| During the period of education reform, the word ¡°student-centred¡± or ¡°student-oriented¡± is often heard. Many have quite a good grasp of the word, yet some are still not sure what it really means, and some do not even try to understand the word. Anyway, what¡¯s important is that one of the key tools of classroom teaching and learning is IT or ICT. It helps educate students by various means. Today, IT or ICT appears more and more frequently. A lot of schools make use of the word, while other school are still reluctant to do so because of their lack of understanding or some other reasons.
So, I would like to take an opportunity to share some knowledge with you or even better to discuss ideas on a friend-to-friend or teacher-student basis. What follows is what I have learned from my experiences.
Being an ex-math teacher, I have no background knowledge of computer. It was in 1985 that I started to learn it by self-study. In 1989, my first CAI was invented. And in 1998, I focused my attention on building the webpage which enables students to have a good reference source.
IT was invented because we mainly focus only on information. Later communication is added into IT and becomes ICT. ICT includes the use of technology to manage information and communication efficiently for academic purpose. We often understand that ICT refers to computer, computer usage, computer teaching. But, in fact, ICT covers the use of IT and all kinds of communications (i.e. computer, the Internet, television, radio, VDO, cassette tapes, newspaper, magazines, publications, talks, and questions, etc.) to manage learning by taking into account readiness and real situation of an individual school.
For example, in cooking class, teachers teach how to make fried banana in coconut coating (or ¡°kluay kaek¡±). Teachers may assign students to search for special techniques of how to make delicious ¡°kluay kaek¡±. Such information can be obtained from various sources, such as, the Internet, library, newspaper, ¡°kluay kaek¡± vendors, parents, and relatives. Once the information is gained, it is adjusted for easy understanding. The data can be organized and presented to classmates. All these ways involve the use of ICT.
I would like to inform my teacher friends that we can not really avoid computer or the Internet. Although we might not be interested in it, our children have to learn it. It is our duty to provide them with enough computer knowledge as much as possible. May I suggest that teachers should build data source for students to search. This is an alternative way to gain knowledge, apart from an already existing option of web page.
How to get started: 2 ways
1) For beginners or computer amateurs, Digital library toolkit by Schoolnet might be an answer. You can click into my website http://www.school.net.th/library/new/ free of charge.
2) Webpage can be built with the use of various Tool programmes by yourself. In case you start from scratch, finding a team of 40-50 people would be a good idea.
How to use:
1) If you have Internet and school website, you can store ICT in the school website. Otherwise, you can store ICT in my website free of charge.
2) In case you have no Internet, you can store ICT in the Intranet of the school.
3) If you have the computer but no network system, you can store ICT in each computer for children to use.
*** cases 2 and 3 represent CD off-line.
Benefit:
1) Supposing a teacher produces a ten-page data source for every academic term, what will happen if 100,000 teachers do this? This means that for each academic term, Thai children will benefit from 1,000,000 pages of quality data source and 2,000,000 pages annually. Let¡¯s imagine how big the data source might grow in a few years¡¯ time.
2) Thai children can avoid from an immoral website and learn to use computer effectively in order to gain knowledge.
3) Many people wonder what benefit they could gain from ICT and classroom learning. Well, may I leave you with a thought - ¡°since we are born into the world, we are obliged to return something good to the world. Before you ask to get anything from your motherland (Thailand), ask yourself first of what good have you done to her¡±.
For more information or further assistance, please contact Mr. Poonsak Sakkatattiyakul, Satri Sri Suriyothai School, Charoen Krung Road, Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120
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