Two: ICT integration into lessons

Technology has rapidly developed over the past decade, becoming a part of our everyday lives and now school has caught up with the trend. The use of ICT has made a predominant part of my teaching practice during placement. In all my lessons, I integrated the Interactive Whiteboard using it mainly on a substitution level (Puentedura, 2006) and help run the lesson smoother <reference>. Along with its contribution to help running the lesson smoother, it helped engaged students in most of my lessons. As an example from my placement, I ran an art lesson using the IWB as a guidance to drawing before they drew on own artworks.  All students had a go drawing, showing not only me but their peers on how to draw a house with windows and doors. Overall, I observed and acknowledged the high engagement as well as the participation from the whole class which helped students achieve the learning outcome (Hinostroza, Labbe, Brun & Matamala, 2011). It allowed kindergarten to model and share with their peers their learning in effect the whole class had managed the task independently with minimum fuss.

During the semester, I was exposed to TPCK and the SAMR model. From the time I was studying, it build this notion within me that we need to use technology at a greater and better use that can improve the students' leanring outcome. Hinostroza et al. (2011) researched that ICT is not frequently used at schools but are used in specific activities by teachers and students, as a result has opened opportunities to implement ICT in lessons to further give new experiences and skills. I have attempted this by running a HSIE lesson where as a whole class, students create a digital photo book through a computer program called Photo Story. Students shared their family's background to their peers whilst record themselves with a microphone corresponding to their photo taken for the photo book. It was an experience that can be normally shared just by talking but by adding in the recording device, it gave students a whole new experience to contribute to their own class project.