Module 10 Reflections

Two long, demanding years which tested our resilience and diligence, even the best of us.   But I am glad, though it was tough, that I made it to the finish line. Now I can smile.  It seemed as though the end was not near in sight. Now that it is the end...The  things that are left from this course are the wealth of knowledge, the experiences gained, the communities of learning that were nurtured as we share and exchanged ideas with other colleagues and an inspiration to become a life long learner; and best of all the memories are  all the tutors from Fiona to Brenda to Gerald to Deb who were all exceptional tutors. You made sure that we made it to the finish line. I personally thank you. I endorse the vision and the commission that underpins this course and am certain that other territories and other colleagues will come to value and validate the new paradigms that this course advocates.  To our effervescent local tutor, Mrs. Doristeen Etinoff. Thanks for steering the course and exposing  us to these skills that will place our schools and our nation at the cutting of technological advancement as any other 1st world country. The knowledge we have gained is priceless. Best Regards to all.

In Module 10, the message is clear that ICT planning for Integration must first be embraced by all of its stakeholders. They are the driving force for ensuring the efficacy of its objectives .  Once all instituitions can cross those protocols the next step is to begin to articulate a vision for the initiative.

Whilst all schools abide in different contexts  there are certain governing principles that must be considered as one plans for ICT integration.

How will ICT improve educational delivery? The curriculum, then, becomes the guiding posts for determing how, when , where and why ICT's can be incorporated.  Once these can be established staff development is paramount to ensuring that teachers are literate in technological and information skills. Prior to this they must also be able to articulate the importance of ICT integration in a learning context.  This will determine the passion and driving force in the execution of tasks related to ICT incorporation. Determining how students and teachers can access ICT's consistently must be carefully processed to guarantee continuity of the initiative. 

One of the activities that impacted me most was the SWOT analysis that was conducted on my school.  By plugging in the context, culture and experiences at the school, it was much easier to determine the way forward.  It goes to show that planning is more a thought process rather than an action process because when the plans are well thought through , the actions are as good as done.  Proper planning reduces or dispels any likelihood of failure.  One may not be exempt from challenges but the challenges can be easily hurdled because of the ground work in planning that has taken place. 

The key challenge is the monies to facilitate budget plans since our schools are state owned and are not always able to receive financial support for major initiatives like these.  It will call for a keen ability to tap into sources who will take hold of our vision for ICT and help us get there.

My keen interest at the end of this course is to advocate for ICT integration at my school by engaging stakeholders in forums that will speak to the vision of IBWSS and ICT integration and work together with the Principal and the staff to clearly define our plans of actions and move towards execution of these actions. The mission of our school is to ensure that our students are at the cutting edge of 21st Century Skills, technological and information literacy with the overall goal of preparing to engage in a world dubbed as a knowledge economy.