TI-AIE: Transforming teaching-learning process: leading the use of technology in your school

What this unit is about

‘It is well accepted that information and communication technologies (ICT) have an immense potential to impact education – of children, of teachers, or teacher educators and others, and provide newer and more effective ways of mitigating some of the challenges being faced by the educational system in our country.’

(Central Institute of Educational Technology, 2013)

Many school leaders aspire to have computers available in their school for students to use in order to support their learning. Others will have heard about computers but may have never really interacted with them themselves. The purpose of this unit is to support you in making the most of available technology in your school, even if you do not have computers. The intension is that your teachers, with motivation and the right skills, will be able to use technology that is available. As school leader, you do not need to be a technological expert (although you will benefit from developing basic skills), but you must provide a vision for ICT to support teaching and learning, and create the environment in which your teachers will embrace this potential.

This unit will highlight some of the ways in which technology can support student learning and the implications for teachers. Using ICT to support learning requires new pedagogical skills from teachers: the internet provides wide access to multiple sources of knowledge, fundamentally changing the relationship between teacher and student. Technology is also rapidly changing, and young and inexperienced teachers may have more skills than established teachers, and may be in a better position to keep abreast of changes. Some of your older teachers may feel threatened; it is up to you to encourage them and create an environment where teachers learn from each other.

Note that the focus of this unit is on leading the use of technology to support learning in your school. It is not about teaching technology as a subject.

Learning Diary

During your work on this unit you will be asked to make notes in your Learning Diary, a book or folder where you collect together your thoughts and plans in one place. Perhaps you have already started one.

You may be working through this unit alone, but you will learn much more if you are able to discuss your learning with another school leader. This could be a colleague with whom you already collaborate, or someone with whom you can build a new relationship. It could be done in an organised way or on a more informal basis. The notes you make in your Learning Diary will be useful for these kinds of meetings, while also mapping your longer-term learning and development.

What the school leader will learn in this unit