Activity 3: Planning for ICTs in your school

Planning ICT Policy 

We have just created a draft ICT Vision, and did a SWOT analysis.

Key ICT related themes that recur at our school:

·         Building and infrastructure

·         ICT training

·         Internet connectivity

·         Technical support

About our school’s alignment between the general vision and its ICT-specific vision:

General Vision:

·         To train the educators of Antigua and Barbuda to be lifelong learners empowered with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed in the 21st Century to shape the nation’s future.

ICT Vision:

·        The Teacher Education Department will form a community of lifelong learners with positive 21st Century knowledge, skills and attitudes to use and integrate ICT in Education.

General Vision and ICT Vision:

·         My department’s vision and ICT vision align, since both seek to form individuals with lifelong learning knowledge, skills and attitudes needed in the 21^st century to function in society.

ICT SWOT analysis of my school

Strengths: 1.       All students and staff have an ICT device (laptop and/or tablet) 2.       Most students and staff communicate and collaborate using ICT 3.       Some students and staff have been using the departments management learning systems (MOODLE and/or EMIS) 4.       Most students and staff have basic ICT skills 5.       There is an Educational Technology course offered to the students

Weaknesses:     1.       Few teachers hesitate to use and integrate ICT in the teaching and learning process 2.       Time constraints due to workload in the department of teacher education make no room or timetable slots available for staff development 3.       Lack of or inadequate teaching learning e-resources/materials for specific courses 4.       Lack of ICT funds 5.       Unreliable internet connectivity 6.       No fulltime on staff technical support

Opportunities: 1.       Students and staff can use ICT for learning anytime and anywhere 2.       ICT can be integrated across the curriculum to make the teaching-learning process more student centered 3.       The department can form partnership with Digicel and other entities in technological innovations 4.       Schools will benefit when they receive trained teachers with the ability to use and integrate ICT education 5.       ICT prepares the students and staff for lifelong learning

Threats:     Displaced, malfunctioned and lost resources due to the Teacher Education Department is without its own building and infrastructure

 SWOT Analysis Comments: Generally, the other participants in this course SWOT analysis were quite realistic. It was observed for the weaknesses that all mentioned the need for Professional development/training in ICT, in one way or another.

However, we want to create an implement an ICT Policy.

 

 

 In order for our department to have an ICT Policy we need to know the following:

1. Department Mission and Vision
2. ICT Mission and Vision
3. Current ICT status (Hardware, software and peripherals)
4. Curriculum priorities for ICT (use and integration in courses)
5. Roles of all involved (administration, teachers, students and community at large)
6. Maintenance Plan and Strategies
7. Staff Professional Development

Planning an ICT Policy is a collaborative effort!

Activity 2D (optional): Finding and sharing schools' ICT policies from around the world

From the groups' search of ICT policies around the world the following are a few we looked at:

• Barmston Village Primary School
• Harmonsworth Primary School
• Eastington Primary School
• Holy Trinity School
• William Cassidi Cof E Primary School
• Newton Primary School
• St. Mary's Primary

What was observed, was they are many sections that are the same throughout the policies.

However, what I found quite interesting was that within the ICT Policy itself had other policies e.g.

1. E-safety/Responsible Internet Use/Internet Acceptable Use Policy
2. Health and Safety/Safegaurding Policy

In addition, I liked those that offered an Audited list of hardware and software and provision for special education needs.

I believe that all that we observed were necessary elements for an ICT Policy.

Activity 2C: Your school's ICT policy

What I have learnt about whole ICT Policies so far

Creating a school's ICT policy encompasses a number of aspects. The main two in my opinion are: 1. The school's ICT Vision and The Acceptable ICT Use Agreement.

What I feel is my biggest challenge in developing/adapting an ICT policy for my school

I believe that the biggest challenge in developing and/or adapting an ICT policy for my school is the reality that we are without our own building, as a result, it impacts upon our decision making as to what to include in the policy since we have to think of everything that we need in order to make the use and integration of ICT and having and ICT policy relevant to our departments need.

How to achieve the vision of our school's ICT Policy?

There need to be first of all the staff belief in the vision. All must want to achieve the vision. Therefore, the reasons as to why we want to have an ICT Policy in our school need to be identified by all.

Rationale

Due to the ever evolving technology and the need to acquire, use and apply 21st century skills. It is of outmost importance that any institution that offers education, integrate ICT within its curriculum. Therefore, once ICT is part of the curriculum there ought to be proper guidelines and/or principles guiding: 1) ICT acceptable use 2) Obtaining, maintaining and discarding of hardware and software 3) E-safety and 3) Using and integrating ICT across the curriculum (teaching and learning)

Thus the need to have an ICT policy.

Steps to achieve the vision
Step 1. Discussion - This should involve the shared vision of our school.
Step 2. Identifying areas to put within the policy - Vision, Mission, Aim, Objectives, Rationale, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Assessment of ICT, Resources, Health and Safety, Roles and Responsibilities of users, Community Links, Sanctions and Infringements
Step 2. Development - Policy written, reviewed, and revised
Step 4. Dissemination of Policy - A draft the, pilot document will be given to all staff members for their perusal. Then after amended based on feedback, the final document sent to all within our department staff, and students.
Step 5. Implementation - Once all are aware of the ideal document they need to make it real, by applying appropriately the different aspects of the proposal.

All this involves knowing where we were before we had ICT, where we are with having ICT and where we want to be with ICT.

Activity 2B - A vision for school ICT Policy

Philosophy: A learning environment equipped with the appropriate learning tools to develop well-rounded individuals that will function in our technology advanced society.

Vision: By 2020, 'The Teacher Education Department will form a community of lifelong learners with positive 21st Century beliefs and attitudes to use and integrate ICT in Education'.

Mission:

The ability to use and integrate ICT in education is a lifelong learning skill.

We aim to promote a learning environment where teachers and students are empowered through the use and integration of ICT in Education.


ICT Policy
An ICT acceptable use and integration policy will be drafted by the relevant stakeholders. It will include the general sections:

1. Guiding rules and procedures
2. Roles and responsibilities of users
3. ICT use and integration across the curriculum
4. ICT control and monitoring 
5. Hardware and software
6. Health and safety
7. E-safety
8. Technical support and maintenance
9. ICT development
10. Sanctions and infringments

Visualization in 10 years with ICT in teaching and learning

Better

1. Communication and collaboration skills
2. Creativity skills
3. Problem solving and critical thinking skills
4. Research and innovation skills
5. Services, technical support and maintenance 
6. Monetary support
7. ICT equipment/devices and tools
8. ICT skills 
9. Learning about, with and through ICT
10. Assessment of learning
11. Curriculum (integrated and project-based)
12. Teaching (best practices)
13. Professional development
14. Infrastructure
15. Control and monitoring of ICT

Activity 1 - Initial thoughts about planning

From reading the documents from my group members relating to their stage of ICT use the following was noted:

ICT use was either at the emerging, applying stage or in-between these two stages. Therefore, it was expressed that ICT was mostly used in computer labs, were even though the teachers and students in some schools were issued laptops and tablets the teaching-learning process remained traditional. In addition, most of the schools used ICT mainly for administrative purposes, thus lending itself to be used primarily by teachers to function and less by students to learn.
Some schools have an EMIS application software that controls their schools management operations, however the software is not used to its maximum potential by staff and students. Finally, all seek to receive adequate infrastructure, technical support and overall ICT training.

As a result of this, I truly believe that ICT planning encompasses a wide gamma of important aspects, e.g.
1. Training
2. Technical Support
3. Infrastructure
4. Resources
5. Maintenance
6. Teacher's confidence
7. Student use for learning

I would like to know how to plan appropriately, effectively and efficiently to integrate ICT in Schools for all to benefit.

I feel that this module will prepare us to plan ICT integration and implementation for our schools.

Hello Activity

Hello,

I am Terry-Ann Marsh-Roberts, a lecturer at the Teacher Education Department (TED) of Antigua State College (ASC), Antigua, W.I.

I am responsible for facilitating the TED teacher trainees in Techniques in Classroom Investigation, Educational Psychology, and Seminar Series in Educational Technology.

Apart from being engaged in the above courses, I enjoy reading, cooking, swimming, hiking and traveling.

One new area which I have embarked upon over the last 2 years is integrating Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) in Education.

Therefore, with internet access, my personal laptop and tablet, and classrooms equipped with 20 computer desktops, a projector and whiteboard, I do expect this course will make me better able to plan for full ICT integration in Education by both lecturers and trainees at the Teacher Education Department of Antigua State College.