Thai Govt Urged To Train Teachers On Use Of Computer Tablets

[webfact]

The fun they had

Chularat Saengpassa

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Government urged to train teachers on use of computer tablets to enhance pupils' learning

BANGKOK: -- Paper and pencils were replaced by tablet computers during a Prathom (Grade) 1 Thailanguage class at a school in Bangkok recently. Students used the hitech tools to write words, following their teacher’s instructions, typing and erasing many different words until they got them right.

For the morning's language lesson, the 50 students were told to write words with d, t, p and b as final consonants and show them to the teacher and their classmates.

Having used the tablets for one period per day for the past three weeks and become familiar with using them, they were now able to write the words fluently as soon they thought of them.

The class then became a little chaotic as they scrambled to show what they had written and check to see if it was correct.

"Writing the words on the tablets is fun for them, while they gain knowledge in class. It was not so enjoyable for pupils to write on paper, and moreover, we had to use a lot of sheets when doing the activity," teacher Thikamporn Sawasdiyothin told The Nation during an observation session of tablet use in class last week at Srinakharinwirot University Prasarnmit Demonstration School (Elementary).

This school is one of five pilot schools in different regions of the country taking part in a project studying the impacts of tablet use on students and providing recommendations and guidelines for suitable tablet use. The project is entitled Integrating Technology to Enhance Learning.

In an afternoon science class, 51 Prathom (Grade) 4 students used tablets to make their own "mind maps" grouping different objects according to their degree of transparency, into such categories as transparent, translucent and opaque.

One student said his tablet helped him summarise lessons and made it easier to get a big picture of what he had learned.

Studying from textbooks was suitable for considering content in detail, he said.

Science teacher Sukanya Suphannarat said her students seemed excited about using and learning from the tablets.

But adapting lessons to accommodate the tablets has not been easy. Both teachers said they had put extra work into adjusting lesson plans before they started teaching, since the tablets were new to both them and their pupils. Some learning materials were provided by the Office of Basic Education Commission for installation in the tablets, but they had to search online for additional programs and applications that suited their students' learning activities.

Asst Prof Chalermchai Boonyaleepun, president of Srinakharinwirot University (SWU), urged the government to make a serious effort to train teachers so they would know how to use the devices to enhance learning.

Since more than half of the budget on preparing teachers and administration staff as part of its pilot project had proved a success, Chalermchai said the Education Ministry should do the same when handing out tablets on a national scale.

"The government should not just distribute the tablets without providing other support to schools," said Kanitha Rujiroj, an expert advising on the project.

"We've received reports from the pilot schools about different problems. For instance, they found that improper advertisements appeared when using some applications online," she said, adding that teachers should install applications that prevent students doing Internet downloads by themselves. They must not allow students to adjust the tablets' settings, she said.

Kanitha also urged teachers to clearly explain dos and don'ts for tablet use to students. She added that schools had to provide adequate facilities to support the effective use of tablets in class.

Assoc Prof Sukumarn Kasemsuk, director of the school, said parents were worried that students might accidentally damage the tablets and wondered if they would have to pay for it.

Kanitha recommended damage insurance.

The project, which kicked off in October, is studying how the use of tablets could affect students' health, behaviour and learning habits, as well as its impact on the attitudes of teachers, directors, parents and people in surrounding communities.

Asst Prof Sirinoot Teanrungroj, director of the Computer Centre at SWU, who oversees this project, said the teachers at the pilot schools under the study would hold a meeting in April to share the problems they face and discuss the ways they had addressed them. Then, SWU would gather their information to create lesson plans and guidelines for teachers nationwide. "This will be helpful for them when they use the tablets in class."

A total of 900,000 tablets will be distributed to Prathom 1 students starting in May.

-- The Nation 2012-02-13

[nicky1982]

You would think when they started this campaign they would have ask for about 100 up front...So then they could start learning on these new systems for the teachers but it’s like anything here in Thailand they do everything backwards ...

Edited February 12, 2012 by nicky1982

[Tywais]

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[harrry]

I see how the tablets work from the photo. Cut out paper to fit screen making sure you do not cut yourself or your classmates.

At least they will have low service costs.

[scorecard]

Typing the words might well be fun and students do need to develop keyboard skills.

But I hope there are still plenty of class activities which require that the students use pen and paper to devlop hand writing skills.

[khaowong1]

Leave it up to the Thai's to distribute the tablets to the schools when even the teachers don't know how to use them. But hey, were Thai's, we know everything. See how we can draw (badly) on our new tablets?

[Scott]

Oh, let's not be too critical. It took one of my kids to show me how to turn on a computer years ago, and they were miles of ahead of me for years.

[josephinebloggs]

Oh, let's not be too critical. It took one of my kids to show me how to turn on a computer years ago, and they were miles of ahead of me for years.

I'm not sure what your comparison has to do with this news report to be honest.

[sparebox2]

It is a waste of money.

These children needs more books, not computer.

[PoodMaiDai]

No need to train anyone. They will all sit around and play Angry Birds all day anyway.

Biggest waste of money ever.

[connda]

Ha ha ha!

[rijb]

Technology has had a big impact on the business, medical, scientific and military worlds. Were things fast, better, and cheaper from day 1? Nope! Did they put the cart before the horse? Absolutely!

Steve Jobs believed that what's wrong with education could not be fixed with technology. He thought it was a sociopolitical problem. The bureaucracy picks the books and the curriculum. They decide the useless crap the kids will learn. Technology is not a silver bullet and neither is rote memorization.

Nowdays, young children don't divide their 'virtual interactions' from their 'real world' experiences. Technology they will allow them to take ownership of their own education. I say give them the technology now - warts and all.

[volk666]

So all this fuss about tablets is only to teach kids to write some squiggles on a touchscreen instead of paper and sort objects into groups as if has never been done before?

Some progress.

[rijb]

[thanchart]

I see how the tablets work from the photo. Cut out paper to fit screen making sure you do not cut yourself or your classmates.

At least they will have low service costs.

If that is all that you see, it would be very sad.

This is just the beginning of interactive learning, and there will be lots more progress and the rate of retention will increase tremedndously. Granted, the Thai Govt could have done better; educational coursewares could have been better prepared at a nationwide level, instead of teachers having to do much of that research. Whatever it is, there will be progress for the kids.

I am excited to see what has happened positively in Philippines in the process of being repeated here and this original article had just shown it. And you will be amazed how fast these kids wll pick up. I've seen how my own 2 kids gone beyond their years, learning Grade 5/6 subjects (using a experimental plublic school curriculum in Science and Math) when they are only in Grade 3/4 private school, all on their own. And they do understand what they have learnt, as the experimental courseware was rather

Yes, there will be lots of room for improvement; it's the biggest room in the world anyway, and never gets filled up.

Why not ask yourself - what can you do to help the process mature faster, and with less mistaks along the way? I hvae no answers to this qyestuion myself as yet, but I do hope that I will be able to contribute to this project one day, as I had done before in the other country.

[volk666]

...rate of retention will increase tremedndously....

Personally I outsourced my memory to Google long time ago.

I've read about research that shows people who spend a lot of time online don't memorize information, they memorize the ways to access it.

Chances are that the tablets for everybody will have a different touchscreen technology from these "samples" and kids will have to use stylus to draw things.

These look like Lenovo "donations" that cost several times more than the stated budget. At some point compromise on specs ruins the whole experience and research without working prototypes or hardware at least on the same level is nearly useless.

[thanchart]

...rate of retention will increase tremedndously....

Personally I outsourced my memory to Google long time ago.

I've read about research that shows people who spend a lot of time online don't memorize information, they memorize the ways to access it.

Chances are that the tablets for everybody will have a different touchscreen technology from these "samples" and kids will have to use stylus to draw things.

These look like Lenovo "donations" that cost several times more than the stated budget. At some point compromise on specs ruins the whole experience and research without working prototypes or hardware at least on the same level is nearly useless.

the way we learn as adults would be very different from how kids learn. One of my most statisfying moments in my previous tablet project was seeing the kids on the "lower spectrum in terms of academic grades" put in the effort to keep trying on the tablet till they get it right. Did wonders for their self esteem and eagerness to learn and not give up. (the value of this is hard to quantify).

In the pilot test project. these kids were not even using tablets as we know them toiday, they were basically 4.3" touchscreen murtimedia devices designed for Professional Photograhers adapted for educational use. The kids were using their little figners work almost as well as the stylus provided, and many ose it 555). Results of pilot showed a > 30% increase in academic grades by kids from the lowest results classes - not something educators would want to ignore.

Anyway, it is worth notimg that NO internet was needed during the use of the courseware. Connectivity only needed when submitting test results or upgrading the courseware. As I have mentioned before in another thread, don't keep thinking "ONLINE" in the same way as we use online tools. Educational Courseware do not work that way - doing research, Yes. From the photo in the oriignal post, it is evident the kids are NOT online. One can say the application is run "local". The ability for the kids to delete and rewrite one'd hsnfetittrm words interactively has temendous benefits/advantages over paper. Plus, kids leran thru play. Learning has got to be fun 555

That project has since moved on to a locally designed low cost "modern" tablet targeted for edutcational usage but they are not deisgned to "compete"

with the commerical tablets. We actually stripped off some features to make it more unlike comcmecial tablets - intended for edcuational use, and not asa a general purpose "iPAD-wannabe". All the lessons learnt before served as a very good foundation on the way forward.

Edited February 13, 2012 by thanchart

[FriedMyLittleBrain]

Just one question why tablets ??not laptops or comps.(tabs not cheaper but no space for real knowledge like basic programming)& everybody who can use primitive comp without problems can use tabs )What company will get such unbelievable supply (app??haha)& yes tabs is for using internet -nice way to control)))Really sooo strange this more and more often blah about it )))

[sirchai]

Kanitha recommended damage insurance.

I recommend new brains for the whole staff of the MoE

The tablet BS really suks. Why can't they just install a projector with a functioning PC in EACH classroom, to make learning all subjects much more efficient? We started to use this :high tech" a couple of years ago and it's really great.

Wht don't they get it? It's like buying a brand new BMW here, but nobody knows how to fix it..........

Edited February 15, 2012 by sirchai

[volk666]

Thanchart, what you are describing is not something new. Every couple of years there are some wonderful ideas that promise to change education forever. Long ago it was audiolingual rooms, then TVs, computers, "brain based learning", hands on learning, doing "projects", then internet and learning online, all these things come and go and not many have left a lasting impression.

I mean to stress that the initial excitement is hardly a valid criteria.

The main problem, as I see it, is the implementation on a nationwide scale - scaling up one or two successful trials to thousands and thousands of schools all over the country. This problem is what killed all the good ideas before tablets came along.

Tablets can surely be the greatest thing ever, if done right, if not they are just a fad. I don't believe Ministry of Education has the capacity to do it "right".

[volk666]

Oh, and when I said I outsourced my memory to google I meant it as a long term effect. In the beginning google (and wikipedia) seem like a really convenient way to learn new things.

[otherstuff1957]

Tablets can surely be the greatest thing ever, if done right, if not they are just a fad. I don't believe Ministry of Education has the capacity to do it "right".

Well said. I am a big fan of using technology in the classroom. I use my laptop and a projector for the majority of my lessons (I teach Science, Geography & History BTW, I would use the projector less if I was teaching English). Also, the internet can be a wonderful tool for students when they need to research a project, though the project must be structured in such a way that they cannot just copy and paste. However, like volk, I simply don't believe that this tablet program will be anything but a fiasco. Over 1/2 of Thai teachers are close to retirement age, they are not going to bother to learn how to use these tablets effectively. There isn't enough educational software available in Thai and the aforementioned Thai teachers won't be able to use the English software that is available.

I am not opposed to using tablets in the classroom in principle, but the money and effort invested in this project could be used much more effectively in other ways.

[sirchai]

Asst Prof Chalermchai Boonyaleepun, president of Srinakharinwirot University (SWU), urged the government to make a serious effort to train teachers so they would know how to use the devices to enhance learning.

I'm sorry for repeating this again now. Wouldn't it be much easier,CHEAPER and much more efficient to use technology in from of a simple projector,a PC with Internet, Antivirus software etc in ALL classrooms to learn all subjects more effectively? Learning a language for example always also involves speaking, writing, reading and listening. Do the tablets speak to the kids? Puatt Hua Maak...

Edited February 16, 2012 by sirchai

[LPCustom69]

I hope that the kids get some benefits from this program.

It sounds like the thai government should put together some kind of fair compensation package for luring smart young thais into the teaching profession. I know the current pay is not that much.

[sparebox2]

I hope that the kids get some benefits from this program.

It sounds like the thai government should put together some kind of fair compensation package for luring smart young thais into the teaching profession. I know the current pay is not that much.

This is a fair and open economy. With exiting low pay, the number of teacher applications to vacancy is already almost 20 to 1. With a pay increase, there will be more completition, which will result in more corruption, pay your way to secure a teaching post.

[Ijustwannateach]

^It may be true that if teachers were paid more there would be more competition for the jobs.

However, it is not necessarily true that the fact that people are desperate for jobs even such as these, means that the economy is 'open' or 'fair'. And the people competing for the jobs have already had an economic angle to their competition, in that they are the ones who could afford both to finish high school and finish a college educational degree- which arguably is not open to all those who could be ABLE to do them, but only all those who are able and can AFFORD to do them.