Partners In Learning ICT in Education workshop

I have been in South Africa Johannesburg, from 14th March to 21st March 2010, attending a Microsoft Partners in learning (PiL) workshop that brings together ICT in Education project managers, trainer of trainers and education solution providers in Africa. The experience of meeting, sharing and networking with ICT in education experts and champions from Africa is very edifying.

The workshop provided us with a wealth of knowledge as well as well as opening windows of opportunity that has definitely transformed our thinking in ways we had never anticipated. Sango net, School net http://schoolnet.org.za and Mindset http://mindset.co.za have all been amazing in their work in promoting ICT in education in various countries

The two tracks ICT Capacity Building Workshop, was a series of paradigm-shifting workshops aimed at providing NGOs an opportunity to explore strategies to maximize their organizational capacity and dramatically improve the impact of their projects using ICTs, with an overriding commitment to empower them in ICT integration in education.

The onerous task of innovatively getting teachers to appreciate ICT’s and learn at work as well as grooming teachers on the way to innovation (amidst myriad Challenges teachers face in Africa )cannot be gainsaid. A Peer Coaching programme that is designed to help schools implement a professional development model that can enhance outcomes-based education by assisting teachers to offer learners engaging, ICT rich, learning activities is one of the activities teachers can get themselves involved in

Training teacher leaders to serve as peer coaches for colleagues to assist their peers in identifying ways that ICT can strengthen classroom curriculum and enhance their learners' achievement in learning as well as help their colleagues to develop the necessary ICT skills and strategies needed to integrate ICT into teaching and learning.

Many of the peer teachers have had success in integrating ICT into their classroom curriculum and can assist collaborating teachers to blend strong instructional practices and ICT into classroom activities by discussing and sharing teaching practices, and supporting efforts to enrich learning through the uses of ICT and engaged learning.