Forty secondary teachers from various schools on island will be professionally trained and certified at the end of a two-day Information and Communications Technolocy (ICT) workshop and will form a cadre to train other teachers in the effective use of ICT in classroom instruction.
The workshop got underway on Monday at the Dominica Grammar School in Roseau.
Acting Minister of Education and Minister for Information, Science, Telecommunications and Technology, Kelver Darroux, said at the opening ceremony of the workshop that the government of Dominica is currently reviewing an ICT policy which envisions the use of broadband technology for the development of key sectors such as education, tourism, and health.
“The policy is also expected to guide the use of technologies in classrooms,” he said.
According to him, plans for improved broadband capacity includes full connectivity and networking of all Dominican schools to facilitate teaching and learning.
Furthermore, he said, government is working towards necessary regulatory and policy reforms, “as pursuing public, private sector partnerships and making strategic investments.”
He pointed out that ICT must be given greater prominence in the National Curriculum.
“The approach to instruction in the classroom must now be re-conceptualize to provide students with meaningful experiences that will position them to be successful players in a competitive global market space,” he stated. “We recognize however that in order to derive maximum benefits from the new tablet devises recently distributed to secondary and college students, “our teachers must be trained to employ new teaching methodologies and incorporate ICT in their instruction.”
Senior Education Officer of Secondary Schools, Nazarine William-Titre said the workshop is timely, given the era in which technological advancement has influenced the education systems, economies, and societies globally.
“Today’s workshop on the use of technology in the classroom it’s one that is anticipated, particularly at the secondary schools,” she said.
She stated therefore, it is imperative that the participants of the two-day workshop train other members of staff including the principals in the effective utilization of ICT in their daily instructional processes.
She said upon completion of the training. teachers will be given an opportunity to pursue certification in what is referred to as Microsoft Certified Educator.
“Participants will initially be able to access material from Microsoft free of charge,” William-Titre revealed. “Fees for online exams and certification will be met by the Organization of Americans States (OAS).”
According to William-Titre, it is expected that there will be the monitoring of the use of technology in the classroom as well as the evaluation of the impact of technology on instruction.
She indicated the use of ICT in the daily instruction has the potential to, “enhance learning opportunities as students access a wide range of resources, increase students engagement and motivation, equip students with necessary computer and digital literacy…”
Computers were also made available by the OAS representatives to be used during the workshop.
The workshop is being facilitated by Julio Berrios and Imra Perez.
It is being held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development and the OAS through its Development Cooperation Fund (DCF).
This partnership underpins government’s ‘One Table per Child Initiative’ geared towards ensuring that Dominican students are equipped with the 21st century technology skills.
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