Source of innumerable knowledge: ICT module

As the semester comes to an end, and as I reflect back the new knowledge that has gained from this module inspires me that I can really be a teacher with ICT background to be applied for teaching and learning. From all the effective modules that I have learned this semester, the most effective content and concept accordingly to the needs of changing times, I found ICT as the most effective from all. The experiences of this module can never be futile. I am competent enough to affirm that I can implement all the concept I learned into teaching and learning. Affirmation is never a doubt for me now. I fully give an affirmation that I can be the teacher who uses ICT as the main tool for teaching and learning if I ever get to journey the teaching through ICT.

All the concept or content in this module are bound to groom us positively and effectively with a constructive attitude toward ICT in the modern world. When we first entered the computer lab, most of our classmates said, “Ufff, it is going to be hard” after being introduced the term plan of the module.  But now our friends say, “we did lots of work and even learned many things more than other modules”. I could observe that the friends were trying to do work with effort, sincerely and collaboratively for the meaningful creation of knowledge and meaning.

The process followed for this module teaching is what I also liked. The tutor commenced from why integrating ICT is important in teaching and learning followed by what to implement and finally how to integrate it. These provided us to experience enriching learning from the reasons for integrating ICT in teaching and learning and also with hands-on experiences on every concept. I came to realize that hands-on experiences enhance the learners learning than the theories. Therefore, I am hoping and planning that wherever and whenever possible, I will focus my teaching in the future through hands-on experiences activities.

I hereby conclude that this ICT module has really enhanced my ICT skills. Now I can make a simple video, use google classroom for teaching and learning and knows the degree and level of ICT integration. With this, I hope that I can integrate ICT in teaching and learning accordingly to the needs and appropriately to the topics and approaches. I heartily pay my priceless gratitude to our module tutor for taking me through the journey of ICT. His teaching has truly enlightened me. Thank you, sir.


 Note: Following are the things that I have learned the most importantly from all....

Fig. 1. Goggle classroom

 Fig. 2. Video tutorial using camptasia

















Fig. 3. Goggle Doc

What about Google Classroom?

Information and communication technology is one of the prominent tools that has been making a profound alteration in the lives of people, especially it is truly been apparent tools that assist the teachers to follow the pathway of effective teaching through ICT. It provides the teacher with comprehensible means to teach a particular concept or anything. The teacher can use the ICT application like the facebook page for the discussion, youtube link to remind the students to explore the concept and google classroom, etc.

From the various tools the teacher implement and the topics that we have been learning this semester, I found that google classroom as the most efficient tools for the teaching. I could comprehend that it is similar to the virtual learning environment(VLE) that the college use for many purposes. The lecturers upload the notes, assignments and anything related to the course and the related authorities make an announcement for any kinds of program. Four years of life in the college by using VLE gives me an idea that google classroom would really be an effective tool for teaching and learning.

Looking back to the times of my teacher in the school, due to the lack of facilities the materials for the teaching were only the textbooks, green board, and the chalk. But now, the time has changed, the facilities are enhancing by every minute and we are being exposed to various ICT facilities now and then. I think that we as a teacher can make efficient use of ICT as an additional tool for teaching and learning. From all, google classroom can be used as a tool to upload the notes, create a discussion forum so that students can discuss outside the classroom. It can truly be constructive and informative tools for children’s learning.

Albeit of the advantages of google classroom for learning, I think it could be an issue if all the students in the classroom do not own the phone or computer and it can also be a financially challenging for both teachers and students. It can also be an issue if the teacher anticipates adopting google classroom and if the school lack enough computer. But, if I I get privellege to implement if possible, I am absolutely competent that I can apply it.

Spreadsheet for Teachers

The changing times and the development are profoundly enhancing the lives of teachers, particularly for the teaching and learning. I have observed that ICT is immensely assisting today’s teachers and the workload has become easy in various ways contrasting to the teachers of a decade ago. During my pre-primary and middle school times, I have seen the teachers requesting the students to help for the compilation of results and the marks, which it must have been one of the hardships as.

By now, the spreadsheet enables the teachers to prepare results within a short period of time. A Teacher just needs to insert the formula to grade the position, pass or fail, etc. It has really been an effective tool. Had there been no such facilities, I am sure that the staff room would be piled up the papers that contribute to the trash. Staff room would be as a room of trash particularly during the period of preparing the result. Calculating the marks could be the frequent mistake of the teacher prepares the result using the papers, but the ICT (Spreadsheet) minimize the waste. ICT plays a crucial role not only for the easiness, comfortable, teaching and learning but I have observed that ICT helps in minimizing the waste.

When I was first introduced to the means of using the spreadsheet for the mark sheet or result preparation, I thought ‘Uff! It is hard’. And I really had a terrible time memorizing the formulas. Actually, I was not accustomed to the concept, ideas, and skills to manipulate and use the spreadsheet. Instantly, I tried to memorize the formula without the basic concepts and skills. I now realize that of I have been tried to understand the concept and skills first, it would have been easier for me to be able to use a spreadsheet.

Albeit of the understanding on benefits of ICT (spreadsheet) and after learning during the first semester, I was still not able to implement it during my teaching practice. By then I had to give my extra time to learn it from the beginning. Gingerly, I commenced punching the marks and prepared the mark sheet. I could do it, and I felt it was really comfortable and certainly an effective tool. I absolutely accede that ICT is making our life much easier, comfortable and convenient,

Disadvantages and Advantages

The dominant line “a cloud has its own silver lining” took me to the thorough thinking of ICT usage. I got to believe that the usage of ICT has its own advantages and disadvantages. Famous phrases like a cliché, many assert that coin has two sides. If the coin has two sides, why ICT won’t have the two sides? The college introduced me to the world of ICT, observed and experienced incalculable things regarding ICT. Why I shouldn’t reflect upon it? Albeit of the normal routine on reflecting and writing on the baggage of learning of ICT during my life of the college, today I take a time to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of ICT that I have experienced and observed since the first semester of my college and till the moment.

I am deeply blessed that the college opened my eyes for the ICT world and could learn and acquire immeasurable, incalculable and uncountable skills that I could efficiently use it to sustain in the world of technology. But what did it really happen to me? I think I have become too dependent on ICT. Wastage of time, misusage of time has to be the most visiting guest for me. In distinction to the alteration ICT brought in me, a room of negative feelings over the too dependence on ICT take me to the wrong direction at times. Recurrently, I find myself being overpowered by the potency of ICT. Rather than using my mental cognition to answer the questions or to solve any problems, I find myself only depending on the internet to be my source of the answer. Critical thinking, analyzing power, the skills of high order thinking has degraded over the years.

I agree that ICT makes our life easy and comfortable we could get the information from anywhere. But why does it destroy the life of most of the people? I found many of my friends being taken towards the negative direction by the ICT. They meet online friends, spent hours and hours for social media, letting the precious time travel to the valley of ineffectuality. The mobile phones are another authoritative tool that kills the concentration of learners in the class. Even in the presence of a teacher in the class, few of my friends make the teacher as the invisible. Their eyes would be only with the phone and actually aren’t truly paying the concentration. Thus, it becomes another reason for resulting incapable and impotent teacher. I feel we need to learn immensely on the usage of ICT appropriately. With the right, responsibilities have to be taken account.

The Publisher gave me new insight into the Brochure

At times, I often pondered how our life would have been without ICT. It gives me Goosebumps with a sudden rush of feelings that ‘we have become too dependent on ICT’’ and I am one of them. Thinking back to the first year, ICT has never been my interest or the favorite. I would always be backing off whenever there was anything to be done related to ICT.  It happened one day that we were asked to make a brochure for the module called ‘Child development’. I was befuddled when I heard the word ‘Brochure’ and I wasn’t actually cognizant of the term ‘brochure’ though I have seen it.

Now I could think about why I didn’t use the source of the internet to find the better means to make a brochure. I was way behind the ICT world. Reaching back to the room, I enquired one of the senior sisters, how should I make a brochure? The simple response I received was ‘you can use Microsoft words’. Thought that was going to be easy. But the thought of easiness could not turn to the action of easiness. I commenced dividing the Microsoft words page into three divisions and typed the information, inserted picture to look captivating and endearing source of a brochure to get the comprehensible information. After being completed, when I opened to glance it again, all the pictures were misplaced, they were not in the original place where I inserted it. I had a hard time re-arranging it again but it never looked good as I expected it and summited as it was.

Usage of ICT never ceases and there can never be end destination for it. When I reached to final year (first semester), we were again provided one assignment on Health and Physical Education to make a brochure.  By then, I was exposed to the world of ICT compared to the first year. Instantly, I tabbed how to make a brochure in the Google Chrome. That provided me with incalculable methods for it. Then, I decided to use PUBLISHER to create brochure. It was far better than using Microsoft words. I didn’t have to do anything than choosing the template. The publisher gave me a new insight into the creation of brochure.

Now I am competent to say that ‘I can make any types of brochure’ and I am going to use publisher. With my exploration on using publisher as an application to make brochure, I could even help few of my friends. I could guide them through using publisher for the creation of brochure. From this incident, I get to believe that “Learning should take place every day, every moment and realized that I still have lot more to learn on ICT”.

 fig.1. front page of Brochure from Publisher

fig.2. back page of Brochure

Lessons from My first day in the computer lab

ICT has never been my preferred in the first semester of my college life. When I was first taken through the mechanism of using VLE for the learning and having been introduced to it, I instantly logged in and commenced reading the term plans of the modules. The more I started reading the term plans, the more I was petrified when I reached to the module called Functional Informational Technology (FIT 101). Because the contents and the topics to be learned in the module was all inexperienced to me and felt that I was going to have a hard time for it.

I entered at the computer lab with the giant mountains of worries and felt like I was going for a war. It was my first day at the computer lab. How should I handle the computer that I have never touched once? How should I start the computer that I have never started it once? I sensed that all my classmates were excited, they commenced opening the computer and was fully engrossed in it, while I was in a dumbfounded state and didn’t know what I should do. I realized I should do something that I carefully observed how the computer has to be opened. Finally, I could start the computer.

The module tutor took us through the term plans which I was already introduced though I wasn’t sure of what the content was about. The session was short.  Since then, few of my friends were discussing a lot about ‘YouTube’ and their face was filled with enchantment and optimism when I was thinking and waiting to get out of the lab. In the end, the module tutor instructed us to shut down the computers and that became another hurdle for me because I didn’t know the way to do it. It blushed me with feelings of embarrassment and downtrodden. On that day I contrite immensely of the time I wasted during the NIIT classroom during my school days. And realized that why I didn’t take the serious of NIIT learning? Why I didn’t take an opportunity to use a computer in the school? Why I ignored the instruction of my teacher? Since then, I am assured of the paramount roles of an individual to take the seriousness in every learning agenda.

Now, I realize that ICT is not the tool to make someone feel downtrodden and embarrassed. I have come through the long journey from the first semester to the final semester and I am proud to mention that I have learned profound, boundless, immeasurable related to ICT from the time I didn’t know the way to start and shut down the computer. ICT has given birth to my passion for writing, made work easier, comfortable, and imperative tools for my part of learning.

ICT: my source of scaffolding for the world of writing

Information and communication technology has been widely implemented and treasured by everyone in this world of knowledge-based society. It alters the way people sustain life and look at their life. I have always believed that our discernment grooms the positive and invincible work ethics, while it also darkens the one’s code and conducts for life. And in this twenty-first century generation in the field of knowledge and computer-based society, ICT plays a paramount and indispensable role to enroot the mentality or the cognition of an individual and the source of inspiration to blooms the life through the path of positivity. Similarly, like the way technology shapes the habit and conduct for life, ICT has become my source of scaffolding for the world of writing since 2018.

Laptop, facebook, particularly the page of writers association of Bhutan(WAB) are the assets that I cherish the most as it sparkles my life to be enshrined in the field of writing that I have always been dreaming to be. Writing a piece in Microsoft words,copying and pasting  and posting on the page (WAB) has indeed guided me through the comments, supports and the rays of hopes from the readers and writers. 

I scribble something on the Microsoft words and commence my imagination and travel in the free world of writing. Thus laptop, facebook and the page of writers association of Bhutan under the information and communication technology have become my source of scaffolding for the world of writing and to pursuit towards my dream.

At times, I introspect myself and could apprehend, had there been no ICT (Facebook, laptop), how I would have to enhance my passion for writing? How my writing would have reached out to hundredths and thousands of readers? Would I have scribble blue and black on a white sheet and left it as piled up in the file? Or would it be provided to a few people to read it and recommend for my enhancement? I realized I have become one of the dependents on ICT, life without ICT feels like it has to be the world of mundane and woeful.

Through the window of my own experiences, I came to assure that ICT does play a vital role in one’s life. The followers and the readers on the page get to read on various topics, the writers are being blessed to pursue their dreams through the immense support and the constructive comments by the passionate readers. Out of many topics that I have written so far, the one article that touched the heart of many readers is titled as ‘letter from crying mother cow’. Some stopped the consumption of meat through it. Can you see ICT do play an important part and means for the life?

-Attached pictures of my article 'letter from crying mother cow’ and some comments I received from  readers. 

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