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!