ESSAY DRAFT 3

ESSAY DRAFT 3 

There is an increasing awareness to successfully rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-offenders into Singapore’s society. For example, the Yellow Ribbon Project aims to improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes through the combined efforts of community and government organizations, such as Singapore Prison Service (SPS). However, these programmes are insufficient to help ex-offenders overcome what is known as the digital divide. The digital divide is defined as “ the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet…and those who do not have access” (Internet World Stats, 2014). In the context of ex-offenders, the digital divide refers to their access, or lack thereof, to the internet especially social media. According to Vogel (2008) prison settings restrain the inmates’ access to a myriad of information and communications technology (ICTs), via means such as smart phones or internet access, for both security and safety reasons. As a result, prison inmates, after being released, often suffer from lack of ICT skills and digital illiteracy, which refers to “the inability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills” (Visser, 2012). These ICT skills encompasses various forms, including the ability to understand social media, building knowledge on the range of currently existing social media platforms, and the usage of social media . For example, an ex-offender may not know how to use Google search or Facebook after release from prison due to long term incarceration. For this reason, the SPS should implement a virtual campus to build up ICT skills in ex-offenders as ex-offenders in Singapore face poor assimilation in our techonlogically-driven society upon release due to low ICT skills that result from a lack of internet access and social media during incarceration.

Identification and description of the problem

Having either low, or no, ICT skills as a result of limited access to the internet, especially social media, will contribute to a host of problems that may impede reintegration of ex-offenders into society. One problem resulting from having low to no ICT skills reduces employment opportunities for ex-offenders. Firstly,  limited ICT skills will impede ex-offenders from utilizing ICT, such as social networking sites, to effectively connect with potential employers. From the business firm American Technology Research Inc., it is postulated that an increasing number of entrepeneurs use Skype as one of their primary means to conduct interviews and facilitate business communication (Lin, 2006). Placing the usage of Skype into the context of ex-offenders, a potential challenge an ex-offender might face is being unable to attend a job interview via Skype in Singapore because he or she does not know how to use Skype. In another article by eLearning industry, findings reveal that eLearning is one of the top training methods used to train both employers and employees in managing corporations (eLearning Industry, 2014). eLearning is a form of learning that uses “electronic technologies to access educational curriculum outside of a traditional classroom” (eLearningNC, 2014). Methods of eLearning include online forums, Facebook or even Twitter. Ex-offenders, upon release from long-term incarceration, might find it difficult to cope with the concept of eLearning as they have not learnt about it during imprisonment.

Finally, ICT can evolve significantly during the period when offenders are serving their sentence prior to release. As ICT progressively becomes sophisticated, ex-offenders may not be sufficiently proficient to acquire the necessary skills needed to master ICTs. In the past, we could only communicate with others over long distances through mobile phones. Presently, our computers are equipped with capabilities to make calls or host conference video calls with many people at once. The complex and ever-changing nature of ICT itself may pose challenges for ex-offenders upon release. As a result, ex-offenders may experience further inequality upon release. This inequality may result in feelings of isolation accompanied by feelings of low self-worth and frustration which lead to poor reintegration into society and thus, increase the likelihood of re-offending (Willis & Grace, 2009). As such, this poor reintegration into society may increase the likelihood of recidivism amongst ex-offenders. 

Solution

A solution to bridge the digital divide between ex-offenders and society is the implementation of a Virtual Campus (VC) within Singapore’s correctional settings. The VC is a “safe, web-based IT platform that aims to provide education, training and employment opportunities” (Kendall & Hughes, 2011) for offenders under incarceration, so that they can better reintegrate into our technologically-driven society upon release. One approach through the use of VC is the specialized training of ICT skills so as to increase employability of current offenders. For example, the VC can provide offenders opportunities to attend various courses taught by an online tutor via Facebook or Linkedin, such as data entry workshops provided by G-Technology computer centre.  Upon completion of these courses, offenders can be taught to create online resumes using Google Documents to record these milestones. Upon release, this resume will continue to follow these offenders through prison into the local community. To improve on the VC, the idea of a secured social media and networking outlet should be implemented. Social networking tools, such as Facebook or Skype, can be taught to offenders so as to improve their ease of reintegration into society upon release. The VC helps promote active interaction amongst offenders. Also, the VC promotes continuing support to offenders through community organizations. To elaborate, the workshops attended by offenders within VC are facilitated by external organizations, such as G-Technology computer centre. Upon release from incarceration, these offenders can then continue their learning or even acquire employment opportunities with these organizations (Kendall & Hughes, 2011). In addition, VC may even include diploma and certificate courses for offenders to complete during incarceration so that they will be better prepared for a literate workforce upon release.

In conclusion, the suggestion of a VC to help facilitate ease of reintegration of ex-offenders into the local community is important. Ex-offenders face a myriad of challenges upon release, such as stigmatization from the community as well as the lack of employment opportunities which may impede their reintegration into society. Therefore, providing the necessary ICT skills to ex-offenders serves as an essential safeguard for helping them integrate into society as well as reduces the likelihood of these ex-offenders reoffending.

References

eLearning Industry. (2014). Top 10 e-learning statistics that you need to know. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know

eLearningNC. (2014). What is eLearning? Retrieved from http://www.elearningnc.gov/about_elearning/what_is_elearning/

G-TEC Education Computer Centre. (2014). Diploma and certificate courses. In Home. Retrieved from http://gteceducation.com.sg/site/diploma_certification

Grace, R. C., & Willis, G. M. (2009). Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(5), 494-512. 

Internet World Stats. (2014). The digital divide, ICT and the 50 x 15 initiative. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/links10.htm

Kendall, A., & Hughes, J. (2011). The Alliance for digital incluson. In Working with the virtual campus action research  ‘champions’ programme. Retrieved from https://www.wlv.ac.uk/pdf/sed-res-hughes-workingwithvirtualcampus.pdf

Lin, A. (2006). Business technology statistics. Entrepreneur. Retrieved fromhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/article/81966.

Visser, M. (2012). What is digital literacy. In Digital Literacy Definition. Retrieved from http://connect.ala.org/node/181197  

Yellow Ribbon Project Singapore. (2014). Who we are. In About Us. Retrieved from http://www.yellowribbon.org.sg/about-us/yellow-ribbon-singapore.html

ES1102 Mid Term Appraisal

Personally, I feel that attending the class "ES1102" has been nothing short of useful. In this short span of 9 weeks, one of the most essential skills I learnt is perhaps writing a thesis statement. Prior to taking "ES1102", I have always written academic essays without clear theses. I had neither the skills nor the resources to construct a proper thesis. With the resources from ES1102, I was better able to write a thesis for reader responses and academic essays. 

I would also like to commend on the way the class is conducted. Firstly, I really appreciate how there is a strong focus on interaction between students. Every other week, we would be tasked to provide feedback and comment on another student's blog entry. This is great because we learn through critiquing others. When we critique others, we become more self-conscious of our own work as well. Moreover, it certainly facilitates communication between students. Brad, who is my tutor, is also a great tutor who teaches and communicates well with the students. He has clearly shown great knowledge and expertise with the English language. In addition, he is able to help students relate well to the concepts taught in class. Brad also maintains a professional and friendly demeanour which allow students to approach him easily. 

Overall, I feel the module, coupled with Brad's way of teaching, is highly beneficial to students of all disciplines and backgrounds. 

ESSAY DRAFT 2

Introduction

There is an increasing awareness to successfully rehabilitate and  reintegrate ex-offenders into Singapore’s society. For example, the Yellow Ribbon Project aims to improve the effectiveness of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes through the combined efforts of community and government organizations, such as Singapore Prison Service. However, these programmes are insufficient to help ex-offenders overcome what is known as the digital divide. Digital divide is defined as “ the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet…and those who do not have access” (Internet World Stats, 2014). Digital divide, in the context of ex-offenders, refer to their access to the internet, especially social media. According to Vogel (2008) prison settings restrain the inmates’ access to a myriad of Information and communications technology (ICTs), such as smart phones or internet access, for both security and safety reasons. As a result, prison inmates, after being released, often suffer from digital illiteracy, which refers to “the inability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills” (Visser, 2012). For example, an ex-offender may not know how to use google search or Facebook after being release from prison due to long term incarceration. The idea of a virtual campus, as adapted from the Ministry of Justice United Kingdom, is thus proposed to educate offenders on effective use of social media as well as to provide advanced training courses and employability skills because ex-offenders in Singapore face poor assimilation in our techonlogically-driven society upon release due to their lack of internet access and social media during incarceration.

Identification and description of the problem

Limited access to the internet, especially social media, will contribute to a host of problems that would impede reintegration of ex-offenders into society.

One problem resulting from this limited access to the internet reduces employment opportunities for ex-offenders. Firstly, this lack of access as a result of long-term incarceration might impede ex-offenders from utilizing online technologies, such as social networking sites, effectively to connect with potential employers. From the business firm American Technology Research Inc, an expert on business postulated that an increasing number of entrepeneurs use Skype as one of their primary means to conduct interviews and facilitate business communication (Lin, 2006). One might foresee the ex-offenders’ challenge of seeking employment through the use social networking sites. For example, an ex-offender may find it perplexing to attend a job interview via Skype in Singapore.

Secondly, ex-offenders may find difficulty in working for corporations that place great emphasis on the use of modern technologies. Various companies and organizations are increasingly adopting modern technologies for organizational purposes, such as staff employment or company management. In an article by eLearning industry, corporations report that elearning is one of the top training methods used to train both employers and employees in managing corporations (eLearning Industry, 2014). Ex-offenders, upon release from long-term incarceration, might find it difficult to cope with the concept of eLearning as they have not learnt about it during imprisonment.

Finally, technology can evolve significantly during the period when offenders are serving their sentence prior to release. As technology becomes more sophisticated, ex-offenders may not be sufficiently proficient to acquire the necessary skills needed to master certain ICTs. In the past, we could only communicate with others over long distances through mobile phones. Presently, our computers are equipped with the technology to make calls or even host conference video calls with many people at once. The nature of technology may increasingly become complex and ex-offenders find difficulty in learning these technologies upon release. As a result, ex-offenders may experience further inequality upon release. This inequality may result in feelings of isolation accompanied by feelings of low self-worth and frustration which lead to poor reintegration into society and thus, increase the likelihood of re-offending (Willis & Grace, 2009). As such, this poor reintegration into society may increase the likelihood of recidivism amongst ex-offenders.

Solution

A solution to bridge the digital divide between ex-offenders and society is the implementation of a Virtual Campus (VC) within correctional settings. The VC is a “safe, web-based IT platform that aims to provide education, training and employment opportunities” (Kendall & Hughes, 2011) for offenders under incarceration, so that they can better reintegrate into our technologically-driven society upon release. To apply the idea of VC in Singapore, one approach is the provision of employment skills training to current offenders. For example, the VC can provide offenders opportunities to attend various courses taught by an online tutor, such as data entry workshops provided by G-TEC computer education centre.  Upon completion of these courses, offenders can be taught to create online resumes to document these milestones. Upon release, this resume will continue to follow these offenders through prison into the local community. To improve on the VC, the idea of a secured social media and networking outlet should be implemented. Social networking tools, such as Facebook or Skype, can be taught to offenders so as to improve their ease of reintegration into society upon release. The VC helps promote active interaction amongst offenders. For example, offenders would have to write out workings while completing the workshops. Also, the VC promotes continuing support to offenders through community organizations. To elaborate, the workshops attended by offenders within VC are facilitated by external organizations, such as G-TEC computer education centre. Upon release from incarceration, these offenders can then continue their learning or even acquire employment opportunities with these organizations (Kendall & Hughes, 2011). In addition, VC may even include diploma and certificate courses for offenders to complete during incarceration so that they will be better prepared for a literate workforce upon release.

In conclusion, the suggestion of a VC to help facilitate ease of reintegration of ex-offenders into the local community is important. Ex-offenders face a myriad of challenges upon release, such as stigmatization from the community as well as the lack of employment opportunities which may impede their reintegration into society. Therefore, providing the necessary skills to ex-offenders serves as an essential safeguard for helping them integrate into society as well as reduces the likelihood of these ex-offenders reoffending.

Reference

eLearning Industry. (2014). Top 10 e-learning statistics that you need to know. Retrieved from http://elearningindustry.com/top-10-e-learning-statistics-for-2014-you-need-to-know

G-TEC Education Computer Centre. (2014). Diploma and certificate courses. In Home. Retrieved from http://gteceducation.com.sg/site/diploma_certification

Grace, R. C., & Willis, G. M. (2009). Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(5), 494-512. 

Internet World Stats. (2014). The digital divide, ICT and the 50 x 15 initiative. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/links10.htm

Kendall, A., & Hughes, J. (2011). The Alliance for digital incluson. In Working with the virtual campus action research  ‘champions’ programme. Retrieved from https://www.wlv.ac.uk/pdf/sed-res-hughes-workingwithvirtualcampus.pdf

Lin, A. (2006). Business technology statistics. Entrepreneur. Retrieved fromhttp://www.entrepreneur.com/article/81966.

Visser, M. (2012). What is digital literacy. In Digital Literacy Definition. Retrieved from http://connect.ala.org/node/181197  

Yellow Ribbon Project Singapore. (2014). Who we are. In About Us. Retrieved from http://www.yellowribbon.org.sg/about-us/yellow-ribbon-singapore.html

http://gteceducation.com.sg/site/officeskills_main

Reader Response Final Draft

Reader Response final draft

In Picardo’s article “Why students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures,”,  he advocates the development of a deeper global awareness and understanding of diverse cultures amongst school students. Hence, students can uncover new ideas and perspectives that help them grow into mature, well-informed individuals (Picardo, 2012). To facilitate the development of global awareness, Picardo asserts the importance of “contextualized learning” to complement the experience of character building amongst students. Furthermore the article highlights the idea of introducing modern technology and social media, such as Twitter and Skype, within classrooms to encourage learning. Finally, establishing international partnerships across schools are encouraged so as to build an enriching education for students and teachers alike.

Contextualized learning, defined  as “[individuals] constructing meaning through interacting with and interpreting their environment (CORD, 2012),  serves as an impetus for further learning opportunities and personal development.

As a staunch advocate of contextualized learning, I believe growth is evident only when education is provided not only within classrooms, but within a myriad of settings such as internships or overseas school trips.

Firstly, deriving contextualized education through overseas expeditions deepens our understanding of world issues. Through continuous engagement with the global community, new perspectives and divergent world-views can emerge.  Several examples were highlighted in this article, including cultural trips to Andalusia and a history trip to Berlin. I recall, in particular, in particular a study trip to Cambodia in 2010 in which I embarked on to understand the differences in social issues faced by people with disabilities in Singapore and Cambodia, respectively. After I came back from the trip with an increased awareness of the social issues faced by the people with disabilities within the rural villages in Baray district, Phnom Penh, I became highly motivated to go back and help meet their social needs. As such, I returned back to Baray district through a Youth Expedition Project trip for 14 days in order to implement programmes to meet their needs. The programmes include teaching sign language to help villagers communicate with fellow villagers suffering from hearing impairment, as well as helping to build a toilet for fellow villagers to use. Through these overseas trips I embarked on in which contextualized learning occurred, my knowledge of global social issues expanded. Moreover, I was able to use the propositional knowledge acquired in my first trip and translate it into procedural knowledge during my second trip. In particular, I was able to learn about the differences in social needs amongst people with disabilities between Singapore and Cambodia. 

Contextualized learning also provides interest and insights into academic topics that cannot be derived from textbook learning alone. In the past, I detested political science as I found it too abstract to comprehend. However, my recent class trip to Cambodia as part of FASSTrack Asia’s summer school changed my perspective on political science. I learnt about human trafficking as well as its underlying political issues. My theoretical knowledge of Human Trafficking would not have sufficed; the field trip complement my understanding of human trafficking. Not only did the trip increase my knowledge of human trafficking, my classmates, mostly who were honours students, also played a role in facilitating my understanding of political science as a whole. Before the trip vI was genuinely ignorant of issues pertaining to the political issues in the world as I could not relate to politics explained within textbooks. From a relatively nescient, apathetic student, I have transformed into a concerned, learning individual after the field trip. In fact, the field trip has motivated me to pursue political science as an exposure module in my university education. 

Within a highly contextualized learning environment, cultural exchanges between people of different background and cultures can facilitate global awareness. When Picardo states “the awkward dinner conversation of foreign exchange students with their German host families…”, it reminded me of the conversations I had with exchange students from Canada, the U.S. as well as Australia during the field trip. However, the informational exchange of cultural practices and language through our daily meals has further enriched my knowledge and understanding of other cultures. For example, people in British Columbia, Canada, use the term “pop” whereas people in the United Kingdom and Singapore prefer the term “soda”.  Additionally, I noted how students from the West tend to focus on talking about themselves, as compared to Singaporean students who prefer to listen and to talk about community issues. This certainly reflects some values of individualism amongst westerners as well as collectivism amongst asians.

Consequently, these cultural exchanges have helped me to understand the different thought processes in which individuals from other cultures operate through as well as facilitate a greater global awareness.

Picardo’s “Why Students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures” has reinforced my belief in the importance of contextualized learning. Through experiential education, I became more resourceful and independent. Moreover, it has precipitated opportunities for my professional growth. For instance, I have obtained the contacts of several Non-governmental organizations within Cambodia which will aid in my educational route as a social work major. To conclude, contextualized learning will benefit students from all walks of life. Be it primary school children or adult learners, everyone will learn, develop and grow as an individual within a highly contextualized learning environment.

References

Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD). (2012). What is contextual learning. Retrieved from the Contextual Teaching and Learning at http://www.cord.org/contextual-learning-definition/

Picardo, J. (2012, September 25).  Why students need a global awareness and understanding of other cultures. Retrieved from The Guardian Database atThe Guardian database at http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/sep/25/students-global-awareness-other-cultures