Whole school gains ICT Certificates
A Far North Queensland school has shown they are 100 per cent behind Education Queensland's initiative to implement ICT into the classroom.
In fact, they are so dedicated that all four teachers at Coen State School have completed the first level of the Smart Classrooms PD Framework.
Based in a remote community, Cape York school Principal Emma Toombs said it was important for teachers to know how to integrate the latest in ICT into their lessons.
'All of our kids are Indigenous, all 35 of them ... and I would say that only one family up here has a computer at home,' says Miss Toombs.
'It's our job as teachers to vary delivery in the classroom to engage the kids and based on Education Queensland's curriculum that includes exposing them to technology.'
One of three levels of the PD Framework, the ICT Certificate encourages teacher's use of ICT for the purpose of enhancing student's learning experiences.
A teacher's competence is assessed through the submission of an individual portfolio and judged against set criteria.
'All the teachers are really excited about their achievements but, I think they are more proud of the fact that we did it together,' explains Emma.
'I will also be encouraging all my teachers to complete the second level of the Framework next year.'
eLearning in Indigenous Communities' Project Officer Theresa Feletar says Coen State School was in a league of its own when it came to boasting 100 per cent certification.'It's a pretty big thing, especially for a school that is so isolated,' says Ms Feletar.
'This group of women is absolutely amazing ... they got right behind the idea of ICT and they didn't miss one practice session with me.'
And it's of little surprise considering the changes Miss Toombs and her team have observed in children's behaviour since ICT was implemented.
'It's not only a really effective way of teaching but, it's also great when it comes to dealing with the behavioural management issues we experience at this school,' says Emma.
