Using the Tools

In an ideal situation, the activities listed below might act as stepping stones to achieve an environment where both pre- and in-service teachers can integrate ICT into their daily responsibilities seamlessly and confidently. Rather than studying these activities in sequence, one should rather regard them as items on a menu. Consider what combination and order would be appropriate for your context. The tools presented above were developed to support many of these key activities.

Conduct an eReadiness Audit:

Where are teachers, teacher trainers and education officials in terms of their ICT proficiencies? How might one describe the typical ICT setup in schools, colleges and the ministry? It is necessary to identify infrastructure, equipment and skill baseline levels in order for planned strategies and activities to respond appropriately to the existing context. Audit schools, teacher training colleges, faculties of education, district offices and the ministry to ascertain this information.

When developing instruments to collect this data, use the surveys identified in the toolkit and adapt as necessary. Ensure a big enough sample of each stakeholder group is canvassed and then collate results to see where skills and attitudes are positioned. The aggregate information can help to inform the ICT in education strategy document.

Review National ICT and Education Priorities:

Determine to what extent the existing national policy environment either supports the training of teachers to integrate ICT into their duties or needs to be changed so that it does support this. In some instances, a national ICT policy will have been developed, while in others, ICT has been incorporated into other sector policies. Evaluate what role ICT is supposed to play within the education sector and determine what strategies have been formulated to actualise the vision.

Establish an ICT in Education Steering Committee:

Set up a body of local and international authorities, at the highest possible level, to drive the programme forward. This group will act as a think tank, but also as troubleshooters when problems look likely to derail the programme. Consequently, the committee will need influence. Where possible, it will benefit from international participation and input to enable benchmarking of national strategies and activities against international best practices.

Devise an ICT in Education Implementation Strategy:

From the results of the survey or audit, identify the gaps and develop a strategy to close them. Formulate a set of specific activities that will respond to the findings and recommendations of the policy review and eReadiness audit, and allocate funds to ensure the implementation activities can be carried out.

The toolkit contains four sample strategy documents from Guyana, St Vincent & Grenedines, Trinidad & Tobago and the Dominican Republic focusing on teacher professional development but also considering wider ICT in education issues. These can be reviewed for ideas on relevant approaches and directions.