In a move to further make Information and Communication Technology (ICT) an integral component of the teaching/learning process, the Government will be expanding its Tablet in Schools programme to all teachers’ colleges.
Making the disclosure, Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, said the project, which was implemented on a pilot basis in 38 educational institutions, has seen “great improvement at the primary level,” and teachers need to be more involved to “guide” the students.
Under the one-year pilot project, the computer tablets were distributed to some 24,000 students and 1,200 teachers in six pre-primary, 13 primary, five all age and junior high, and 12 high schools, one teacher’s college, and one special education institution.
The Minister said educators can be assured that their role is undiminished, even as technology may change many functions in the society.
Mr. Paulwell was delivering the keynote address at the presentation of certificates to 350 teachers in the e-Learning Jamaica Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) Training Programme, held on January 15, at the Mico University, in St. Andrew.
During the training, the educators were assessed on technology literacy/competency in six context areas aligned to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ICT Framework for teachers – education policy, curriculum and assessment, pedagogy, organization, administration and professional development.
The Minister told the teachers that the programme was designed to equip them with skills to deliver education in today’s technology driven environment, which “calls for a cadre of self-driven educators who are passionate about their careers, who want to inspire students with outside the box thinking.”
He said the training will assist resourceful and entrepreneurial educators to “relish the role of change agents, work to achieve excellence in education, using advanced technologies and social media, as they become experts to lead innovation in education.”
Established in 2006 by the Government, e-Learning Jamaica seeks to promote the integration and infusion of technology into the education system. The agency implements projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Universal Service Fund.
Article by: http://jis.gov.jm/
