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Educator Development for ICT Framework

Trainer / Mentor Preparation

The preparation of trainers / mentors (Appendix D) is key to the success of the whole SchoolNet training programme. Some issues that arise here are:

Some issues that arise here are:

  1. Which agency will conduct the face-to-face training?

    2. SchoolNet will train trainers / mentors for training and support during the project duration. Further training and support should take place under the auspices of the provincial schools' networks or registered trainers providing other opportunities such as outreach programmes, community centres and other credible entrepreneurial initiatives. SchoolNet would maintain moderating rights and may like to oversee such a programme.

  2. Who will be identified as mentors?

    3. For the ICT skills modules: existing trainers who may or may not be teachers. Guidance would have to be given in the training materials concerning educational context.
    For the integration modules: Educators who fulfil the criteria to become trainers / mentors. These would have to be well-grounded teachers with reasonable ICT skills.

  3. What are the advantages / disadvantages of a tele-mentoring programme?

i. Skilled trainers will not be available in every province owing to more advanced nature of the training. Learning / mentorship from a distance is therefore a way of coping with this.

ii. The quality of the learning experience is likely to be enhanced with ongoing reflection, mediation and collaboration in a situated / experiential learning environment i.e. with application in the classroom.

Recommendation:

The SchoolNet optional workshops should be structured and managed along lines specified as follows:

  • Use should be made of materials produced / approved for use by SchoolNet.
  • The outcomes of each course should be adhered to and assessment should be according to the applied competencies for each course.
  • Educators should participate in the courses in collaborative groups.
  • The courses should be offered either as
  1. Face-to-face collaborative workshops followed by collaborative group interaction and supported by a mentor, or
  2. Online workshops with collaborative group interaction and support by a mentor. Collaborative groups should ideally consist of members from different schools.
  • Course materials and related resources should be available on CD and on a web site and should be able to be printed from both sources. Updates should be posted to a web site until a new batch of CD's are reproduced.
  • SchoolNet should train appropriate educators to act as mentors/trainers of the 9 integration modules.
  • Educators should have the option of pursuing further optional course modules once their project allocation of courses has been used. SchoolNet should seek partners in the provincial schools' networks to conduct this training. Such partners should strictly adhere to the guidelines of this training programme and trainers should be approved and monitored by SchoolNet.

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Last updated: 2 June2000