students with the whole class. 

3.The way of assessment in this project is a highlight spot. Self- assessment and peer evaluations were newly adopted in this project for both teachers and students. A web-based assessment was also included in this project. What’s more, a lot of efforts were made to collect ideas, advice and comments from various parties, such as parents, visitors to the school .

However, in this case, teachers had to carry out much tedious technical work before each lesson. Furthermore, financial support is another problem to carry out this project for a long time.

Resource and References:

http://sitesdatabase.cite.hku.hk/M2/case2/cn003/Index.asp?case_id=cn003

By Cissy

English Language Education, Key Learning Area

Activity: analyse an innovative case and identify roles adopted by students. Then present your case highlighting the role of students and perceived degree of innovativeness of the case.

In the case of “English Language Education, Key Learning Area”, it mainly tells us about making an innovation in students’ English reading and writing skills so that they can better learn and improve. In the Buddhist Wisdom Primary School in Hong Kong, there is a group of teachers working together to design extensive learning activities for students, such as Literacy Programme, Guided Reading Programme, and Super Readers’ Club. With using the multi-sensory activities, students felt motivated and became more interested in reading. The photo 1 indicates their passion of reading books after joining in a variety of activities.

photo 1

Abut the Roles adopted by students, before the activities launching, they thought that reading was quite boring, and  their study mode was quite passive. After making change now, they become self-motivators, helpers and active knowledge explorers. In the Reading Mentorship Programme, senior form students volunteer to help junior form students with their reading. Besides, with the co-teaching culture in the school, they learned to share skills and knowledge with one another. After the implementation of innovation in teaching students English language, every student seems to become a great writer and good commenter, who knows how to show appreciation of others' work. For example, we can see the photo 2, where everything they write are “published”. On the desk are some colourful “publications”, bound together with cheerful plastic covers designed by students themselves.

photo 2

Through the reading improvement programme, students are provided with rich language input and connected to a world of alternative experiences, thus enriching students’ personal development and world knowledge. The impact are that they found the skills acquired in the new way of language teaching (i.e. mind mapping, brainstorming and discussion of ideas) realy helped them to read and learn more expressively. Students also enjoyed the writing lessons, conferencing and drafting and were more excited to share their finished products with others.

However, About the perceived degree of innovativeness,it is still relatively low and needs improvement. First, the co-teaching mode requires a lot of work, and is very time-consuming“. Teachers have to squeeze time between classes or breaks to plan and discuss the lessons. As a result, it is very challenging for both teachers and students. Besides, technology develops rapidly today, but this change seems to be a little remote from ICT innovation. So, the teachers may need to figure out some technical aspects in improving students’ learning, and think how this innovation in technology can help students to reach their expected target.

Sources and References:

“English Language Education, Key Learning Area”,

http://qef.org.hk/ate/2010_11ate/english/docs/CEATE_Compendium_2009-2010-6_(Teaching_Practices-Awards_in_English_Lang_KLA).pdf


post by Ricky CHAN, Kwoon Kay

Week 3 - Teachers' Role

Week 3 - Teachers' Role
=======================
This week, we start our discussion based on the SITES case CL007
http://sitesdatabase.cite.hku.hk/M2/case2/CL007/Index.asp?case_ID=CL007

This is a case that teachers are teaching English as a foreign language to upper secondary students. Students were taught with different vocabularies in English, and the students were asked to look for more details in the vocabularies, such as meaning, photos, or other information. After gathering all kinds of information, students were asked to put everything into a webpage under assistance of IT helpers.

As mentioned in the page, the teacher’s role was to guide and oversee the students’ efforts to advance their knowledge of English through the creation of Web pages, as they utilized technical vocabulary and learned to manage Internet resources. Moreover, the teachers provided an opportunity for different learning experience to the students, and an facilitator who offer them with a chance for peer learning.

By LEUNG Yiu Tong Eric


This case is an example of teaching English as a foreign language just as Eric said. Roles of teachers are changing throughout the educational process. At the beginning of this project, teacher act as a guide. She organized the class to do this project and give them some useful instructions including explain how to do the project, support team buliding of students and so on. And the roles of teachers change to students in the progress, teachers received suppert from the students both the management of computers and the creation of Web pages. Teachers just provide basic orientation of the course and the management of the group. In the end of the project, in my point of view, teachers maybe need to do a summary to see the effect of this project, in the mean time, they need to decide contine to do it or not.

By Cissy

Group members' RISAL accounts

Liu, Feifei (2011882300)
RISAL Account: Feifei


CHAN, Kwoon Kay:
Risal Account: kwoonkay


LEUNG Yiu Tong, Eric
Risal Account:  ieeric


JIANG Qian, Cissy
Risal Account: Cissy