EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES INTO TEACHER TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WHY INCORPORATE TECHNOLOGY INTO

EDUCATION?

SO MANY BENEFITS

• DISTANCE LEARNING CAN OCCUR• COMMUNICATION IS FASTER AND EASIER• INFORMATION IS EASILY REACHED AND READILY

AVAILABLE• DIFFERENT OPINIONS ARE EXPRESSED OPENLY ON

SOCIAL SITES• PARTICIPANTS CAN SET THEIR OWN PACE

… JUST TO NAME A FEW

THE PERVASIVENESS OF TECHNOLOGY

• Technology and its uses are increasing highly among societies across the world.

• The old boring classroom with only charts as presentations is fading away…

• The importance of teachers to be trained in knowing how to facilitate technology in classrooms has prevailed.• Schools aim to make education a process that can be carried

beyond the boundaries of the school itself.

Systems that help learners take control of their work and manage their own learning. PLE is not simply a technology but an approach or process that is individualized by design, and thus different from person to person.

• Participants in PLEs choose their nature of knowledge intake.• Managing time and place of learning is based on the individual.• The underlying technologies needed to construct a personal

learning environment are relatively straightforward and readily available now.

PERSONAL LEARNINGENVIRONMENTS (PLES)

PLE’s CONTINUATION…• Profound innovations in technology tend to be reflected

in older paradigms, meaning new systems of technology are being merged into the “old classroom system”.

• Learning management systems by nature are more about the short-span of learning than the actual learning itself; it is the gathering of course calendars, assignments, and all other relevant content in a single place where both students and teachers can access everything.

ICT• ICT: Which stands for Information and Communication

Technologies, consider all the uses of digital technology that already exist to help individuals, businesses and organisations use information.

• The Programme for International Student Assessment defines ICT literacy as "the interest, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology and communication tools to access, manage, integrate and evaluate information, construct new knowledge and communicate with each other in order to participate effectively in society" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2003)

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION OF ICTs

• Costs to keep up and current as South Africa is a developing country even though it recieves assistance from various organisations.

• Current budget woes are a challenge as there are other challenges in education.

• Skepticism regarding benefits of technology for learning and achievement.

• Security concerns, especially since South Africa is not on par with the rest of the world.

• Teacher skills to integrate technology into the learning environment.• Teacher vs Student skills, teacher education is still in the process and

not yet well developed.• Existing paradigms: online material vs. printed textbooks. Textbooks still

form a very large part of learning.

KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY AGENDA

MEANING: A Knowledge Society is one that creates, shares, and uses knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of its people. It is a formal association of people with similar interests, who try to make effective use of their combined knowledge about their areas of interest and in the process, contribute to this knowledge (http://www.tanedu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=76&Itemid=37).

• In the education it is important to acknowledge the prevalence of technology in society and the importance of assimilating it into society.

• It is also important to highlight its benefits and educate teachers on its uses in order for them to pass it onto learners.

• Technology must serve to the achievement of Knowledge Society through knowledge-based information systems.

• Knowledge Society is still a desired aim more than a reality

Some elements of Knowledge Society:

• Communication• Collective Intelligence• Living in a Global World• Countries Competing for knowledge workers• Individuals Possessing Technological Skills for Global

Interaction• Passing of these Skills by Individuals to the rest of

Society• Globalising Education

TEACHER COMPETENCES• Teaching in the knowledge society• Teaching in the networked society• Developing a collective intelligence• Integrating technology in education• Exploring pedagogical possibilities• Exploring management of time and space• Exploring knowledge• Exploring networked form of knowledge• Exploring expectations of Society(http://www.smhc-cpre.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/smhc-hr-alignment-handout-teacher-competency-model.pdf)

ISTE NETS-TISTE’s NETS for teachers are standards for evaluating the skills and knowledge educators need to teach, work, and learn in an increasingly connected global and digital society (http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers).

THEY HAVE THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERICTICS:• DIGITAL AGE WORK• DIGITAL AGE LEARNING• STUDENT LEARNING• PROFESSINAL GROWTH• DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

TEACHERS IN ISTE-NETS-T SHOULD…

• FACILITATE AND INSPIRE STUDENT LEARNING AND CREATIVITY.

• DESIGN AND DEVELOP DIGITAL AGE LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND ASSESSMENTS.

• MODEL DIGITAL AGE WORK AND LEARNING.• PROMOTE AND MODEL DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND

RESPONSIBILITY.• ENGAGE IN PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND

LEADERSHIP

“EDUCATION FOR ALL” GOALS• All individuals have the rights to education,

and this goes without saying.• The quality of education delivered in any

nation also has to be desirable.• However, not all individuals use this

opportunity of enriching their minds with all the knowledge that is out there and other opportunities.

The Department for International Development (DIFD)

• This organisation is heavily involved in improving the quality and availability of education in developing countries.

• The DFID has a vision to remain committed to the education Millennium Development Goals MDGs.

The DFID’s goals by 2015…

• Access to a basic education cycle of primary and lower secondary, particularly in fragile and conflict affected states.

• the quality of teaching and learning, particularly for basic literacy and numeracy and the skills to link young people to opportunities.

• Jobs and growth are highlighted as their focal strategies.

• Education that should be delivered should be of high quality, and accessible to all.

The DFID’s priorities…

• To make education accessible to all: Distance and cost should not prevent children from attending regularly year on year.

• To improve quality of education delivered to learners: to improve the quality of education and they aim to do so by improving cognitive skills of teachers.

• To improve the skills and knowledge thus increasing job opportunities.

Education InternationalThis organisation is also involved in meeting aims of EFA, as these aims are of a shared interest.It has highlighted the aims as follows:

1. Expand early childhood care and education2. Provide free and compulsory primary education to all3. Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults4. Increase adult literacy by 50 percent5. Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 20156. Improve the quality of education

PRESENT & FUTURE NATIONAL STRATEGIC

OBJECTIVES• The Department of education has a central objective of

developing the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes of teachers in South Africa. This includes developing professionalism and aiming at improving the quality of teaching which has ICT elements incorporated in it.

• Without the necessary skills and attitudes towards teaching, educators will fail to pass on the correct kind of knowledge together with experience to learners, thus leading South Africa in the opposite direction the DoE and other organisations wish to see it go.

SOME ASPECTS OF THE DoE WITH REGARDS TO ICTs

• The White Paper on e-Education views ICT development as a process that takes teachers and learners through learning about ICT.

• Learning with ICT and learning through the use of ICT, which means integrating ICTs into the learning process.

• Teacher development that maintains a balance between developing effective teaching and…

• Learning strategies and increasing the knowledge and skills of teachers in the use of ICT.

The DoE sets approaches to be adopted in ICT skills development for student and

practising teachers• All higher education institutions should offer compulsory ICT in

teaching and learning in teacher development courses.• Students currently in higher education institutions should be fast-

tracked to bring them to at least the adoption level by the end of their studies.

• All students leaving higher education for the teaching profession should have reached at least the adaptation level.

• All practising teachers who have access to ICT should, as a minimum, be trained to the adaptation level.

• Subject advisors are to be trained up to appropriation level through a focused intervention from the national Department of Education.

National Planning Commission (NPC): National Development Plan

The NPC’s plan for education involves training and innovation, this involves the use of technology in schools to better the quality of education. Education empowers people to define their identity and play an effective role in the politics and governance of their communities. South Africa needs knowledge that equips people for a society in constant social change and universities can offer this if resources are innovated utilised to their optimum abilities.

VISION FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING & INNOVATION THEMES…

The development plan for education has 5 cross-cutting interdependent and implementable themes:1. To lay a solid foundation for a long and healthy life & higher

educational & scientific achievement.2. To build a properly qualified, professional, competent & committed

teaching, academic, research & public service core.3. To build a strong and coherent set of instructions for delivering quality

education, science and technology innovation, training and skills development.

4. To expand the production of highly skilled professionals & enhance the innovative capacity of the nation.

5. To create an educational and science system that serves the needs of society.

KEY FEATURES OF THE EDUCATION TRAINING AND INNOVATION PLAN

• Early childhood development• Schooling• Further education & training skills• Higher education

SURVEYS HAVE SHOWN PROGRESS SINCE 1994, INCLUDING…• Improved gender and race disparities• More early childhood development institutions• Universal access in schooling• Number of schools without water have decreased• Infrastructure of colleges received increased improvement

Although improvements have been shown, some challenges remain…

• Early childhood development: many South African children grow without proper nutrition

• Schooling: the legacy of low-quality education in historically disadvantaged parts of the school system persists.

• FET & skills development: many parts of this sector are severely underperforming.

• Higher education: many South Africans fail to pursue education after matriculation.

AIMS OF NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES REGARDING TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH REGARDS TO COMPETENCY STANDARDS REGARDING ICTS

• The department of education is involved together with various other organisations which will be discussed below to reach the aims that have been set out for educators to be skilled in ICTs and have excellent standards as well as professional development.

Department of Education

The Department of Education approaches teacher development in ICT holistically, they aim at the whole picture and not just one element of teacher development, it acknowledges that ICT standards cannot be reached in isolation, a lot of other issues should be highlighted and addressed. Therefore, the DoE holistic approach has three dimentions… Holistic: looks at the whole

picture, taking everything into concideration.

The DoE’s holisticapproach dimensions

1. pedagogical dimension: Implies an understanding and application of the opportunities of the use of ICT for teaching and learning in a local curriculum context.

2. Technical dimension: Implies an ability to select, use and support a range of ICT resources as appropriate to enhance personal and professional effectiveness and the willingness to update skills and knowledge in the light of new developments.

3. Collaboration and networking dimension: Includes a critical understanding of the added value of learning networks and collaboration within and between partners and the ability to create and participate in communities of practice

THE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Innovation

Appropriation

Adaptation

Adoption

Entry

BASIC

Integrate IC

T

into teac

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arning

Specia

lisation &

Innovation in

ICT in educati

on

Department For International Development (DFID)

Innovation in Education aims to identify successful ways of improving the quality of education within six thematic areas• Accountability and empowerment• Inclusive education• Climate change and environment• Effective teaching and learning• Skills development• Use of appropriate technologies in education

Framework for 21st Century Learning (P21)

The Framework presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning

that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes with

innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st

century.

THE KEY ELEMENTS OF 21ST CENTURY LEARNING…

• These include both student outcomes and support systems

ICT-enhanced teacher standards for Africa (ICTeTSA)

The most important reason as to why the ICT-enhanced teacher standards for Africa (ICTeTSA) was developed is because of the primary aim of UNESCO, which is to ensure that all countries, both developed and developing, have access to the best educational facilities necessary to prepare young people to play full roles in modern society and to contribute to the economy and lead a nation in a positive direction.

The Six Standards of ICTeTSA1. Engage in instructional

design processes

2. Facilitate and inspire student

learning, innovation and creativity

3. Create and manage effective learning

environments

4. Engage in assessment &

communication of student learning

5. Engage in professional

development and model ethical

responsibilities

6. Understand subject matter for use in

teaching

UNESCO’S MODEL OF ICT DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION

UNESCO’S MODEL OF ICT DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION

It is useful to have a model for ICT development for developing competency standards for teacher development. Such a model can be:• A representation of the essential characteristics of ICT development

to provide a scaffold or a framework• Useful to show the inter-relationship of various components within a

system and thus, help to locate its position in the whole frameworkTHE MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK HAS 4 CENTRAL THEMES:1. Theme 1: Context and Culture (CC)2. Theme 2: Leadership and Vision (LV)3. Theme 3: Lifelong Learning (LL)4. Theme 4: Planning and Management of Change (PMC)

TECHNOLOGY, THE LAST WORD…

• ALTHOUGH EDUCATION IS AN ACTIVE COGNITIVE PROCESS ON THE PART OF THE LEARNER, IT IS ALSO A SOCIAL PROCESS AND DEVELOPS THROUGH CONVERSATION. (Ebner, 2007)

• WITH TECHNOLOGY WE CAN REACH FAR AND PENETRATE DEEPER INTO CHILDREN’S MINDS AS SOME OF THEM ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH AT LEAST A FEW FORMS OF TECHNOLOGY.

REFERENCES• Ebner, M. (2007). E-Learning 2.0 = e-Learning 1.0 + Web 2.0? http://

www.slideshare.net/mebner/elearning-20-elearning-10-web-20• Alexander, D. (2010). “Learning For All: DFID’s Education Strategy 2010–2015.”

The Department for International Development: London.• Education International. (2008). “Education for All by 2015: Education

International Response to the Global Monitoring Report 2008”• Hindle, D. (2007). “Guidelines for Teacher Training and Professional

Development in ICT”• NMC Horizon Report: 2012 K-12 Edition.• Engida, T. (2012). ICT-enhanced Teacher Standards for Africa (ICTeTSA).• http://

www.tanedu.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=76&Itemid=37

• Manual, T (MP). (2011). National Planning Commission: National Development Plan for 2030 (Chapter 9).

• “Digital Age Teaching” (2012). http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers• NETS-T (2008). “International Society for Technology in Education”

THANK YOU!!