The purpose of this article is to provide basic ideas on how to integrated Digital Videos in the Papua New Guinea Reform Curriculum (Outcomes Based) to supplement the already existing teaching strategists/methods currently being used by classroom teachers. It should provide a starting point for ICT literate teachers who are willing to experiment on using ICT in an innovative way.The paper assumes that the teacher is literate in ICT and can be able to confidently use ICT in teaching.
Fig.1. Trainee Teachers preparing their lessons for teaching.
Background to the Papua New Guinea Education System
Papua New Guinea introduced the reform curriculum popularly referred to as the Outcome Based Education (OBE). The main focus of the Outcome Based Education is to provide opportunity for children of Papua New Guinea to learn appropriate skills that will enable them to be useful and productive members of their Community when they complete Basic Education (Elementary Grades up to Grade 8 in Primary Schools). In the Reform Education System the children are expected to attend Elementary Schools (Preparatory to Elementary Grade 2) in order to be eligible to continue on to do Grade 3 up to Grade 8 in Primary Schools. Students sit for an external exam in Grade 8 and only students who do well are selected to continue on to do Grade 9 and 10. Students again sit for a Grade 10 exam and base on their Internal Assessment and Exam results they are then selected to do grade 11 and 12. The school drop out rate is one of the highest in the world with the majority of the children who drop off from school have no hope of pursuing further studies. Though there are numerous private schools establish in the country the school fees charge are astronomical and beyond the reach of ordinary parents.
ICT Oriented Classroom Models for Papua New Guinea Schools
Papua New Guinea is a developing nation with rich natural resources such as gold, natural gas and copper. The Country also has a rich and diverse environment and experiences whereby a teacher can draw upon to create interesting and meaningful lessons for their children in the classrooms. The materials required can vary from school to school depends on the financial abilities for that particular school.
However, in terms of technology usage in schools the country has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world. ICT is hardly used in most schools (approximately, 99 % of the total number of schools). These schools lack basic ICT equipment and facilities and the teachers lack the basic ICT skills to use them effectively in teaching and learning. The scenarios below can illustrate the type of setup in respective schools.The teachers and the school administrators can be able to adopt which ever model that is suitable for their schools. It is important to note that ICT is not limited to computers only but there are other ICT equipment that teachers can utilize as well.
Table.1.0. ICT Classroom model for Papua New Guinea Schools.
| Model | Equipment Required | Organization |
| 1. | A digital camera/camcorder and a desktop computer | Whole Class or put students in groups and rotate. In this model teachers can organize students in groups and create different activities base on the same topic/theme. That is one group can use the single computer while another group carries out a written comprehension exercise/activity. |
| 2. | A digital camera/camcorder, a desktop computer, a data projector | Whole Class |
| 3. | A digital camera/camcorder, a laptop, a data projector | Whole class |
| 4. | A digital camera/camcorder, a data projector and more than 1 desktop computers (2 pcs and upwards) | Groups (Children do activities in small groups) |
| 5 | Digital Video Camera/Camcorder, TV Screen | Whole Class, Small Groups |
| 6 | School Computer Lab (5 Computers & up) | If a school has a separate computer lab (A classroom converted into a computer lab or a building purposely built to be used as a lab) then the Class Teacher need to see the IT Specialist to schedule his or her class to use the computers. |
ICT Integration in Teaching and Learning using Outcomes Based Curriculum
ICT can be successfully integrated into wide range of topics contain in the Papua New Guinea Outcomes Based Reform Curriculum. It is assumed that the teachers are ICT literate and can handle wide range of ICT equipment confidently. This includes computers, video cameras, digital cameras, DVD players and so on. The idea is to use ICT meaningfully and in an interesting way. This should supplement the more traditional approaches currently employed by Papua New Guinea teachers. The following examples below will at least provide some examples for the teachers to assist them in their planning. The examples are taken from Lower and Upper Primary Grades. The examples will also assist Secondary School Teachers in their planning.
Table.2.0 Sample Lesson Ideas: Integrating ICT in Primary School Subjects
| Level | Grade | Subject | Strands/Sub-Strand (Topic/Sub-Topic) | Indicators | Lesson Ideas using digital videos |
| Lower Primary (Grade 3-5) | 4 | Community Living | Culture-Customs -describe customs related to events of significance | -describe traditional customs and religious practices about birth, death and marriage | -students use Encarta Encyclopaedia to view short video clips about different societies and compile a short report about traditional customs or -students view a video about a traditional society in Papua New Guinea and compare the customs to their own society. |
| 5 | Community Living | Culture- Customs -Investigate relationships within societies | -describe rules of behavior in a matrilineal and patrilineal society | ||
| Upper Primary(Grade 6-8) | 7 | Science | Living Things-Nature of Living Things -Identify and compare the basic structure of living things and how they allow them to function in their environment | -make comparisons between the body coverings of animals and explain how these structures are suited to the environment in which they live | -students watch a video on animal reproduction and create an Interactive Power Point Presentation or -students carry out research on the Internet and compile report on different animals around the world. |
| 8 | Science | Living Things-Nature of Living Things -describe and explain the processes of reproduction in living things and how the environment influences these processes | -identify patterns of reproduction in living things -draw the stages of reproduction | -students use Digital Video Camera to make a short video clip of common insects found around their homes and their different stages of reproduction and edit the video using Windows Movie Maker.(This is a long term project. Different stages of reproduction will be observed and recorded). |
In order for the teacher to teach an ICT rich lesson the following points should be considered;
1. Plan your lesson and identify the ICT equipment that will be used in the lessons. Test these equipments to make sure they are working perfectly.
2. Organize the classroom setting to accommodate these lessons. These includes seating arrangements and setting up of the ICT equipment.
3.Decide whether you are going to use whole class or group activity.
4. Make advance booking to use the computer lab if you are planning to use the School’s Computer lab for your lesson.
5. If you are thinking of taking the children outside ensure that children's safety is considered.
6. Filter the Internet sites before allowing the students to use the Internet. Supervise the students while they are using the internet for research.
Conclusion
Digital videos can be integrated successfully in various subjects if the teachers take extra time and effort to plan their lessons that are interesting and meaningful. Young children enjoy lessons that utilize videos and other multimedia tools. These ICT tools should complement the existing traditional teaching methods use by teachers everyday in their classrooms. The examples listed above should provide teachers with some basic ideas on how to integrate ICT in their lessons using the Reform Curriculum (Outcomes Based).
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