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Friday, July 28, 2006

Teacher Fluency with IT for ACTIVE Learning

I've been developing the outline of a Trainer's Training Course that combines Fluency with IT (using Lawrence Snyder's 2nd Edition, and the BeneFIT site at UWash) with constructivist approaches to Educational Technology (using Grabe & Grabe, I only have the 2nd Edition, a 4th Edition is out), both adapted to the local situation in Cebu. Actually, it will only cover half of Snyder's book on FIT, up to spreadsheets and security. I am dividing it into four modules, I'll post details later when they are more stable. I have also met two Peace Corps volunteers, who I think can be very helpful in developing and rolling out the course. Neal and Rene Bierbaum are based in Compostela HS, but Neal comes into Cebu City two times a week to assist in one of five IT training centers that have been set up by the Provincial Schools Division. These centers have 30 teachers assigned to them to work as trainers for other teachers. I initially target them to be the guinea pigs for the (IT Trainor's version of the) course. Later, some of them will be able to help teach it I hope. I envision two other versions, one for Communications and certain Makabayan teachers (Music, Values Education, PE ... this will be less technical, and not teach Javascript programming but focus on presentation and Web skills) and another for Math and Science teachers (and selected Makabayan teachers, advanced Araling Panlipunan /Social Studies teachers, and some Technology and Livelihood Education teachers who are not prepared for the IT Trainers version, this will involve advanced spreadsheet skills and some programming for Databases and Javascript). All versions will incorporate principles of pedagogy for children, while the IT Trainer's version will incorporate principles for training and assessing adults. The textbooks I mentioned are too expensive to import in quantity, I hope Pearson and Houghton Mifflin might be willing to print local editions for the Philippines. Whether or not that happens, I am planning to author (preferably co-author) shorter texts for the 8 modules I am planning (four for the first course, and another more advanced course). Those module texts would be more suitable for in-service training, while the full textbooks would be better for graduate and undergraduate courses in Education.

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