Review on 4-year IT plan (1999-2003)
TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College
Review on the 4-Year IT Plan of the school (1999-2003)
Introduction
This report aims to evaluate the progress of IT in education projects in our school. The situation of IT provisions and applications of IT in school by the end of 2002/2003 school year was summarized; and was compared with the situation in 1999/2000 so as to review the overall progress of IT in education plans from 1999 to 2003 in the following key components:
A. Access and Connectivity;
B. Teacher professional development;
C. Usage of IT in teaching curriculum; and
D. Community-wide Culture.
We also determine the extent to which the vision of promoting IT in education as stated in the
'Information Technology for Learning in a New Era: Five-Year Strategy 1998/99 to 2002/03' document our school has been achieved.
A. Access and Connectivity.
Connectivity and accessibility have been greatly improved in comparison to the situation in 1999/2000. The establishment and improvement works for school IT facilities have been carrying out since 1999. Network connecting nodes are available all over the school campus and all rooms for teaching are well equipped with multimedia computers, ceiling-mounted LCD projectors and daylight screens. The wireless LAN set up in 2001 has greatly enhanced the distributed access of network around the school. Table 1 below shows the dates of these primary establishments.
Table 1 - Establishment of major IT facilitiesItem Description / Year of establishment
Basic Infrastructure / 1999/2000
Multimedia Room / 1999/2000
Computer Room 2 / 2000/2001
Wireless LAN / 2000/2001
Multimedia Classrooms / 2000/2001
Server Room / 2001/2002
Multimedia Production Room / 2002/2003
It is apparent that provisions of IT equipment have greatly enhanced in the past few years. Table 2 below shows some major changes.
Table 2 - Comparison of number of major IT equipments in 1999/2000 and 2002/2003Computers / Peripherals / Audi-visual Equipment / Server
PC / Mac / Notebook / Scanner / Printer / LCD Projector / Digital Camera / Digital Video Camera / Servers
99/00 / 87 / 21 / 3 / 2 / 10 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 3
02/03 / 174 / 39 / 52 / 10 / 29 / 41 / 7 / 7 / 11
The total number of IT facilities available for both students and teachers has increased. The student-computer ratio has changed from 13:1 to 5:1 and the teacher-computer ratio has changed from 5.2: 1 to 2:1. While the computer-student ratio has improved greatly, the computers made accessible to student outside of formal lesson time by schools has been increased as well. An extending opening hours of computer rooms scheme for students has been running since 2000/2001. Apart from the substantial increase in the number of computers, the availability of computer-related peripherals and audio-visual equipment has also been raised.
Some supporting measures for raising the usage of IT in school have been implemented as well. A composite school intranet system, the IT-school, was installed in 2000-2001 to facilitate the subject knowledge management and communications among teachers and students. Moreover, a full-time on-site system engineer has been employed under the central financed Technical Services Scheme since 2000/2001 to support the smooth running of school IT facilities.
B. Teacher professional development
Teachers’ IT competency plays very important parts in the effective use of IT applications in teaching and learning. Our teachers have successfully achieved the goal of teacher’s IT training in education set in the ‘Information Technology for Learning in a New Era: Five-Year Strategy 1998/99 to 2002/03’. By the end of May, all of our teachers have reached the IIT or above level. 26% (15) and 4% (2) of them have attained the UIT and AIT level respectively. Though these figures are well beyond the requirements set by EMB, our teachers have been continuously improving their IT competence through participating in different kinds of training workshops organized by school and outside bodies.
C. Usage of IT in teaching curriculum.
Subject departments’ evaluation reports on IT plan (1999-2003) completed by department chairpersons had been summarized and enclosed at the back of the report. The results show that most of the IT goals set in subject departments’ 4-year IT plan (1999-2003) have been achieved and some are still in progress. Moreover, some specific IT-based programs and projects had been organized by individual subject departments in the past 4 years.
The department reports also show to what extent the school subject departments use IT applications in teaching and learning. The overall average percentage of IT usage in teaching curriculum is 42%, which is well beyond the target of 25% set in the Five Year Strategy. There is an increase of 9% as compare with 33% in 1999/2000. The results have also shown that the degree of using computers in subjects varies according to subject and class level. Most of the subjects had shown a 2 digit percentage at all levels, except the 9% of the English Subject in S4-S7.
The Computer subjects and Information Technology, Biology and Life Education are the three subjects having a high rate of computer usage (75% or above in all levels). Computer is more frequently used in Biology than the other science subjects, and the overall average percentage of the subject for all levels is 75%. Among the Social Science subjects (Geography, Economics and Chinese History), the Life Education reported with a high percentage in teaching with IT.
Many special IT-based activities have also been implemented to promote the use of IT in effective teaching and learning. In 1998-1999, the 2 projects of Music Department and Chinese History Department had been approved by the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee. The “Application of Information Technology in Music Education” of Music Department and “A teaching and learning package on the history of Hong Kong” of Chinse History Department were well accepted by students.
D. Community-wide Culture
To promote community-wide culture, our students are organized to participate in competitions to encourage learning with and from people outside of the school and to develop a more global perspective. A team of six students and a teacher was awarded a visit to the Silicon Valley in USA as the first prize and the best design award of the web design competition (2000-2001) organized by the Business and Services Promotion Unit in the summer of 2001. Another 2 Form 5 students Wong Sor Ying and Ip Hay Keng won the Outstanding Awards in the IT Summer Camp in 2001 and the former was awarded a tour to the Silicon Valley in 2002.
Specific programs, such as internet courses and School Digital Day, had been organized for parents to promote IT usage as well. The Parent-teacher Association had set up its homepage in 2000/2001.
Apart from sharing experiences with teachers from other schools in seminars and workshops, teachers-in-charge of the QEF projects had been invited to share their good practices with teachers from both primary school and secondary schools. Moreover, an interflow session for guest teachers had been organized in the 40th School Anniversary in 2000. Our school had also participated in the establishment of the extra-net for TWGHs secondary schools in 2000.
Reference:
1. EMB, 'Information Technology for Learning in a New Era: Five-Year Strategy 1998/99 to 2002/03', 1998.
2. Subject Departments of TWGH Wong Fut Nam College, Evaluation Reports of Plans for IT in Education (1999-2003), 2003.
P. 12 /13
Summary of Subject IT plan evaluation reports (1999-2003)
TWGHs Wong Fut Nam College
Summary of Subject Department Evaluation Report of IT Plan for Education(1999 – 2003)
A. Achievements
Department / Goals / Status* / Comments / Follow up / Difficulties encounterAchieved / In progress / abandoned
Art & Design / Ø To acquire the basic skill and knowledge through the use of computer graphic design software.
Ø To upgrade the quality of teaching and learning whit I.T. equipment and training. / ü
ü
Biology / Ø To make use of search tools, browser and e-mail
Ø To use multimedia tools e.g. CD-ROMs for teaching
Ø To present work in multimedia form e.g. Internet, Powerpoint, homepage
Ø On-line learning and self-assessment / ü
ü
ü / ü
Chemistry / Ø Use of IT-based curriculum materials provided by publishers
Ø Use of Educational CD ROMs in teaching (3-D graphics, Animations, Video demonstration)
Ø Use of materials from Internet in teaching
Ø Use of data logging system in experimental investigation
Ø Use of Excel spread sheet in analysis of experimental data
Ø Use of IT in project work
Ø Teacher-student interaction through Intra-mail
Ø Use of question bank for self revision
Ø Design of WebCourse / ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü / ü
Chinese History / Ø 協助教師及學生掌握基本的資訊科技，進行發展本科的資訊科技空間。
Ø 設計及利用適當的歷史學習軟件，提高學生對本科的興趣，加強學生研習歷史的能力。
Ø 藉著資訊科技教學，啟發學生的思考能力，激發學生的創意，培養學生自學的能力。
Ø 落實虛擬教室的觀念，擴闊學習的天空。
Ø 培養學生終身學習的態度和能力。 / ü / ü
ü
ü / ü
Chinese Language and Literature / Ø To encourage teachers and students to utilized IT.
Ø Develop and utilized language teaching software to enhance teaching of Chinese Language and Chinese Literature.
Ø Enlight creative thinking through IT utilization.
Ø Establish web site for this subject.
Ø Establish software bank / ü / ü
ü
ü
ü / Ø Most teachers complained that working capacity is not big enough.
Ø Publishers’ provision are not tailor made. It took quite a lot time to customized such software.
Ø Not easy to measure the outcome.
Ø It took a lot of time to maintain and renew the website.
Ø Physical accommodation is not sufficient to arrange all the software got.
Commercial Subject / Ø Use computer software to prepare teaching Materials and tests
Ø Update information by surfing on the internet
Ø Make use of multi-media tools
Ø Establish discussion groups for students
Ø Create commercial stream homepage
Ø Make use of ready-made CD ROMs / ü
ü
ü
ü / ü / ü / Ø Re-place by web-course.
Ø Changes have to be made in order to fit in our curriculum and some of them are too simple.
Economics / Ø Use common software to prepare teaching materials and test papers
Ø Make use of ready make subject specific CAL software to assist teaching
Ø Make use of the multimedia tools to do presentation in classroom
Ø Store teaching materials and test / exam papers in electronic form
Ø Use software to create test bank
Ø Use multimedia authoring tools to create their own applications
Ø Use browser and search tools to get information from the world-wide web
Ø Use e-mail to communicate with students and other teachers
Ø Create subject-based homepages to provide information and useful links for the students
Ø Make use of discussion groups / newsgroups for students to share their learning experience / ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü / ü
ü
ü
ü / Ø The ready made software is difficult to fing.
Ø We store the questions in the IT-school.
Ø We should encourage students to use participate in these activities.
English Department / Ø Able to use common software to prepare teaching materials and tests
Ø Able to search relevant information on the internet
Ø Able to use ready made CD-Roms provided by the publishers to assist teaching
Ø Able to make use of multi-media tools e.g. power point for presentation
Ø Use E-mail to collect assignments from F.6-7 and give feedback and comments
Ø Procure more IT-related teaching resources and explore possibilities to integrate them into the curriculum
Ø Create English Homepage to provide useful information and links for study / ü
ü
ü / Ø It is not very convenient to use the Roms and attempt to use the programme in MMR is limited
ü / ü
ü / ü / Ø Preparation is time-consuming and flexibility in teaching is minimized.
Ø Limited use but is useful to collection in times of emergency.
Ø Some software was purchased but it is difficult to integrate them into the curriculum owing to the lack of time.
Geography / Ø To raise teachers’ IT competence
Ø To enhance use of IT in teaching and learning
Ø To promote independent and self-learning among students / ü / ü
ü / Ø All teachers attained intermediate IT competence level.
Ø The earlier version of ECPS and question bank was not user friendly. Change to new version also needed time for teachers to familiarizes with the functions and for migration of materials.
History / Ø Competent use of word processing software
Ø Use of scanner and colour printer
Ø Use of CD-ROMs
Ø Production and use of PowerPoint
Ø Access of teaching materials from Internet
Ø Use of AV aids in teaching
Ø Communication via e-mail (intranet mails)
Ø Use of data-processing software
Ø Use of interactive teaching programs
Ø Production of subject homepage
Ø Production of self-learning packages
Ø Production of question banks
Ø Students’ use of IT in learning
Ø Students’ use of IT in project work
Ø Students’ use of IT in presentation / ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü / ü
ü / ü / Ø Video projector not powerful enough
Ø Most functions have been taken up by IT School
Ø Inefficient platform and lack of manpower
Ø Inefficient platform and lack of manpower
Integrated Science. / Ø Use of multimedia software for T&L
Ø Use of internet access for T&L
Ø Use of email for communication
Ø Create WFN IS HP
Ø Use of IT tools for interactive activities / ü
ü
ü
ü / ü / Ø IT-School is used instead
Life Education / Ø Sharing of all course materials on Intranet
Ø To make use of search tools, browser and e-mail
Ø To use multimedia tools e.g. CD-ROMs for teaching
Ø To present work in multimedia form e.g. Internet, Powerpoint, homepage
Ø On-line learning and self-assessment
Ø All video and audio materials converted to IT format / ü
ü
ü
ü / ü
ü
Mathematics / Ø Subject Homepage
Ø Tailor-made Softeare Tools / ü
ü / Ø Very Slow & Lack of Motivation as most of the functions can be implemented in Intranet. As new functions of Intranet are provided at different times, the overall plan would be re-designed in coming academic year.
Ø Due to limited licenses and proficient teachers
Music / Ø S1: Student use the computer to compose a piece of music in binary form and notate the music in tradition of contemporary graphic score.
Ø S1: Student use the computer to mix different sounds together.
Ø S2: use computer music system to teach musical theories
Ø S3: Multi-media composition
Ø S3: Electro-acoustic recording techniques / ü
ü
ü
ü
ü / Ø Students’ compositions are very creative and out of my ecpectation.
Ø Since lack of desktop computers to add the digital recording system, many studentw haven’t enough time to record their own songs.
Physical Education / Ø Some members are able to reach the basic level.
Ø Teachers are able to use ready made CD-ROMs for teaching
Ø Teachers are able to search information on the internet
Ø Teachers are able to use computer applications to store students’ records.
Ø All members have reached the basic level.
Ø Some members are able to reach intermediate or advanced level.
Ø Teachers are able to use adequate computer applications, such as PowerPoint for effective teaching. / ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
ü
Physics / Ø Use of IT for test/exam paper preparation.
Ø Use of internet access for T&L
Ø Perform simulation/virtual experiment.
Ø Use of email for communication.
Ø Use of newsgroup/discussion forum.
Ø Develop Physics HP.
Ø Develop self-designed package for T&L. / ü
ü
ü
ü
ü / ü / ü / Ø Mainly demo, seldom student hands-on
Ø IT-School is used instead
Ø Mainly use Excel, seldom use Authorware
B. Estimate of percentage of IT usage* in teaching and learning.