My eDiary - Michelle Carter CCTI Group 2-2

Welcome.

Today was the first day of the course for CCTI ICT in Schools.  I participated in very interesting tasks particularly mindmeister.com and worked as a group on a concept map!!! I love concept maps as a teaching tool!!

Looking forward to learning more of ICT in education and sharing this information my teachers to use in their classrooms for meaningful change in their teaching and learning practices.

Learning is FUN!!!!!!

Michelle Carter

USE OF ICT AT VALENCIA SECONDARY SCHOOL

Submission of Assignments: At Valencia Secondary School students are given Information Technology classes as compulsory from Forms 1 through 3 which facilitate the completion of many of their assignments for the CSEC and NCSE examinations are made easier through the use of productivity tools that include a word processor and spreadsheet.  Most teachers in Secondary Schools require the completion their student’s School Based Assessments (SBAs), Internal Assessments (IAs) on print and NOT handwritten. As such, it is imperative to have students au courant with the use a word processor in the first instance.  Many students have been exposed to the technology even from the primary schools and they too submit a percentage of their projects using a word processor.

Preparation for the Workforce: IT training is important because it is ICT is infused in almost every conceivable job in the nation – from the gas station pump and cashier in a grocery store to working in a bank.  As such, the youth of today must be afforded the ability to develop those skills for the work force of today and tomorrow.   Students are made aware of the importance of the different kinds of interface technologies that are used in the workplace and this is more strongly emphasised in Fourth and Fifth Forms.  During our career day sessions they are also reminded of the need to be IT certified for the job market.

Delivery of the Curriculum:  Using ICT technology in the classroom is also on the rise at school and every teacher has been trained in the use of a word processor and more that seventy percent have been formally trained and certified.   The lack of facilities and equipment are the hindrances encountered when teachers pursue the use of ICT in the classroom.  One of the most widely used tools is the use of the Internet, which is followed by use of presentation software along with a multimedia projector.  Most, if not all (and this is not used as a cliché) teachers use the Internet to provide material for teaching and learning in the classroom. The drawback is that the Internet feed is not yet available school wide and in every classroom but is limited to the Information Labs and the Library for the students.  The teachers also have access in their staffroom.  Teachers use YouTube is a source for many videos on topics that could better be delivered in that mode.  With the reduced capability of Internet producing online learning communities for our students was not introduced as a few teachers wanted to have that done.  No Computer Aided Instruction software is utilised mainly due to the prohibitive cost.  However, if it became available it would be used for the Science subject, Mathematics and English.

Lesson and Exam Preparation: All teachers use a word processor in producing their lesson plans as well as preparing teaching material that need not be projected for their students.  Examinations are also prepared using the technology.

Academic Reports: This school year reports were not handwritten but input into a database and printed for the students.  There are still some kinks to be worked out, but this method was welcomed by all staff members who felt it was time to progress to a computerised version of student reporting and many also felt that it was too archaic to still be writing student reports in this day and age.

Administrative Functionality: For the past 12 months the Ministry of Education has increased its interaction with Principals through emails.  The traditional snail mail for communication has proved itself untenable for dissemination of information to schools in the twin island nation.  This system has worked well with all Secondary Schools, (Valencia Secondary School included of course) which have free unlimited Internet access from both the government and one of the country’s Cable/Internet companies.  Sending large documents via facsimile would at times be problematic.  Further, with the use of scanners and the Internet, documents are now sent quickly and with greater clarity to Secondary Schools from Ministry Departments and vice versa. Now all schools are kept ‘in the loop’ at all times because of the ICT in place.

Information: The creation of databases caters not only for academic records of students other records on their disciplinary records.  Information on the parents/guardians of students are also kept as well as information on teachers.  This makes searching for information on teachers and students that much easier.  At this point in Valencia Secondary it is in its infant stage, but it is set to improve as more of its functions are in greater use.

Overall, ICT use in Valencia Secondary is for teaching and learning, ensuring students are sufficiently comfortable with the technology to be an asset to the workforce, providing education that can lead to specialisation in IT and for the improvement of the administrative function and communication.