Module 10 Activity 6 Plan of Action

My school is working towards the integration of ICTs in its curricula as well as for the management of the school.  To this end, an ICT development plan was formulated with a view to creating an ICT policy governing ICTs and their use at the school.  The plan is a work in progress and will be upgraded as more decisions are made regarding the use of ICTs.  The following is the plan of action for my school:

Plan of action

1.     Already achieved in my ICT priority area

All teachers have laptops for teaching Multimedia projector is available for use by teachers Some integration of ICTs in curriculum areas Wireless Internet access High density computer labs Students BYOD – tablet devices Creation of draft ICT Policy Teachers have varying levels of ICT training ICTs are integrated in some lessons

2.     In the process of doing in my ICT priority area

More training in ICT integration for teachers Procurement of more ICT resources Finalizing the school’s ICT policy Creating an ICT task force to manage ICTs at the school Training of administration staff in use of ICTs

3.     Still to be done in my ICT priority area

Training in assessment using ICTs Procurement of ICT resources to cater for students with special needs Creating a school website for access by parents and other stakeholders Continuous training in ICT integration Continuous training of administrative staff Technical support staff to be drafted Formation of linkages with corporate citizens to secure continuous funding for ICT resources

Module 10 Activity 5 Draft ICT Policy

Having conducted a SWOT analysis at my school, it was evident that there is a need for an ICT policy to address the use of ICTs at the school. These areas include staff development, ICT integration, access by all , assessement methods and procurement of ICT resources. To this end, my draft policy will include (but not limited to) the following:

Staff Development

All staff will be aware and guided by mission and ICT vision of the school

a.       Teachers

                                 i.            Mandatory assessment of teachers’ ICT capabilities with a view to meet those needs.

                               ii.            Mandatory enrolment in online courses in ICTs which are supported by the school

                              iii.            Assessment using ICTs

                             iv.            Monitoring and evaluation

                               v.            Trained in Education Management Information System (EMIS)

b.      Administrators

                                 i.            Trained in Education Management Information System (EMIS) for record keeping and generation of records, reports etc.

                               ii.            Use of ICTs to keep track of equipment, furniture stationery and books

                              iii.            Use of ICTs for communicating with parents, stakeholders

Curriculum

a.       Curriculum be revised to include pedagogy involving the use of ICT

b.      ICTs are integrated in curriculum areas

c.       Development of communities of practice (CoP) for the continuous exchange of best practices in curriculum integration

d.      The practical skills of blogging, podcasting, ethical use of social networking must be inculcated for learners.         

Assessment

a.       Teachers be trained in the use and delivery of assessment methods involving ICTs

b.      Learners assessed using ICTs

c.       Software be upgraded on a continuous basis to accommodate assessment using ICTs

ICT Resources

Use and safety policy should be in place to govern the use of resources.

a.       ICT devices in each classroom

b.      Media room

c.       Appropriate software to supplement teaching and learning

ICT Access (staff, learners, community)

a.       Access to the internet

b.      Access to ICTs on the compound outside of class time (access policy)

c.       Special needs children

Module 10 Activity 3 Planning for ICTs in your school

School’s General Vision

The school envisions a learning community in which all stakeholders work collaboratively as active partners to support and enhance continuous student achievement and professional growth of the staff in the process of nation building.

School’s ICT Vision

ICT will be used effectively to enhance teaching and learning in all areas of the school, to support collaborative and co-operative learning, to develop higher order thinking skills, to assess learning and to help all students realize their educational and social potential.

Alignment between the general vision and its ICT-specific vision:

The SWOT analysis revealed that the school’s general vision focuses on the enhancement of continuous student achievement and professional growth of staff but it does not specifically state how this will be done.  It may be argued that ICTs play a leading role in the development of students and teachers in the school, but as they are written, both visions are not specifically aligned in the role that ICTs will play. This non-alignment of the visions would most likely result in ad hoc ICT planning and development at the school. To this end, there will be a need to align the school’s general vision and the ICT vision so that together they will clearly form the guiding principle in the work that needs to be done in ICT at the school

Module 10 Activity 2 A Vision for school ICT Policy

Ten years from now, I envisage ICTs being fully integrated into the school’s curriculum as well as being the driving force for the school’s day to day operation.  Learning using ICTs will be anytime anywhere learning.  The school would have implemented ways for the ICTs to be fully integrated into the curriculum and students to use ICTs for effective learning.  The schools vision for ICT will reflect national as well as international needs so that the students will fit seamlessly into any society.

Issues to include are:

·         ICT vision, mission, rationale

·         The need for learners to be autonomous in learning

·         The teachers role will be on managing learning

·         A competence-based curriculum apportions knowledge where it has a relevance to the

competencies which are being taught.

·         Usage of ICT for students, teachers and administrators

·         ICTs for special needs and exceptional students

·         Health and safety issues

·         Internet acceptable use policy

·         World wide web use, email and chat policy

·         sanctions

·         Agreement forms for children and Permission forms for parents

Module 10 Activity 1 Phase of ICT Use

ICT use in my school places it at the applying phase.  Staff and students have started using ICTs for teaching and learning in a number of ways since they have access to ICTs at school as well as at home. Teachers have been issued with laptops for teaching and students in grades 8 to 11 have been issued with tablets for learning.

The school has ICT devices in the computer labs which are basically used for Information technology, a subject being offered at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level. The labs are also available for use by staff and students outside of scheduled class time once the room is booked in advance for that purpose. Classrooms are not equipped with computers but teachers may use their laptops with multimedia projector to teach their lessons. In addition, the school is equipped with wireless internet technology which enables teachers to set tasks and students to complete tasks requiring its use. Teachers generally use ICTs to prepare and teach certain aspects of their lessons, conduct research, keep records and create learning resources for their students. Some teachers, especially the more mature ones, are still hesitant in using ICT to teach for fear of being ridiculed by the students who might have more knowledge about ICTs than they do. Teachers have been exposed to the use of ICTs for teaching but some of them are afraid of changing the way that they teach. They are reluctant to move away from the teacher-centred classroom (familiar territory) to a more student-centred environment (unfamiliar territory). There is still a need for ICT integration in the teaching and learning process at my school.

School administrators, on the other hand, use ICTs for report generation, record keeping, assessment and other word processing tasks that are required on a day to day basis.  

Module 8 Activity 10 The Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom is a teaching approach which involves a reverse of the traditional lecture and homework.  Students watch video lectures and complete tasks on their own after which they would interact with the teacher in the classroom to deal with concepts that they do not understand. The video lecture is often seen as the key ingredient  in the flipped approach, such lectures being either created by the teacher and posted online or selected from an online repository. The value of a flipped class is in the repurposing of class time into a workshop where students can inquire about lecture content, test their skills in applying knowledge, and interact with one another in hands-on activities. During class sessions,the teacher functions as a coach or advisor, encouraging students in individual inquiry and collaborative effort.

The flipped classroom is one that I would employ because it encourages constructivism at home for the students as well as collaboration when they get back to the classroom. The teacher is able to determine those students who have grasped concepts and those who need individual assistance in dealing with the learning.

Module 8 Activity 9 Cellphones in the classroom

Cellphones are not allowed in schools in Antigua and Barbuda but their use for learning cannot be ignored.  The potential for cellphones  in the classroom is vast. Students can use them to check for facts, to do research or search for specific information, take pictures of the black/whiteboard for reference later on and to check blogs, emails among other things. They are fully mobile and ubiquitous and most students have cellphones. The cellphone possibilities are endless and perhaps if given the chance it could enhance learning in schools in Antigua and Barbuda. One important consideration is that schools will have to put measures in place to control their use and limit them to the learning at hand.