Imagine
Posted by: ashleytan on: May 19, 2010
I attended my first NIE appointment holders retreat yesterday. I am not quite the Head of CITE yet, but I guess it helps to get a running start.
Like I tweeted yesterday, the early part of the day began with PowerPoint. It had all the hallmarks of what I dread about some presentations.
But I liked the final event of the day. We were asked to think outside the box and imagine what we might like to see in the future NIE.
The activity was participative in that we had to write ideas down on sticky notes and paste and organize them on themed boards. (Secretly I wished everyone knew how to use something like Wallwisher.) The activity also drew upon the collective wisdom of all present in the room.
After the retreat, I thought that if we are to implement Teacher Education 21, then we should be doing more of the latter activity than the former. There is no substitute for practising what you preach! If it occurred to me then, I would have put that on the free-themed board. But I’ll share a few things I did put on the boards.
One thing I shared was that I hoped to see another teacher education institute. Why? For the simple reason that competition is good! As much as we brainstorm, we suffer from group think. And we might get complacent because there is no threat to what we think we do best.
Another thing I hoped for was an almost paperless environment in NIE. There were about 60 to 70 people in the room and practically everyone printed out the electronic documents and bound them in files. I had my files in my iPhone and netbook. As I looked around, I saw some people flicking their fingers on their iPhones. Unfortunately, it did not look like they were viewing those documents. They were bored or checking email or texting.
I’d like to see more people rely on electronic documents not just because it saves money and resources, but also because it might indicate a change in mindset. We talk about shaping 21st century teachers. Let’s act as 21st century teacher educators who use 21st century tools and media!
On that note, I think I have a new mandate for CITE publications: No more printouts. Electronic documents are more reproducible, distributable, and editable. Their paper equivalents will just end up in the trash.
My biggest wish that I would like to help make a reality is for NIE to regain the lead that I think it has lost in terms of educational technologies. NIE used to adopt, adapt and model technology use and technology-mediated pedagogies. I think that is has lost its initiative in the former and is barely hanging on in the latter. Schools have started to pull ahead. We need to retake the lead simply to stay relevant and to prepare our teachers better.
2 Responses to "Imagine"
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Another Dot in the Blogosphere by Dr Ashley Tan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
May 19, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Wallwisher rocks! Going to introduce it to my colleagues and students.
Another IE is a VERY good idea, and one that is preferably government-funded but not government-controlled to prevent the groupthink you mentioned. Please be entrepreneurial and be the dean of the new college!
May 19, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Wallwisher is simple and powerful. That’s the best kind of edtech there is!
Another NIE will probably emerge. It could be funded privately by a body or a consortium. But even if it is not government controlled, the government can still say if it recognizes paper qualifications from another NIE.
Dean, eh? Let me get my head and body around being a Head first. But if someone wants me to be part of that new venture, I am game!