Teacher Training: Technology savvy teachers

 Teacher Training: Technology savvy teachers
2010/12/11

suzie@nst.com.my
(From left) Liew Tho Lip, Jayanti S Sothinathan, Ooi Say Tin, Chua Lay Siok, Bushro Ali and Hasnan Hakim


Five educators relate how Malaysian teachers have benefited from the Intel Teach Programme, which celebrates a decade of innovative teaching practices this year, writes SUZIEANA UDA NAGU THERE was a time when typing out essays on a word processor passed as “integration of technology into the teaching of language”.

English language lecturer Jayanti S Sothinathan recalls this as being a dilemma which English teachers faced a decade ago.

“They did not know what language skills they could teach using a computer. (So) they taught students how to type out essays on Microsoft Word and ask them to hand these in as assignments,” says the teacher trainer from Education Ministry’s English Language Teaching Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
Teacher trainers, on the other hand, were at a loss to explore creative ways to encourage teachers to use multimedia in the classroom back then.

Four years ago, Jayanti discovered new ways of teaching English through Intel Teach Programme, which focuses on training teachers — using project-based learning model — to effectively integrate technology into the classroom.

Being an Intel Teach trainer has been an enriching experience for Jayanti who says the programme has given her “the choice of how to teach and learn” and opened up opportunities to present papers — on how it has helped teachers and students become technology savvy and effective learners — at conferences.
Jayanti is one of more than 70,000 Malaysian teachers who have undergone the Intel Teach which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Over eight million pre-service and in-service teachers in more than 60 nations have received the training.

Senior lecturer Chua Lay Siok from Institute of Teacher Education Bahasa Melayu campus says the programme, formerly known as Intel Teach to the Future, also seeks to arm students with “21st century skills such as technology and digital literacy, effective communication, critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration to prepare them for the knowledge economy”.
Ultimately, it aims to transform classrooms into an enquiry-based environment that fosters peer learning among teachers and students.

As far as lecturer Ooi Say Tin — an Intel Teach trainer since 2000 — is concerned, the programme has gone from strength to strength.

“Initially, the skills that were taught to teachers were basic, such as how to create Powerpoint presentations and upload them to websites,” says Ooi, who teaches at the Institute of Teacher Education, International Languages campus.

Technological advances mean that the Intel Teach syllabi change over time and have since incorporated the latest web tool technology such as webinar and blogs.

“Technology has changed the way people learn. So teachers should also keep abreast of the development of technology and incorporate it into their lessons,” she adds.


Read more: Teacher Training: Technology savvy teachers http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/TeacherTraining_Technologysavvyteachers/Article#ixzz18RLiejSw

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