Speaker: Bart Dewaele, Director General VVOB HQs in Brussels
Teacher training perspective
They training on strategies, planning, curriculum goals etc and then instruments you need to reach those goals and one of those instruments is ICT.
Working in Kenya, Cambodia, Zambia and Vietnam
The TPACK model: an educator who wants to integrate technology he will have to have basic practice: lesson plan based on ict, learning from each other, learning by doing and knowledge input: pedagogy, technology, training
Observations from the field:
Negative:
- absence of supportive policies on education [lack of ict in curriculum]
- Too much focus on basic ict skills. It is not seen as important.
- ICT there is use of ppt it is interesting for teachers but not for students.
- Resistance to change
- Teachers fear being replaced by computers
- Lack of adequate personal computers
- Expensive internet connections
- Language barriers [don’t underestimate that]
Positive:
- Teachers eager
- Emerging use of internet as source of info
What should we work on?
- Clear vision on integration of ict in education
- Ict policy and curriculum to give lectures framework
- Streamlined strategic and operational plans and see to coordination and harmonization of initiatives
- Shift fro focus of ict basic skills towards an integrated approach
On college level:
- Professional development with incentive
- Access and availability of learning aids and study material
- Maintenance and security issues
- Recognition of expert trainers
- Monitoring evaluation and assessment = what gets measured gets done
- Encourage learning through experimentation and research
College and teacher level:
- Provide multimedia with quality teaching aids [teachers need clear examples]
- Overcome fear by familiarizing teacher trainers with pcs
- Leadership and recognition
- Stimulate use of available computers
