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Volume 1 Issue 5, July 2008
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Opinion - Innovative Schools: Through the Lenses of the 21st Century
The
21st Century has brought with it tremendous advancement in innovation
and technological marvels. Medical science has never been more advanced
and successful in their endeavors to address major diseases. Mankind
has also witnessed some of the fastest adoption of computer
technologies and the use of the Internet. In fact, the Internet now has
more than 1.4 billion users and is growing at an annual rate of more
than 290%. The Internet is also the platform for some of the most
innovative solutions that have ever been developed in recent years, and
the use has influenced and impacted people from all ages,
nationalities, ethnicities and cultures.
In the midst of such phenomenal advancements and technological
breakthroughs, the education sector, more specifically our schools, are
still struggling to understand and appreciate the changes that are
taking place. While students, teachers and leaders do understand the
impact of technologies in their personal lives, the application and
very often, the relevance of these technologies in schools, teaching
and learning has been challenged and questioned. Furthermore, schools
in the 21st Century face very different challenges as compared to
schools prior to the current century. How are we preparing students for
jobs and vocations that have yet to be invented? What types of skills
are required by students to be successful in the 21st Century? Is
school in the current form still effective and relevant? What does the
innovation journey of a school look like if it wants to remain
relevant? There are probably a lot more of these questions that one can
think of, but no one has any complete answers.
What then is an innovative school? Is an innovative school one that has
demonstrated great classroom practices that have engaged students and
teachers? Is an innovative school one that uses a lot of technology
appropriately and with a strong pedagogical basis? Is an innovative
school one that exemplifies how schools drive quality education through
strong leadership and processes? Is an innovative school one that has
impacted its surrounding communities? Is an innovative school one that
has developed strategies that will develop their teachers
professionally? Is an innovative school one that has put continuous
innovation and improvements to impact student outcomes as their bedrock
principle? Is an innovative school one that is self-motivated,
collaborative and global? Perhaps an innovative school is none of the
above by itself and it is actually ALL of the above together. In my
opinion, I think an innovative school must exemplify and demonstrate
all of the above characteristics and perhaps even more.
Do we then embrace the vision of an innovative school as described
above? Are there any other ways in which we can identify an innovative
school when we see one? What are we going to use to help schools make
this incredible, but very important journey towards an innovative
school? It would be great if stakeholders across the world could come
together and agree on a framework where all of us can take the first
step in this journey. Can we avoid this journey? I will leave that to
you as an individual to decide. I, on the other hand, believe that this
is an important journey for schools in order to ensure the future of
each of our countries. Students, at the end of the day, will become the
future citizens of our respective countries and we in the current
generation have the responsibility to help them become successful in
the future. Hence, by preparing for the now, we are actually, in fact,
preparing for the future and unknown. Each of us must become an
explorer of the frontiers, a discoverer of the unknown and a
responsible citizen of this beautiful planet called Earth.
To discuss or add your comments and ideas on this article, please e-mail: perspectives@pugetsoundcenter.org.
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A Systematic Approach to Enhance the ICT Capacity of TEIs
by Dr. Fengchun Miao, UNESCO Bangkok
Today's children take the information and communication technologies
(ICT) around them for granted. In some cases, the students may be more
techno-savvy than their teachers. To ensure that the teachers are able
to use ICT judiciously in the classrooms to enhance teaching and
learning, the teacher education institutions (TEIs) have to design and
provide relevant ICT curricula for their trainee teachers. In the Asia
and Pacific region, the capacity of TEIs to do so is still limited. To
address this problem, UNESCO Bangkok and Microsoft Asia-Pacific
launched the Next Generation of Teachers Project (Next Gen) to increase
the capacity of TEIs in the region in preparing their trainees to
utilize ICT appropriately. Ten countries are covered by the project,
namely: Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Three TEIs in each
country have been selected to participate in the project, amounting to
30 TEIs in total.
The project has identified three key factors for successful ICT-related
training and has designed three complementary interventions to address
these factors respectively, as shown in the figure below.
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Key Factors
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Project Interventions
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Leadership and management capacity of TEIs
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Dean's Forum
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Relevance and coverage of ICT-related curriculum provided by the TEIs
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Curriculum Development Workshop
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Capacity of instructors in providing ICT-related courses and facilitating ICT learning
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Capacity Building Workshops for Instructors
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Deans' Forums
UNESCO and Microsoft have convened two forums for the Deans of
Education from the participating TEIs. The first forum, held in
Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2007, brought together participants from
China, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The second
forum was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in June 2007, and included deans
from Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. At these forums, the
participants collectively explored the challenges of teacher education
on ICT integration and developed plans for bringing about institutional
changes. In addition, they also received training on leadership and
management.
In partnership with the Edith Cowen University and other partners,
UNESCO and Microsoft also held a two-day Asia-Pacific Deans of
Education Forum in Perth, Australia, in February 2008. With more than
50 representatives from 20 Asia-Pacific countries, the forum
facilitated the development of a strategic plan and international
partnerships to assist in building the capacity of TEIs across the
Asia-Pacific region.
Capacity Building Workshops for Instructors
A Regional Peer-Coaching Training Workshop, held from 15 to 19 October
2007 in Kunming, China, was attended by more than 60 deans, directors
and instructors of TEIs from the 10 participating countries and Brunei
Darussalam. Each participant prepared an action plan to apply the
Microsoft-sponsored peer-coaching approach to facilitate teacher
education on ICT integration for their TEIs. UNESCO has been monitoring
the implementation of these plans through monthly reports submitted by
the participants. A second training workshop for the instructors was
held in Brunei Darussalam, to share experiences in implementing peer
coaching.
Furthermore, UNESCO, Microsoft and Cisco Systems are providing a series
of in-house training workshops for instructors, ranging from basic,
intermediate and advanced IT skills networking technologies, and
hands-on practices on ICT-pedagogy integration, and tele-collaboration.
Curriculum Development Workshops for TEIs to be held in 2008
A series of ICT-related Curriculum Development Workshops have been
designed for TEIs to facilitate their curriculum developers in
upgrading their ICT-related courses, in developing new courses, and in
revising the pedagogy of their ICT training programmes.
Microsoft Canada Innovative Teachers Conference 2008
With
themes of "Realizing Your Innovative Potential" and "Thinking Outside
the Blocks", Microsoft Canada's first Innovative Teachers Conference
was a unique opportunity for teachers from across Canada to gain
insight from similar Partners in Learning (PiL) activities held
globally. The information and strategies generated at the conference
will be online soon at www.innovativeteachersnetwork.ca, so other PiL programs can benefit.
Many participants commented the conference was different from any other
conference they had attended. All participants were handpicked. Since
they were all innovators, everyone shared a common vision about going
in the same direction, but with different stories to tell. Many things
about the conference were innovative, including the Student Innovation
Conference which was held at the same time and place.
Red River College in Winnipeg was the backdrop for the event. As an
innovative, award-winning building, its open concept and layout sent a
message that this event was going to be different.
Keynote speaker Arnold Wasserman, co-founder of the Singapore-based
consulting company, "The Idea Factory", provided a framework for using
the principles of design thinking, human-centered innovation and
technology-based innovation as models for educators to consider. Local
presenters from 13 Winnipeg-based companies in seven different economic
sectors, recognized as international leaders because of their
innovation, provided tours and presentations as a follow-up to
Wasserman's keynote about "cultures of innovation." These were examples
of how anyone, anywhere, can be in the forefront of innovation.
Innovation does not recognize borders. After these sessions,
participants met in sharing and working groups to work with the ideas.
The groups were imperative for the process. Participants had to reflect
and apply their experiences to their educational needs. Lastly,
participants listened to educators working on the cutting edge with
programs like MARVIN, Schools of the Future and other PiL initiatives.
The conference did not end there. The "Virtual Innovation Centre", open
for global participation September 1, 2008, consists of online and
face-to-face activities planned for the next year, based on surveys of
what participants think they need to innovate.
Through this conference, participants gained expertise and great ideas
to realize their innovative potential. For many businesses competing in
the global marketplace, innovation is "Job 1." The Microsoft Canada
Innovative Teachers Conference pushed and pulled educators towards
doing that in our field.
Teachers Intensify Training to Enhance Skills
Microsoft ITLA Educators Receive IT Masters Degrees
A
group of public school teachers from all over the Philippines were
recognized in formal rites recently, following their graduation from an
intensive 11-month technology degree program.
Twenty-eight educators from the first and second batch of finalists of
the Innovative Teachers Leadership Awards (ITLA) enrolled in a
research-oriented course focusing on the application of information and
communication technologies (ICT) in the development and implementation
of ICT-enabled learning environments and teaching strategies.
Each teacher graduated with a Master of Arts in Instructional Design and Technology degree from the Cebu Normal University.
The ITLA is a Microsoft Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative, which
honors passionate and driven teachers who have displayed creativity and
ingenuity in teaching.
"The ITLA finalists underwent an ICT integration training called
Fusion, which is further enhanced by this degree program," said
Michelle Casio, Academic Programs Manager, Microsoft Philippines.
"We know that technology has the potential to change the way students
learn and make new opportunities available to them. Aside from having
the right tools, it's equally important that our teachers have the
knowledge and confidence to integrate ICT in their teaching."
According to Casio, Microsoft collaborates with various academic groups
and government agencies through Partners in Learning, to empower more
schools and teachers.
"The vision presented by Partners in Learning parallels the principles
and outlook of CBE," said Luchi Flores, Executive Director, CBE. "We
are offering this kind of program for teachers to improve the quality
of education in the Philippines through curriculum development, teacher
enhancement, principal empowerment and, most importantly, community
involvement."
Graduates of the program are expected to understand and appreciate
various models of ICT application to teaching and learning, attain the
ability to subject their professional practice into a systemic and
reflective analysis, and develop and sustain a community where
professionals can engage in constructive exchanges that improve their
ability to provide quality education for students.
"Partners in Learning is about enabling Filipino students to become
competitive individuals," said Casio. "To do so, we need to engage
those who are in the frontline of education, and these are our
teachers." The
photo that accompanies this article shows the 28 ITLA teachers during
their graduation from the Master of Arts in Instructional Design and
Technology program at the Cebu Normal University, with Luchi Flores,
Executive Director, CBE (first row, leftmost); George Parilla,
Marketing Manager, Microsoft Southern Philippines (second row,
rightmost), and Fr. Jomar Legaspi, President, Learn.ph Foundation
(third row, leftmost).
Resources
Report on the 2008 Asia Pacific Innovative Teachers Conference
Conversations among the educators attending the 2008 Asia Pacific
Innovative Teachers Conference were full of verbs like "engaged,"
"exciting," and "fun." Many of these teachers discussed the role
information and communications technology (ICT) played in transforming
learning to make it engaging and exciting. ICT can make learning more
fun and more engaging. The learning activities created by the
innovative teachers gathered at this conference made it clear that ICT,
by itself, is no panacea. The classroom projects they showcased paired
ICT with powerful learning strategies. When linked with these
pedagogical techniques, technology becomes a tool that encourages
students to be actively involved in learning. Engaging instructional
strategies and ICT can make learning relevant, exciting and yes, even
fun!
In
April 2008, 214 educators from 21 countries gathered for this
conference in Hanoi as part of Microsoft's Partners in Learning
Initiative, to celebrate their successes as innovators and to
collaborate and work together in ways that would further develop their
teaching skills. One major component of this conference had educators
share their best practices in ICT integration with judges, who were
assessing their work, and with other teachers attending. These projects
ran the gamut from chemistry and culture to school news and weather.
The judges were asked to choose one project from each country that best
represented the ways ICT was to be used to encourage students to be
actively engaged in their learning and promoted the students'
development of the 21st Century. During the judging, the educators also
shared their classroom best practices with other participants, offering
them the opportunity to learn from other innovators.
In
addition to sharing their work, the educators teamed up to create
projects that demonstrated that education could play a role in
education for sustainable development (ESD). Faced with the challenge
of creating ESD projects, the educators fanned out across Hanoi to
research and create learning activities that addressed topics like the
threats posed by urban growth, water quality, and preserving and
protecting cultural diversity. As they worked on these projects, they
demonstrated other attributes of innovative teaching and learning: the
willingness to take risks, and perhaps fail, and collaboration.
To learn more about these collaborative projects, to see some of the
classroom projects presented by these innovative teachers, to see how
Microsoft helped teachers celebrate their success, and to learn more
about the 2008 Innovative Teachers Conference, go to http://apac.innovativeteachers.com/Pages/Welcome.aspx. After logging in, click on the link for the Regional Innovative Teachers Conference 2008.
Leading Professional Change
Ever felt your school is working in isolation? Do you believe that your
efforts at innovation have suffered because you're working alone? If
you answered yes to either of these questions, Michael Fullan, an
internationally renowned expert on educational innovation, agrees with
you. Efforts at innovation have failed, he argues, because too often
schools are working alone. In fact, in a 2006 article, "Leading
Professional Change," Fullan insists that many schools are so focused
on their innovations, their structural changes, their culture, that
they begin to think of their school as being autonomous. Successful
innovation is the victim.
Effective change, systemic change, Fullan believes is contingent on
collaboration among schools. For your school, this may initially mean
other schools in the innovative schools program, but in the longer
term, it means collaborating with other schools in your district,
division or municipality.
While collaboration among schools is important, Fullan insists that the
focus of the collaboration is just as important. To make this point,
Fullan quotes Richard Elmore. "Improvement is .learning to do the right
things in the setting where you work (p 12). In other words, innovation
must focus on both classroom learning and continuous sustained learning
in.their classrooms and classrooms of other teachers in other schools
confronting similar problems." (p 12).
To read the entire article and learn more, please go to: http://innovativeschoolsonline.com/Pages/Welcome.aspx
and click on the "Join the Network" tab. After you create an account,
choose the "Resources" tab at the top of the page and then the "Change
Process" link on the left side of the page. From the list of readings
and resources, select "Fullan on Leading Professional Learning."
Announcements
Cebu Schools Gain Competitive Edge with Technology
In partnership with the 4th Congressional District of Cebu, Microsoft
Philippines, through its Partners in Learning (PiL) initiative,
recently donated computers to Bantayan National High School and
Madredejos High School to enable teachers and students to experience
the transformative power of technology in education.
Microsoft Partners in Learning is a global initiative to provide
schools and students access to information and communications
technology (ICT) based learning solutions to empower students and boost
their competence and skills, enabling them to realize their full
potential.
Bantayan National High School and Madredejos High School each received ten personal computers powered by Microsoft technology.
During the turn-over ceremonies, Representative Benhur Salimbangon, 4th
District of Cebu Province, highlighted the urgency of improving the
educational system to help develop students from these communities into
competitive individuals who can take advantage of the opportunities
that await them.
"To have a strong and self-sufficient community, we must prioritize the
education of the youth," said Rep. Salimbangon. "Technology plays an
important role in enhancing the learning process, and providing access
to the right tools helps develop and nurture the skills of the
students."
Cebu Province was awarded as one of the Philippines' innovative
Department of Education school divisions in Potensyal, receiving
training and technology grants totalling nearly P10-million.
A Partners in Learning program, Potensyal recognized the most
innovative schools and divisions that are also open to technology and
driven to empower people.
"We believe that technology has the potential to enhance the
educational experience and prepare students to become competent and
competitive individuals," said Michelle Casio, Academic Programs
Manager, Microsoft Philippines.
"Microsoft Philippines is committed to forming long-term partnerships
with government institutions and non-government organizations to
empower our teachers and students to achieve their potential and become
skilled educators and learners," added Casio.
According to Rep. Salimbangon, cooperation among schools, public, and
private organizations contributes to the development of educational
services in various communities. "Education is everybody's business. We
are proud to partner with Microsoft as we make IT-enhanced learning
possible in these schools. The changes will not happen overnight, but
we are certain that we will reap the benefits in the future." Photo
above shows Representative Benhur Salimbangon, 4th District of Cebu
Province, during the turn-over ceremony of the computers to Bantayan
National High School and Madredejos High School.
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