Information and communication technology (ICT) has the potential to transform teaching and learning processes, but many countries face urgent challenges to provide the necessary justification of their investments in ICT infrastructure and massive roll-outs of teacher training initiatives.
For teachers, investments need to take into account special attention to teachers in providing them with the necessary policy environment, digital curriculum, skills, infrastructure, and professional development to make effective use of ICT in the classroom.
Governments need to hold the belief that teacher training and ongoing relevant professional development are essential if benefits from investment in ICT are to be maximized.
At the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education conference in Qingdao, People’s Republic of China from 23 to 25 May 2015 it was reiterated that the successful integration of ICT into teaching and learning requires rethinking the role of teachers and reforming their preparation and professional development.
The goal of the meeting is to share experiences from ongoing teacher training/development projects in the region related to modes of initiatives (face-to-face, blended, online training), content (teacher training materials in digital literacy, knowledge deepening and knowledge creation) and partnerships established (private sector, Intergovernmental Organizations and in order to learn from the roll-out models, share teacher training materials and Intergovernmental Organizations).
As a result of the meeting a policy brief on ICT in Education Policies and Teacher Capacity Development will be developed.
UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa website – www.unesco.org/new/en/nairobi
