About - Empowering Administrators in the Use of ICT
A significant number of our teachers have been in the profession for fifteen years or more and the new wave of technological innovations within the last ten years is being slowly and cautiously embraced in their teaching practices. A number of our experienced teachers who are currently taking up administrative positions lack the experience of using aspects of the emerging technology in the teaching/learning process. It is imperative that these administrators are given the support mechanism that will empower them to feel more comfortable with this technology.
The bottom line is that for technology integration to have maximum pedagogical impact, the administrators in our schools need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to be more effective in facilitating the process. The project sought to provide comprehensive web-based resources to encourage and empower administrators to assume a more vibrant and impacting role as instructional leaders. The main objectives of the project were to:
- Provide a source of support and guidance for administrators to enable them to facilitate a technology- rich environment;
- Empower administrators to use data in making leadership decisions; and
- Assist in the creation and continued development of learning communities that support technology for improved productivity.
The administrators of Phase 2- Primary Schools of the Education Sector Enhancement Programme (Edutech) were chosen to be part of the exercise.
Components of the project included a survey, which sought to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the participants with the view of meeting their specific needs. The first workshop was held in the computer lab at the Pine Primary School on November 24, 2005 and a follow up workshop was held in the computer lab at the St. Paul’s Primary School on January 26, 2006.
The workshop presented various options for administrators in the creative use of hardware, software and the Internet to engage students. It sought to equip administrators with appropriate sites and techniques to enable a positive change for teaching in the digital age.
Another component of the project was access to a website specifically to support the needs of administrators thereby providing a conduit of resources and specific sites to empower administrators.
The website includes not only links to various sites to inform administrators, but has appropriate lesson and unit plans specific to syllabuses/standards as they relate to the revised curriculum. There is access to a forum where technological issues and concerns can be addressed. In addition, there is access to software tutorials, trends in education reform, examples of best practices and general information on technology integration.
This project was undertaken by the Audio Visual Aids Department in collaboration with the Program Coordinating Unit of the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports as a support activity for the Edutech Program. Officers from relevant sections of the Ministry will follow up with administrators to give them the necessary support. It is expected that this project will be evaluated with the view of making it available to administrators throughout the system.
