It has been an exciting experience teaching EIR this Oct 09 semester, involving the debut implementation of new ideas. I learnt the importance of building strong rapport to keep students motivated, cooperative and participative in class. Students were also receptive to the new topics on Twitter and Citizen Journalism introduced this semester.

Our team took the challenge of introducing Twitter into the curriculum – a new unexplored path. Teaching by setting an example for my students, I started by using Twitter and experiencing for myself the benefits of this new online craze amongst Web users. Within a few weeks of using it, I had learnt so much from other educators who shared their knowledge about using technology to enhance learning.

There’s so much to learn and share with my students. Learning is really limitless – you will not experience an end to learning as long as you want to go on discovering new things.

The metaphor I would use to describe my experience teaching and learning EIR is like polishing a rough diamond – at first Internet research seems so mundane, dim and cloudy like an unpolished diamond waiting to be discovered. But once you discover the diamond and start to polish it with the right techniques, then the diamond shines so brightly and becomes so valuable – Just like Internet research – once you polish your searching skills and discover those fascinating Internet research and communication tools, you can find valuable information which you can use to shine in your work and in your personal, social and professional lives.

I am still enjoying the wonders of unraveling the great research treasures hidden in the World Wide Web! Stay tuned for more pleasant surprises in future EIR subject menus!