Module 9 - Activity 3 Thinking about the whole school

Over the past year, the school has made significant strides in ensuring that the necessary infrastructure are in place to improve teaching and learning.  The good relationship which exist among the school, PTA, NGOs and the business community have proved beneficial in that we were the recipients of some forms of technology in order to improve the school's overall effectiveness.

Teachers have embraced technology but more needs to be done in terms of technical competency in utilizing these in their teaching and learning.  As the educational leader, I have seen the fear in some teachers to incorporate these into their lessons.  There needs to be more cooperation and collaboration through teamwork in order to overcome this issue.

Module 9 - Activity 2 Schools scenarios

Within organizations and in specific reference to schools, leaders are expected to solve those issues which undermine the stability and ability of the organization to effectively undertake its mandate.  Some of us have had to deal with similar school scenarios and have had to make those tough decisions which are expected to improve our organizations.  It is not easy making those decisions which ruffle the feathers and comfort zones of others.

Module 9 Activity 1 - Leadership in the digital age

It is all about change and as a leader in this digital age, it requires that leadership changes to meet the demands of this era. It calls for visionary leadership and for the will to encourage participative decision making.  Also, leaders must lead by example and engage with ICT if they wish others to catch the vision and live the dream.

Module 7 - Activity 11 - 21st century learning spaces

Teachers have come to realize that it is not business as usual in respect of 21st century learning.  More and more, teachers are expected to change the way in which they engage students, construct their classroom for learning and assess their roles in an evolving educational system as it pertains to learning spaces.

The students are engaging regularly with technology and the changing classrooms must allow for students to become more involved in their learning (seld-directed).  Ideas of the flipped classroom, social media, real world projects and adequate technology tools are in themselves agents for change in learning spaces.  As spaces change there will be change in practice for teachers as this will cause their roles to change.

How soon this will be realized in our country depends on us as practitioners to advocate for the change and the political directorate to have the will and give the level of priority needed for this to happen.

Module 7 - Activity 10 - Sharing (publishing) online

In this activity, I was exposed to various online sharing tools which one can use for project product ideas.  From my review, the use of some product ideas would depend on the age, skills sets and maturity of the students.

Module 7 Activity 9 - Learning and collaborating on line

I see collaboration adding value to the learning environment.  Workplaces require its workforce to collaborate in teams to complete tasks and in order to get our students to this level where they be ready for the future and can function in a society that requires teamwork it requires that they be equipped with the skills necessary for collaboration to take place.  Collaboration causes individuals to work together for the common good as everyone learns through this common experience and takes what is relevant to him/her and applies this to their specific learning situation.

In working together it requires the development of specific skills to include communication, problem solving, critical thinking, active listening, respect for the opinions and ideas of others and reflection.

In this type of experience there is sharing and learning taking place through constant communication.  Everyone brings their strengths to the learning environment and no one feels threatened as each person is given a voice.

Module 7 -Activity 8 Communicating online

Communication tools have value in the connected classroom once one understands how they are to be used to achieve the desired results.  Sometimes, the unfamiliarity of the tools and the fear of failure in their use cause individuals to restrict using them.  This was quite evident when we conducted our in-group session and became frustrated along the way.  We are very much aware that this could be the same scenario for our students.

Knowing that our students are technologically driven should inspire us to incorporate these into our classrooms and to narrow the gap between those students who will participate in class and those who would not and also for those who might require a different strategy for learning. 

Teachers will need to become familiar with these tools and teach students to be responsible in their use and use them for good and not as distractors.