Observation Class 1
The bridge class was an Integrated Collaborative Teaching (ICT) environment, which consisted of both grades 6 and 7 students. The lesson topic was about percentage and its effects on the price of commodities. For example, the concept of tax was explained in the simplest way possible. Real-life situations were used so that the students were able to put their learning into application later in life.
Notecard system was used during the duration of the lesson. It was done by observing the activities of the children as the teacher walked around the classroom to facilitate the lesson. As for the visual learners, a video presentation was made for introducing the lesson. Since some of the students are already knowledgeable about the lesson, their worksheet were different from those who recently learned the lesson in class.
Considering the difference between the teaching methods, it was determined that technology makes the students more focused on the lesson (Cofino, 2010).. It was observed that they stop doing unnecessary activities when the video started presenting the lesson. On the other hand, the other students who are not taught with the visual presentation were easily distracted by the outside environment, but it was still implied that they still understood the lesson. In terms of ICT, the use of technology is helpful, especially for teachers in delivering the content of the lesson to the facilitator in the most understandable way possible (Cofino, 2010).
Because of the effectiveness of technology in ICT and to the students, it must be encouraged in future use so that learning will become more effective. Also, worksheets must also be paralleled with the same technology for the purpose of accurate assessment of the skills of the students, as well as the insights they have learned.
Observation Class 2
In another ICT class, the students are in grade 2 level and the lesson was about reality or fantasy. For students at this age, this topic seems to be an interesting one because their curiosity is very high at this point in their lives. The method of teaching was divided into two methods. Charts containing real and imaginary objects were presented first. Afterwards, the students were exposed with interactive videos which enabled them to touch the pictures. Because of the children’s actions, it was believed that students sustained their interest more on the video presentation.
Nowadays, sustaining the interest of the students in learning new things is difficult to achieve unless there is something that will really catch their attentions especially in this age where curiosity is becoming more prominent to them. In this case, the use of technology has proven to be an effective tool for the learning of the children. This is because the students in the class became more interested in the lesson in a way that they are already interacting with what was presented to them. The technology enabled the students to become more focused, and thus, to learn and understand the lesson easier in an enjoyable manner (Costley, 2014).
In the future classroom settings, it will be important to include technology as a way to deliver lessons such as these in class. Kids should be handled and taught with a less serious approach so that they will not be afraid to go to school, but instead to keep them always excited and enjoy while learning. As of today, one effective way to keep them interested is through something that they do not usually see. As such, technology is a great provider of such things because these modern tools are products of innovation and creativity which emerged from the curious minds of the people. Because of this, the curiosity and understanding of the students can be enhanced and developed at an earlier age.
References
Cofino, K. (2010). Creating a Culture of Collaboration Through Technology Integration. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://kimcofino.com/blog/2010/03/20/creating-a- culture-of-collaboration-through-technology-integration/
Costley, K. (2014). The Positive Effects of Technology on Teaching and Student Learning.
