EVENTS...

Learning to Teach Colloquium on Distance Education for Teacher Development

Don't ignore low and medium-end technologies in teacher-training curriculum, was one of the strong messages shared during the Colloquium on Distance Education for Teacher Development held at the Global Knowledge '97 Conference on Monday. The second session of the six-part Workshop showcased three case studies of distance teacher education programmes. Namely, the Israeli, Mexican and U.K. models.

A delegate from Sudan who raised an interesting point about technology during the discussion period following the case study presentations. A question was raised about the sophistication of the information and communication technologies being integrated and utilized in the distance education programmes described by the presenters.

The Sudanese participant explained that many of the less developed countries are facing a deficiency in their educational systems. The Sudan is no exception. Many teachers are untrained or undertrained. To deal with this problem a Teacher-Assistance Course has been developed in the Sudan.

This Teacher Assistance programme has been designed to provide teachers with the necessary skills and training to manage their classrooms. The Course relies on tutors and print resources to facilitate the learning of the teachers in training and utilizes low and medium-end technologies such as the radio to enhance learning.

According to the presenters, Professor Michal Bellar, The Open University of Israel, Ms. Elisa Bonilla, Secretaria de Educacion Publica, Mexico, and Jenny Leach, Open University, U.K., high-end information technology such as the internet and video-conferencing are used to enhance and complement the curriculum of distance education teacher training programmes. The models described during the session also utilize print materials, audio, and video in the training of teachers.

 

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