ICT as a Situating Tool

PhET Simulation as a Situating Tool

The PhET Interactive Simulations is a non-profit open educational resource project that creates and hosts explorable explanations. With the advancement in technology, the teaching of the subject is made easier and interactive. From the classroom discussion, we had, the situating tool presents a simulation of the learning situations. It can create 3-D images on display to give the user the feeling that they actually are in real life. It helps students become more effective when it is associated with using technologies as it will make the classroom atmosphere more conducive to learn.

Since it helps to situate learners in an environment where they may experience the learning context or environment or happenings thereby I came to understand that this tool is authentic and very interactive in nature where the students feel that they are situated in a real environment in their learning. With this application, students are able to conceptualize their thoughts to the real world by applying the theories into practice. This application can also make a student independent learner in their life. 

Using PhET simulation, a teacher can teach various subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics, science, and biology. I found that the use of this simulation is very effective as it helps to comprehend and manipulate variables and foster creativity and visualization skills. Not only this, it provides opportunities to interact with real-life situations without danger, expenses, or difficulty and it also involves learner’s conceptual understanding and high order thinking skills.

  

This is an activity that we have done in our class. I found this activity effective since we get hand-on experiences on the acidity and the basic solution without having to take a risk and other expenses. It is an interactive session and it boosted my understanding and the thinking skill of the PH values of the different liquids.

ICT as a Communicative Tool

My reflection on Promotional video as a Communicative Tool

Teaching through video is the most effective way to grab the attention of the students. The students feel interested when they are taught using a video lesson and at the same time, the won't feel bored in the class.  The following video is created to explain to the students about the parts of the flower and what they are supposed to do in their google classroom. 

This video can be used as a  communicating tool between the teacher and the students. By watching the short clips, students will understand a gest of the topic and also they will know what they are supposed to do in their google classroom. This short clip can be used in the future with my students to teach about the topic. I can also apply video editing ideas in other lessons so that students feel interested to learn and it will also help me teach effectively.  

ICT as a Situating Tool

My reflection on GraphCalc as a Situating tool

Mathematics has been a difficult subject for me when I was in a lower grade and it was considered a difficult subject even nowadays. Majority of the students face difficulties when they plot the graph and it was also my major problem. It was made easier in this digital world to teach about the graph using the application called GraphCalc.

I have learned that using this application called GraphCalc, we can plot different types of graph-like linear equation, quadratic equation and cubic equation. For me, I found it difficult to plot the linear equation since I could only get correct the direction of the line and the point of intersection in Y-axis. I could not locate the point of intersection in X-axis when I have done the activity on my own. however, the concept was made a crystal clear when I have punched the data in the GraphCalc and within no time it could do draw the line. 
Using GraphCalc, I can teach the quadratic and the cubic equations. It will not only help students understand the topic but also they will enjoy the lesson. 

 Example of the quadratic graph.

Example of the cubic graph.
In future, I can use this application with my student and the practice that I have done in the college can be my preparation in the future. I can use this application to teach my students about the graph in the easiest and the simplest ways.

ICT as a Situating tool

My Reflection on Google Map as a Situating tool.

Google company offers numerous ways that we can use to implement in our teaching. The only thing is that the teacher has limited knowledge on it and at the same time, Bhutan being a developing country,  the resources like computers and internet connectivity are not very feasible within the country. 

I had a preconceived notion that google map is just used to locate the places around the globe. I never thought that it can be incorporated in  teaching sessions where it can be used to teach about locations, distances between two locations, mathematics calculation of area and perimeters and time between two places.

I have done this activity  to measure the area of the football ground of Paro College of Education. I found it interesting and lively to measure the area of the football ground online. It is very effective and moreover, I feel students will like to do it online because it's hand-on experience for them. Similar types of activities can be conducted with the student in different subjects like History, Mathematics and Geography.

 

   

ICT as a Co-constructive Tool

My reflection on Google Classroom as a co-constructive tool.

As schools and colleges were closed due to the noble covid-19 pandemic,  the teaching and learning were switched to online learning. I have observed every student and even the teachers too learning collaboratively. The effective teaching sessions were made available by the use of google classroom. I have observed the difficulties that both the students and teachers faced to use the application since it was first handled by both the teachers and the students. I am very much fortunate to learn about the application, its features and the usage during my stay in the college.

This is the google classroom that we have created as a hand-on experience. As a future teacher, it is vital to know about the features and the usage of the application since we have to create assignments and assign course works to our students. If we have limited knowledge on how to assign assignments to the students, it would be burdensome for the teacher and moreover, there won't be any learning taking place.

Google classroom is a good application and it works similarly like a face-book that all are familiar with. The teacher can invite all the students and the students can view the latest update posted by the teacher under the steam tap. teachers can conduct online quizzes and assignments and also grade them online instantly under grade tap.

In future, I can use this application to the students about the difficult topic. I can fully use this application and it would be easier for me to assign work to my students. Moreover, i can also help those teacher who face difficulty to implement this idea into their teaching.

ICT as co-constructive tools

Co-constructive tools are those tools that can be used to construct knowledge collaboratively. The knowledge on ICT is effectively used to co-edit the data text and graphics. unlike constructive tools, the co-constructive tools enhance the collaborative learning environment as the users need to work collaboratively and requires high level cognitive processes to deal with problem finding and problem solving. We have used blogs, discussion forum on portals and google docs in our real classroom learning. Those three co-constructive tools helped me understand about the lesson that are taught in the classroom. though use of blogs, it helped me keep track of what i have learned so far in the classroom through reflecting my views in it. Moreover, it can be used as a future reference. Through discussion forums it helped me to clear my doubts communicating either in synchronous or asynchronous with my friends and tutors. Through the use of google docs, it helped me understand and beautify my lesson plan because the two user need to work collaboratively.

Following are some examples of co-constructive tools:
1.  Blog
I have used blog so that i can keep track of what i have learned in the classroom. By reflecting in the blog, I have learned and known how blog serves it purpose. It can help the different users to understand and retrieve various information.

2. Discussion forums or portals
I have used this portal to inquire my doubt about the subject matter. This can happen both in asynchronous or synchronous ways. We can place our queries and the our friends and tutors can write their answer if they are online at the same time or they can write whenever they visit the site.

3. Google docs
I have never used this application though it was created and published before i was born . We can share the same document in three means that is as a "can edit," "can comment" and "can view". I have learn that we can share the document to other users if he or she is trusted person and work collaboratively. we can share as a view only if the other user is unknown and so that he  can only read your work but cannot edit.

ICT as a informative tools

ICT tools can enhance and support the users to delivers information to the targeted audience. Moreover, it help the users to collected gathered information so that he or she can beautify his or her work. The video lesson that i came up with caters class SIX students understand about how sound travels in three different mediums particularly in solid, liquid and gas. It was published in FACEBOOK so that the students of grade SIX can view the clip and learn form it.

 
This video lesson can not only help six graders to understand about the topic but it can help me teach the lesson very effectively if i happen to be a teacher. I can use it as a resource to tech my students and at the same time my friends can also use it to make their lesson lively. On the other side, the students can also refer this clip so that they understand the topic better. Therefore, this video lesson serves as a good resource or information for both the teachers and students for their comfort of teaching and learning.