So, this week has been full of preparation. I am the ultimate procrastinator, so, though I have known we would be making this trip for, well, the whole year, I just got my innoculations two days ago!! All four of them. OUCH! Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, and the Flu shot that I had avoided. "Do I really need that Flu shot?" I literally moaned. The nurse reminded me that I will be spending many hours flying over the ocean in a closed environment with people breathing all sorts of things TOGETHER. So... arms sore, but hopefully safer, I proceed...
FIRST STOP - SINGAPORE
We fly in to Singapore on Friday, February 15. I have set up a couple of school visits during the time we will be there. First, I will be accompanying my brother-in-law, Jaya, to his elementary school, Junyuan Primary School. I will be meeting with the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) director, as well as hopefully getting a peek at some of the classrooms.
I will also be meeting with Zulkifli Ahmad, the ICT director at a secondary school, which serves students from 13-16.
The four areas I am focusing on at this time are:
- Professional Development - What kind of tech training do educators get, and how is that delivered?
- Implementation among the Student Population - what tools do students have access to? How much of their work involves technology? How is collaboration fostered?
- Communication with Families - How is information gathered and delivered to families?
- Infrastructure - What are the basic resources schools have? Is there a technology plan Singapore-wide, or school by school?
Are there other things YOU might be interested in knowing? Leave me a note, and I will see what I can discover!
Also looking forward to the warmth of being almost on the equator! I lived in Malaysia (just north of Singapore) for four years back in the '80s, and I know for a fact that I am a hot-weather girl! And the food??!! The best!
More soon -
Sandy
Just checking!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear all about each place you visit. I was just perusing the website of Junyuan Primary School. I was struck by the excellent website as well as all the ways students can shine at the school--academics, athletics, etc. and also the emphasis on character education. Could you find out a little about special education for me also? How are kids with unique needs accommodated?
ReplyDeleteNice work getting the blog started Sandy!! Thanks for including me in the mix. I am looking forward to checking in on your discoveries. I too checked the Junyuan School...lots of tech stuff for you to investigate (I didn't see any ipads).
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy: what a great adventure, learning experience of a lifetime and "bunch of fun", all rolled into one! And it is very cool that you are taking all of us with (well at least through this blog)!!
ReplyDeleteSingapore has been on my "gotta go there" list for years, primarily because they are the top performers in the world in terms of math and science achievement (on measures such as TIMSS at the elementary and middle school levels).
I would be very interested in your observations and opinion regarding the extent to which you think classroom technology (used by either students or teachers) may be contributing to their math and science performance.
Thanks very much for the opportunity to add to your already "too long" list of things to check out there!!
Mike