CCTI aims to improve the experience of teaching in the classroom with ICT and increases school managers’ involvement in ICT implementation. Originally offered by SchoolNet South Africa in many African countries, CCTI is now available to Ministries of Education and teacher training institutions throughout the Commonwealth. Materials can be freely used as is or adapted to suit local needs.
Typically a two-year part-time course, CCTI helps to build local capacity in ICT by training mentors – teachers who each go on to train 25 more teachers. In The Bahamas, 50 mentors are being trained. Another 54 are being trained in Trinidad & Tobago, and Antigua & Barbuda is initiating mentor training in the last quarter of 2011. The course can be offered as a full qualification, as part of existing qualifications or as in-service modules.
Anywhere, Anytime Learning for In-Service Teachers
CCTI is well-suited to provide professional development to in-service teachers. All course materials are provided on CD-ROMs. Teachers are assigned to mentors who oversee the completion of modules, give advice and coordinate assignments. Activities are practical and school- or classroom-based. Group interaction is an important feature of CCTI; teachers and managers gain a better understanding of ICT and enhance their learning through online interaction. These activities are normally organised by Ministries of Education.
Each country decides how the course will be conducted, how it will be accredited/recognised, which technologies to use and what learning management tools to deploy. Modules cover themes such as:
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The range of ICT in schools,
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The different roles of teachers and managers and how ICT can support them,
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ICT skills for teachers and managers,
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Assessing ICT integration,
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Developing ICT teaching and learning resources, and
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ICT leadership in schools.
Creating “ICT Capable” Teachers
“There are two urgent demands on teachers related to ICT: in addition to being able to introduce technology to learners, teachers must be able to use those technologies to enhance teaching and learning,” said Ms. Trudi van Wyk, COL Education Specialist, eLearning. “Our aim is that every teacher, manager and administrator is ‘ICT capable’ – that they have the ability to effectively use ICT creatively and innovatively.”
Teacher ICT integration involves three overlapping elements:
- Content: knowledge of what they teach in their subject/learning area.
- Technology: knowledge of technologies that support teaching and how to use them.
- Pedagogy: knowledge of teaching methods.
COL, SchoolNet SA and other partners are constantly assessing the relevance of the course materials. Two new modules are being developed: one for ICT and the development of 21st century skills and one on the use of ICT for classroom management. Other modules are being repurposed and updated to keep track of new developments in ICT and needs in countries.
The CCTI is aligned with the internationally recognised UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (CFT).
The CCTI is part of a larger joint initiative between COL, Microsoft and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The three partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding earlier this year covering 18 Caribbean countries and territories, setting the stage for a much broader regional roll-out of ICT education initiatives in the Caribbean.
www.col.org/eLearning
January 2012